ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
the entrance to which is in the lower portion. They are 
suspended from the branches of trees. As I have said, 
the large bay near the mouth of the Amazon has been 
named in honour of this bird. 
Another bird of great interest is the ararauna (or 
Macrocerus hyacinthinus) , a magnificent macaw of great 
size, which is perhaps the rarest and most beautiful found 
in the interior of Brazil from the northern end of the 
central plateau as far as the Amazon River. Its feathers 
are of a soft, metallic, dark greyish-blue, almost black, 
except round the eyes, where the uncovered white skin 
Shows through. I have seen these birds in flight on four 
or five different occasions on the Tapajoz River, and 
tried in vain to secure a specimen. I generally saw them 
in couples, flying at a great height and speed. These 
birds are extremely intelligent, and become most affec¬ 
tionate and faithful companions to a considerate master. 
In fact, they will attack any one endeavouring to get 
near their owners. Their beaks are extremely strong. 
When in captivity they are disastrous to one’s belong¬ 
ings, as they seem to possess an irresistible desire to crush 
and tear anything they see. They can chip off pieces 
of furniture made of the hardest wood with considerable 
ease. This is easily understood when you see them crush 
into fragments the extremely hard nuts of the Acrocomia 
lasiopatha , on which they principally live. 
Sir Roger Casement, of Putumayo atrocities fame, 
whom I had the pleasure of meeting at Manaos, pos¬ 
sessed a most beautiful specimen of the Macrocerus hya- 
cinthinus. It was most touching to see the pathetic de¬ 
votion which existed between master and bird and vice 
versa. Only the people of the hotel where we both stayed 
did not appreciate the magnificent blue-black visitor, for 
when its master was out it spent all its time chipping off 
pieces from tables and chairs, and took the greatest pride 
and delight in flinging forks, knives, and spoons off the 
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