SPOTTED-
BELL IED
B.
Le Tamatia, Buf. oif. vii. p. 9+.
Barbu à Ventre tacheté de Cayenne, PI. ettl. 746.
Tamatia Brafil, Marcgr.— Raü Syn. p.65. N°6 î— WHI. en- p. 190, t. 59f
fig. incorredt.
D escription.
P laces and
M an ne r s .
v-pHlS is fix inches and a half in length. The bill is fifteen lines
long; the upper mandible bent at the end, and, as it were,
divided in two at the point; the colour black; it is half covered
with briftles, which point forwards, and arife at the bafe : the head
is large, in proportion to the reft of the body; the crown and fore
part of the head incline to rufous : on the neck is a collar extending
half round, compofed of a mixture of black and rufous: oh each
fide of the head, behind the eyes, is a pretty large black fpot:
the throat is orange, and the reft of the plumage beneath rufous
white, fpotted with black; that of the upper part of the body
rufous brown t the legs are black. I have lately feen two fpeci-
mens, in which the half collar at the back part of the neck had a
mixture of white, and over the eyes an obfcure whitilh line ;
but in other things like the above.
This bird is met with both at Cayenne and Brafil. The habit
correfponds with that of the whole family. It is a clumfy, ill-
made bird; and its manners exafily fuit its fhape, being a folitary,
penfive, filent animal, affefiling only fuch places as are fartheft
from habitations; being found chiefly in the woods, where it
choofes fome low branch well covered with twigs and foliage ; on
this it perches, with its large head refting between its fhoulders,
for along time together, and, as its difpofition to afinon is very
little, may be eafily killed, as it will fuffer itfelf to be Ihot at
Several times before it attempts to make its efcape. The common
S food
food is fofeils, particularly large Beetles; but the flelh does not
prove good for eating. In the fpecimens above mentioned,
which came under my infpeftion, the feathers of the tail appeared
to have been worn by frifiion, as if one of the habits of thefe
birds was to fupport themfelves by the tails, like hWoodpeckers.
It appears to me, that the 'Tamatia of Marcgrave is more likely
to prove this bird, than the little Thrujh of Catejby, which it is con-
jefiured to be by Brijfon*; the briftles at the bale of the bill,
therein mentioned, the large head, and flatnefs and broadnefs of
the bill, feeming to fix it in this place, rather than with the
Thrujhes. As to the pofition of the toes in Willughby’s plate, we
muft lay no hold of that, fince errors of the like kind are frequent
in old authors.
Barbu de Cayenne, Brif. orn. iv. p. 95. No. 2. pi. 7. f. 1.
Le Tamatia à tête & gorge rouges, Buf. oif. vii. p. 96.
Barbu de Cayenne, PI. enl. 206. f. 1.
g IZ E of the crefted Lark : length feven inches. The bill above
an inch in length, of a dark afh-colour, and a- little bent towards
the tip : the forehead and throat are red : top of the
head black and grey, with a gilded glofs ; each feather black
in the middle: on each fide of the head a band®of white,
palling over the eye, aknoft to the hind head : fides of
the head black : the upper parts of the body black : edges
of the feathers grey-gold : the fore part of the neck, breaft, and
belly, yellowifh white : the fides dalhed with cinereous olive, and
* Vol, ii. p. 212. —There is another Tamatia mentioned by Marcgrave, but
this belongs to the Caucroma genus o f Linnaus.
O bservation.
2'.
CAYENNE
B.
D escrip t ion.
fome