BLUE-BACKED MANAKIN. 
by the Dutch settlers at Surinam. He adds, 
that we know six distinct species ; but, that 
we can only give the first, or our Blue-Backed 
Manakin, the name which it has in it's native 
region, Tije-Guacu. 
Buffon's account of the Manakins in ge- 
neral is as follows — These birds," says he, 
f* are small and handsome : the largest are 
not equal in size to a Sparrow, and the others 
are inferior to that of the Wren. The general 
characters are these — The hill is short, straight, 
and compressed on the sides near the tip : the 
upper mandible is convex above, and slightly 
scalloped on the edges ; rather longer than the 
lower mandible, which is plain and straight. 
In all these birds, the tall is short and square- 
cut; and the toes have the same disposition as 
the Cock of the Rock, the Tody, and the 
Calao : viz. the mid-toe is closely connected 
to 'the outer toe by a membrane, as tar as the 
third joint, and the inner toe as far as the first 
joint only. But, as much as in that circum- 
stance they resemble the Cock of the Rock, so 
much are they removed from the Cotingas : 
yet 
