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were indeed similar, in general appearance, to such as 

 are met with in country places in England. Occasionally 

 a flock of small parroquets, green, with a patch of yellow 

 on the forehead, would come at early morning to the 

 trees near the Estrada. They would feed quietly, some- 

 times chattering in subdued tones, but setting up a 

 harsh scream, and flying ofl, on being disturbed. Hum- 

 ming-birds we did not see at this time, although I after- 

 wards found them by hundreds when certain trees were 

 in flower. Vultures we only saw at a distance, sweeping 

 round at a great height, over the public slaughter-houses. 

 Several flycatchers, finches, ant-thrushes, a tribe of 

 plainly-coloured birds, intermediate in structure between 

 flycatchers and thrushes, some of which startle the new- 

 comer by their extraordinary notes emitted from their 

 places of concealment in the dense thickets ; and also 

 tanagers, and other small birds, inhabited the neighbour- 

 hood. None of these had a pleasing song, except a little 

 brown wren (Troglodytes furvus), whose voice and melody 

 resemble those of our English robin. It is often seen 

 hopping and climbing about the walls and roofs of houses 

 and on trees in their vicinity. Its song is more frequently 

 heard in the rainy season, when the Monguba trees shed 

 their leaves. At those times the Estrada das Mongubeiras 

 has an appearance quite unusual in a tropical country. 

 The tree is one of the few in the Amazons region which 

 sheds all its foliage before any of the new leaf-buds ex- 

 pand. The naked branches, the soddened ground matted 

 with dead leaves, the gray mist veiling the surrounding 

 vegetation, and the cool atmosphere soon after sunrise, 

 all combine to remind one of autumnal mornings in Eng- 

 land. Whilst loitering about at such times, in a half- 

 oblivious mood, thinking of home, the song of this bird 

 would create for the moment a perfect illusion. Numbers 

 of tanagers frequented the fruit and other trees in our 

 garden. The two principal kinds which attracted our 

 attention were the Rhaniphocoelus Jacapa and the Tanagra 

 Episcopus. The females of both are dull in colour. The 

 male of Jacapa has a beautiful velvety purple and black 

 plumage, the beak being partly white. The same sex 

 in Episcopus is of a pale blue colour, with white spots 

 on the wings. In their habits they both resemble the 

 common house-sparrow of Europe, which does not exist 

 in South America, its place being in some measure filled 



