32 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



seen round the lagoon, which a small spine-tailed 

 swift* visited regularly in the evening when there 

 were swarms of small flies, while at other times 

 of the day, when flies were not numerous, not a 

 single swift was observed there. 



It would be tedious to mention individually aU 

 the birds seen during these visits to Itaparica, but 

 there are two other species to which I must draw 

 attention — one, because it is one of the most 

 noticeable of Brazilian birds, and the other, be- 

 cause of its scarcity, as far as specimens in 

 museums are concerned. 



The first belongs to the family of tyrant-fly- 

 catchers, which is numerously represented in 

 Brazil. Several species were met with by us, 

 but by far the most common was Tyrannus 

 melancholicus — a bird of about the size of a thrush 

 with a yellow breast, grey back, and a partially 

 concealed golden-orange crest. It is to be seen 

 in almost every tree, and is further remarkable 

 for the monotonous cry which it utters continually. 



The other bird to which I would refer is another 

 member of the family of tyrants. This bird — 

 Myiarchus pelzelni — is apparently scarce in 

 collections, though why this should be it is difficult 

 to say. It was quite common in the mango trees 

 near our camp, and several were shot and skinned. 

 Perhaps, however, Itaparica is particularly suited 

 to its requirements, and it may be rare in other 



* Chaetura jwmosa. 



