The golden-winged manakin--another tribe--are often seen perched in
large flocks on the summits of the trees, or rapidly moving amid the
branches in search of the rich fruits and numerous insects found in the
gapo forests.
The beautiful little troupiale, arrayed in plumage of rich orange and
shining black, with delicate and well-shaped form, pours forth a variety
of sweet and plaintive notes among the dry forest lands, and has gained
from the Portuguese the name of the nightingale of America.
There is another of a smaller size, and of less rich a colour, which
also sings melodiously. It is a fearless bird, and the hen builds her
nest often in the roofs of cottages, while her mate sings for hours
close by. There are several species, one of which (the oriolus varius)
builds a curious nest like a basket, of a conical form, and of a loose
texture; securing it to the flexible end of a branch, thus enabling it
the better to endure the movement to which it is subjected when agitated
by the wind.
A fourth species flies in flocks--especially when the Indian maize is
ripe--and is looked on with a jealous eye by the farmers, whom it robs,
and whom it does not repay by the melody of its song.