250 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



mellow pipe, followed, after a distinct pause, by a single, or 

 sometimes a dual, note in a much lower key. To attempt to 

 trace its author amidst the tropical vegetation seemed a well- 

 nigh hopeless task, as, indeed, it would have been had I not 

 bethought myself of the simple device of calling the bird to me. 

 I found it was not difficult to give a plausible imitation of the 

 whistle. Keeping quite still — oblivious of the mosquitoes and 

 the vicious little sandflies ! — I repeatedly answered the call, and 

 patiently awaited developments. Very soon the fluty notes of 

 the stranger could be heard approaching nearer and still nearer, 

 until the sound became unbelievably close — in fact, in the very 

 bush that protected me. I could even hear the gentle rustle 

 of a dried leaf as the newcomer stirred, almost under my 

 feet, and the next instant a small brown bird strode, with 

 a jerky flick of its uplifted tail, into full view, not an arm's 

 length from where I was crouching. In every detail it was a 

 miniature Rail — it had the same stooping, hesitating gait, the 

 same spasmodic flick of the tail ; yet I knew it to be a very 

 different species — one of the Ant-Thrushes ; in fact, the " Coq- 

 bois " (Formicarius analis saturatus). 



As though in duty bound, and apparently without a semblance 

 of pleasure, the bird frequently stayed its peregrinations to 

 raise its head and utter this loud, joyless challenge. It would 

 then proceed on its way, taking a few long strides over the 

 ground, only to stop again either to search among the dried 

 leaves for its insect food, or to reiterate its doleful notes. A 

 strictly terrestrial species, the "Coq-bois" appears to be one of 

 the few birds that habitually affect the gloomy under-world of 

 the forest, the majority preferring the well-lighted upper branches 

 of the bushes and trees. 



Another member of the same family {Formicariidcz) , likewise 

 possessing a characteristic voice, is the "Pintade" {Thamnophilus 

 doliatus). This is a curious looking fellow with a black-and-white 

 barred livery, while his wife, usually in close attendance, is very 

 differently dressed in tawny brown. He is not uncommon, and 

 is found inhabiting the dense thickets of wild vines and other 

 growths, whence he keeps in touch with his mate by a rattling 

 chortle — a curiously " thick " sound uttered in a quickly de- 

 scending scale. 



