Travels in the Brazils. 21 



^iently distinguished by his naked green throat, and his want of 

 the comb on th^ forehead. 



Among the swarms of parrots which filled the forest through 

 which we passed, we could frequently distinguish the pretty peri- 

 kit, with a pointed tail, aiid which is called here tiriba. I killed 

 a squirrel (sciurus oestuans, Linn.), the only one of the species 

 which I met with ; it is distinguished by a brownish grey hair, 

 mixed with others of a yellowish hue occasionally. We observed 

 Fome caravans with beasts of burthen. 



After having passed through a range of plantations, burnt 

 woods, marshes and meadows, surrounded by picturesque moun- 

 tains, covered with forests, we came to some spacious meadows 

 interspersed with marshy spots, covered with reeds. Here the 

 pnow-white heron, the American lapwing, (vanellus cayennensis,) 

 the jassanas (parra jacana, Linn), called here piasocca, and the 

 plover, were to be seen in every direction. Black cattle were 

 grazing in the pastures, and the brilliant violet-coloured perol 

 (oriolus violaceus), frequently walking in the midst of them. The 

 crotophaja ani. Linn, we found parched or sitting in large troops, 

 on the hedges and fields, and so little apprehensive of danger, 

 that one might ride closely up to them. 



In the evening we arrived in the parish (Treguesia) Mai:cia, 

 situated on the lake of the same name. We saw the inhabitants 

 of a solitary house, near which we stopped, carefully closing their 

 doors against us. A mob soon collected around us, staring and 

 laughing, when they saw us skin the beasts and birds which we 

 had killed that day. Our double-barrelled guns occasioned much 

 surprise, from their not having seen any before. The lake of 

 Marcia, on the banks of which we halted for a day, to examine 

 its sandy vicinity, is said to be about 6 leagues (12 geo. miles) 

 in circumference. Its banks are low and marshy, and it abounds 

 with fish. I saw some of the inhabitants catch a species of shoal- 

 fish (silurus), which is also very common in the waters on the 

 eastern coast of this country. 



We found here a species of cob, with a grey head, red beak 

 and feet, very much resembling our larus ridibundus, a beautiful 

 species of martin (sterna), lapwings, a species of plover (chara- 

 drius), &c. and over the bushes and marshes, we could ascertain 

 the uruhys flying through the air. I had the good fortune to kill 

 anacabiray (vultur aura, Linn),hitherto only properly discriminated 

 by Azara. At first sight, it might be confounded with the grey- 

 headed urubu (iribu azara), but on a closer inspection, he may be 

 distinguished, even when flying high in the air. These vultures 

 are of great use to consume and destroy such putrid remains as 

 would fill the atmosphere with pestilential or noxious vapours. 

 Their scent is so acute, that they come from very considerable 



