JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU. 303 



their beaks, with wings wide spread and the elongated feathers 

 of the back raised and parted, exposing the conspicuous white 

 base of the plumes, almost like a rosette. These white 

 stars were very conspicuous amid the dark shadows of the 

 forest floor, vanishing instantly when the wings were lowered. 

 This color was not visible in flight. Many of the species of 

 this group of birds have a similar concealed dorsal spot, and 

 it must serve some definite purpose. When the matter of 

 dispute was devoured or had crawled away into safety, the 

 quarrel was at once forgotten and the birds began scratch- 

 ing peacefully side by side as before. 



A short distance beyond I encountered what I found 

 later was the most common assemblage of birds to be 

 found in this region — a flock of Antbirds and Wood- 

 hewers, with a few other species, such as Flycatchers and 

 Tanagers. One could not take even a short walk in the 

 forest hereabouts without observing several such flocks, 

 numbering from a dozen to fifty or more individuals. 



The Antbirds comprise a family, Formicariidae, of which 

 more than two hundred and fifty species are known. 

 They are rather generalized passerine birds, which are found 

 only in the tropical forests of northern South America. 

 Inconspicuous in color and retiring in habits it is only when 

 one becomes familiar with these tropical jungles that one 

 realizes how numerous these birds really are. Their notes 

 are usually uttered only at intervals and are often difficult 

 to locate. They creep silently among the lower branches 

 or, as we have seen, search the ground for the insects which 

 form their food. The name Ant-thrush is rather a mis- 

 nomer, for they are not Thrushes, and while they are alwa3's 

 attendant upon the swarms of hunting ants yet they seldom 

 feed upon the ants themselves, but on the insects stirred up 

 by the ferocious insects. 



We know but litde about the nesting habits of these birds, 



