THE SCISSOR-BEAKS. 
315 
a Naturalist"^^ first sailed up the mighty Amazon in August, 
1849. He says that perhaps the most characteristic birds 
of this ocean- like river are the gulls and terns, which abound 
there. He gives the following description : — All night 
long their cries are heard over the sandbanks, where they 
deposit their eggs; and during the day they constantly at- 
tracted our attention by their habit of sitting in a row on 
a floating log — sometimes a dozen or twenty side by side^ — 
and going for miles down the stream as grave and motion- 
less as if they were on some very important business. These 
birds deposit their eggs in little hollows in the sand, and 
the Indians say that, during the heat of the day, they carry 
water in their beaks to moisten them and prevent their 
being roasted by the glowing rays of the sun.^^ To com- 
plete this scene, he adds that there are other aquatic 
birds in abundance ; such as divers and darters, and that 
"porpoises are constantly blowing in every direction, 
and alligators are often seen slowly swimming across the 
river.^^ 
The Scissor-beaks, or Skimmers {Rhi/nchops), are allied 
to the terns, having, like them, short legs, long wings, and 
a forked tail. The distinguishing character is in the beak, 
^ Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, p. 138, 
