476 



JACARINI TANAGER. 



The Jacarini Tanager receives its appellation 

 from the Brasilians : it is the size of the Gold- 

 finch : its beak and legs are cinereous : the pre- 

 vailing colour of its plumage is black, glossed 

 with blue and green : the inside of its wings are 

 white, and its tail is rather forked: the female is 

 entirely grey : but during the season of moulting 

 the male is also of that colour, from which it may 

 be found in all the intermediate stages from grey 

 to black. 



This bird is extremely abundant at Guiana, and 

 particularly frequents coffee trees in newly culti- 

 vated places: it is very destructive to the rice* 

 fields. Buffon says the male is remarkable for 

 hopping upwards frequently from the branch, first 

 alighting down on one foot and then the other, 

 each leap being accompanied by a note that is far 

 from unpleasing, and spreading out the tail at the 

 same time: the female lays two greenish white 

 eggs sprinkled with red spots, particularly at the 

 larger end : the nest is about two inches in dia- 

 meter; it is constructed of dried herbs, and is of a 

 hemispherical shape. 



