THE ROYAL TYRANT.
The ROYAL TYRANT (Megalophus regius), so called from the tiara-like crescent that adorns its head, and its great beauty of plumage, has a slenderly-formed body and pointed wings, in which the third and fourth quills exceed the rest in length, the first and second being comparatively short; the tail is moderately long, and quite straight at its extremity; the beak, which is flat and spoon-shaped, terminates in a sharp hook; the feet are short; the toes, of which the two exterior are united at the base, are powerful, and armed with short blunt claws. The plumage is soft and downy, and upon the top of the head is prolonged into a broad flowing crest; at the base of the beak it is replaced by bristles; five very long bristles also decorate the cheek-stripes. The upper part of the body is of a beautiful light brown, while the entire under surface and tail are bright reddish yellow; the throat is whitish; the quills are deep brown or blackish, with a light edge upon the inner web; the wing-covers are tipped with pale yellow; the tiara is of a gorgeous flame-colour, or carmine-red, each feather having a black spot at its tip, surrounded in the male by a light yellow line. These spots gleam with a blue metallic lustre, and the crest extends as far as the nape; the eye is light brown, the upper mandible brown, the lower one light yellow; the feet are pale flesh-pink, and the long bristles black. In the young the plumage is almost entirely brown, mottled upon the breast, and spotted on the back; the crest is very small, and of an orange-yellow. The length of this species is six inches; the wing measures three and a half, and the tail two and a half inches.
The Royal Tyrant inhabits the primitive forests of Brazil and Guiana, where it frequents the most shady recesses, and leads a quiet and solitary life, usually preferring the tops of the trees. Notwithstanding the preference it shows for retired spots, it is frequently caught by the natives, on account of its great beauty. We learn from Burmeister that the capture of the male is rendered comparatively easy, by the fact that a brooding female has no sooner lost her mate than she consoles herself with another. The natives, who are aware of this peculiarity, when they find a pair shoot the male, and then wait patiently until his successor makes his appearance, when he is also killed. We have it on good authority that a female Royal Tyrant will in this manner take to herself as many as a dozen of these ill-fated partners. The eggs are oval, and have light violet shells, marked with brownish or blood-red spots, and streaked with the same shade at the narrow end. We have no account of the nest built by this species.
The STILTED FLY-CATCHERS (Fluvicolæ) constitute a group of South American birds differing in many particulars from the Tyrant Shrikes. The members of this group are recognisable by their large, powerful bodies, and their long wings and tail, in the former of which the first quill is only a trifle shorter than the second. They have strong legs, high tarsi, and thick, sharp claws. Their large, high, and slender beak is of a conical form, and but very slightly bent at its extremity. Their thick plumage is heavy, and is composed of small feathers, presenting but a very slight development of down. The base of the beak is covered with stiff bristles, of which from three to five of still stiffer and larger size are scattered over the region of the cheek-stripes.
The Stilted Fly-catchers are frequently met with in the immediate neighbourhood of human habitations, and in such open plains as are almost entirely destitute of trees or bushes, near ponds, rivers, or even in marshy districts, everywhere subsisting upon insects, and carrying on the pursuit of their prey exactly in the same manner as the birds above described.
THE YIPERU, OR YETAPA.
The YIPERU, or YETAPA—Cunningham's Bush Shrike—(Gubernates Yiperu), a well-known member of this group, has a slender body, large wings, and very long, forked tail. Its beak is thick and broad at its base, the upper mandible considerably arched, and furnished with a strong, short hook at its extremity; the legs, though short, are powerful, the toes of moderate size, and armed with slightly-curved claws. The plumage is thick and soft, that of the wings and tail being unusually heavy. The back and under side of the body are grey, the wings and tail black, with a white patch at the shoulder, and a light red spot on the outer web of the large quills. The throat is white, separated from the grey breast by a reddish brown line, which extends as far as the eyes; the brow is of a whitish shade, the eye itself reddish brown, and the beak and feet black. The length of this species is fifteen inches, of which nine are included in the length of the exterior tail-feathers, whilst those in the centre are not more than two and a half inches long. The span of the wings is about fifteen inches.
We learn from Azara that the Yetapas principally frequent such plains as are only partially covered with brushwood or trees, and fly about in small parties, seeking for their insect food upon the ground. Their cry is monotonous but penetrating.
THE COCK-TAILED FLY-CATCHER.