RED-THROATED PIHA. 
75 
dently prejudiced, however, in his determination to 
regard this as a perfectly true chatterer ; and, to 
support his opinion, he asserts that it takes no other 
nourishment hut fruits, an assertion which the above 
peculiarity in its structure absolutely demonstrates 
to he false ; for there cannot be the least doubt that 
nature has given to this bird an organization in the 
stiff bristles of its hill, which, did it lire on fruits 
only, would be perfectly useless. 
The Piha, according to Le Yaillant, lives only in 
the forests, where it builds, on the highest branches, 
a large nest, in which the female deposits four eggs. 
It seems to have no other note than that which 
resembles the words pi-hau-hau, uttered rather in an 
agreeable than a harsh tone. The plumage of both 
sexes is of a deep and uniform black, with little 01 
no gloss on the feathers, and equally dark on every 
part of the plumage. The male is distinguished by 
having the feathers of the throat of a very deep 
crimson, resembling, both in colour and rigidity, 
those which belong to the Ampilis pompadoura ; 
Dut all the other feathers are of the ordinary soft- 
ness : the tip of the chin is black. The female and 
young male are entirely without this ornamental 
patch, the throat being wholly black, like the rest 
of the plumage. 
Total length, 1 1 inches ; bill, from the gape, 1 -fo ; 
from the front, 1 ; wings, 7 ; tail beyond, 1 \ ; from 
the base, 5 ; tarsus, 
The bird just before alluded to forms the genus 
