length we sat down under a tree, in an open spot close to the
border of the wood. He sat down very reluctantly, and seemed
more troubled in his mind than ever, keeping his eyes continually
roving about, while he listened intently to every sound. The
sounds were not few, owing to the abundance of animal and
especially of bird life in this favoured spot. I began to
question my companion as to some of the cries we heard. There
were notes and cries familiar to me as the crowing of the
cock--parrot screams and yelping of toucans, the distant wailing
calls of maam and duraquara; and shrill laughter-like notes of
the large tree-climber as it passed from tree to tree; the quick
whistle of cotingas; and strange throbbing and thrilling sounds,
as of pygmies beating on metallic drums, of the skulking
pitta-thrushes; and with these mingled other notes less well
known. One came from the treetops, where it was perpetually
wandering amid the foliage a low note, repeated at intervals of a
few seconds, so thin and mournful and full of mystery that I half
expected to hear that it proceeded from the restless ghost of
some dead bird. But no; he only said it was uttered by a "little
bird"--too little presumably to have a name. From the foliage of
a neighbouring tree came a few tinkling chirps, as of a small
mandolin, two or three strings of which had been carelessly
struck by the player. He said that it came from a small green
frog that lived in trees; and in this way my rude Indian--vexed
perhaps at being asked such trivial questions--brushed away the
pretty fantasies my mind had woven in the woodland solitude. For
I often listened to this tinkling music, and it had suggested the
idea that the place was frequented by a tribe of fairy-like
troubadour monkeys, and that if I could only be quick-sighted
enough I might one day be able to detect the minstrel sitting, in