A New and Pretty Species op Bail. 
441. However keen we were on climbing Roraima, we had to post- 
pone the execution of our wishes until the return of our messenger from 
the Serekongs, because from what the Indians told us, there were no 
animals or fruits up there to appease our hunger. During the interval, 
my brother started his trigonometrical measurements while I rambled 
round the neighbourhood for a zoological and botanical harvest. The 
former was miserable enough, the whole of the surrounding country 
proving itself just as destitute of mammals and birds as the mountain 
tracts that we had already passed. But I was compensated so much the 
more by the fulness of the jjrevailing vegetation. The mountain slopes, 
the banks of the torrents and streams, the forest oases showed a multi- 
plicity of shape, genus and species as had never offered itself to my eyes 
and hands before. Compared with this richness of soil, tlie scarcity of 
animal life seemed all the more striking. Here and there a solitary Agnti, 
still more rarely a Laba, or a troop of the Mycetes already mentioned, a 
species of Ccljust never before seen, then that rat-like creature soon to be 
brought to us alive in plenty, and in which we thought we recognised 
Carlo Iriirnpi/f/a , and now and again an ant-eat<^r (Mifrmecopharfa 
fctradarfi/la) or a proboscidean (A'if/.sj/rr) : as regards birds, Penelope, 
more rarely Rhamphastos, but on the other hand plenty of En phone, 
Tannfirn, Pipra and Werfarinia amongst which the green and black 
spotted daintydooking Tanof/ra piiurfafa Linn., the glossy seven-colour 
T. Tnfao Linn., the red-headed Plpra rornnta Spix and P. ^erena Linri. 
were especinlly prominent, the large owl {f>fr\x torqvata Daud.l, and a 
Rail {Cre.r f^fhomhurf/hii Cab.) the size of a sparrow were the sole reprip- 
sentatives of the higher classes of the animal kingdom. The last-men- 
tioned, a new species of rail, were always found together in pairs: the 
forehead is rnst-red. the wings dark-brown, liaving their nnner surfaces 
decorated with small white spots wliicli begin at the back of the head as 
quite small densely crowded little dots, increase in size and then spread 
over the entire back and wing-covers: the throat is white, the breast a 
rusty red. the body whitish, the legs on thp otlier hand havinir a yellowish 
colour. The pretty creatures are very easily caught because their powers 
of flight only cari'y themi a short distance, when they try and hirle in 
the grass. A cock and hen of mine lived fairly long in a cage until the 
former got away and the latter died next day from grief. The number of 
beT'ry-bearing trees, especially of the families Lavrineae and F^nphrdncrne 
that were found here, might well condition the presence of Penelope. The 
Penelope is an extremely cautious and shy bird, that one can only get to 
shoot during feeding-time when six to ten will always collect upon a tree. 
If the hunter manages to sneak up to them, he will kill three or four with 
his blow-gun before the others take notice and flight: the bird that has 
been hit by the noiseless arrow falls from ofi" the bough without disturb- 
ing the others that are feeding beyond making them look with long- 
stretched necks down after it and search shyly around for the cause. If 
they discover this, they hasten with extraordinary swiftness from bough 
to branch to the thickly leaved top and hide themselves here, or else fly 
thence from tree to tree. They liuild tlieir nest on the ground : as soon as 
the young can fly but a little, they lead them from bush to bush until they 
