The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1871-04-29
The CampanerO, or Bell Bird.

well from the brllliancy of its plumage,
as from the wonderful resemblance OF
It's cry or song to the tolling of a bell.
1t is about the size of our common
thrush, or 6 thrasher +" The male bird.
whose song it is that has given the
species its trivial name, is of pure
snowy white. The female is very
different looking bird, being of dull
green above, with a blackish head and
yellowish with green streaks beneath
From the forehead of the male rises
a singular tubular appendage, often
furnished with a few small feathers.
This, when empty, hangs down, but can
be filed with air by an opening from
the palate, and then rises erect to the
height of nearly three inches. Whilst
the bird is utterlng its strange cry, this
rubber-like horn fills out and stands up
very straight and firm q fact which
goes to show that it has something to
do with the sound that the Campanero
makes. The bird generally takes his
place the top of lofty tree and his
tolling can be hes I'd TO the distance of
three miles. 1t resounds through the
forest, not only at morning and even
ing, but also at mid day, when the heat
Of the sun has imposed silence on al
most every other creature.
g was greatly astonished," says a
South American traveller, ''the first time
[ heard the Campanero ring his bell. [
was IN one of the great forests of Gui-
ana. Birds were singing as we Jour
neyed along The day was hot, and
the air heavy with the odor of hundreds
of rare and lovely flowers. Toward
noon the voices of our feathered friends
grew silent, and all seemed strangely
still. Suddenly there rang out on the
still air the clear, sweet notes of bell,
loud enough to be heard at a leagues
distance. 1t was not like church bell,
but finer in tone We all started and
listened IN voiceleSs astonishment.~ For
about q minute all was again still
Birds, insects, every living thing, seem
ed to listen. Then out rang the clear
bell once more-not in one stroke, but
many, flinging through the forest its
sweet and silvery chimes A pause OF
another minute followed, and then the
bell rang again. Another pause, this
time of nearly ten minutes, when the
bell filed the air with its music once
more.
"'It is the Campanero,' said our
guide. See and he pointed to a
snow-white bird, about the size of a
pigeon, high up on the limb OF n tree a
few hundred yards away from the place
where we stood. [ could not believe it
possible those beIl-like sounds were
made by this bird but, even while we
looked at HIM, he rang out his wonder
ful chimes again, then lifted his wings
and flew away
4" The genus Chdsm0rhyR"uS, to
which this. singularly interesting bird
belongs, embraces, says a writer III the
Albany Cultivator, ''fOur well defined
species, each one inhabiting a distinct
region of tropical America, almost to
the entire exclusion of the others. The
most striking characteristic which dis
tinguishes these Bell Birds, is the de
velopment, IN the adult males, OF naked
skin and fieshy wattles on various por-
tons of the head and neck. In all the
known four species, the adult males are
either partly OF wholly of pure snowy
wilderness, with more or less of these
cutaneous developments; and the fe-
males generally Of dull green above
and yellowish beneath, without any of
the singular eXcrescencos of the head
and neck which SO strikingly distin-
guish the male sex. s."
Describing the Araponga, or naked
throated Bell Bird of Brazil, another
species, the same writer says:
Its music may be heard at all hours
of the day, and when it so happens
which is frequently the case-that sew
eral of these birds are in the same Vi
entity, and commence their vocal
melody, singing in opposition, or In
answering to each other, most won
derful concert is the result The notes
are loud and clear, and may Justly be
compared to the sounds proceeding
from a clear-ringing bell, and ofttimes
to be heard, borne through the stiffness
of the evening air, for the distance OF
two or three miles, sometimes repeated
at prolonged intervals, and then again
following each other IN quick success
sion. In the latter case, they are more
like the sound produced by the black
smith, when he strikes piece of re-
fined steel upon his anvil-whence the
bird has received from the Portuguese
settlers the significant appellation OF
Ferrddor-the Smith
elm commencing its song, the first
notes uttered are extremely harsh and
grating to the ear these, in a short
time, are succeeded by six or eight fine,
clear, metallic ringing notes, with an
interval of about a second between each
two. The resemblance of these notes
to the sound from an anvil is most ex-
traordinary. The clear, metallic ring,
repeated at about the same rate that a
blacksmith strikes upon the steel, is SO
perfect, that many persons upon hear
ing it are unwilling to believe the sound
could be produced by the delicate or
gans forming the vocal apparatus of
so small bird When in full song il
becomes easily distbubed by any I'M
usual sound proceeding from the forest
beneath, and quickly ceases its melody.
The bird makes the most extraordinary
gesticulations when producing these
sounds. When commencing its song il
usually stands in an upright position
with the head thrown directly aloft
and as 1t proceeds, it gradually sinks i
beneath, then violently throwing itsel
forward and downward, seemingly tt
assist, in this remarkable manner, tx
pour forth its final notes"
II 1t. % - =: ~