ents the _campos_ of the
south, the _inhambu_ (_Crypturus_), _capoeira_ (_Odontophorus_), and
several species of the penelope family popularly known as the
_jacutinga, jacu_ and _jacu-assu_. The common domesticated fowl is not
indigenous. Among the wading and running birds, of which the _ema_ is
the largest representative, there are many species of both
descriptions. In the Amazon lowlands are white herons (_Ardea
candidissima_), egrets (_A. egretta_), bitterns (_A. exilis_), blue
herons (_A. herodias_) scarlet ibises (_Ibis rubra_), roseate
spoonbills (_Platalea ajaja_); on higher ground the beautiful peacock
heron (_A. helias_) which is easily domesticated; and on the dry
elevated _campos_ the _ceriema_ (_Dicholophus cristatus_) which is
prized for its flesh, and the _jacamin_ (_Psophia crepitans_) which is
frequently domesticated. Prominent among the storks is the great
black-headed white crane, called the _jaburu_ (_Mycteria americana_),
which is found along the Amazon and down the coast and grows to a
height of 4-1/2 ft. Of the swimmers, the number of species is smaller,
but some of them are widely distributed and numerous in individuals.
There are but few species of ducks, and they are apparently more
numerous in southern Brazil than on the Amazon.

The reptilian fauna exhibits an exceptionally large number of
interesting genera and species. A great part of the river systems of
the country with their flooded areas are highly favourable to the
development of reptilian life. Most prominent among these is the
American alligator, of which there are, according to Netterer, two
genera and eight species in Brazil. They are very numerous in the
Amazon and its tributaries and in the Paraguay, and are found in all
the rivers of the Atlantic coast. Three of the Brazilian species are
voracious and dangerous. The largest of the Amazon species are the
_jacare-assu_ (_Caiman niger_), _jacare_ (_C. fissipes_) and
_jacare-tinga_ (_C. sclerops_). The Amazon is also the home of one of
the largest fresh-water turtles known, the _Emys amazonica_, locally
called the _jurara-assu_ or _tartaruga grande_. These turtles are so
numerous that their flesh and eggs have long been a principal food
supply for the Indian population of that region. Another Amazon
species, the _E. tracaxa_, is still more highly esteemed for its
flesh, but it is smaller and deposits fewer eggs i