ttle distance, they had all disappeared.

He possessed a tame toucan of one of the large species, which was
allowed to go free about the house. Having chastised it for mounting
his work-table, the first time it made the attempt, it never again
repeated it. It slept on the top of a box in a corner of the room, with
its long tail laid right over its back, and its beak thrust underneath
its wing. It ate of everything--beef, turtle, fish, farina, fruit--and
was a constant attendant at meals. It learned the hour to a nicety, and
he found it difficult to keep the bird away from the dining-room at
these hours. When it had become somewhat impudent and troublesome, he
tried to shut it out in the back-yard; but Tocano used to climb the
fence, and hop round by a long circuit, making its appearance with the
greatest punctuality as the meal was placed on the table. One day it
was stolen, and given up for lost; but two days afterwards it stepped
through the doorway at the dinner-hour, with its old gait and sly
magpie-like expression, having escaped from the house of the person who
had stolen it, situated at the further end of the village.

THE REALEJO, OR ORGAN-BIRD.

[Cyphorhinus Cantans; called also the flute-bird.]

While the strange, harsh voice of the goatsucker is hushed, the mycetes
has ceased to howl, and no roar of jaguar is heard, a few slow, sweet,
and mellow notes reach the ear, following one another like the
commencement of an air. The unimpressible natives stop their paddles as
they are floating up an igarape to listen to the dulcet strains. The
sounds appear to be those of a human voice; some young girl gathering
fruit in the neighbouring thicket, it would seem, warbling a few notes
to cheer herself in her solitude. Now the tones become more flute-like
and plaintive,--now they seem to be those of a flageolet. It is
difficult to imagine that they can be produced by a bird. No bird,
indeed, can be seen, however closely the surrounding trees and bushes
are scanned. Yet that sweet voice seems to come from a thicket close at
hand. The listeners are silent, expecting to hear the strain completed,
but disappointment follows. An abrupt pause occurs, and then the song
breaks down, finishing with a number of clicking, unmusical sounds, like
a piping barrel-organ out of wind and out of tune.

This is the organ-bird--the most remarkable songster by far (says Bates)
of the Amazonian forests. When discovered, he s