of the few in the Amazon region which sheds all its foliage
before any of the new leaf-buds expand. The naked branches, the
sodden ground matted with dead leaves, the grey mist veiling the
surrounding vegetation, and the cool atmosphere soon after
sunrise, all combine to remind one of autumnal mornings in
England. Whilst loitering about at such times in a half-oblivious
mood, thinking of home, the song of this bird would create for
the moment a perfect illusion. Numbers of tanagers frequented the
fruit and other trees in our garden. The two principal kinds
which attracted our attention were the Rhamphoccelus Jacapa and
the Tanagra Episcopus. The females of both are dull in colour,
but the male of Jacapa has a beautiful velvety purple and black
plumage, the beak being partly white, whilst the same sex in
Episcopus is of a pale blue colour, with white spots on the
wings. In their habits they both resemble the common house-
sparrow of Europe, which does not exist in South America, its
place being in some measure filled by these familiar tanagers.
They are just as lively, restless, bold, and wary; their notes
are very similar, chirping and inharmonious, and they seem to be
almost as fond of the neighbourhood of man. They do not, however,
build their nests on houses.

Another interesting and common bird was the Japim, a species of
Cassicus ( C. icteronotus). It belongs to the same family of
birds as our starling, magpie, and rook--it has a rich yellow and
black plumage, remarkably compact and velvety in texture. The
shape of its head and its physiognomy are very similar to those
of the magpie; it has light grey eyes, which give it the same
knowing expression. It is social in its habits, and builds its
nest, like the English rook, on trees in the neighbourhood of