NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



489 



each side, three of them white with a broad bar of black across them ; 

 the fourth, which is the inner one, and covers the others when the bird 

 is at rest, is brown. The bill is straight and strong, the head tufted, the 

 legs slender, with three toes forward and one behind. In size and shape 

 it resembles the Magpye. 



The Merlu of this region is entirely black, and about the size of a 

 Lark. It is the Grow of Brazil, and in many places is called Corvo. 



The Ariba Raba, or Cock-tail, is very common, much like the 

 Lark in colour and size, not in habits nor song. Its name is derived 

 from its manner of carrying the tail, which is very long, and in its 

 attitude like that of the Magpye, only much more elevated. Hence 

 when first settling, either on a twig or hillock, it seems as though it was 

 overweighted forward, and balances itself with difficulty. 



The Ornithology of the table land is, in general, quite different 

 from that of the lower districts ; yet I had seen below another of the 

 birds of this region, the Gaviam Pomba, or Hawk-Pigeon. Its colour 

 is a bluish grey, like that of our common wild Pigeon ; the bill and 

 talons are hooked, like those of a Hawk ; each wing has six long feathers ; 

 the tail, when closed, appears all black, when spread, each feather shows 

 a large spot of white near the end ; the legs are red and strong, with 

 three toes forward and one backward. It is a bird of prey. It is, 

 perhaps, worthy of observation, that these birds, and others shot by us 

 to-day, became stiff from the coldness of the climate — a circumstance 

 which I had never before marked in Brazil, so far to the Northward. 



A snake, called the Jararaca, and held to be highly venomous, was 



killed this evening near our inn. It was about eight feet long, and, 



from the dinginess of its blue and yellow skin, was, I suspect, old or 



diseased. The blow, by which it was destroyed, had exposed the fangs 



of the lower jaw, in which state it was carelessly left ; when a hen of 



the common domestic kind, with her chickens, approaching the spot, 



instantly gave the note of alarm, collected the terrified brood behind 



her, spread her wings, bristled her feathers, and seemed prepared either 



to fight or fly. Seeing the reptile motionless, she took courage, gradually 



3 Q. 



