Notices of New Boohs. 



8539 



black plumage, remarkably compact and velvety in texture. The 

 shape of its head and its physiognomy are very similar to those of the 

 magpie; it has light gray eyes which give it the same knowing expres- 

 sion. It is social in its habits, and, like the English rook, builds its 

 nest on trees in the neighbourhood of habitations ; but the nests are 

 quite differently constructed, being shaped like purses, two feet in 

 length, and suspended from the slender branches all round the tree, 

 some of them very near the ground. The entrance is on the side near 

 the bottom of the nest. This bird is a great favourite with the 

 Brazilians of Para. It is a noisy, stirring, babbling creature, passing 

 constantly to and fro, chattering to its comrades, and is very ready at 

 imitating other birds, especially the domestic poultry of the vicinity. 

 There was once a weekly newspaper published at Para called 4 The 

 Japim,' the name being chosen, I suppose, on account of the babbling 

 propensities of the bird. Its eggs are nearly round, and of a bluish 

 white colour, speckled with brown." — (P. 16). 



Immediately after this note our traveller philosophizes on the tails 

 of lizards, and I must confess that, duly considered, the readiness with 

 which lizards part with their tails on the instant when that decorative 

 appendage is handled or insulted, I feel very much inclined to agree 

 with Mr. Bates as to their inutility ; but surely we must allow Nature 

 the privilege of decoration, and a lizard's tail elevated in the air is 

 doubtless an object of attraction to its mate, if not to phlegmatic man. 



Lizard? s Tails. — "The tails of lizards seem to be almost useless 

 appendages to the animals. I used often to amuse myself in the 

 suburbs, whilst resting in the verandah of our house during the heat of 

 mid-day, by watching the variegated green, brown and yellow ground 

 lizards. They would come nimbly forward, and commence grubbing 

 with their fore feet and snouts around the roots of herbage, searching 

 for insect larvae. On the slightest alarm they would scamper off, their 

 tails cocked up in the air as they waddled awkwardly away, evidently 

 an encumbrance to them in their flight." — (P. 17). 



From lizards to their insect food is but a step : I therefore only follow 

 Nature, as well as my original, in next quoting his most able account 

 of the Sauba ants, a creature that strips the trees of their leaves to be 

 used in the construction of its habitations, carrying out the propensity 

 of the leafcutter bee to an excess that would be fearful were it not that 

 vegetation is too abundant, too wonderfully reproductive in these 

 regions to be arrested by such puny assailants. 



Ants. — "A far more interesting species was the Saiiba (CEcodoma 

 cephalotes). This ant is seen everywhere about the suburbs, marching 



