UMBRELLA BIRD . — Cephcdopterus orndtus. 
The group of tlie Emit Crows may lay claim to the credit of reckoning among 
their number one of the most singular of the feathered tribe. The Umbrella 
Bird is a truly remarkable creature, and from the extraordinary mode in which 
its plumage is arranged, never fails of attracting the attention of the most indifferent 
spectator. 
The bird is a native of the islands of the South American rivers — being seldom 
if ever seen on the main land — whence it is not unfrequently brought by collectors, 
as there is always a ready sale for its skin, either to serve as an ornament in glass 
cases, or a specimen for a museum. In dimensions the Umbrella Bird equals the 
common crow of England, and but for the curious plume which adorns its head, 
and the tuft which hangs from its breast, might be mistaken at a distance for that 
bird. The general colour of this species is rich shining black, glazed with 
varying tints of blue and purple, like the feathers of the magpie’s tail. 
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