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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75453 ***
+
+
+
+
+
+BY C. WILLIAM BEEBE
+
+
+THE BIRD, ITS FORM AND FUNCTION
+
+With colored Frontispiece and 371 Illustrations, chiefly photographed
+from Life by the Author. _American Nature Series._ New York: Henry Holt
+and Company. 8vo. $3.50 net.
+
+THE LOG OF THE SUN
+
+A Chronicle of Nature’s Year. With fifty-two full-page illustrations by
+Walter King Stone, and numerous Vignettes and photographs from Life. New
+York: Henry Holt and Company. 8vo., full gilt. $6.00 net.
+
+TWO BIRD-LOVERS IN MEXICO
+
+Illustrated with photographs from Life taken by the Author. Boston:
+Houghton Mifflin Company. 8vo. $3.00 net.
+
+
+
+
+OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: (_Frontispiece_)
+
+IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN WILDERNESS.]
+
+
+
+
+ OUR SEARCH FOR A
+ WILDERNESS
+
+ AN ACCOUNT OF TWO ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS
+ TO VENEZUELA AND TO BRITISH GUIANA
+
+ BY
+ MARY BLAIR BEEBE
+ AND
+ C. WILLIAM BEEBE
+ _Curator of Ornithology in the New York Zoölogical Park; Fellow of the
+ New York Academy of Sciences; Member of the American
+ Ornithologists’ Union and Corresponding
+ Member of the London
+ Zoölogical Society_
+
+ _ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LIFE
+ TAKEN BY THE AUTHORS_
+
+ [Illustration]
+
+ NEW YORK
+ HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
+ 1910
+
+ COPYRIGHT, 1910,
+ BY
+ HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
+
+ _Published April, 1910_
+
+ Stanhope Press
+ F. H. GILSON COMPANY
+ BOSTON, U.S.A.
+
+
+
+
+To
+
+JUDGE AND MRS. ROGER A. PRYOR
+
+With the deepest affection and admiration
+
+of
+
+their Granddaughter
+
+MARY BLAIR BEEBE
+
+and of
+
+C. WILLIAM BEEBE
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+In the following pages we have set down the tale of two searches for
+a wilderness. These two private expeditions were undertaken for the
+purpose of learning something about the birds and other wild creatures
+of countries further south than any we had yet visited. Both trips were
+successful; for the regions we explored were wilderness wonderlands,—full
+of beauty, abounding in the romance which ever enhances wild creatures
+and wild men, and they were part of the great zoölogical “dark continent”
+which we hope to devote our lives to studying.
+
+On our first search the collecting of live birds was incidental, although
+we brought back forty specimens of fourteen species.
+
+On the second search, however, we took with us an assistant, Mr. Lee
+S. Crandall. By his assiduity in trapping and in arousing the interest
+of native coolie and black boys, he assembled a splendid collection of
+almost three hundred living birds of fifty-one species. These we brought
+to the New York Zoölogical Park, where no less than thirty-three species
+were new to the collection. In addition many small mammals and reptiles
+were collected.
+
+
+PART I.
+
+We left New York on February 22d, 1908, on the Royal Mail Steamship
+“Trent,” and after touching at Jamaica, Colon, Savanilla and La Guayra,
+we disembarked at Port of Spain, Trinidad, on March 9th. Leaving this
+port in a Venezuelan sloop we cruised among the caños north of the
+Orinoco Delta, and explored the country about the Venezuelan Pitch
+Lake—La Brea.
+
+To Mr. Eugene André of Trinidad, we are deeply indebted for a hundred
+kindnesses which did much to make our trip a success. We wish also to
+express gratitude to Mr. Mole, Mr. Anduse and especially to the late Mr.
+Ellis Grell.
+
+
+PART II.
+
+On the 15th of February, 1909, we sailed from New York on the Steamship
+“Coppename” of the Royal Dutch West Indian Mail, and with only a single
+stop—Barbadoes—reached Georgetown, British Guiana, on the 24th of the
+same month.
+
+In British Guiana we made three expeditions; two as the guests of Mr. and
+Mrs. Gaylord Wilshire, having as our objective points two gold mines in
+the midst of the wilderness, the first at Hoorie in the northwest, the
+second on the Little Aremu in central Guiana. On these expeditions we
+were spared all the usual annoyances of transportation; food and servants
+and everything at the mines were put at our service to facilitate our
+study of the nature life of the country. The third trip to the savanna
+region further south was made at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Lindley
+Vinton, two Americans living in Georgetown, who placed their home at our
+disposal while we remained in Georgetown.
+
+During our entire stay in British Guiana we received unfailing courtesy
+and kindness,—from the Governor, Sir Frederick Hodgson, down to the great
+black hospitable wilderness police. Professor J. B. Harrison allowed us
+to use the old aviaries at the Botanical Gardens, and with Mr. James
+Rodway of the Georgetown Museum and Mr. B. Howell Jones, extended to us
+all the courtesies in his power.
+
+For figures 97, 98, 108, 144, and 158 we are indebted to Dr. Hiram
+Bingham, and figures 83, 109, 130, and 131 are from photographs belonging
+to the New York Zoölogical Society and were taken by Mr. E. R. Sanborn.
+All the others were taken by ourselves with a Graflex Camera and 27-inch
+Goerz lens, and a pocket Kodak, both 4 by 5 in size.
+
+The first two chapters appeared in their original form in “Harper’s
+Monthly Magazine,” and the third chapter in “Recreation.”
+
+Our thanks are due to Dr. William T. Hornaday, Director of the New York
+Zoölogical Park, for the leave of absence which made possible these
+expeditions.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Three appendices have been added. The first is a classified list of
+the birds, with their scientific names, which are mentioned in the
+book; by no means a complete list of those observed. Reference to it is
+facilitated by the superior numbers affixed throughout the text to the
+names of the birds. The second appendix gives the native Guianan names
+of the commoner species of birds. The third is a list of the insects
+observed at Hoorie which have been identified up to the present time.
+
+Wherever in this volume it has seemed best for any reason that certain
+chapters should be written by one of the authors alone, the writer’s
+name has been given at the head of the chapter. In all chapters not thus
+designated the authors have collaborated.
+
+ MARY BLAIR BEEBE,
+ C. WILLIAM BEEBE.
+
+_January, 1910._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+ PAGE
+
+ PART I. OUR FIRST SEARCH.
+
+ VENEZUELA.
+
+ I. THE LAND OF A SINGLE TREE 3
+
+ II. THE LAKE OF PITCH 32
+
+ III. A WOMAN’S EXPERIENCES IN VENEZUELA 71
+
+ PART II. OUR SECOND SEARCH.
+
+ BRITISH GUIANA.
+
+ IV. GEORGETOWN 111
+
+ V. STEAMER AND LAUNCH TO HOORIE CREEK 134
+
+ VI. A GOLD MINE IN THE WILDERNESS 165
+
+ VII. THROUGH THE COASTAL WILDERNESS WITH INDIANS AND CANOE 214
+
+ VIII. THE WATER TRAIL FROM GEORGETOWN TO AREMU 244
+
+ IX. JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU 285
+
+ X. JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU (Continued) 316
+
+ XI. THE LIFE OF THE ABARY SAVANNAS 350
+
+ APPENDICES.
+
+ A. CLASSIFIED LIST OF BIRDS MENTIONED IN THIS VOLUME 389
+
+ B. NATIVE GUIANAN NAMES OF BIRDS 395
+
+ C. ALPHABETICAL LISTS OF BIRDS 397
+
+ INDEX 399
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+ FIG. PAGE
+
+ In the South American Wilderness. _Frontispiece_
+
+ 1. Map of our Trip through the Mangrove Wilderness 2
+
+ 2. Our Sloop entering the Mangroves 5
+
+ 3. Scarlet Ibises in Flight 7
+
+ 4. Young Mangrove Plants 11
+
+ 5. The Crucifix in the Catfish 13
+
+ 6. Parrot Puff-fish 15
+
+ 7. Four-eyed Fish 16
+
+ 8. Our Floating Home at La Ceiba 18
+
+ 9. Exploring the Caños in a Dug-out 21
+
+ 10. White Orchids 23
+
+ 11. Sun-bittern 25
+
+ 12. Solution of the Mangrove Mystery—an Anaconda 27
+
+ 13. Hoatzins in the Bamboos on the Guarapiche 28
+
+ 14. First Glimpse of the Venezuela Mountains 31
+
+ 15. Colony of 150 Cassiques’ Nests in One Tree 33
+
+ 16. Nest and Eggs of Yellow-backed Cassique 34
+
+ 17. Venezuelan Tree Porcupine 36
+
+ 18. Wild Chachalaca near a Guanoco Hut 38
+
+ 19. Scorpion and its Young taken from Milady’s Shoe 39
+
+ 20. Yellow Woodpecker 41
+
+ 21. Owl Butterfly on Cocoa Bark 42
+
+ 22. Lizard Alert on Trunk of Tree 44
+
+ 23. The Same Lizard a Moment Later, Obliterated by Change of
+ Position 45
+
+ 24. Nest and Eggs of Great Blue Tinamou 47
+
+ 25. Woodhewer clinging to the Trunk of a Tree 50
+
+ 26. Streaked Flycatcher 51
+
+ 27. The Jungle Railroad 56
+
+ 28. Spider Lilies near Pitch Lake 57
+
+ 29. La Brea—The Lake of Pitch 59
+
+ 30. The fatal “Mother of the Lake” 61
+
+ 31. White-headed Chimachima Hawk and Eta Palm 62
+
+ 32. Amazon Parrot Roost, Pitch Lake 63
+
+ 33. The Home of the Amazon Parrot in the Middle of Pitch Lake 64
+
+ 34. Amazon Parrot at Entrance of Nest. Fifteen feet away 65
+
+ 35. Amazon Parrot at Entrance of Nest. Ten feet away 65
+
+ 36. Amazon Parrot about to take Flight 66
+
+ 37. Eggs and Young of Amazon Parrot in the Nest 67
+
+ 38. Fish from the Pools in Pitch Lake. _Aequidens_ sp. 69
+
+ 39. Fish from the Pools in Pitch Lake. _Hoplias malabaricus_ 69
+
+ 40. Our Sloop at Guanoco 72
+
+ 41. Venezuelan Soldiers on the “Pontón” Guard Ship 76
+
+ 42. Captain Truxillo paddling us up the Guarapiche past Caño
+ Colorado 78
+
+ 43. Sunset in the Mangrove Wilderness 80
+
+ 44. The Silent Savages 81
+
+ 45. Guarauno Indians coming to trade at Caño Colorado 83
+
+ 46. Guarauno Squaws and Child with Monkey 85
+
+ 47. Pitch Lake, showing freshly dug pit filled with water; an
+ older pit filled with soft pitch, both surrounded by
+ the hard surface pitch 88
+
+ 48. Digging out the Black, Waxlike Pitch 90
+
+ 49. Loading Pitch on the Hand Cars 93
+
+ 50. Mangrove Wilderness from the High Land at Guanoco 95
+
+ 51. Inhabitants of Guanoco assembled for a Dance 97
+
+ 52. A Palm-sheath Rocking Toy 100
+
+ 53. Sheath in Fig. 52, covering the Flower of a Palm 102
+
+ 54. Priestless Chapel at Guanoco 105
+
+ 55. Guarauno Indian Papoose 107
+
+ 56. Map of our Three Expeditions into British Guiana 110
+
+ 57. Street in Georgetown 113
+
+ 58. Kiskadee Tyrant Flycatcher 114
+
+ 59. Coolie Woman and Negress 117
+
+ 60. The Georgetown Sea-wall 119
+
+ 61. Toad 123
+
+ 62. Arc-light 123
+
+ 63. Victoria Regia in the Botanical Gardens 124
+
+ 64. Lotus in Blossom 126
+
+ 65. Taliput Palm in Blossom 128
+
+ 66. Canal of the Crocodiles 130
+
+ 67. Young Elania Flycatchers 132
+
+ 68. Typical Indian House at Morawhanna 136
+
+ 69. Three-year Olds at Home in their Wood-skin 138
+
+ 70. Mount Everard 140
+
+ 71. Sir Everard im Thurn’s House at Morawhanna 143
+
+ 72. Palm Tanager 147
+
+ 73. Frederick, the Carib Indian Boy 152
+
+ 74. Our Tent-boat on the Barama River 159
+
+ 75. Indian Boys in Dug-out 162
+
+ 76. Crossing a Stream on the Hoorie Jungle Road 166
+
+ 77. The Wilderness Trail 168
+
+ 78. Engine House and Flume of Hoorie Gold Mine 172
+
+ 79. The “Little Giant” at Work 175
+
+ 80. Carib Hunter and His Children at Hoorie 178
+
+ 81. Three Generations of Carib Indians 180
+
+ 82. Mr. Wilshire and Crandall with Bushmaster 182
+
+ 83. The Terrible Bushmaster 183
+
+ 84. Panning Gold 186
+
+ 85. Whip Scorpion or Pedipalp Spider 190
+
+ 86. A Jungle Blossom 193
+
+ 87. The Drowned Forest 199
+
+ 88. Nests of Red-backed Cassiques 204
+
+ 89. Barama River from Farnum’s House 216
+
+ 90. Scene on the Barrabarra 219
+
+ 91. Wake of a Manatee swimming up River 221
+
+ 92. Manatee browsing close to the Bank 222
+
+ 93. Manatee taking in Air and about to dive 224
+
+ 94. A Vista of the Biara 226
+
+ 95. Father Gillett and his Indian Boys 228
+
+ 96. Tropical Luxuriance 230
+
+ 97. Capybara on the Bank of a Stream 232
+
+ 98. South American Thatched House and Nests of Green Cassiques 236
+
+ 99. Miles of Lilies 239
+
+ 100. The Road to Suddie 243
+
+ 101. Gray-breasted Martins nesting on the Steamer 245
+
+ 102. Coolies and their Wives fishing on the Essequibo 247
+
+ 103. Falls at Lower Camaria 249
+
+ 104. A Butterfly Mimicking an Orchid 251
+
+ 105. Fresh-water Flying Fish 252
+
+ 106. Salt-water Flying Fish 253
+
+ 107. Cuyuni River 254
+
+ 108. A Herd of Eight Capybaras, Six Adult and Two Young 255
+
+ 109. Great Anteater 257
+
+ 110. A Tacuba on the Cuyuni 259
+
+ 111. Rapids on the Cuyuni 260
+
+ 112. Rushing the Boat into the Rapids 261
+
+ 113. Warping the Boat Through the Lower Whirlpools 262
+
+ 114. A Rest midway up the Rapids 264
+
+ 115. The Final Struggle up to Smooth Water 266
+
+ 116. Shooting the Rapids at Full Speed 270
+
+ 117. A Wilderness Passion Flower—Simitú 272
+
+ 118. Our Camp on the Aremu River 274
+
+ 119. Poling under Tacubas on the Little Aremu 276
+
+ 120. Tree-ferns on the Little Aremu 278
+
+ 121. A Sloth in Action 280
+
+ 122. A Sloth Asleep 281
+
+ 123. Where only Otters and Fish can pass 283
+
+ 124. Aremu Gold Mine, showing Bungalow and Mine Shaft 286
+
+ 125. Descending the Shaft 289
+
+ 126. Walking Stick Insect 290
+
+ 127. Scorpion and Caterpillar after their Battle 292
+
+ 128. Milady and the Giant Mora Tree 296
+
+ 129. Aërial Roots of Bush-rope 299
+
+ 130. Tamandua 306
+
+ 131. Agouti 312
+
+ 132. Nest and Eggs of White-throated Robin 323
+
+ 133. Section of Paddle-wood Tree 325
+
+ 134. Phonetic Caterpillars 329
+
+ 135. First Phase of Curassow Strutting, a Slow Walk with Raised
+ Tail. Rear View. 333
+
+ 136. The Same. Side View. 333
+
+ 137. Second Phase of Curassow Strutting 335
+
+ 138. Third Phase of Curassow Strutting 337
+
+ 139. Golden-crowned Manakin lifted from Nest 343
+
+ 140. Young Dusky Parrots 344
+
+ 141. Early Morning in the Wilderness 346
+
+ 142. Indian Hunter bringing in a Peccary 347
+
+ 143. American Egret on the Abary River Savanna 352
+
+ 144. Nest and Young of Jabiru 354
+
+ 145. Gray-necked Tree-ducks rising from the Savanna 356
+
+ 146. Our Bungalow on Abary Island 358
+
+ 147. Map of Abary Island 361
+
+ 148. Abary River, showing High Growth on West Bank 362
+
+ 149. Spider Lily near Abary Island 363
+
+ 150. Nest of a Hoatzin in the Mucka-mucka on which these Birds feed 366
+
+ 151. The Author Photographing Hoatzins 367
+
+ 152. (A) Female Hoatzin flushed from her nest; the Male Bird
+ approaching 369
+
+ 153. (B) Female Hoatzin in the same Position, the Male having
+ flown nearer 370
+
+ 154. (C) Male Hoatzin alarmed and about to take Flight 372
+
+ 155. (D) Female Hoatzin crouching to avoid Observation 373
+
+ 156. (E) Female Hoatzin taking flight, with wings fully spread;
+ a second pair of birds leaving their nest in the
+ background 375
+
+ 157. Flock of Eleven Hoatzins 377
+
+ 158. Crocodiles on a South American River Bank 380
+
+ 159. Lagoon between Abary Island and River 382
+
+ 160. Young Spur-winged Jacana 384
+
+
+
+
+PART I
+
+OUR FIRST SEARCH
+
+VENEZUELA
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 1.
+
+MAP OF NORTHEASTERN VENEZUELA]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE LAND OF A SINGLE TREE.
+
+
+One day late in March, just as the tropical sun was sinking from view,
+our barefooted Spanish crew pulled up anchor from the muddy bottom of
+Port of Spain’s harbor. Slowly the sails filled, and the spray began to
+fly from the bow as we steered straight into the crimson path of the
+sunset. Behind us the lofty Trinidad ranges glowed softly; great velvety
+peaks and ridges, purpled by distance, gilded by the last rays of day.
+Then the twilight passed swiftly as if the sun had been quenched by the
+waters which covered its face; the mountains became merged into the
+darkness of the sky, and the city of busy life behind us melted into a
+linear constellation of twinkling lights.
+
+We had chartered a little sloop of twenty-one tons, the “Josefa Jacinta”
+(_Ho-say’fah Hah-seen’tah_) manned by a captain, a cook and a crew
+of three. At her masthead flew the flag of Venezuela. With a month’s
+provisions in the hold and all the varied paraphernalia of a naturalist,
+we were headed for the northern part of the Orinoco delta in search of
+the primitive wilderness of which we had dreamed.
+
+Jamaica, Colon, Savanilla, La Guayra had passed in quick succession, and
+we were surprised to find Trinidad the most modern and wide-awake of
+all. The well-appointed hotels, the trolleys, electric lights, museums,
+and newspapers of Port of Spain, the wireless station even now flashing
+its aërial messages from yonder peak,—all boded ill for our search for
+primeval conditions. Was there no spot left on earth, we wondered, which
+could truthfully be called an untrodden wilderness!—jungles untouched
+by axe or fire, where guns had not replaced bows and arrows; where the
+creatures of the wilderness were tame through unfamiliarity with human
+beings!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+The Southern Cross rose and straightened its arms; the Pole Star hung low
+in the north. As the night wore on, an ugly sea arose and half buried our
+little craft in foam and spray. A cross-wind disputed our advance and the
+strong tide drove us out of our course. But our captain had navigated
+these waters for more than half a century, and we had no fears.
+
+The following day was as wild as the night, and no living thing appeared
+in sky or sea, save a host of milky jelly-fish (_Stomolophus meleagris_).
+They kept below the surface, and seemed to suffer no damage from the
+roughness of the water. In an area of a square yard we counted twenty,
+and for hour after hour we passed through vast masses of them, extending
+to the farthest waves visible on either hand and as deep down as our
+eyes could penetrate—myriads upon myriads of these lowly beings, each
+vibrating with life, and yet unable to guide its course against the tide,
+or to do aught but pulsate slowly along.
+
+Later in the day, although the water grew less rough, the whole company
+sank lower in the muddy depths—muddy, because the brown waters of the
+great Orinoco hold sway over all this gulf and scatter out at sea the
+sediment washed from the banks far inland.
+
+Finally the storm passed and we saw a blue cloud to the north, hinting
+of the great mountain ranges of the Spanish Main. Ahead, a low green
+mist along the horizon told us we were nearing shore. This became more
+and more distinct until we could make out individual trees. By noon we
+had left the tumultuous waters of the Gulf of Paria, and were floating
+quietly on a broad stream between two majestic walls of green; we had
+entered our wilderness, and the silence and beauty of our reception
+seemed all the more vivid after the noise and turbulence of the wind and
+water behind us.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 2. OUR SLOOP ENTERING THE MANGROVES.]
+
+Our first impression was of a vast solitude. It was midday, and the tide
+was almost at its height. With limp sails we drifted silently onward,
+not a sound of life coming from the green depths about us. We skirted
+the mangroves along the south bank, moving more and more slowly, until
+at last we rested motionless on the water, between the blazing sky
+overhead and the muddy depths beneath. The tide had reached its highest,
+and, like the living creatures of the jungle, rested in the midday heat.
+The captain gave a gruff order in Spanish, and the anchor splashed into
+the water, dragging the chain after with a sudden roar and jangle which
+echoed from shore to shore—jarring the silence as would a shriek of pain
+in a cathedral.
+
+A chatter came from the mangroves near at hand, and high up among the
+dense foliage we saw the first life of the continent—a wistful little
+human face gazing out at us, a capuchin monkey striving with wrinkled
+brows to make out what we were. At his call two others came and looked;
+then, as our sail came down with a rattle of halyards, the trio fled
+through the branches with all the speed which four hands and a tail could
+lend.
+
+We spent the afternoon in getting our floating home ready for use.
+No more waves would be encountered, so everything was unlashed.
+Stereo-glasses, camera-plates, and ammunition were placed ready to hand;
+the galley stove was moved far forward, and a mosquito-proof tent of
+netting was erected under the tarpaulin in the stern.
+
+The sun had sunk low in the west when we saw a long, narrow dug-out canoe
+coming downstream. An Indian woman and her baby were crouched in the bow,
+while in the stern a naked Indian paddled swiftly and silently. His skin
+shone like coppery bronze in the sunlight, his long black hair was bound
+back from his face by a thong of hide. In front of him rested a bow and
+arrows and a long fish-spear. Silently he approached and in silence he
+passed—unheeding our salutations.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 3. SCARLET IBISES IN FLIGHT.]
+
+One more beauty of this wild wonderland was vouchsafed us before night
+fell. We had been disappointed in the birds. Where were the myriads
+of water-fowl of which we had heard? We had seen nothing—not a single
+feather. But now the scene slowly changed. The tide was falling rapidly,
+swirling and eddying past the boat, and the roots of the mangroves began
+to protrude, their long stems shining black until the water dried from
+them. Mud-flats appeared, and suddenly, without warning, a living flame
+passed us—and we had seen our first Scarlet Ibis[27].[A]
+
+Past the dark green background of mangrove foliage the magnificent bird
+flew swiftly—flaming with a brilliance which shamed any pigment of human
+art. Blood red, intensest vermilion, deepest scarlet—all fail to hint of
+the living color of the bird. Before we could recover from our delight
+a flock of twenty followed, flying close together, with bills and feet
+scarlet like the plumage. They swerved from their path and alighted
+on the mud close to the mangroves, and began feeding at once. Then a
+trio of snowy-white Egrets[32] with trailing plumes floated overhead;
+others appeared above the tops of the trees; a host of tiny Sandpipers
+skimmed the surface of the water and scurried over the flats. Great Cocoi
+Herons[31] swept majestically into view; Curlews and Plover[18] assembled
+in myriads, lining the mud-flats at the water’s edge, while here and
+there, like jets of flame against the mud, walked the vermilion Ibises.
+Terns[14] with great yellow bills flew about the sloop, and Skimmers[17]
+ploughed the surface of the tide in endless furrows. Macaws[61] began to
+pass, shrieking as they flew, two and two together—and then night closed
+quickly over all. From the zenith the sun had looked down upon a stream
+as quiet as death; it sank upon a scene full of the animation of a myriad
+forms of life.
+
+As dusk settled down and hid the shore from our eyes, another sense was
+aroused, and to our ears came the sounds of night in these tropical
+jungles—a thousand cries, moans, crashes; all mysterious—unexplainable.
+In time we became so accustomed to them that we could distinguish
+repetitions and details, but this first night brought only a confused
+chorus of delightful mystery, now broken by a moment of silence, now
+rising to an awe-inspiring climax. One sound only remained clear in our
+memory, often repeated, now uttered in lower, now in higher tones—a
+terrible choking sigh. It might have been the last death gasp of some
+great monkey, or the pitiful utterance of hopelessness of a madman.
+
+With the turn of the tide we raised anchor and drifted through the
+night—mile after mile for six hours, and then anchored again. And thus it
+was that we came to our wilderness.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Not until we had been in the mangrove jungle for many days did we begin
+to realize its vastness, its mystery, its primeval character. Just four
+hundred and ten years ago Christopher Columbus sailed through the gulf we
+had left and gazed on the dark forest in the heart of which we now were.
+Throughout the whole extent of the mangrove wilderness we found no hint
+that conditions were not as they were in 1498.
+
+One of the most astonishing things about the mangrove forest is the
+apparent diversity of its plant life. Until one actually comes within
+reach of trunk and leaves it is impossible to believe that all this
+forest is composed of a single species of plant. The foliage of some of
+the trees is light, of others dark; here stands a clump of pale beechlike
+trunks, there a dark, rough-barked individual is seen. The manner of
+growth of the young and old trees is so different that a confusion of
+mingled trees, shrubs, and vines seems to confront one. But everywhere
+the mangrove reigns supreme. It is the only vegetable growth which can
+gain a footing in this world of salt water. In fact, it makes its own
+footing, entangling and holding mud and débris about its stems, and ever
+blindly reaching out dangling roots, like the legs of gigantic spiders.
+
+Far out on the tip of a lofty branch a mangrove seed will germinate,
+before it falls assuming the appearance of a loaded club from eight to
+fifteen inches in length. One day it lets go and drops like a plummet
+into the soft mud, where it sticks upright. Soon the tide rises, and if
+there is too strong a current the young plant is swept away, to perish
+far out at sea; but if it can maintain its hold, roots soon spring out,
+and the ideal of the mangrove is realized, the purpose for which all this
+interesting phenomena is intended: the forest has gained a few yards, and
+mud and leaves will soon choke out the intervening water.
+
+The mangroves have still another method of gaining new territory. Aërial
+roots are thrown out from branches high in air, swinging downward and
+outward with a curve which sometimes wins three or four yards ahead.
+Like hawsers thrown from a vessel to a wharf these roots clutch at the
+mud beneath, but where the current runs swiftly they swing and dangle in
+vain, until they have grown so heavy that they touch bottom some distance
+downstream. We made use of these dangling roots as anchors for our canoe,
+bending the elastic unattached end upward and springing it over the
+gunwale.
+
+Throughout all this great region there is not a foot of solid ground. In
+one place we pushed a tall shoot some eight feet in height straight down
+through the mud, and it went out of sight. A man falling on this mud, out
+of reach of aid, would vanish as in a quick-sand. So the wild creatures
+of the mangroves must either swim, fly, or climb. No terrestrial beings
+can exist there. We once selected a favorable place, and for fifty
+yards made our way over the roots and branches before exhaustion and an
+impassable gap of mud and water stopped all progress. As never before
+we realized how safe from man are the denizens of these strange swamps.
+Monkeys fled swiftly before us, birds rose and flew overhead, while we
+painfully crept and pulled ourselves along over the slippery stems.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 4. YOUNG MANGROVE PLANTS.]
+
+More wonderful even than the coral polyps are these mangroves, for by
+this plant alone all this region has been rescued from the sea and built
+up into land. In future years, as the mud banks become higher and are
+fertilized by the ever-falling leaves, other growths will appear, and
+finally the coast of the continent will be thus extended by many scores
+of miles of fertile soil.
+
+A network of narrow channels stretches through this wilderness and
+allowed us to explore the far interior in our shallow curiara or dug-out.
+Thus we spent days and weeks in search of the creatures which lived
+in this land of a single tree, and here we learned how delightful the
+climate of such a region can be. Every night we slept under blankets, and
+during the day the temperature ranged from 66° at five and six o’clock in
+the morning to about 86° at noon, although we were within nine degrees
+of the equator.[B] One could paddle all day with more comfort than on a
+hot summer day in the north. By day mosquitoes were generally absent, and
+only a few biting flies reminded us of the “terrible insect scourges”
+of the tropics. Life was delightfully new and strange, with the spice of
+danger ever attendant upon the exploration of unknown lands.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 5. THE CRUCIFIX IN THE CATFISH.]
+
+The fishes attracted our attention from the first. When we came on deck
+before sunrise for a plunge, our little vessel would be surrounded by
+hosts of catfish (_Pseudaucheniplerus nodosus_) all, like our sloop,
+headed upstream against the tide. They would bite indifferently at bait,
+a bit of cloth, or a bare hook, and were delicious eating. On the bottom
+our hooks would sometimes be taken by great fierce-whiskered cats,
+bedecked with long streamers, which gave no end of trouble before they
+were quieted. They were pale yellow, and the head and back were encased
+in bone; Maestro—the cook—called them the crucifix fish, and later showed
+us why. On the under surface of the bony armor is a large cross with a
+halo about it just above the arms. The crew never caught one of these
+fish without making the sign of the cross in their right palm.
+
+When the tide was half down the funniest of puff-fishes (_Calomesus
+psittacus_), or tambourines as the Captain called them, would take our
+bait. They were from three to five inches long, white below, and pale
+greenish above crossed by seven black bands, the first across the mouth
+and the seventh at the tip of the caudal fin. There was also a black
+patch at the base of the pectoral fins. The iris was bright lemon yellow.
+When gently scratched on the lower parts, or sometimes even when just
+lifted from the water they would swell up into a round ball. They were
+covered with short, stiff bristles which stood on end when the fish
+was inflated, and their comical appearance was increased by the four
+rodent-like incisor teeth in the front of the mouth. When thus inflated
+with air they were helpless for a time, and if thrown back, floated belly
+upward at the mercy of the wind and current, until they were able to
+collapse to normal size.
+
+On one of our first excursions among the mangroves in our small canoe
+we made a most interesting discovery. Here and there, sprawled out on
+the mud-flats, were small crocodiles, and occasionally a large one would
+rush off into the water at our approach. Hugging the edge of the tide
+where the ripples lapped back and forth on the black ooze were many
+other living creatures. For a long time we could not make them out,
+but finally, drifting silently upon a whole school, we knew them for
+four-eyed fish (_Anableps anableps_)—strange creatures which we had hoped
+to see.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 6. PARROT PUFF-FISH.]
+
+We came to a tiny bayou, shaped like a bottle, from which four Little
+Blue Herons[34] flew as we approached. We placed our dug-out corklike
+athwart the mouth and anchored with our crossed paddles. The air was
+warm, bees hummed about the tiny four-parted flowers of the mangroves,
+and a great blue morpho butterfly flapped past, mirrored in the water
+beneath. Then came tragedy—never far off in this land of superabundant
+life. A small clay-colored crocodile made a sudden rush at a ripple,
+and a quartet of four-eyes shot from the water in frantic fear. One was
+slower than the rest, and the fierce jaws of the diminutive reptile just
+grazed him. Another fell back downward in the ooze, and in a twinkling
+was caught and dragged into the depths. No wonder the poor little
+four-eyes are ever on the lookout for danger and spend most of their time
+where they merge with the ripples along the shore, when such enemies are
+on the watch for them!
+
+A whir of wings sounded, and a Kingfisher[69] alighted within arm’s
+reach. But such a Kingfisher!—the veriest mite, clad in a robe of
+brilliant emerald and orange. So small was he that it seemed as if the
+tiniest of minnows must choke him. He seemed to be of the same opinion,
+for while we watched him he caught only the insects which passed him in
+mid-air or which were floating on the water.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 7. FOUR-EYED FISH.]
+
+By far the most numerous, and in their way the most interesting of the
+mangroves’ inhabitants, were the crabs. There were untold millions of
+them, all small, all active and keen of vision. If we sat quietly,
+they would appear from everywhere, peeping out like little gnomes from
+their perches on the mangroves, forever playing their noiseless little
+fiddles. These tiny tree-folk not only played, but danced. Let us picture
+a scene constantly enacted, so close to us that we could all but touch
+the performers. Two crabs approach each other, now fiddling vigorously,
+now waving their diminutive pincers back and forth over their heads as
+a ballet-dancer waves her arms. They move never in straight lines, but
+sideways, now running back a few steps, now forward, until at last they
+meet, and each grasping the other’s claws, raises them aloft, and then
+for five minutes they circle about in most ludicrous imitation of a
+waltz. All this usually takes place on the _lower_ surface of a mangrove
+trunk, the inverted position apparently making no less secure the footing
+of the little dancers. We could not decide whether this performance was
+in the nature of courtship or just pure play.
+
+What we did discover concerning the lives of these crabs was full of
+interest. Hundreds of the smallest-sized ones lived in holes in the mud,
+and when the tide went down they came out and ran about—intent on some
+all-important business of their little existence. Another class of larger
+individuals had their holes near the roots of the mangroves, one (rarely
+two) good-sized crab apparently taking possession of each root. Here he
+disported himself, running up and down, from the water into the air with
+no change in speed, and here, strangest of all, he grew to resemble his
+home root. There was as great diversity among the roots as among the
+larger trunks—whitish, black, mottled, and all intervening shades. It was
+a fact, of which we had hundreds of daily proofs, that the crabs were so
+like their particular root that often we could not detect the quiescent
+crustacean when within a foot of our faces.
+
+There was one group of five black roots forming a rough circle about a
+single mottled root. As we approached, a crab ran down each stalk into
+the water, and as we peered down and saw them go into their holes, we
+could at a glance tell the mottled crab from the five black ones. Even
+the roots which were as yet a foot or more above the bottom mud each had
+their occupant, which thus had to swim upward from his hole before he
+could grasp his swaying perch.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 8. OUR FLOATING HOME AT LA CEIBA.]
+
+A third class of crabs lived among the higher trunks and branches of the
+mangroves, and, except where there was a highroad of some large trunk
+dipping into the water, these less fortunate fellows had to scamper in
+frantic haste up the roots of their larger brethren. The indignant owner
+would rush at the trespasser with uplifted pincers, sometimes forcing
+him to leap for his life. Where an unusually large tree was frequented
+by many crabs, their carapaces bore a close resemblance to its pattern
+and hue, but among these more aërial and roving crabs the mimicry was, on
+the whole, less striking than among the sedentary class. In the latter,
+protective coloration was carried to a greater degree of perfection than
+I have ever seen it elsewhere. These were loath to leave their roots and
+swim, preferring to run swiftly down until they reached the mud. This
+habit made it easy to catch them, merely by taking the end of the root
+aboard and shaking it, when the unsuspecting crab would rush down in all
+haste into a pail or jar held at the bottom.
+
+They have many enemies, not only among fish, reptiles, and birds, but
+even some of the mammals, such as opossums and monkeys, catch and devour
+them in large numbers. We saw a beautiful Hawk,[54] bright chestnut in
+color, with a pale creamy head and black throat, dashing at them and
+skilfully catching the unfortunate crabs in one outstretched foot.
+
+Scores of other beings of still more lowly degree swarmed about us, but
+as the tide lapped out of our little bayou, the four-eyes again attracted
+our attention. They began to get restless, swimming back and forth and
+shuffling over the mud, until at last in desperation at the ebbing of
+their element, they made a dash to get past us into the open water of
+the caño. Some dived, but so buoyant are they that they can scarcely
+stay below a second, and soon popped up on the surface again. Others
+scrambled, rolled, and squirmed along over the ooze on each side of us,
+many making good progress and escaping. We caught several and placed them
+in an aquarium for study. When hard pressed in deep water these curious
+fish progress by a series of leaps—up on their tail end and down again,
+up and down again, describing a series of curves and making very fast
+time.
+
+When examined closely we see that these fish have only two eyes, but
+these are divided in such a way that there appear to be double that
+number. There are two distinct pupils, one elevated above the head like
+the eyes of a frog, the other separated by a band of tissue and below
+the water-line. So when the fish floats in its normal position at the
+surface the upper pupils, fitted for vision in the air, watch for danger
+above, while the lower pair keeps a submarine lookout for insect food and
+aquatic enemies.
+
+Monkeys are perfectly at home in this land of branches, the ever-cautious
+capuchins and now and then a long-limbed spider monkey swinging through
+the trees with as easy a motion as the flight of a bird. Biggest of all
+are the great red howlers, who keep to the deeper, more narrow channels,
+and in the evening and again at dawn send their voices to the farthest
+limits of the mangroves. They do not howl, they roar, and the sound is
+perfectly suited to such a wilderness as this. Before the first signs of
+day light up the east, a low, soft moaning comes through the forest, like
+the forewarning of a storm through pine trees. This gains in volume and
+depth until it becomes a roar. It is no wind now, nor like anything one
+ever hears in the north; it is a deep, grating, rumbling roar—a voice of
+the tropics; a hint of the long-past ages when speech was yet unformed.
+We grew to love the rhythm of this wild music, and it will always be for
+us the memory-awakening sound of the tropical wilderness.
+
+The wealth of life in this region was evident when we began to explore
+a river flowing down from the highlands in the far-distant interior of
+Venezuela. One could spend a year here and not begin to exhaust the
+wonders on every hand.
+
+With every high tide the Captain would pull up anchor and shift our craft
+a little upstream, until at last our keel touched bottom and we could
+go no farther. We anchored firmly and buoyed ourselves by ropes to the
+nearest trees so as to keep on an even keel. This, our home for a time,
+was in a little bight of the Guarapiche (_War-ah-pee’chy_) River, where
+two tumbled-down, long deserted Indian huts still retained the name of La
+Ceiba. We were so close to the left bank that at low tide we could walk
+ashore on oars laid down over the mud. Here the birds came and fed and
+bathed, here the howling monkeys roared over our very heads and Macaws
+swung and shrieked at us.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 9. EXPLORING THE CAÑOS IN A DUG-OUT.]
+
+One night, during a heavy downpour of rain, we were suddenly awakened by
+a medley of cries, imprecations, shrieks and yells. Flashing the strong
+electric bulb we saw through the sheets of rain a very large curiara run
+afoul of our shore line; piled high with luggage, with several screaming
+women perched high on the bundles and boxes. Four pigs, tied feet upward,
+swelled the chorus in their fear of a watery grave and four men told us
+what they thought of us in the present and where they hoped we would
+spend the future centuries until the world’s end. Our Captain was out of
+his hammock in a moment and in tremendous basso profundo he silenced all,
+save the pigs, and rapidly gave directions to our crew to row upstream
+against the swirling current, clear the curiara and shift it outside the
+danger zone. Between breaths, he incidentally described minutely to the
+terrified natives what he knew would be the ultimate fate of such fools
+as tried to descend a river on the wrong side. It was a miracle that the
+whole outfit did not overturn—a narrow dug-out, measuring about twenty
+feet in length by two in width, striking full force against a rope in the
+blackness of the storm.
+
+Early in the morning the roaring of the monkeys would awaken us, and
+after a hasty breakfast we would start out in our little boat. At this
+time everything is dripping and fresh with dew, and there is a bite and
+tang in the air which reminds us of Canadian dawns. It is still dusk,
+and the lines of mangroves on either side show only as black walls. For
+some minutes hardly a sound breaks the stillness except the distant
+roars and the drip, drip of our paddles. Then a sudden splashing and
+breaking of branches shows that we are discovered by a pair or more of
+capybaras (_Hydrochoerus capybara_), those enormous rodents which would
+pass as guinea pigs in Gulliver’s land of giants. Now an overhanging
+branch drenches us as we brush against it, and as it is pushed aside a
+whole armful of orchids comes away, the pure white blossoms (_Epidendrum
+fragrans_) filling the caño with their sweetness. Now the delicate
+foliage of a palm is silhouetted for a moment against the brightening
+eastern sky, and a mass of great convolvulus blossoms shines out from
+the shore. By this we know that we are not many miles from dry ground,
+and other growths are already beginning to dispute the dominance of the
+mangroves.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 10. WHITE ORCHIDS.]
+
+Silence again, to be broken by one of the most remarkable and startling
+outbursts of sound which any living creature in the world can utter. A
+series of unconnected sighs, shrieks, screams, and metallic trumpet-like
+notes suddenly breaking forth apparently within thirty feet, is surely
+excuse enough for being startled. The hubbub ceases as abruptly as it
+began; then again it breaks out, now seeming to come from all directions,
+even from overhead. The author of all this is the Chachalaca[7]—a bird
+not larger than a common fowl, but with a longer tail. It spends most of
+its time on the ground or among the lower branches of the trees in the
+swamps. It was seldom that we caught sight of one, but we shall never
+forget the first time we heard their diabolical chorus.
+
+The sun’s rays now light up the narrow path of water ahead of us, and a
+thousand creatures seem to awaken and give voice at once. Two splendid
+Yellow and Blue Macaws[61] fly high overhead, their screams softened by
+the distance; a flock of great white-billed, Red-crested Woodpeckers[88]
+drum and call; from the bank comes the rolling cry of the Tinamou and
+the sweet, penetrating double note of the Sun-bittern[24]; Hummingbirds
+squeak in their flight as they shake the dew-drops from the orchids above
+us; squirrels with fur of orange and gray scramble through the branches,
+fleeing before the little capuchin monkeys. Then, one after another,
+three splendid Swallow-tailed Kites[58] dash past us at full speed,
+brushing the surface of the water and floating upward again.
+
+Swallows,[119] emerald and white, catch the flies which hover near us;
+a big yellow-breasted Flycatcher alights for a moment on the bow of
+our boat—and a tropical day is fairly begun. These and a hundred other
+creatures about us bathe, sing, and seek their food during the fresh
+hours of early morning. Then, as the sun rises higher and its heat draws
+a hush over all, the notes of the birds die away, leaving the insect
+vocalists supreme. Butterflies click here and there, a loud humming tells
+of huge wasps winging their way on murderous missions, but above all
+rises the chant of the cicadas. The commonest of these grinds out harsh,
+reverberating tones—whir-r-r-r-r-r! wh-r-r! wh-r-r! wh-r-r! wh-r-r!
+rolling the r’s in the first utterance for a minute or more, then ending
+in a series of short, abrupt whirs.
+
+Then another cicada, a giant species, sends his call through the jungle;
+he has two strings to his bow, one a half-note higher than the other, and
+on these he plays for five minutes at a time. It is Chinese music to the
+very tone. Sometimes his tune ends in a rising shriek, and we know that
+one of the big blue wasps has descended on him and stabbed him in the
+midst of his love-song.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 11. SUN-BITTERN.]
+
+The day wears on, and even the cicadas become quiet. The sun is overhead
+and the air full of tropical heat. In the shade it is always comfortable,
+and in the full glare of the sun one perspires so freely that the heat is
+hardly felt.
+
+As we paddle lazily along, a great Tegu Lizard (_Teius nigropunctatas_)
+scrambles slowly along the bank; now crawling over a muddy expanse, now
+taking to the water to avoid a bushy tangle, folding back his legs and
+swimming with long graceful sweeps of his tail. As we watch him he leaps
+at several little crabs and catches them before they can escape into
+their holes.
+
+We eat our luncheon in the shade of a clay bank, the first hint of dry
+land we have seen along the caño, and here we watch the little crocodiles
+basking in the sun and the crabs scuttling over the mud. A bird of
+iridescent green and orange swoops down to our very faces, and hangs
+swinging in a loop of a tiny liana on the face of the bank. The next
+instant it vanishes into the earth, darting into a hole hardly larger
+than the crab-holes around it. We have found the home of a Jacamar.[86]
+At the end of the short tunnel are four round white eggs laid on the bare
+clay.
+
+While examining the nest we hear at our very feet the terrible night
+noise—the muffled choking sigh which has come to us every night since we
+entered the mangrove wilderness. We are standing in our narrow dug-out,
+which the least movement will overturn, and for an instant it is indeed a
+question whether we can control ourselves enough to keep it from filling.
+Now the mystery solves itself as a large anaconda (_Eunectes murinus_)
+nine or ten feet long, slowly winds out from a hole in the bank beneath
+the surface of the water and slips into the depths of the muddy current.
+Then the tide laps a little lower, and a big bubble of air, caught in the
+entrance of the serpent’s lair, frees itself with a sudden gasping sob.
+When the tide is rising or falling over these large openings in the mud,
+the air escapes from time to time with the terrifying sound which has so
+long puzzled us. Our mysterious nocturnal creature is thus explained away
+in the prosaic light of day.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 12. SOLUTION OF THE MANGROVE MYSTERY—AN ANACONDA.]
+
+An hour later as our dug-out rounds a sharp bend in the caño, there comes
+to our ears a series of rasping cries—hoarse and creaking as of unoiled
+wheels. The glasses show a flock of large, brown, fowl-like birds in
+a clump of bushes overhanging the water. Their barred wings and tall,
+delicate crests tell us that they are the bird of all others which we had
+hoped to see and study. We are floating within a hundred feet of a flock
+of Hoatzins[11]—the strange reptile-like, living fossils which are found
+only in this part of the world, and which are closely related to no other
+living bird.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 13. HOATZINS IN THE BAMBOOS ON THE GUARAPICHE.]
+
+As we draw near, the birds flutter through the foliage as if their wings
+were broken. We find that this is their usual mode of progression, and
+for a most interesting reason. Soon after the young Hoatzins are hatched
+and while yet unfledged they are able to leave the nest and climb about
+the branches, and in this they are greatly aided by the use of the wings
+as arms and hands. The three fingers of the wing are each armed with a
+reptile-like claw, and at the approach of danger the birds climb actively
+about like squirrels or lizards.
+
+It has usually been thought that when they grow up they lose all these
+reptilian habits and behave as conventional feathered bipeds should. But
+we find that while, of course, the fingers are deeply hidden beneath the
+long flight-feathers of the wing, yet these very feathers are often used,
+fingerlike, in forcing aside thick vines, the birds thus clambering and
+pushing their way along.
+
+It was with the keenest delight of the pioneer and discoverer that we
+watched these rare creatures. Although they do not nest until July and
+August, yet we found them in the very trees and bushes which held the
+remains of last year’s nests, thus revealing their sedentary life during
+the rest of the year. And day after day and week after week we learned to
+know that they would be found in this or that tree and nowhere else; they
+were veritable feathered sloths. They fed chiefly upon leaves, but fish
+also entered into the bill of fare of at least one individual.
+
+We shot two, one for the skin and the other for the skeleton, and we
+found the plumage in a very worn and ragged condition, the wing feathers
+especially so, where the branches and leaves had rubbed and worn away the
+barbs. Throughout the noonday heat these birds were always to be found
+in the foliage overhanging the water, ready when disturbed to flop and
+thrash a few yards through the mangroves and bamboos.
+
+After many days of pure delight, our note-books filled and our
+photographic plates more than half gone, we decided to see something of
+the Venezuelan dry land. We would go on and on until we had left the
+mangroves with all their unpeopled mystery behind us, and see what new
+surprises the villages of the Guarauno (_War-ah-oo’no_) Indians and the
+jungles of the foot-hills would afford.
+
+At nine o’clock one night, when the stars alone cast a faint weird light
+over everything, we sent two of the crew ahead in the rowboat to keep our
+bow straight, and then began a long night of noiseless drifting with the
+tide. It was a night to remain forever in our memory. The men relieved
+their monotonous towing with strange wailing chants; on each side the
+mangroves slipped past, black and menacing; invisible creatures snorted
+and splashed in sudden terror as we rounded each turn; great fireflies
+burned on the trees and were reflected in the water, and to our ears
+came the roars of the four-handed folk, the calls and screams of night
+birds, the metallic clinks of insects, and ever the gasps and chokings of
+the serpents’ burrows—hardly less sinister now that we had solved their
+mystery.
+
+Throughout all the night we passed up one caño, down another, past miles
+and miles of black foliage, all alike to us, almost indistinguishable
+in the starlight, yet early next morning as we rose to rout the cloud
+of mosquitoes about our head nets, the captain said in his soft Spanish
+tongue, “The mountains of my country should be in sight ahead.” And,
+indeed, an hour later, as the day dawned, we could discern the blue haze
+in the north which marked the high land out.
+
+Toucans, big Muscovy Ducks[43] and Snakebirds[48] flew past us; great
+brown Woodpeckers and flights of Parrakeets swung across the caño;
+dolphins played around us, but we heeded them little, all eager to press
+on and see the new land.
+
+So we sat far up in the bow and watched the mountains take form and
+the palms upon them become ever more distinct. From a land of mystery
+untrodden by man, we were soon to come upon a bit of land so prized by
+man that nations had almost gone to war over it—La Brea (_Bray’ah_)
+the strange lake of pitch hidden in the heart of the forest, with its
+strange birds and fish and animals; lying on the borderland between the
+foot-hills of the northern Andes and the world of mangroves which for
+many days had held us so safely in its heart.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 14. FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE VENEZUELAN MOUNTAINS.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+THE LAKE OF PITCH.
+
+
+Heretofore we had sailed and paddled through a land of mangroves and
+water, where, with the exception of one or two tiny muddy islets in the
+forest, there was no solid ground. One day the last of innumerable turns
+of a narrow _caño_ brought our sloop in sight of real earth—the first dry
+land of eastern Venezuela. A rough wooden wharf supporting a narrow-gauge
+line of rails appeared, and beyond rose a steep hill, dotted here and
+there with little thatched huts, each clinging to a niche scooped out of
+the clay. We were at the village of Guanoco (_Wah-no’co_), the shipping
+point of the pitch lake. A few steps beyond the last hut and one was
+in the primeval forest—so limited is man’s influence in this region of
+rapidly growing plants.
+
+For five miles the little toy rails zigzagged their uneven way through
+the jungle. On one side was swamp, into which one could penetrate but a
+short distance before encountering the advance-guard of the mangroves,
+the front of the vast host which stretched eastward mile after mile to
+the sea. West of the track the land rose ten or twenty feet in many
+places, but even where level it soon lost its swampy character. At the
+end of the line the strange pitch lake itself appeared as a great plain,
+on the borderland between low swamps and the foot-hills of the mountains.
+This was our tramping-ground, and we found it a veritable wonderland of
+birds and beasts and flowers.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 15. COLONY OF 150 CASSIQUES’ NESTS IN ONE TREE.]
+
+One of the first things which attracted our attention were the Orioles or
+Cassiques[151]—great black and yellow beauties with long whitish beaks
+and an infinitely varied vocabulary. In the north our eyes are gladdened
+by the sight of a single pair of Orioles flying about their nest in the
+elm; here in a single tree there were sometimes over one hundred and
+fifty inhabited nests, most of which were two feet or more in length. The
+more we watched these birds the more interesting they became. They showed
+a real intelligence in the selection of a site for their nests. Monkeys,
+tree-snakes, opossums, and other bird-eating creatures were abundant
+hereabouts, and for a colony of these conspicuous birds to conceal their
+nests successfully would be impossible. So their homes are swung out in
+full view of all. But one or two precautions are always taken. Either the
+birds choose a solitary tree which fairly overhangs some thatched hut, or
+else the colony is clustered close about one of the great wasps’ nests
+which are seen here and there high up among the branches of the forest.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 16. NEST AND EGGS OF YELLOW-BACKED CASSIQUE.
+
+Observe the Extra Shelter Roof. The lower opening was made to show the
+egg chamber.]
+
+The Indians and native Venezuelans never trouble the birds, which have
+been quick to realize and take advantage of this fact, and weave their
+nests and care for their young almost within arm’s reach of the thatched
+roofs. No monkey dares venture here, and the mongrel dogs keep off all
+the small nocturnal carnivores.
+
+But a colony of Cassiques which chooses to live in the jungle
+itself would have short shrift, were it not for the strange communal
+guardianship of the wasps. These insects are usually large and venomous,
+and one sting would be enough to kill a bird; indeed, a severe fever
+often ensues when a man has been stung by half a dozen. So the birds
+must in some way be immune to the attacks of the wasps. Perhaps their
+wonderfully complete armor of feathers, scales, and horny beak accounts
+for this, while their quickness of vision and of action enables them to
+save their eyelids—their one unprotected spot. Although the Cassiques
+cannot have learned from experience of the terrible wounds which the
+wasps can inflict, yet they are keenly alive to the advantages to be
+derived from close association with them.
+
+The wasp’s nest is built far out on the tip of the limb of some forest
+tree, and the long pendent homes of the Cassiques are placed close to
+it, sometimes eight or ten on the same branch, and others on neighboring
+limbs, so near that the homes of insects and birds rattle against each
+other when the wind blows.
+
+One such community was placed rather near the ground, where we could
+watch the inhabitants closely. Frequently when one or two of the big
+birds returned to their nests with a rush and a headlong plunge into
+the entrance, the whole branch shook violently. Yet the wasps showed no
+excitement or alarm; their subdued buzzing did not rise in tone. But when
+I reached up and moved the branch gently downward, the angry hum which
+came forth sent me into the underbrush in haste. From a safe distance I
+could see the wasps circling about in quick spurts which meant trouble
+to any intruder, while the excited Cassiques squeaked and screamed their
+loudest. Whether the slight motion I gave to the branch was unusual
+enough to arouse the insects, or whether they took their cue from the
+cries and actions of the alarmed birds, I cannot say.
+
+The nests are beautifully woven, of very tough palm leaf shreds and grass
+stems, in shape like tall vases, bulging at the bottom to give room for
+the eggs and young birds, and with an entrance at the side near the top.
+We found still another instance of the unusual ability of these birds to
+adapt themselves to changing conditions. Those nests which were already
+deserted or with young ready to fly had simple rounded tops arching
+over to protect the entrance from the sun; but in the nests which were
+in process of construction, now at the beginning of the rainy season
+in early April, there appeared an additional chamber with a dense roof
+of thatch, in which one of the parents, the male at least in one case,
+passed the nights, safe from the torrents of sudden rain.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 17. VENEZUELAN TREE PORCUPINE.]
+
+Another larger species of Cassique,[150] dull green in color, built
+solitary nests, three feet or more in length, but seldom near the homes
+of men or wasps. Here and there in the jungle some lofty tree raised its
+huge white bole free of vine and liana, and smooth as a marble column,
+towering far above all its fellows; and out on the very tip of one of its
+swaying branches the nest was woven—safe from all tree-climbing enemies.
+The notes of these birds were like deep resonant cowbells, ringing
+through the jungle, clear and metallic.
+
+During our stay in the village of Guanoco we had abundant opportunity to
+observe the relations of a tiny hamlet like this to the great world of
+primeval nature all around. The jungle pressed close, instantly filling
+any neglected corner with a tangle of vines and shrubs, ever ready to
+sweep over all and reforest the little clearings about the huts.
+
+Sloths were rare near the village, as it had long been a favorite Sunday
+amusement to go out and bring in one or more of these defenceless
+creatures for dinner. But tree porcupines (_Sphingurus prehensilis_),
+with bare, prehensile tails and faces like little manatees, were
+common, as were those gentle little creatures of the night, kinkajous
+(_Cercoleptes caudivolvulus_), or “couchi-couchis” as the Indians call
+them. Catching porcupines and sloths is about as exciting sport as
+picking blackberries; the porcupine being too confident in its battery of
+spines to attempt to escape; the sloth relying with pathetic faith on its
+wonderful resemblance to a bunch of moss or leaves.
+
+The “English Sparrows” of the village were beautiful olive-green Palm
+Tanagers[144] and great sulphur-breasted Flycatchers[102] which shrieked
+_Kiss-ka-dee!_ at you as you passed by. The French in Trinidad tell you
+that the bird says _Qu’est-ce-qu’il-dit?_ but the Spaniard, true to his
+poetic temperament, says, “_No, Señor, el pájaro dice ‘Cristofué!’_”
+which seemed especially appropriate at this Easter season.
+
+Every day one or two wild Chachalacas[7] would fly from the jungle to an
+open space near one of the huts and feed fearlessly with the chickens for
+an hour or longer.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 18. WILD CHACHALACA NEAR A GUANOCO HUT.]
+
+To our northern minds the most remarkable thing was the innumerable
+variety of all forms of life. Seldom did we find many individuals of any
+one species, but always there was a constantly changing panorama. We
+would make a careful list of birds seen near our house, noting certain
+ones for future study, and the following day scarcely one of these would
+be visible, but in their place birds of strange form and colors. The
+same was true of the insects and the result was as bewildering as it was
+fascinating. Our habits of observation had all to be changed. Except when
+birds were actually nesting, we could never be sure of seeing the same
+species twice, although there was never any doubt that each day would add
+many new forms to our lists.
+
+Though we tramped for miles along the narrow Indian trails and spent many
+days in swamps and dark jungles, yet we were troubled scarcely at all
+with noxious insects. “Jiggers” there were in moderate numbers but one
+could “collect” more in one day in Virginia than in a month here at this
+season. During our entire stay we saw only about three or four minute
+ticks, while mosquitoes were absent, except at night. If we dug in rotten
+logs, we were sure to unearth centipedes and scorpions, many of them,—but
+otherwise we rarely saw them. Once, indeed, a mother scorpion (_Centrurus
+margaritatus_) with half a hundred young ones on her back was discovered
+in a shoe, bringing to mind the old nursery rhyme.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 19. SCORPION AND ITS YOUNG TAKEN FROM MILADY’S SHOE.]
+
+We found that much of the jungle was almost impenetrable, and on one of
+our first excursions we were fortunate enough to find a means of making
+the birds come to us from the deeper recesses of the forest. As we left
+the doorway, a silent little shadow fitted into the pommerosa tree in
+front of us, and soon among the glossy leaves came a sound which we had
+heard day and night, but the author of which had thus far evaded us. It
+is impossible to put into words, but it may be imitated by a monotone
+whistle, of about four notes to the second, of A above middle C. The
+glasses showed a mite of a Pygmy Owl[60] glaring at us with wide yellow
+eyes, and firmly clutching a dead bird, half as large as himself. Later,
+when standing at the edge of an impenetrable tangle of thorny vines and
+vainly trying to discover what bird was singing in loud, ringing tones
+within it, we thought of the fierce little owl, and concealing ourselves,
+gave the call of _Glaucidium_. The effect was instantaneous; the song
+near us ceased, and with angry cries a pair of beautiful Black-capped
+Mocking-thrushes[126] flew almost overhead. Black-tailed Euphonias[139]
+and Grassfinches followed, Bananaquits[137] whirred about us, and within
+a few minutes thirty or forty birds had testified to the hatred in which
+the little Owl is held.
+
+A great surprise to our northern eyes was the Yellow Woodpecker,[90] not
+uncommon here, and clad in bright yellow plumage from crest to tail.
+It was very conspicuous in flight, but when it alighted, merged with
+the lichened bark and spots of sunlight. One bird was very tame and
+frequented a tree close by our window.
+
+One of our first walks led us through a narrow valley or gorge to the
+westward, shaded by ranks of tall palms and with isolated banana and
+cocoa plants, hinting of native Indian clearings long since overwhelmed
+by the luxuriant jungle growth. Wasps and other Hymenoptera outnumbered
+other insects at this season, and one could have collected scores of
+different species in a few hours. A few Heliconia butterflies drifted
+across our path, and now and then a giant morpho shot past like a meteor
+of iridescent blue. Other great butterflies (_Caligo ilioneus_) were
+iridescent blue and brown above, while the under sides of their wings
+were mottled and with a great eye-spot on each of the hind wings, which
+gives them the name of the owl butterfly. But however much, in an insect
+cabinet, the expanded reverse of the wings suggests the face of an owl,
+the spot, as we observed it in the forest, seemed rather to render the
+insect invisible. These great fellows would shoot up to a lichen-covered
+trunk and drop lightly upon it, and unless one’s eyes had followed
+closely, the butterfly vanished like magic. Creeping up to one we secured
+its picture, the mottlings on its wings merging it with the lichens, and
+its owl-eyes becoming the painted facsimiles of darkened knotholes, or of
+little atoll-like fungus rings.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 20. YELLOW WOODPECKER.]
+
+One is constantly impressed by the abundance and variety of these
+protective adaptations. Instead of one’s eyes becoming more accustomed
+and trained in detecting these deceptions, the puzzles increase, and
+one becomes suspicious of everything. Every few minutes we are halted
+by a curled leaf which resembles some great caterpillar, or by a partly
+decayed fruit which may prove to be a curiously marked beetle. Many of
+these are such exact counterparts that we have to touch them to undeceive
+ourselves. After seeing some bats hung in the shadows between the
+buttressed bases of great trees, we imagine them in every patch of moss
+or dried leaves.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 21. OWL BUTTERFLY ON COCOA BARK.]
+
+The resemblance to inanimate objects is never violated and often
+remarkably heightened by the little creatures of fur, feather, scale or
+armor of chitin. The bats never alight in a close compact mass, but each
+isolated, with its wings partly spread, and often extended _irregularly_,
+one webbed hand higher or farther out than the other, thus presenting
+a dull, irregular outline, at which we should never have looked twice,
+had not the little beasties become frightened and flown. A butterfly
+(_Peridromia feronia_), mottled and pearly on the upper side, snaps
+clicking to a lichened trunk and alights head downward with wings flat.
+Beneath they are white and conspicuous. The inverted position allows the
+hinder wings to be pressed flat to the surface of the bark, while the
+slight shadow caused by the prominence of the body in front is thus below
+and invisible. Another, brilliant red on the upper side and irregularly
+marked below, never alights, as far as our experience went, except on
+some lichened trunk. In this case however the wings were held tightly
+together, and the insect always in a head downward position. The insect
+took to wing so quickly that only a hint of the red was visible.
+
+We never could tell what new form of protective resemblance would next
+come under our notice. Here and there in the woods we found trees which
+had fallen in a clear space and had torn out their roots in the fall,
+forming a great bank of earth and mould, held together by the network of
+root fibres. Hanging suspended by slender root tendrils were many small
+pellets of earth slowly swaying and disintegrating. We found that some of
+these were not mere accidents of inorganic forces, but were the nests of
+a small mud wasp made in a roughly circular form and moulded to one of
+the many rootlets.
+
+Lizards perhaps more than any other group of backboned animals become
+part and parcel of their surroundings in form and color. We sometimes
+found dull gray and green fellows on the trunks of trees or the ends
+of half rotten logs, which almost defied the efforts of the eye to
+disentangle them from the lichens and moss amid which they clung.
+When one of these did move it was with such celerity that the eye
+unconsciously swept onward, impelled by momentum, and overshot the spot
+where it stopped. Then another careful search was necessary to rediscover
+the reptile.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 22. LIZARD ALERT ON TRUNK OF TREE.]
+
+This same glade was the favorite haunt of two kinds of small Manakins,
+the Gold-headed[108] and the White-breasted.[111] The former was a mite
+of a bird, barely four inches in length, jet-black as to body and wings,
+but with a cap of gold pulled down over his head and ears. If his eyes
+were black and beady like those of his near relatives, the harmony of
+his head-dress would be disturbed, so Dame Nature has sifted the gold
+over his eyes as well, and the yellow irides are almost invisible among
+the feathers. Such coloring renders him part of his beloved gorge. If he
+sits in the shade his body vanishes and his head is naught but a spot of
+sunshine; if his perch is in sunlight, the tiny, headless body conveys no
+hint of a living bird.
+
+His cousin, the White-breasted, is black and white and the four outer
+feathers of the wing are very narrow and curved. These are the strings
+upon which he plays an æolian song of love, for every time he takes to
+flight a loud humming sound is produced. The females are dull olive in
+color but easily recognizable by their orange feet and legs. Sometimes
+three suitors would buzz and hum together about one of these sombre
+little ladies in the gloom of the gorge.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 23. THE SAME LIZARD A MOMENT LATER, OBLITERATED BY
+CHANGE OF POSITION.]
+
+The rotten trees and palm stubs were filled with interesting insects; big
+black palm weevils (_Rhyncophorus palmatum_) an inch and a half long,
+and huge brown cockroaches three inches from head to wing-tip (_Blaberus
+trapezoideus_). With a machete we cut open one log, which was like bread
+in consistency, and found two centipedes, three scorpions, one of them
+a whip scorpion, a huge beetle larva, a small snake, with a faint band
+about its neck (_Homalocranium melanocephalum_) and most interesting of
+all, a Peripatus.
+
+Perhaps the reader here wonders to himself what a Peripatus is, and it is
+a pity that this most important creature has no common name. We may call
+it a worm-like caterpillar or a caterpillar-like worm, for its claim to
+fame rests upon its position as a so-called missing link. We know that in
+long ages past the ancestor of the butterflies, beetles, wasps, spiders
+and crabs was a worm-like creature, primitive in structure and in no way
+hinting of the beautiful organisms which were to be evolved in succeeding
+epochs. Hiding away from light, in the warm moisture of decaying wood,
+the little Peripatus has lived on and on, age after age, with little
+apparent change, until we find it to-day combining the simpler characters
+of the lowly worms with those of the vastly higher caterpillars.
+
+The Peripatus which we unearthed, or rather unlogged, was of a rich,
+dark reddish hue. It was caterpillar-like in general appearance, but not
+divided into segments, while the number of its very simple feet and its
+method of progression brought to mind the millipedes. The long, slender
+antennæ were constantly in motion, changing and extending, feeling about
+and retracting.
+
+Glancing at the leaf of a low shrub, we saw what we supposed to be two
+bits of dried, rolled-up leaf entangled in a strand of spider web and
+being whirled about by the wind. When we saw that this motion continued
+after the breeze had died down, we became interested. We discovered
+that the two objects were tineid moths of a dark pearl color, waltzing
+about with the most graceful and airy motion imaginable. With closed
+wings they whirled round and round by means of their legs alone, and,
+most remarkably, both going in the same direction, although this was
+frequently changed, the reversal being almost instantaneous and without
+an instant’s loss of the smoothness of the rhythm. Now and then their
+circles overlapped, but at the first danger of collision the tiny
+dervishes both retreated without stopping their dance. Presently one flew
+away, and the other shifted to another leaf near by, and recommenced his
+waltz alone. It was a surprise to find these little winged millers in the
+rôle of graceful dancers. The reason of it remained a mystery.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 24. NEST AND EGGS OF GREAT BLUE TINAMOU.]
+
+These incidents are quoted as some among the myriad interesting doings of
+the little folk which we observed in the heart of these great jungles.
+As we walked on, virgin forest surrounded us, with great trees centuries
+old, chained and netted together by miles upon miles of lianas. Now and
+then we entered a clear glade festooned by a maze of ropes and cables,
+with here and there a lofty monkey-ladder leading upward by a wavy series
+of narrow steps. The cicadas filled the air with the oriental droning of
+their song, and a big Red-crested Woodpecker[88] called loudly from a
+half-rotted, vine-choked tree. From the undergrowth came a soft rolling
+trill, a crescendo of power and sweetness, and when our Indian carrier
+whispered, “_Gallina del monte_,” we knew we were listening to the call
+of a Great Blue Tinamou[1]—one of those strange birds looking like brown,
+tailless fowls, but of so generalized a type that they form in many ways
+a link between the ostrich-like forms and the rest of the bird world. The
+bird which was calling soon became silent, but creeping slowly along we
+were fortunate enough to discover its nest on a bit of sunny turf near
+the end of a log in a partially overgrown clearing. All the delights of
+bird-nesting seemed consummated the moment we caught sight of the two
+wonderful eggs before us. The nest was merely a hollow scratched in the
+grass, but the sun was reflected from two shining spheres of metallic
+greenish blue, like two huge turquoises polished as by the wheel of a
+lapidary. Never were such eggs; they seemed of hard burnished metal, more
+akin to the stones lying about them than to the organic world, and yet,
+even as we looked, there appeared a tiny fracture, and in a few minutes
+the beak of a Tinamou chick had broken through to the outer air. The
+glistening cradle of stone would soon fall apart and give to the tropical
+world another life—one more mote among the millions upon millions about
+us.
+
+Now and then we would come across a huge low mound, clear of undergrowth,
+dotted with holes from which well-trodden paths led off in every
+direction. Some of these were six inches in width, so that we could
+easily walk in them. A twig poked down the holes and twisted about would
+come up covered with angry ants, great brownish-black fellows with a
+grip like a bulldog. Even this simile fails, for these insects will allow
+their heads to be pulled off before they will let go.
+
+Everywhere the ants attracted our attention; huge black giants
+(_Neoponera commutata_), which seemed never to have anything to do
+but parade slowly up and down the trunks of trees; and the ever-busy
+parasol-ants, hustling along in single file, waving their green banners
+and clinging faithfully to them while falling down terrific precipices
+three or four inches deep. We dug into their nests and found their fungi
+gardens, one part of which would be freshly planted with neat black balls
+of chewed-up green leaves, while in another part the fungus was well
+grown—a meshwork of gray strands whose fruit was ready to be plucked and
+eaten.
+
+The hunting-ants (_Eciton_) surpassed all the others in interest. Day
+after day we would come across their great armies, and we spent many
+hours of keen enjoyment watching their advance. We had read of their
+appearance and habits; we had heard them compared to Goths and hordes of
+savages, but no description prepares one for the actual sight. We watched
+in particular one large army which carried on its operations only a short
+distance from our house.
+
+Long before we came within sight of the ants themselves their presence
+would be heralded by the flock of birds which kept just in advance,
+feeding upon the insects which flew up from the van of the ant legions.
+In one such assemblage most of the birds were Woodhewers, big,
+cinnamon-colored, creeper-like birds which hitched up the tree trunks
+and now and then swooped down to the ground, snatched an insect and
+swung back to the trunk. This flock of birds showed other methods of
+feeding; Hummingbirds appeared from nowhere, dashed down to a tiny insect
+and vanished into space; Anis[80] blundered along, looking as if their
+wings and tails were too loosely attached for use; Ant-birds crept low
+through the bushes and carried their prey to a twig to eat; two American
+Redstarts[128b] and several Tyrant Flycatchers caught their prey by
+a sudden dart and a snap of the beak. One species in particular, the
+Streaked Flycatcher,[105] was always attendant on the ants and always
+fearless, watching us and yet never missing a chance to snap up a passing
+insect.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 25. WOODHEWER CLINGING TO THE TRUNK OF A TREE.]
+
+As we drew nearer, a strange rustling sound reached our ears, like the
+regular pattering of raindrops, and before we knew it we were standing in
+the midst of thousands of active ants, whose rushing and scrambling about
+over the dead leaves caused the loud rustling. In a few seconds twenty
+or thirty ants had climbed upon and above our shoes, and their sharp,
+nipping bites sent us in haste to the flanks of the army, where we freed
+ourselves from the fierce creatures. These ants are not large, varying
+from a fifth to a third of an inch in length, dark in color, with lighter
+red abdomens.
+
+Until one becomes accustomed to these scenes of carnage the sight
+is really terrible, especially when one lies down flat and takes an
+ant’s-eye view of the field of battle. Yet such is the fierceness and
+savage fury on one side and hopeless terror or frantic efforts to escape
+on the part of the victims that it needs but little imagination to stir
+deeply one’s sympathies.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 26. STREAKED FLYCATCHER.]
+
+In place of the steady advance of a well-drilled army, presenting a solid
+front of serried ranks, the formation of the hunting-ants may be compared
+to an innumerable host of cavalry scouts who quarter the ground in every
+direction, the whole army slowly advancing and including new territory in
+the scene of operations. Frequent flurries or louder rustlings follow the
+discovery and the subsequent terrible struggle of some quarry of noble
+size—a huge beetle or mighty lizard.
+
+One fact impressed us from the first: every creature aroused by the ants
+seemed to know instinctively of the awful danger. Whether through odor or
+sight or sound, the alarm always carried its full meaning. Insects which
+ordinarily would escape the collecting net by a single quick motion, here
+dashed away with such terror that they often flew against our clothes or
+a tree, and were hurled to the ground. Lizards took shelter under our
+shoes or shot off like streaks of light for many yards. Our presence and
+that of the predatory birds was disregarded in the efforts to avoid the
+danger which generations of inherited experience had made the most vivid
+in life.
+
+Insects which usually feigned death as a means of escape, when disturbed
+by these ants used all the motor organs given them by nature to flee from
+the dreaded foe. Escape seemed to be the result of accident with all
+wingless creatures, even with those possessing good eyesight, for the
+first blind terrified rush as often carried them to certain death in the
+thickest of the host as it did to safety in the van or on one side of the
+ant army. Even wings were not a surety of escape. Twice I saw moths arise
+heavily from their hiding-places with a half-dozen of the little fiends
+clinging to their legs and wings. One was snapped up, ants and all, by
+a big Flycatcher, and the other fell among the quartermaster’s brigade
+in the rear, where every ant within reach dropped his load and hurled
+himself upon the newcomer.
+
+Here and there one might observe good-sized balls of ants rolling about,
+and in the centre would be some hard-cased beetle or other insect, who
+gave up only after killing and maiming a score of his assailants.
+
+We dropped five big black ants into the midst of the marauders, and
+witnessed a combat as thrilling as the contest between the Greeks and
+Persians. Four of the insects alighted on a small rounded stone over
+which three hunting-ants were scurrying. Without hesitation the black
+giants fell upon the brown warriors and tore them limb from limb, with
+the loss of only half a leg. This is not a very serious handicap, when
+one has five and a half robust limbs left! The fifth big fellow dropped
+upon a mass of ants piled like football-players upon a struggling
+scorpion, whose sting was lashing the air in vain. The big ant started
+another ripple upon this pool of death, which soon smoothed away, leaving
+no recognizable trace of him. But the quartet of big-jawed fellows on
+their rock citadel fought successfully and well. No ant which crept to
+the top ever lived to return for help. The four flew at him like wolves
+and bit him to death. Soon a ring of hunting-ants formed around the
+stone, all motionless except for a frantic twiddling of antennæ. They
+were apparently excited by the smell of the blood of their dead fellows,
+and only rarely did one venture now and then to scale the summit. When we
+left, two hours afterward, the army had passed, and left the stone and
+its four doughty defenders, who showed no immediate intention of leaving
+their fortress.
+
+The ground over which the hunting-ants passed was absolutely bare of
+life, and, contrary to the rule in human armies, it was among the
+camp-followers and foragers that the most perfect discipline reigned. In
+the rear of the main army were lines upon lines of ants laden with the
+spoils: legs, bodies, and heads of insects and spiders, bits of scaly
+skin of lizard or turtle, joints of centipedes and scorpions, and here
+and there a piece of ragged but gaudy butterfly-wing borne aloft like the
+captured standard of some opposing force.
+
+We followed three lines of supply-carriers and found that they converged
+on some sheltered hollow in a tree or under a boulder or root. Here were
+massed countless hordes of ants clinging together like a swarm of bees.
+In the centre were the queen, eggs, and young of these nomadic savages,
+resting thus temporarily until the far-distant scouts should report
+another shelter, when the whole community would shift to the new home,
+farther along on the line of march.
+
+The army in which we were especially interested seemed to be carrying on
+their hunting in a rough circle about the temporary home, and perhaps
+this is a common habit. Certain ants apparently serve some function of
+direction or means of communication, for they keep to one place for
+a half hour at a time and twiddle their antennæ with every ant which
+approaches.
+
+It was when the hunting-ants discovered the nests of other species of
+ants that warfare, true to its name, was waged. One could watch as from a
+balloon, mimic Waterloos and Gettysburgs, and sad to relate, in the case
+of inoffensive species, plunder, murder, and abduction by the wholesale.
+After studying the ways of these merciless creatures, we could seldom
+walk through the quiet, sunlit jungle, with blossoming orchids everywhere
+overhead and the songs of birds and pleasant hum of insects in our ears,
+without thinking of the tragedies without number ever going on around us.
+
+Used as we were only to the small lightning bugs of our northern summer
+nights, the big luminous elater beetles (_Pyrophorus_ sp.) were ever of
+interest. The two thoracic lights are placed on the outer posterior edges
+and give out a pale greenish glow of great intensity. We could easily see
+to read and write by their light, and by placing a half dozen of these
+insects in a glass we could use them instead of our electric flash.
+
+When we examined them carefully we were surprised to find that there was
+another area of illumination on the abdomen, below and just behind the
+insertion of the third pair of legs. When fully illuminated this area
+was brilliant and of a figure ∞ shape. The light however was radically
+different from that of the thorax, being yellowish, and candle-like,
+giving an illusory impression of an opening from the incandescent
+interior of the insect. When the insect settles to rest the only visible
+illumination is from the pair of thoracic lights, but in flight the
+abdominal searchlight comes into play, burning brightly with a strong
+yellowish glare quite different from the green thoracic lights.
+
+As we lay at night half asleep we would sometimes be awakened by the
+droning of one or two big elaters, whose intermittent flashes would
+illumine the whole room. More than once we had to capture the intruders
+with the butterfly net and banish them before we could get any sleep.
+
+We chloroformed two of these luminous beetles and pinned them in an
+insect box. Two evenings afterward when we had occasion to add more
+insects, the box was opened and to our surprise the little lanterns were
+still aglow and hardly less brilliant than when the insects were alive.
+They had been dead forty-eight hours and yet their light still shone
+ghostly white, lighting up the other insects in the box.
+
+One evening we found a tiny wire worm, the larva of some small species of
+elater, which was highly phosphorescent. Although only about one-half of
+an inch in length, the whole head, the posterior segment and a spot on
+the side of each of the others was bright. Watched as it moved smoothly
+and rapidly along, it reminded us of a ship passing at a distance at
+night with the lights streaming from the port-holes.
+
+Our trips to the pitch lake on the early morning engine will never be
+forgotten. A warning toot from the diminutive whistle hurries us through
+our breakfast, and we hasten to the track and see our cameras and guns
+loaded on one of the little square wooden “empties.” We mount the
+wood-filled tender of the engine, which with many complaining creaks and
+jolts get under way, backing slowly around the curve which hides the last
+sign of civilization and buries us in the jungle.
+
+For nearly twenty years these little toy engines have bustled and elbowed
+their way over the snaky rails, until the jungle and its people have come
+to look upon this narrow winding steel path as part of the general order
+of things. The underbrush creeps close, and only the constant whipping of
+the engines and cars beats down the growth between the rails.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 27. THE JUNGLE RAILROAD.]
+
+As we start, the last bats of night dash into the dark jungle, and their
+diurnal prototypes, a flock of graceful Palm Swifts,[71] swoop about
+overhead. To our ears there comes the _finalé_ of the morning chorus
+of distant red howlers and the first deep-toned boilings of the giant
+Cassiques.
+
+All along the line, beasts and birds show their lack of fear of the
+rumbling cars. A party of chattering little monkeys sit and gibber at
+us and rub their dew-drenched fur. Their parents and great-grandparents
+had found nothing to fear in this strange thing which, five times each
+day, crawls back and forth on its narrow trail, and why should they do
+more than look and wonder? As we come in sight of the muddy banks of the
+little river, a great Parrot shrieks in derision at us from the top of
+a dead stub by the track, executing slow somersaults for our benefit.
+Instinctively we look for a chain on its leg and a food cup near by!
+A splash draws our eyes downward, and from a maelstrom of muddy water
+shoots a villainous sting ray. A school of little staring four-eyes skips
+over the water, and near the swampy, farther bank, a sprawling half-grown
+crocodile watches us—as quiet as a stranded log.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 28. SPIDER LILIES NEAR PITCH LAKE.]
+
+The air blows cool and damp on our faces, and we long for the keen power
+of scent of a dog. Even to our dull nostrils every turn of the road is
+full of interest. A swamp, thickly starred with dainty spider-lilies,
+comes into view, and we inhale draughts of sweetest incense; Easter
+Sunday is at hand, and the very wilderness reminds us of it.
+
+With every breath of air the great palm leaves flick myriads of drops to
+the underbrush below, with a sound as of heavy rain. The trunks are black
+and soaked, and there is not a dry frond for miles. A sudden curve brings
+another loop of the river into view, with a foreground of scuttling crabs
+and mangrove seedlings. Here a wave of coarse, salty, marsh smell fills
+our lungs—not stagnant, but redolent of the distant sea; the smell that
+makes one’s blood leap. The next quarter-mile is covered with lilies
+again. From their perfume we enter a zone of recently cut grass—and the
+incense brings to mind northern hay-fields and the sweet-grass baskets of
+the Indians. What new pains and pleasures would be ours could we possess
+the power of scent of some of the “lower” animals!
+
+Temperate succeed tropical vistas; we see what at first appears to be a
+grove of young chestnuts rising from rhododendrons and guinea-grass. A
+Spotted Sandpiper[22] heightens the illusion, and the picture is complete
+when a familiar milk-weed butterfly floats by and alights on a red and
+yellow tansy. But just then a Macaw shrieks from a near-by tree—the
+road-bed turns and reveals a tangle of palms and scarlet heliconias—a
+monkey climbs up a leaf large enough to shelter half a hundred of his
+kind. Strange palm fruits come into view, some like enormous clusters
+or bunches of grapes—each fruit as large as an orange; or again a huge
+feathery, dependent frond of dust-brown blossom and fruit protected by an
+overhanging spathe like a huge umbrella.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 29. LA BREA—THE LAKE OF PITCH.]
+
+The jungle never gives up the struggle against the invading rails.
+Beneath the cars the constant friction only dwarfs the growth, and we
+find here miniature plants blooming, fruiting, and scattering seed;
+plants which elsewhere reach a height of five or six feet. It is an
+interesting case of quick adaptation to unfavorable conditions.
+
+The vegetation presses on every inch of the track, striving ever to close
+up the long scar through the heart of the forest, and only by systematic
+cutting is the way kept open. The advance of the jungle host is most
+interesting. Thirty feet from the rails the growth is primeval, a dense
+mass of entangled and interlaced vines, shrubs, palms, and giant trees,
+the boles of the latter shooting up and up through the mass and bursting
+into bloom high overhead. Nearer the track we find a phalanx of green
+banners and the wonderfully brilliant red and yellow flower stalks of
+the quick-growing heliconias. In front are the rough scouts, the real
+advance-guard of strong, thorny vines growing in close entanglement—a
+living _chevaux-de-frise_, inconspicuous and yet offering the greatest
+resistance. Under this shelter the larger but slower-growing components
+of the jungle take root and gather vigor, until, if not cut out with the
+hardest labor, they soon rear their heads from their nursery of vines and
+brambles, and the shining rails vanish from view.
+
+All the creatures of the forest cross and recross the track freely,
+even in front of an approaching train. Water-fowl, Sun-bitterns[24]
+and the weird-voiced Trumpeters[25] walk up and down, and flocks of
+Seedeaters[132] drift here and there, gleaning seed from between the
+rails. The Trumpeters were a great surprise to us, as this is the first
+instance of their being found north of the Orinoco River. One day we see
+the leaves part, and a long, low-shouldered reddish form slouches across
+before us, without even a glance at us, and we know it for the first
+South American puma (_Felis concolor_) which we have seen. Another “red
+lion,” as the natives called it, with two cubs, was seen not long before.
+
+Only the sloth is barred. He comes close to the endless swath; he wanders
+from tree to tree up and down, peering dully out across the track, but he
+cannot cross. The twenty-foot treeless embankment is as impregnable to
+him as a sheer wall of rock. With a weird cry he turns back and starts in
+another direction through the branches.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 30. THE FATAL “MOTHER OF THE LAKE.”]
+
+We reach the lake long before the dew is dried and before the freshness
+of the dawn is dissipated. Hurrying over the planks and the temporary
+rails laid for the workman’s hand-cars, we push on a half-mile or more
+to the southward, where nothing hints of man’s proximity. To the north
+and west are irregular peaks running off into a blue and misty range—the
+foot-hills of the Spanish Main. To the south the high woods are close
+to us and tower high overhead, but even with the eye of yonder lofty,
+soaring Vulture we could see no mountains in that direction—nothing
+but flat, green miles of mangroves, stretching to the horizon over the
+immense delta of the Orinoco. The pitch lake itself is surrounded on
+all sides by dense forests, the front ranks of which are made up of the
+marvellously tall and graceful moriche palms. There is one oasis in this
+pitchy expanse—Parrot Island it may be called. To this shelter, guarded
+on all sides by soft, quaking pitch, Amazon Parrots come at dusk by
+hundreds, roosting there until the next morning.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 31. WHITE-HEADED CHIMACHIMA HAWK AND ETA PALM.]
+
+Near the northern edge is the “mother of the lake,” just above the
+deep-hidden source of supply, where the pitch is always soft, and where
+no vegetation grows. It is a veritable pool of death, and nothing can
+enter it and live. The lizards and heavy-bodied insects which scamper
+over the rim are often clogged and drawn down to death. A jaguar, leaping
+after a Jacana, slipped in shortly before we came and made a terrible
+fight for life. Half blinded, its struggles carried it only farther
+outward, but fortunately the end came mercifully soon.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 32. AMAZON PARROT ROOST, PITCH LAKE.]
+
+All the rest of the lake is a varied expanse of black pitch bubbles,
+short grass, clumps of fern and sedge, with occasional isolated palms.
+Flowers of many kinds and colors spring from the heart of the raw pitch
+itself. Jacanas[23] rise before us with loud cries and flashing wings of
+gold. One may walk over the lake at will, morning and evening, but in the
+heat of midday, in many places, one’s shoes sink quickly unless one keeps
+constantly on the move.
+
+White is not a very common color in nature, and yet here, in striking
+contrast with the inky blackness of the pitch, most of the birds show
+large patches of this color. In the distance are always to be seen Snowy
+Egrets[33] and immature Blue Herons[34]—spots of purest white, while near
+at hand, absurdly tame, a big hawk forever soars slowly about or perches
+on some great frond of a tall palm. It is a White-headed Chimachima
+Hawk[56] with plumage of white, save for back, wings, and tail.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 33. THE HOME OF THE AMAZON PARROT IN THE MIDDLE OF
+PITCH LAKE.]
+
+The two most abundant small birds are chiefly white in color. Both
+are Flycatchers, one with white head and neck—White-headed Marsh
+Flycatcher[98]—perching in the reeds and making fierce sallies after
+passing insects, while even more beautiful and conspicuous are the little
+terrestrial Flycatchers—White-shouldered Ground Flycatchers[97] or
+“Cotton Birds”—which scurry along the ground over pitch and fallen logs.
+Their tails continually wag from side to side, and they come within a few
+feet of us, uttering low inquiring notes: _pit! pit!_ They too are clad
+in white, except for back, nape, wings, and tail.
+
+[Illustration: AMAZON PARROT AT ENTRANCE OF NEST.
+
+FIG. 34. FIFTEEN FEET AWAY.
+
+FIG. 35. TEN FEET AWAY.]
+
+We follow one about, watching it through the ground-glass of the
+camera, when we blunder into a thicket of dry, crackling twigs. A
+sudden rustling sound draws our attention, and we look up and find
+ourselves within a few feet of a dry palm stub. Around the roughened
+stringy bark peers a green head with wide, yellow eyes, and we stiffen
+into immobility. The position is anything but comfortable; thorns are
+scratching us, flies are tickling our faces, but we dare not move. After
+five minutes, which seem hours, the big Yellow-fronted Amazon Parrot[64]
+withdraws, and we hear a scuttling within the stub. Silently and with the
+greatest caution we step backward, and after a rest we arrange our plan
+of attack.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 36. AMAZON PARROT ABOUT TO TAKE FLIGHT.]
+
+These birds usually nest in hollows in the tops of the tallest,
+most inaccessible trees, and this is a golden opportunity—one in a
+lifetime—for a photograph of a Parrot at home.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 37. EGGS AND YOUNG OF AMAZON PARROT IN THE NEST.]
+
+The entrance is rectangular, about three by six inches, and some five
+feet above the ground. Painfully I pick my way to the side of the stub,
+and bracing myself, focus on that spot of black on the trunk. Then Milady
+rustles the weeds in the rear of the stub. Again a rustling, and on the
+ground-glass of my Graflex flashes the green head. Snap! I have her! and
+with the slowest of motions I change plates. While she is engrossed with
+the disturber in the rear I advance a step and get another picture. Then
+screwing up my speed-button, I push slowly forward, and just as she is
+about to hurl herself from the stub I secure a third photograph. Off
+she goes to the nearest palms, shrieking at the top of her lungs, and is
+joined by her mate.
+
+We cut a hole in the trunk near the ground, and there find the nest of
+the parrot. Three white eggs, one of which is pipped, and a young bird
+just hatched reward us, all resting on a bed of chips. The diminutive
+polly is scantily clothed with white down, and while in the shade lies
+motionless. When a ray of warm sunlight strikes it the little fellow
+becomes uneasy and crawls and tumbles about until it escapes from the
+unwelcome heat. During its activity it keeps up a continuous, low,
+raucous cry like the mew of a catbird. Far out on the expanse of black
+pitch—six feet in the depth of this dark cavity!—this little squawking
+mite surely had a strange babyhood to fit it for its future life in the
+sunlight among the palms.
+
+It was the Yellow-fronted Amazon Parrot,[64] a common species with
+dealers everywhere, but we shall never see one in a cage, uttering inane
+requests for crackers, without thinking of the interesting family we
+discovered at the pitch lake.
+
+We found strange fish in the pools of water scattered over the lake.
+Some must have wriggled their way over dry land for some distance to get
+there. There were round, sunfish-like fellows (_Aequidens_) and others,
+long and slender, with wicked-looking teeth (_Hoplias malabaricus_). Most
+curious of all were the Loricates or armored catfish, with a double row
+of large overlapping scales enclosing their body from head to tail. Like
+the Hoatzins among the birds, these fish are strange relics of the past,
+preserved almost unchanged from the ancient fossil Devonian forms.
+
+[Illustration: FISH FROM THE POOLS IN PITCH LAKE.
+
+FIG. 38. _Aequidens_ Sp.
+
+FIG. 39. _Hoplias Malabaricus._]
+
+Days passed like hours in this wonderland, and the time for returning to
+civilization came all too soon. The strange living beings which filled
+jungle and air and water, made us long for the leisure of months instead
+of weeks, in which to study all the infinite variety of life which
+surrounded us.
+
+Our last view of Venezuela was like the first—a panorama of silent,
+majestic green walls, guarding a stream of brilliant copper; every one of
+the untold myriads of beating hearts beyond the walls resting silent in
+the noonday heat, waiting for the coolness of evening to awaken them to
+activity. To some it would bring song and happiness with nest and mate,
+to some combat, to others death.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+A WOMAN’S EXPERIENCES IN VENEZUELA.
+
+(_By Mary Blair Beebe._)
+
+
+The doings of the creatures in fur, feathers and scales kept us keenly
+interested from morning to night, yet in our wilderness search there
+were many unnatural history experiences—some disagreeable, others
+thrilling—but all so wholly delightful in their charm of strangeness
+to the woman who enjoyed them that the picture of our wilderness seems
+incomplete without them.
+
+Life on board a Venezuelan sloop is quite unlike any other experience in
+the world. Neither the woman who sits under the awning of a luxurious
+yacht nor her more adventurous sister who sails her own catboat over
+turbulent waters can form any idea of the daily life aboard such a craft.
+
+The night we set forth in our tiny sloop from the Island of Trinidad,
+headed for an unexplored part of the Orinoco delta, it was hard to
+realize that we were at last bound for South America, the land of our
+dreams. As you know we were, for the present, owners of a sloop flying
+the Venezuelan flag and manned by five men, of whom only the Captain knew
+a word of English. The charm of exploration and adventure laid a spell
+upon us both—El Señor Naturalista and me—and we watched in silence the
+sunset sky and the dim receding shores of Trinidad.
+
+But there was a certain stern reality about that first night aboard the
+“Josefa Jacinta” that soon broke in upon our reveries. When we descended
+to the tiny cabin to unpack, the sloop had begun to pitch heavily and
+we set ourselves to solve the problems of unstable equilibrium, which
+constantly shifting angles of 30° to 40° presented in both floor and
+walls. By courtesy we called our domicile a cabin, and we found that it
+would hold two people—at a pinch!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 40. OUR SLOOP AT GUANOCO.]
+
+We unearthed our unused pneumatic mattresses and rigged up our gilded
+foot pump. For fifteen minutes W—— worked, then the mate was called and
+took a hand. Were we on a sinking ship and manning the pumps for our
+lives, greater exertions could not have been made, and the reward was a
+thin film of air within the rubber bed. Then we unscrewed the decorative
+but useless contrivance, and W—— began to blow. This proved effective,
+and in a few minutes we had placed the soft, air-filled cushions in our
+respective bunks. We dubbed these bunks catacombs at once, for the tiny
+niches into which we later crept were more like the vaults of a tomb than
+aught else.
+
+I doubt if either of us will ever forget that first night. Beneath the
+flooring and behind the planked sides of the vessel was a mysterious
+underworld, densely populated by rats of most sportive disposition. How
+they managed to live there we never discovered, for we neither caught
+sight of one throughout the voyage, nor were we ever troubled by raids on
+biscuits or other edibles.
+
+There seemed to be some kind of a running track extending around the
+hidden depths of the sloop. A race would start near the stern, the
+contestants tearing around W——’s bunk; then the footfalls would die out
+toward the bow to become audible almost at once on my side—a medley of
+sound indicating a mob of invisible rushing creatures, galloping down
+a mysterious homestretch. For some time we expected the goal of each
+race to be some part of ourselves or our luggage, but the “heat” would
+invariably end on the under side of the partition within a few inches
+of my ear, and then would follow a general mêlée and fight, punctuated
+with shrill squeaks and squeals and vicious blows and sounds of tumbling,
+rolling bodies. Were we in the mood we might have learned much of rat
+vocabulary. But we did not then know that these strenuous rodents never
+penetrated to the upper portions of the sloop and this uncertainty kept
+alive our interest in their manœuvers throughout the night.
+
+Silence was unknown during this first night, and while the rats were
+resting, other things occupied our minds and kept away _ennui_—and sleep.
+The gurgle and splash of bilge water was a steady accompaniment of the
+pitch and toss of the sloop, while now and then a sinister trickling
+came to our ears. We called up to the captain and inquired about it, and
+were assured that it was “only a leak!” He had looked for it many times,
+but could not locate it. This gave us food for thought, besides adding
+decidedly to the slowness of the ticking of the watch marking the passage
+of the hours of darkness. I lay in my berth as long as I could endure it;
+dreaming now and then of being buried alive, then rising with a start
+and striking my head against the coffin lid of my catacomb. At last I
+abandoned it for the floor of the cabin, sloping and under five feet in
+total length though it was. I found it was better to be huddled in a
+forlorn little bundle on the floor than in that hole which by no stretch
+of the imagination could be called a berth.
+
+Overhead the crew worked fitfully all night long. I could move the hatch
+curtain, look up and see the sturdy old Captain with his hand on the
+rudder—a picture which was to become familiar to us through many nights.
+What a picturesque old figure he was—rugged and stern, yet as gentle and
+courteous as any gentleman of the old school—and bearing his three-score
+and eight years with wonderful vigor. Now and then his deep voice would
+rise above the roar of wind and waves in hoarse commands in Spanish to
+the crew. Then he would push the rudder hard up, the boom would swing
+over with a jerk which made the whole sloop tremble and a wave would
+wash over the deck and send a trickle of cold drops down upon my face.
+Smothered exclamations from the crew and the sound of their bare feet
+splashing along the deck would end the audible part of the manœuvre. Then
+I would shift to meet the new angle of the floor and wait for the next
+race of the rats.
+
+Now and then the Captain would reach behind the hatch curtain for his
+watch and examine its dripping face by the light of the candle in the
+compass box. “_Faltan las cinco á la una_,” he would mutter, and I knew
+that midnight had passed and that somewhere in our wake, morning was on
+its way to end this night of nights. The tempest increased and tossed
+our sloop like a flying leaf. Sometimes it seemed as if we never would
+right ourselves after heeling far over into the depths. But the calm face
+of our helmsman dispelled all uneasiness, and I lay staring into the
+darkness, feeling myself the veriest atom amid this fierce tumult.
+
+To this moment I cannot tell how long it took us to get from Trinidad to
+Venezuela across that awful Gulf of Paria. To me it seemed an endless
+space of time—day succeeding night—with choppy seas, ominous noises in
+the pitching cabin, hot sleepy hours on deck in the shade of the sail,
+with the great green waves forever rolling after and breaking partly over
+us. By the Captain’s reckoning, however, it was the noon of only the
+second day which revealed the distant shore, and soon we forgot all the
+discomforts of the past hours in the wonderful beauty of the scene before
+us—the still, brassy waters and the rich green mangroves.
+
+Entering the wide Caño San Juan we dropped anchor in the lee of a
+solitary guard ship, a poor derelict, a rusty and worn-out freighter,
+whose last days were to be spent here in the calm waters at the edge
+of the mangrove forest. Our little sloop was soon over-run with young
+custom-house officials from the guard ship, curious but courteous, and
+far more appreciative of the stiff rounds of rum which our Captain
+willingly served to them under our direction, than of our gilt-sealed
+letters of introduction.
+
+If we would but take their photographs on board the “Pontón,” they would
+row us close along the shore while we waited for the “fulling tide,”
+as the Captain called it. Of course we agreed. Shouldering their rusty
+muskets they stood in a row to be photographed,—young inexperienced
+boys, whose idle days on the derelict were spent in drinking, smoking
+cigarettes and lying in hammocks playing the mandolin, watching for the
+rare sloop or schooner which might enter Venezuela by this desolate and
+unfrequented caño.
+
+We promised to send them the pictures; but Captain Truxillo said
+afterwards with a sad shake of his head that they would have lost their
+positions long before the pictures could reach them. No one ever stayed
+long; there was always someone to carry reports to Castro of treachery
+and plotting, and there would be new faces on the “Pontón,” to stay a
+little while and then to disappear like their predecessors.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 41. VENEZUELAN SOLDIERS ON THE “PONTÓN” GUARD SHIP.]
+
+Now for many days the sloop was our home, and the innumerable gleaming
+_caños_ of the delta our highways. By day we explored the mangroves in
+our _curiara_ or dug-out, and by night we slept the dreamless sleep
+of healthful outdoor life, safe from the persecution of the humming
+_Anopheles_ outside our netting on the after deck. When midday heat or
+sudden rain drove the wild creatures from our view I studied our motley
+crew and found them a never-failing source of entertainment.
+
+The tally of the crew must begin with Filo, the mate, a huge black
+creole, speaking Spanish besides his own strange vernacular; then
+there were two sailors from the Island of Margarita, and Antonio, cook
+by profession, admitting some Dutch blood, but of unknown extraction
+and decidedly uncertain disposition. The cook on board a Venezuelan
+craft is always given the respectful title of Maestro (_Mai’stro_), so
+Maestro he always was to us. Maestro as an individual was an interesting
+psychological study. Although he probably never heard of such a thing as
+a labor union, yet he was the embodied spirit of one. He declared, in
+terms that left no possibility of misunderstanding, that he was cook, not
+sailor, and that he would do nothing _but_ cook. He would cook cheerfully
+over a stove that smoked like Dante’s Inferno, but when called upon in an
+emergency to help hoist a sail, he would fly into a violent torrent of
+angry Spanish. Later when the temper had spent itself he would often go
+and do what was asked of him. I have seen many high tempers, but never
+one that quite equalled Maestro’s. There were times when he would draw
+his huge cutlass or machete on the Captain. For a long time these were
+all false alarms, but at last Maestro threatened once too often and so
+seriously that he was discharged on the spot, and left marooned in a
+little Indian village with no means of returning to Trinidad. But this
+was at the end of our voyage.
+
+Maestro in his patched and faded shirt, with sleeves rolled to the
+elbow, still more patched trousers rolled to the knee, bare as to feet,
+a crownless hat on one side of his head, an ancient and odoriferous
+pipe hanging from his mouth, a big machete at his side, in the capacity
+of cook would make the most shiftless housekeeper gasp with horror.
+I often wondered why he so persistently declared himself _cocinero_,
+not _marinero_, for he could hardly have been a greater failure in
+any calling than he was in that of chef. Among the most valued of my
+memories are some mental pictures of Maestro, which, while I live, I can
+never manage to forget.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 42. CAPTAIN TRUXILLO PADDLING US UP THE GUARAPICHE
+PAST CAÑO COLORADO.]
+
+I often shut my eyes and see him with streaming eyes stirring some
+fearful concoction over the little stove; or again on his knees mixing
+dough for the leaden dumplings to be boiled in the pig-tail stew which
+appeared at every meal. We so often wished we had brought graham flour.
+White flour does show the dirt so! Still another picture is Maestro
+washing the table-cloth. This was a piece of oilcloth, originally white,
+and Maestro’s method of washing it was to spread it on the deck, pour
+water over it, dance upon it in his bare feet, to the accompaniment
+of some weird chant, and finally hang it on the rail to dry! No doubt
+after this proceeding he felt as self satisfied as the most pompous and
+well-trained English butler.
+
+In justice, I must say that Maestro did make one or two edible dishes;
+he could boil the native vegetables, yam, tania and kuch-kuch and he made
+very good cornmeal mush. Then after a long, happy day on the caños we
+were always hungry, and happiness and honest hunger overlook a multitude
+of sins. Besides, whatever was lacking in Maestro’s bill of fare was
+compensated by the dried soups, cocoa, crackers and preserves from our
+own stores. So we managed one way or another to keep the wolf from the
+door, or perhaps more appropriately I should say, the crocodile from the
+companionway.
+
+As in two weeks the crew had consumed provisions planned by the Captain
+to last a month, the Captain purchased a hundred pounds of beef from
+a dug-out full of Indians which passed us one day on the river. This
+Maestro salted plentifully and then hung up in the sun to cure. Long
+strips of it were suspended from the rigging, from the boom, and over the
+railing, and whole entomological collections buzzed noisily about them.
+For a few days we felt as though we were living in a butcher’s shop;
+and a butcher’s shop in a tropical climate is a thing to be avoided. At
+first we were inclined to resent this impromptu meat market. It was not
+only disagreeable but it was in the way. Then came the thought—suppose it
+were fish; and we were so grateful to be spared that, that we cheerfully
+submitted to a sloop draped with strips of meat, as a house is festooned
+with smilax at Christmas. As long as the larder was low the Captain had
+known no peace of mind for fear his crew would desert us and the sloop.
+So the purchase of such a delicacy as meat was a successful piece of
+strategy.
+
+With all their faults, there is among the Venezuelans, as among the
+Mexicans, a certain chivalry toward women; and so I never felt the least
+alarm at being left alone on the sloop with the crew, while the Captain
+and my husband went off up the river. The great dusky Creole mate would
+put my stool in a shady spot, and, figuratively, lay himself at my feet
+to serve me, and Maestro—even pugnacious Maestro—would weave wonderful
+baskets for me of the roots of the mangrove; baskets in nests of twelve,
+each fitting snugly within the other and all gayly dyed with the
+Venezuelan colors, the pigments being extracted from the leaves or stems
+of unknown wild plants.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 43. SUNSET IN THE MANGROVE WILDERNESS.]
+
+The time passed all too quickly with each day spent on the Guarapiche
+river—a gleaming stage, with a setting of green trees, brilliant flowers
+and fragrant orchids, and an ever-changing plot with ever-changing
+actors. Of them all, man was the least important. There were populous
+villages of Hoatzins and great wandering tribes of Scarlet Ibises and
+Plovers; Herons, much occupied with their unsocial and taciturn calling
+as fishermen, stood silent and solitary in secluded pools. With all this
+wild life the river teemed. It was only with the rising and falling of
+the tide that man entered upon the scene; and so quietly, so much a part
+of nature, that one hardly felt any difference between him and the forest
+folk. In a silently, swiftly moving _curiara_ he would glide under the
+shadows of the overhanging mangroves. Sometimes the _curiara_ would be
+a merchant vessel, laden with ollas, fruit, etc., with its destination
+Maturin, many miles away in the interior. Again its only occupant was
+a fisherman, as silent as the Herons themselves. Like a Heron also he
+would station himself near a shady pool, and sit all day, motionless save
+for the changing of bait or the pulling in of a fish. With the turning
+of the tide the line would be drawn up, the fish covered with cool green
+leaves and the _curiara_ would move away, the bronze figure of its owner
+skilfully guiding it up the winding river.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 44. THE SILENT SAVAGES.]
+
+Occasionally the fisherman was accompanied by his squaw, hardly to be
+distinguished from him, and in the bow there was often the little naked
+figure of a child playing with a mite of a tame monkey, or both sound
+asleep with their arms wrapped about each other. All that these simple
+folk ask of life is one fish to eat, another with which to buy cassava
+and a yard of cotton cloth.
+
+In the brief tropical twilight we would hastily make preparations for
+the night, spreading our air-beds on deck, hanging over them a white
+mosquito canopy and putting our electric flashlight and revolver at hand.
+After the first two nights we had abandoned the cabin, which had added to
+its other discomforts the fact that all the mosquitoes of the caño had
+selected it as their abode. Never were nights more beautiful than those
+which we spent on the deck of that little sloop, and never was sleep more
+dreamless and peaceful.
+
+In the darkness of early evening, before the moon rose, we would sit on
+deck munching sugar-cane while the Captain told us many a tale of his
+young days, when he was the prosperous owner of a schooner twice the size
+of the “Josefa Jacinta” and when smuggling brought adventure and yellow
+gold in abundance. He was full of legend and superstition. He told us
+of aged men and women, both among the Indians and the Spaniards, who he
+declared can by a peculiar whistle call together all the snakes in the
+vicinity and then by incantations so hypnotize them that they can be
+handled with impunity. The owner of a hacienda will sometimes employ one
+of these charmers to call together the snakes, which can then be killed.
+The performers themselves, however, will never harm a snake. He told many
+a story of black magic arts, in which he firmly believed, of sending to
+one’s enemies scourges of rats or deadly diseases or departed spirits to
+make life unendurable.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 45. GUARAUNO INDIANS COMING TO TRADE AT CAÑO
+COLORADO.]
+
+Finally the crew would roll up in their blankets in the bow, the Captain
+would disappear beneath his _mosquitaro_, which would tremble and quake
+in the moonlight until he lay quiet in his hammock. We would creep
+beneath our tent of netting to write up the last notes of the day or to
+listen to the sounds of the night. From the bow would come a low murmur
+of voices in some weird chanting song until the Captain roared out for
+all hands to go to sleep. But he would not practice what he preached for
+he always talked himself to sleep, sometimes in English, or in Spanish or
+again in Creole, while now and then he would mingle all three.
+
+By day one would not have suspected Filo, the mate, of being a person of
+romance; but under the spell of the tropical moonlight he would often
+tell stories to the crew; stories in which the heroine was always “_Muy
+preciosa, muy joven, muy linda_,”—very charming, very young and very
+beautiful. She would set difficult tasks for her many lovers, and her
+favored suitor would be the one who most bravely bore himself under
+the tests. I remember one tale to which the crew listened with awe; in
+which one of the lovers was to lie all night in the cathedral, stiff and
+still like a corpse; another was to go to the same cathedral on the same
+night dressed in winding sheets like a ghost; another was to represent
+the angel of death, while a fourth impersonated the devil; and a fifth
+was sent as an ordinary man. Of course none of them were to know of the
+others having been sent by the fair heroine of the story; and of course
+the fortunate lover was the one who showed no terror and passed the night
+quietly in the church, returning in the morning to claim his bride.
+
+The story had its dramatic situations and Filo made the most of them.
+Even Maestro was moved to utter a low “_Dios mio!_” at the description
+of the entrance of the ghost, the angel of death and finally the devil;
+at which the poor corpse, who had been shaking with fear through it all,
+started up and fled in terror.
+
+Filo’s story lost nothing in his telling and the superstitious crew went
+very soberly to rest that night. W—— and I lay, as we so often did,
+staring wonderingly out into the night,—the marvellous tropical night.
+
+It was all like a dream; the shining water of the _caño_, the deep,
+mysterious forest growing down to the water’s edge, the cries of unknown
+birds and beasts, the impressive southern cross and the extraordinary
+brilliancy of the moonlight shining down upon the tiny deck of the
+“Josefa Jacinta,” and upon us and the sleeping forms of its dusky crew.
+
+We were sometimes awakened in the night by a sudden bright light in our
+faces. It was Maestro making a fire, in which operation he used alarming
+quantities of kerosene, to prepare the midnight repast for the crew, who
+whenever they woke in the night would call loudly “_Maestro—café!_”
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 46. GUARAUNO SQUAWS AND CHILD WITH MONKEY.]
+
+Again the sound of an unusually heavy downpour of tropical rain on the
+tarpaulin overhead would waken us, and I would occasionally discover that
+my feet were in a puddle of water. A shifting of beds to prevent our
+being drowned while we slept would invariably result in our feet being
+higher than our heads, and because of the horde of mosquitoes which found
+their way in while the beds were being moved, the rest of that night
+would be sleepless.
+
+With the dawn came the roar of the howling monkeys; a dainty _Tigana_[24]
+picked its way among the mud-flats; a flock of _Hervidores_[80]—which
+being translated means “boilers,” an appellation perhaps suggested by the
+notes of these black Cuckoos—bubbled away as cheerily as a bright kettle
+on a breakfast table. And with these sounds of the dawn all our troubles
+of the night were forgotten.
+
+After weeks of solitude in the mangrove jungles our prow was headed
+inland and a long night of silent drifting with the tide brought us to
+the mouth of the Guanoco River. Here the Captain and the unruly crew at
+dawn had their usual heated argument as to the management of the boat,
+with the result that they nearly ran her aground—one of the many narrow
+escapes which had happened so often as to create but little interest on
+our part.
+
+Guanoco was a river of bends, around each one of which the Captain
+assured us we would see the village. But it was twilight before we turned
+the final bend and saw picturesque Guanoco at the hour of _vespertino_—a
+hill rising steep and blue, with the silvery river at its foot and a
+cluster of little thatched huts perched one above another on the hillside.
+
+It was delightful to feel solid ground under one’s feet again and we
+could hardly get over our accustomed walk of “three steps and over-board.”
+
+Here in our wilderness we found an unexpected home. Through the kindness
+of our cordial friends in Trinidad—Mr. Eugene André and Mr. Ellis
+Grell—we had letters to the men in charge of the pitch lake at Guanoco
+and it was to this great lake that the tiny settlement of Guanoco owed
+its being.
+
+As soon as we reached the wharf, a young Venezuelan came on board,
+introducing himself as Señor Bernardo Lugo y Escobar,—one of the
+officials of the Pitch Lake Company, and explaining that Mr. Grell had
+written him that we might possibly come to Guanoco and that we were to
+be entertained at the headquarters for as long as we chose to stay.
+Mr. Lugo was most urgent in his hospitality and I knew well of what
+the sloop dinner would consist. Maestro and I would hold a perfectly
+futile consultation in which we would decide upon the only possible
+menu—_funche_ (which is the Venezuelan name for cornmeal mush), dried pea
+soup and cocoa. I must explain that the lack of variety in our larder was
+due to the fact that we had expected to be able to supplement our canned
+goods with fresh fish and game, both of which proved difficult to obtain,
+the latter because of the impossibility in this vast swamp of ever
+finding the game after it was shot. The experience taught us the useful
+lesson which every camper and explorer learns sooner or later, sometimes
+alas! _too_ late—never to depend upon the game of the country, but always
+to plan your provisions as if game did not exist. Then when one gets it,
+it comes as an unexpected luxury.
+
+But to return to my visions of a good dinner in the preparation of
+which I had no part or responsibility. Perhaps there would also be the
+luxury of a real bath. I was roused from these attractive reflections
+by the voice of the Captain politely refusing Mr. Lugo’s invitation for
+the night, and saying that we would not go ashore until the next day.
+Whereupon I diplomatically remarked in English,—that Mr. Lugo might
+not understand,—that I thought Mr. Lugo’s feelings would be hurt if we
+refused, and as long as we were to go the next day and there was nothing
+to be gained by spending the night on the sloop, why not gratify him by
+going at once.
+
+And so it came about that in a few minutes more we were at
+“Headquarters.” As the house was quite invisible from the water, we had
+imagined that we were to go to one of the thatched huts which we had seen
+from the river.
+
+To our surprise, around the base of the hill we found ourselves going
+up a pretty palm bordered walk which led to a low, massive, fort-like
+building.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 47. PITCH LAKE, SHOWING FRESHLY DUG PIT FILLED WITH
+WATER; AN OLDER PIT FILLED WITH SOFT PITCH, BOTH SURROUNDED BY THE HARD
+SURFACE PITCH.]
+
+In the broad open hall were comfortable rocking chairs, in striking
+contrast to the sloop on which we had taken turns sitting on the one
+stool which the little craft possessed. In the _patio_ was a table laid
+for dinner—with a big black Trinidad negro bringing in steaming dishes.
+
+There is no hospitality anywhere quite equal to that of the wilderness.
+Your host does not arrange your visit from the Saturday to the Monday,
+fitting you in between a multitude of other engagements. A wilderness
+welcome is as genial and inevitable as the tropical sunshine. Your
+visit is an event—a mile-stone in the long road of lonely months of
+exile—months which sometimes lengthen into years. Our very interesting
+friend Mr. Eugene André of Trinidad told us that on one of his many
+orchid-hunting expeditions he had chanced to land at a certain
+God-forsaken little port on the west coast of Colombia. Mr. André had
+wondered why the fare to this port from Panama should be $30—while the
+return passage was $100. The problem was solved after he had seen the
+port—desolate, barren, inaccessible and fever and insect ridden—one might
+be induced to pay $30 to get there provided one knew not what manner of
+place it was. But to get away—one would pay any sum and gladly. So it is
+that the little coastwise steamboat company calmly demands $100 to return
+the unfortunate traveller to Panama—and _gets_ it.
+
+At this forlorn spot there were stationed two young men, I forget now
+in what capacity, who for many months had not seen an intelligent human
+being. Into the empty monotony of their lives, Mr. André appeared. It
+mattered not to those lonely young men who he was, nor where he came
+from. His welcome was—“Stay with us. Stay a year—or ten years. We know
+all about each other. We’ve talked about everything until there is
+nothing left to say—we even know how much sugar we each like in our tea
+and who our great grandmothers were, and who we think wrote Shakespeare’s
+plays;—and we are so bored and so glad to see a new face.”
+
+Thus it is that everywhere in the South American wilderness the
+English-speaking stranger is made welcome by his kind, and we found
+Guanoco no exception to this rule.
+
+The pretty Spanish greeting is—“The house is yours” and during our stay
+at the Pitch Lake, the headquarters became really ours. We were given
+the best room; the servants were put at our disposal: and best of all
+we were perfectly free to come and go as we pleased; and with everything
+done to facilitate our work. All this we owed also to the instructions of
+Mr. Ellis Grell, who was then financing the Pitch Lake Company and to the
+kindness of Mr. Lynch and Mr. Stoute, two young West Indians employed by
+the company.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 48. DIGGING OUT THE BLACK, WAXLIKE PITCH.]
+
+We were tired that first night at Guanoco. The night before had been a
+hard one—sailing all night long, with the boom swinging back and forth
+and making impossible the hanging of our mosquito nets. All through
+the night the Captain and his crew worked. Down the narrow river the
+Captain skilfully guided the sloop in the darkness of a moonless night,
+following the line of the trees against the sky to mark the channel.
+His commanding old voice rang from stern to bow, the orders being there
+repeated by the mate to the sailors who were towing us, and who paused
+in the wild melody which they chanted through that wonderful night, to
+listen and obey. It was a difficult and dangerous task—the guiding of
+that sloop down so narrow and winding a river: and even the unruly crew
+were obedient that night, rendering the homage which in time of danger
+the ignorant unconsciously yield to a superior intelligence.
+
+When we wondered at the Captain’s confidence, he replied in his deep
+voice, “Ah yes!—but I am old here and I know these caños as I do my
+house.” And indeed here the curtain had risen upon his life and here it
+was likely to fall at the end of the last act.
+
+When finally quite exhausted we had laid down upon the deck to sleep,
+it was to fall into so profound a slumber that the mosquitoes devoured
+us unmolested, in spite of our head nets which proved insufficient
+protection.
+
+So it was that on that first night at Guanoco we were very tired. I sat
+lazily rocking in the cool evening breeze, anointing my irritating bites
+with Tango, a preparation dependent upon faith cure for its healing
+properties—and listening to the desultory talk of the young men. The
+conversation was desultory, however, only so long as the Venezuelan
+element of the household was present. On this occasion that element was
+represented by the young Mr. Lugo who had met us at the wharf. After
+he had gone out on some errand the story of Pitch Lake was poured into
+our interested ears. It was a story of intrigue and revolution and
+treason quite worthy of some mediæval court. First there was the passive
+Venezuelan possession; then the active, enterprising, money-making
+reign of the North American; having as its natural result the jealousy
+of Castro, his oppression and injustice to the American Company; their
+rebellion, in which they aided a great revolution against Castro; his
+revenge being to seize the property and put it in charge of Venezuelans.
+Then came the departure of the American Company, which had done so much
+to develop the Pitch Lake, followed by the arrival of the Venezuelans
+appointed by the Government—men who knew just about as much about
+managing a great Pitch Lake as they did about guiding an aëroplane. We
+were told of the time long before the advent of the Lugo family—when for
+weeks it was necessary to live always on the alert, with revolver ever
+ready for defence; when the very men with whom one sat down at table were
+capable of attempting to poison the food, in order to free themselves
+of English-speaking men, who might perhaps witness some ugly deed of
+treachery or defalcation.
+
+This is the very long story in a nutshell. We began then to understand
+why the house was so fort-like in structure. It had been built to
+withstand assault. Only a few months before our visit it had been
+attacked by a party of Revolutionists who hoped to find money in the
+company safe; and five men had been killed and several injured.
+
+This thrilling tale was told in the emotionless matter-of-fact way in
+which one might describe the moves in a game of chess.
+
+From the moment our sloop sailed out of the harbor of Port of Spain the
+memory of the old familiar every-day world had seemed to grow dimmer and
+dimmer. Was it possible that there really was such a place as New York
+City, with its clanging street-cars, its trains and subways and elevated
+roads thronged with people, _en masse_ all as much alike as an army of
+ants? At that very hour the New York Theatres were pouring their gay
+crowds into the brilliantly lighted streets. How far away it all seemed,
+down there in the great primeval forest of another continent! We walked
+out under the stars to the edge of the forest, black and mysterious,
+teeming with the hidden life, which we were so eager to study. Our world,
+for the present, was this forest wilderness, stretching unbroken for mile
+upon mile, with only the twinkling lights of Guanoco to remind us of
+human habitations. I dreamed that night of being stabbed in the back by a
+howling monkey, while the safe of the Pitch Lake Company was broken into
+by a band of shrieking Macaws!
+
+On the morning after our arrival at Guanoco we sorrowfully said good-by
+to the “Josefa Jacinta.” As we watched her sail away we consoled
+ourselves by planning another and a longer trip on her—a trip which never
+took place. Looking back after almost two years I realize that life can
+bring me few experiences more full of interest and charm than those
+days on a little Venezuelan sloop exploring the mysterious untrodden
+mangroves! “How _could_ you enjoy it?” I am often asked: but the trifling
+discomforts were all in the day’s work and more than compensated by the
+beauty and freedom and wonder of it all. They served to make us know that
+it was not all a dream.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 49. LOADING PITCH ON THE HAND CARS.]
+
+Our days at Guanoco began early and were full to overflowing of interest
+and of work. In the heat of midday we pressed flowers, skinned birds and
+wrote up our journals, but in spite of being so busy, we found time to
+get a little into the atmosphere of the human life.
+
+Here is the daily program at the lake of pitch,—this little outpost of
+humanity, deep hidden in the tropical jungle. At daybreak the group of
+sheds and thatched huts gives up a horde of Trinidadian negroes; great
+black fellows, giants in strength, children in mind. Amid a perfect
+medley of excitement and uproar, breakfast is prepared. We hear sounds
+which _must_ mean at least the violent death of several, and as one
+listens to the shrieks and groans, the imagination easily supplies the
+terrible blows and struggles. But a closer look only shows one of these
+great children down on his knees, calling on everything which occurs to
+him or enters his vision to witness that he did _not_ steal the sixpence
+from _Napoleon_, of which some one has accused him, perhaps in jest.
+
+Yet all this is calmness compared to the later rush for the best cars to
+use in the day’s work. It would delight a Sophomore’s heart to see the
+mêlée. But somehow all is straightened out and off go the hand trucks,
+crawling along the rickety rails out over the lake, like beads sliding
+along a string. Here a car has reached the end of the line. The negro
+selects a place fairly clear of vegetation, takes his broad adze, and
+shears away the upper few inches of roots and mould. Then with deep swift
+strokes he outlines a big chunk of the shiny black gum, cuts it loose,
+and carries it on his head to his car. So malleable is the pitch that by
+the time he has half filled the little iron truck the pitch has settled
+down and filled all interstices. He trundles back the car and dumps it
+into one of the larger wooden trucks which will take it to Guanoco.
+He now receives a check which is redeemable for fifteen cents and the
+first link in the commercialization of the pitch is finished. Along the
+wavering line of temporary rails over which the hand-cars are pushed back
+and forth, are dozens of grave-like holes. Those nearer the railroad end
+are smooth-edged and filled with soft pitch on which as yet no vegetation
+has taken root. Farther along they are filled with water, and still
+farther we find them in the process of being excavated.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 50. MANGROVE WILDERNESS FROM THE HIGH LAND AT
+GUANOCO.]
+
+The men dig down until they have reached a depth of five or six feet,
+and then start in a new place. The hole is filled by the first rain;
+water-bugs fly to the little pool, frogs lay their eggs in it, queer fish
+wriggle their way to it and for a brief space it supports a considerable
+aquatic life. Then new soft pitch begins to ooze up and in a few more
+weeks the plug of viscid black gum has reached the level of the ground
+and the scar is soon healed over by a thin growth of grass.
+
+In the rainy season the holes fill at once with water, and indeed the
+whole plain is immersed to the depth of a foot or more; then the men
+have to work up to their waists in water, chopping beneath the surface,
+prying the pieces loose with their toes and tearing the chunks off by
+taking long breaths and reaching far down for a few seconds at a time.
+
+When we cross our asphalt streets and smell the tarry odor and feel its
+softness under a mid-summer’s sun, let us think of the strange lake in
+the tropical wilderness.
+
+The table talk at “Headquarters,” was often most amusing. Torrents of
+Spanish eloquence and gesticulations kept our English ears ever on the
+alert to follow the meaning, and our sense of humor ever under strict
+control to preserve well-bred gravity when such statements were made as
+“Venezuela leads not only all the South American countries, but all those
+of North America as well, in literature, art, science and commerce. When
+our General Blank went to New York the greatest ovation ever paid any
+general in the world was given him. New York remained amazed!”
+
+Once only did I look amused and I have never quite recovered from my
+mortification at thus disgracing myself. Whatever the faults of the
+Spaniard may be, he never smiles when he is not intended to; not even
+at the laughable mistakes which we foreigners make when we are learning
+his beautiful language. I try to say in extenuation of my unseemly mirth
+that the Spaniard has no sense of humor and that we should very much
+prefer having him laugh at our mistakes and letting us correct them. But
+all to no purpose. I know that I did not behave like a well conducted
+_Venezolana_, and nothing can alter that fact.
+
+The three Venezuelans had been put in charge of the Pitch Lake,—because
+their “Sister’s husband’s niece” had power in the court of Castro. Among
+their regular duties they included singing airs from the operas, reading
+Don Quixote and the Caracas newspapers and playing dominos.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 51. INHABITANTS OF GUANOCO ASSEMBLED FOR A DANCE.]
+
+They had provided themselves with elaborate costumes for the rôle; they
+carried big revolvers and wore huge green and white cork helmets, khaki
+riding clothes, puttees, spurs, and carried riding whips. There was not
+a horse within fifty miles! No horse, even had there been one, could
+penetrate the tiny forest trails about Guanoco.
+
+In the dancing sunlight and shadows and the orchid-fragrant air it was
+hard to picture spilt blood and intrigue and treachery, and harder still
+to prophesy the sad times that were to come upon Guanoco. Yet while we
+were there the air teemed with revolutionary rumors. The _Jefe civil_,
+as the chief magistrate was called, was off day after day investigating
+first one suspicion and then another, returning utterly spent with the
+exhaustion of unresting days and nights upon the trail. Revolutionists
+had attempted to land guns on the near-by coast. There had been a
+skirmish and several men had been killed.
+
+All the available guns and ammunition were gotten together and every
+night the doors were barred securely; for what the revolutionists chiefly
+needed was money, and should there be an uprising in northeastern
+Venezuela, the Pitch Lake headquarters would be the first point of
+attack. It was in charge of Castro sympathizers, there might be large
+sums of money in the Company’s safe and it was practically unprotected.
+
+In the meantime diplomatic relations between our United States and
+Venezuela had been severed and one morning a United States battleship
+was discovered lying quietly in the harbor of La Guayra. The numbers of
+_la Constitucional_—a month old when they reached us—were beginning to
+talk of war and to boast of the ease with which Venezuela would erase the
+United States of America from the face of the globe. Bitter things were
+said about the sister republic in the north. And there we were living on
+the bone of contention itself.
+
+It was about this time that I began to see the advisability of being more
+than ordinarily civil; and so it happened that I was led into playing
+cards for the first and only time for money and that on a Sunday! We had
+been working almost incessantly and I had begun to feel that, even if
+it was to Mr. Grell that we were indebted for the hospitality, it was
+not quite nice for us to appear only at “feeding time,” particularly
+as our long days out of doors gave us such appalling appetites. So on
+this occasion when I was asked to make a fourth at cards, I saw no way
+out of it. Moreover, the battleship lay in the harbor of La Guayra, and
+my countrymen were in sad disfavor in Venezuela. W—— had ignominiously
+deserted and gone to bed, so there was only one sleepy little woman left
+to uphold the honor of a great nation!
+
+The game was “_Siete y media_,”—“seven and a half.” I forget the rules
+now. I only remember that they seemed very intricate as explained to
+me in Spanish. Fortunately for me, the stakes were low, for I steadily
+lost all the time. “_Grano por grano la gallina come_,” quoted Mr.
+Lugo,—“grain by grain the hen eats.”
+
+Later he remarked how he hated to win from the señorita—but the señorita
+observed that he hated it much as the famous walrus wept for the oysters
+while—
+
+ “... he sorted out
+ Those of the largest size,
+ Holding his pocket-handkerchief
+ Before his streaming eyes.”
+
+I was wofully tired and sleepy. I did not at all know the etiquette of
+gambling! And I thought the loser must not be a “quitter”—even if the
+extent of her losses was only “_dos reales_,” or twenty-five cents. So I
+played on until at midnight the game was declared over.
+
+It is well that virtue is its own reward, as it has no other, for I was
+told the next morning by a husband who had had a perfectly good night’s
+sleep—that I was a very foolish person indeed to sit up playing cards
+with those men, and that the loser could always stop: it was the winner
+who must not propose it.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 52. A PALM-SHEATH ROCKING TOY.]
+
+The negroes from the Pitch Lake always came down on Saturday nights and
+serenaded us with wild Creole airs, and at the sound of the quaterns and
+violins huge hairy tarantulas would come forth from their hiding-places
+in our rooms and creep briskly here and there over walls and floor. We
+were greatly interested in this effect of the vibrations of sound, but
+we never bothered the great creatures in their strange “tarentelles,”
+and they paid no attention to us. The venomous effect of the bites of all
+these eight or hundred-legged beings is greatly exaggerated, and there is
+absolutely no serious danger to a healthy person with good red blood in
+his veins; in some of the half-starved, rum-drinking natives the scratch
+of a pin would induce blood-poisoning.
+
+Labor was easily secured in Guanoco. The morning after our arrival we
+expressed a wish to employ a boy to act as attendant, carrying camera,
+gun, butterfly net, etc., when we went on our long tramps. One of the
+young men at headquarters went to the door and called “_muchacho_,” and
+at once a small boy appeared. I should have judged his age to be between
+eleven and twelve; but he himself did not know. He said his grandmother
+was “keeping his age.” A charming idea is that Venezuelan custom of
+having some responsible member of the family keep all the ages. Think of
+being able to say truthfully that you really do not know how old you are!
+But then a Venezuelan woman never confesses to more than twenty-seven, no
+matter what may have been the flight of time.
+
+Our small servant’s name proved to be Maximiliano Romero, and with
+supreme self possession, boldly spitting to the right and left, he
+professed himself willing to enter our service. Like a true Venezuelan
+he used expectoration to punctuate all his remarks. What a quaint little
+figure he was, topped by a huge straw hat with a high peaked crown; the
+hat the work of the little brown hands of Max himself, for he was a
+hat-maker by profession. His face was alert but very grave. He rarely
+smiled, but when he did it was in no half-hearted way, but with an
+abandon of childish glee. I found myself devoting a good deal of valuable
+time to trying to bring into being that charming smile of Maximiliano’s.
+One never knew just what would touch the right chord. Once he went off
+into gales of merriment at the escape of a lizard which we were trying
+to photograph. He always saw the funny side of our mishaps.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 53. SHEATH IN FIG. 52, COVERING THE FLOWER OF A PALM.]
+
+Max showed plainly in what esteem he held naturalists. The first day
+he went out with us he was neatly dressed in dark blue jeans. When
+he appeared on the second morning we did not recognize him. A small
+ragamuffin stood before us, stamping like a pony to drive away the flies,
+which hovered about his ankles. His clothes were a mass of rags—it was
+impossible to say what had been the original color or material. Max had
+taken our measure and decided that people who tramped through the “bush”
+as we did were not worthy of anything better than rags.
+
+Sometimes in the jungle we would meet Indian women who, living far in the
+interior, were on their way to Guanoco to buy machetes, fish-hooks and
+other articles of civilization. They would always stop and make friends
+with us, with child-like curiosity asking where we came from, and why we
+wanted birds and lizards and butterflies, and murmuring the words dear
+to every woman’s heart in all lands, “_Que jovencita!_” which literally
+translated is “What a young little thing!” Very simple-hearted are these
+poor Indian women and so hard are their lives that at a very early age do
+they cease to be _jovencita_.
+
+We would often meet the wandering tribes of Guarauno Indians, who live
+nearly always upon the march, carrying all their worldly possessions
+upon their backs and sleeping wherever night happens to find them. They
+very rarely knew even a word of Spanish and shunned any intercourse with
+strangers, scorning the inventions of civilization and using the poisoned
+arrows of their ancestors.
+
+One Sunday morning one of the laborers at the near-by Pitch Lake, bearing
+the pious name of José de Jesus Zamoro, came into headquarters to invite
+us to a dance that afternoon at his house. The house of Zamoro had
+nothing particularly to recommend it as a ballroom; for the floor was
+of dirt, the ceiling low and the walls windowless. But it was crowded;
+the air stifling and the dancers dripping with perspiration. The music
+was wild and strange, the man who shook the _maracas_—an instrument
+consisting of two gourds filled with dried seeds which is shaken in time
+to the music—often breaking into a weird song, making up the words as
+he went along, with some joke about each dancer. As the songster’s zeal
+waxed high he described himself as being so great that “where he stood
+the earth trembled.”
+
+Between dances the ladies’ last partners were supposed to take them
+into the next room where drinks were for sale. This was the explanation
+of Zamoro’s zeal for dances: music and dance hall were free, but a
+substantial profit came from the drinks.
+
+The ball gowns had but one beauty—that of originality. There was always
+an unfortunate hiatus between bodices and skirts, which was partly
+concealed by the long straight black hair which hung down the backs of
+the women. The shoes were in a piteous condition, never the right size,
+very seldom mates and not infrequently both were for the same foot. But
+all the skirts had trains and all ears bore ear-rings. We were told
+that these women often danced all day and all night, until they became
+perfectly dazed, their feet moving mechanically in time to the music of
+the national dance—the _joropa_, which is a cross between a clog dance
+and a waltz.
+
+We saw dancing the women whose _curiara_ had so narrowly escaped a fatal
+collision with our sloop in the Guarapiche. The Captain had said they
+were leaving Maturin “to operate some speculation in Guanoco—perhaps even
+to find husbands.” And here among so many men, for the population of
+Guanoco was chiefly composed of men employed at the lake, surely there
+was hope, even for adventuresses so black and uncouth as these. Here also
+we met one of Guanoco’s most amusing characters, a big black Trinidad
+negro. He was full of the superiority of one who had seen the world;
+for he had once been to England as stateroom steward on one of the big
+steamers. He now dropped his h’s, called his wife “Lady Mackáy” and on
+Sundays wore a monocle.
+
+It was twilight as we walked home through the little settlement. At one
+of the huts two little naked babies were playing “rock-a-by” in the great
+curved sheaths which protect the blossom of the moriche, or eta palm. At
+another a child came out and sang a little Spanish song for us—all about
+her sins and the confession she must make to the priest, the refrain
+being “_Mi penetencia! mi penetencia!_” and she sang it with her small
+hands clasped and her head devoutly bowed. A few coins made the wee
+penitent superlatively happy. Her mother must have taught her the song,
+for in Guanoco there was no priest, no school, no doctor. The two young
+West Indians at headquarters (neither much more than twenty years old)
+officiated at all funerals, being Catholic or Protestant, in Spanish or
+English, as the case demanded. They prescribed for all diseases, from the
+prevalent fever to the woman who was suffering greatly but could give no
+more definite description of her trouble than that she had a “pain that
+walked.”
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 54. PRIESTLESS CHAPEL AT GUANOCO.]
+
+I could never understand the fever so common at Guanoco: for I never knew
+a place more free from mosquitoes and from insects of every description.
+We were continually in the sun and often in the rain, yet we both kept in
+perfect health.
+
+The women of the village had converted a small open shed into a chapel,
+with an altar, on which were all the offerings they could make, a few
+candles, some bits of gilt paper and tinsel, a rude wooden cross and a
+wretched little chromo of the Virgin. Here, as we passed, we saw the
+women kneeling, for where else could they take their troubles!
+
+At last our Venezuelan experiences were a thing of the past, and
+we were homeward bound, leaving behind us the dear delightful
+never-know-what’s-going-to-happen life; and realizing, as our ship
+cut her way through the countless “knots” of dashing waves, that as
+Maximiliano had said with a shake of his head, when we laughingly asked
+him if he did not want to go with us, “_esta tan léjos_”—it is so far!
+
+ * * * * *
+
+Much has happened at Guanoco since the days of our visit.
+
+Very soon after our departure, Castro fearing the smouldering
+revolutionary plots in Trinidad, ordered all the ports of eastern
+Venezuela closed. Later came the deadly bubonic plague sealing for
+many months all the ports of the unfortunate country. Then indeed
+trouble descended upon poor little Guanoco. It was an essentially
+non-agricultural part of the country. The one industry had been the
+digging of pitch, the company’s boat plying between Guanoco and Trinidad
+having brought all necessary supplies. Now with all communication cut off
+the people were in a piteous condition.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 55. GUARAUNO INDIAN PAPOOSE.]
+
+In the revolution of the Wheel of Fate—which whirls so rapidly in
+Venezuela,—the Lugo family had been deposed and a new Venezuelan
+administrator appointed in their place. Having known the Lugos, I like to
+think that they would have been less heartless than their successor, who,
+so the report goes, sold what supplies there were to the starving people
+at cruelly exorbitant prices.
+
+No matter how much one may love Nature, one cannot help feeling how
+unmoved she is in the face of suffering. Human beings might starve and
+sicken and die at Guanoco, but the sunshine would be just as warm and
+glowing and the wind in the palm trees just as musical as ever.
+
+With the cutting off of communication between Venezuela and Trinidad,
+Captain Truxillo’s occupation was gone. The “Josefa Jacinta” no longer
+plied busily back and forth between Port of Spain and Maturin, driving a
+brisk trade in hammocks, groceries and hides; and so at last she passed
+from the possession of Captain Truxillo to that of some more prosperous
+trader who could afford to wait for the reopening of commerce.
+
+For a year our old Captain watched his little vessel guided out of the
+harbor of Port of Spain, with a strange hand at the helm, and a strange
+voice in command. Then one day she sailed away never to return—but to
+be run aground and lost on a desolate and lonely part of the Venezuelan
+coast.
+
+What became of her new Captain and crew we never heard. We knew only that
+the “Josefa Jacinta” was lost, and that we could never sail her again,
+except on dream caños in a phantom wilderness.
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+OUR SECOND SEARCH
+
+BRITISH GUIANA
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 56. MAP OF OUR THREE EXPEDITIONS INTO BRITISH
+GUIANA.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+GEORGETOWN.
+
+
+Another year has slipped past and again we are southward bound, toward
+that Mecca—the tropics—which never ceases to call us. The time is the
+fifteenth of February, 1909; the place, the Royal Dutch Mail Steamship
+“Coppename.”
+
+Nine days out from New York at three o’clock in the morning we are roused
+suddenly from sleep by a gentle roaring in our ears. When we have gained
+partial consciousness we realize it is the basso-profundo whisper of good
+Captain Haasnoot summoning us to the bridge. We ask no questions for we
+have learned that the voice of the genial Dutchman means something worth
+while, whether it is raised in a thunderous roar of “_Hofmeister!_” or as
+now in gentler accents. Wrapped in flapping blankets, we climb the steep
+ladder to the bridge, there to enjoy for half an hour a most wonderful
+display of phosphorescence—even excelling that often visible in the Bay
+of Fundy. The Captain in all his world-wide sea-faring has never seen
+anything to equal it.
+
+We are only a short distance off the shore of British Guiana and the
+ocean is thick with sediment from the rivers. The sky is overcast and no
+light comes from the moon and stars, and yet the whole sea is plainly
+visible. The horizon glows with a dull, yellow flare against the jet
+black sky, and the myriad foam-caps shimmer as with brighter flames. The
+quenching of these in the opaque water gives a vivid impression of an
+enormous conflagration half hidden behind billows of smoke.
+
+At day-break Georgetown is in sight—a low, flat line of wharfs, with a
+background of galvanized tin roofs and tall bending palm trees. Never was
+a fairyland set in so prosaic a frame!
+
+With what mingled feelings our little ship’s family lean on the rail and
+scan the shore! To some the thought comes of the miracles of yellow gold
+and precious stones hidden deep beneath the primitive forests; to other
+sea-weary travellers the stability of the shore appeals most; while we
+two watch for the first hint of bird life. Our desire is gratified before
+that of any of the others, for over the water there comes the first
+morning call of the great yellow Tyrant[101]—_Kis-ka-dee!_ bringing a
+hundred memories of the tropics.
+
+As we steam slowly up to the wharf a small flock of Gray-breasted
+Martins[122] twitters above our heads, a Black Vulture[51] swings over
+the tin roofs, the jubilant song of a Guiana House Wren[124] reaches our
+ear, and our Second Search has begun.
+
+To those who seek for wildernesses there is not much of interest in
+Georgetown, save the museum and the botanical garden. Yet there is no
+doubt that the city is one of the most attractive in the tropics, and
+when the inhabitants are aroused to a sense of the opportunities which
+they are throwing away, it will become a famous tourist resort; awakening
+the country to new life and bringing shekels to the coffers of its
+merchants. Hotels and mosquitoes are the two keys to the situation—the
+one to be acquired, the other banished. When this is done, the many
+popular winter resorts will be hard put to it to retain their lucrative
+migrants from the North. The inhabitants of Georgetown have one
+regrettable failing—an unreasoning fear and dread of their own country.
+They cling to their narrow strip of coastal territory, where they work
+and play, live and die, many of them without ever having been five miles
+away from the sea. The majority of the inhabitants of French Guiana are
+convicts, chained for life to their prisons; here the good people of
+British Guiana bind themselves with imaginary bonds and picture their
+wonderful land as teeming with serpents and heaven-knows-what other
+terrors.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 57. STREET IN GEORGETOWN.]
+
+Another unfortunate failing is the firm conviction of some of the
+influential citizens that there is no truth in the mosquito theory as a
+cause of malaria and yellow fever.
+
+A distinguished English scientist, recently sent to investigate yellow
+fever in Barbados and British Guiana, was holding up as an example to the
+citizens of Georgetown the Barbadian custom of keeping fishes in their
+water cisterns; explaining that the fishes devoured the mosquito larvæ
+and thus kept down the number of mosquitoes. A Barbadian who chanced to
+be in the audience interrupted the scientist by saying, “Oh, but that is
+not the reason they put fishes in the cisterns. It is to make sure the
+water has not been poisoned by some enemy”!
+
+Until the mosquito is exterminated in Georgetown the tourist will prefer
+to go elsewhere, even though that be to a less beautiful spot.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 58. KISKADEE TYRANT FLYCATCHER.]
+
+We were advised to spend all our time in Georgetown, where we might drink
+pink swizzles (than which no worse medicine exists!) or read in the cool
+library, or study the natural history of the country impaled on pins or
+stuffed with cotton (both of which are improving occupations but can
+be done quite as well in New York). Every moment spent in streets of
+human making seemed sacrilege when the real wilderness—the wilderness of
+Waterton, of Schomburgk and of im Thurn—beckoned to us just beyond.
+
+Armed with proper letters of introduction and travelling in the name
+of science, one is treated with all courtesy by Guiana officials. The
+customs give no trouble, save that one pays a deposit of twelve per cent
+on cameras, guns and cartridges.
+
+We were glad to find that the most difficult privilege to obtain is a
+permit to collect birds, and the very stringent laws in this respect are
+an honor to the Governor and his colonial officials.[C] Thanks to the
+absence of the plume and general millinery hunter, the game hog and the
+wholesale collector, birds are abundant and tame. We were in the colony
+just two months and shot only about one hundred specimens, all of which
+were secured because of some special interest. We brought home some
+two hundred and eighty live birds which are now housed in the New York
+Zoölogical Park.
+
+Once off the single wharf-lined, business street of Georgetown, one is
+instantly struck by the beauty of the place. Green trees, flowering vines
+and shrubs are everywhere, half hiding the ugly, tropical architecture.
+The streets are all wide, some with gravel walks down the centre, shaded
+with the graceful saman trees; others with central trenches filled with
+the beautiful _Victoria regia_—here a native.
+
+Two species of big Tyrant Flycatchers [101], [103] are the English
+Sparrows of the city and White-breasted Robins,[128] Palm [144] and
+Silver-beak[146] Tanagers perch on the limbs of trees at one’s very
+window.
+
+Although we are anxious to start on our first expedition into the “bush,”
+as the primeval forests of the interior are called, yet a week passes
+very pleasantly in the city itself.
+
+The street life is a passing pageant, full of interest and of the charm
+of novelty for the Northerner. Carriages roll past in which sit very
+correctly dressed and typical English women; still others are filled with
+creoles, some to all appearances perfectly white, others in which the
+infusion of negro blood is very apparent. Many of the creole women have
+a certain languid beauty and a good deal of grace and self-possession.
+The passing of the liveried carriage of the Governor causes a ripple
+of excitement. It is five o’clock, the fashionable hour for driving,
+and all these equipages are bound for the sea-wall, where the occupants
+sit and listen to an excellent band, enjoy the sea breeze and chat
+with their neighbors about the all-important happenings of the social
+set of Georgetown; while the pale-faced children dig in the sand or
+run shrieking with glee from an incoming wave, just as do their rosy
+contemporaries of the North.
+
+Another picture is the coolie in his loose, white garments and turban and
+his sinewy, bare, brown legs. He gazes at you as calmly and as unmoved
+as though you were not. Even the lowest coolie bears about him this
+unconscious dignity of an ancient race and a civilization that was old
+when we were but beginning.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 59. COOLIE WOMAN AND NEGRESS.]
+
+The coolie women make a vivid spot of color in our pageant—like some
+glowing tropical flower. Many of them are beautiful in feature and
+all are graceful in bearing. There never were women who so perfectly
+understood the art of walking. They swing along erect and lithe with a
+springing step and perfect coördination of every muscle. Their heavy
+bracelets and anklets tinkle musically as they move; their gay red and
+yellow and blue scarfs flutter in the breeze. The poise of their bodies
+reflects the perfect calm and repose of their smooth, brown faces.
+
+What an antithesis they are to the ponderous old black women who are
+striding along, with bedraggled skirts gathered up in a roll around
+their massive waists. They are untidy and slatternly in dress, heavy
+and awkward in movement in comparison with the straight, slim, coolie
+women. They are full of loud laughter and talk and song. At every street
+corner they gather in friendly, jovial groups, while the coolie women are
+strangely silent and reserved. No wonder that these two races so hate and
+scorn one another, for in temperament they are as far apart as the poles!
+
+The British Guiana blacks were to us an unending source of interest and
+amusement. They were always courteous and kindly and most original.
+Even when swearing at each other their manner was always polite and
+each anathema ended with a civil “Suh!” Their dialect was at first very
+difficult to understand, but when our ears became familiar with it we
+found it singularly attractive. All the a’s are broad, even in such words
+as bad and man; while the intonation is indescribable, the verbs in a
+sentence being always emphasized and given a slight rising inflection,
+as for example, “I have _been_ to Berbice.” An interrogation is often
+not at all indicated by the form of a question, but merely by the rising
+inflection, as—“These are nice?” The general effect of their speech is a
+very musical and distinctive intonation.
+
+Always the irrepressible spirit of the black rises serenely above all
+the vicissitudes of life. A black woman from Arakaka was sentenced to a
+month in jail. Upon her return she was welcomed by a crowd of friends,
+all eager to hear something of that mysterious jail, to which none of
+them were sure they might not some day go. To their questions “How was
+it? how was it?” the heroine of the occasion replied with great dignity,
+“Me chile, dey see I was a lady an’ dey didn’ give me de same work as
+de other prisoners.” Later, on a trip down the river, the same woman,
+meeting the magistrate who had sentenced her, proudly remarked, “_Now_ I
+travel by meself”; her only previous experience in travelling having been
+under the escort of the police!
+
+Many of the blacks have far advanced cases of elephantiasis. In a five
+minutes’ walk one will see a half dozen examples of this deadly disease;
+but it takes more than elephantiasis or jail to sadden the volatile
+spirits of the negro!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 60. THE GEORGETOWN SEA-WALL.]
+
+Cosmopolitan as is the street pageant of Georgetown, it is, however, not
+so much so as that of Port of Spain. The coolies are even more numerous
+there than here, and in addition to the same sort of English and negro
+life, there is also an American, Spanish and French element. One hears on
+all sides the pretty French patois, and the musical Spanish of the South
+American is a constant delight. This large Spanish and French population
+make Port of Spain a decidedly Catholic city, and priests and nuns in
+unfamiliar garbs are always a part of the picture.
+
+It is very hard for us Northerners to realize that the course of a
+tropical day is much the same the year around. Here is a Georgetown day
+as we found it in February. At 5.30 A.M. it is still dark and the only
+sound is an occasional raucous crow from chanticleer. Soon a subdued
+murmur of sound is heard and this remains unchanged in volume for some
+time. Then the sunrise gun booms in the distance; a Kiskadee shrieks just
+outside our window; a score of others answer him; church chimes ring out;
+noisy coolie carts rattle past; negroes sing, dogs bark; an excellent
+brass band strikes up a two-step and amid all this pandemonium of sound
+the sun literally leaps above the horizon and instantly fills the world
+with brilliant color. The scene changes like magic; there is no dawn or
+dusk, night gives place to day without intermission. The temperature
+morning and evening is about 76°.
+
+Woven amid all the harsh cries of Kiskadees and Tanagers is heard the
+sweet warbling of the little House Wrens, reminding us of our singers of
+the North, and bubbling over with the same crisp, vocal vitality which we
+hear in early Spring in our own country.
+
+Like the morning, the tropical day itself is one of extremes. The
+morning dawns fresh and bracing; until nine o’clock one walks briskly,
+breathes deeply and can hardly realize that he is at sea-level within
+seven degrees of the equator. It is April and May in the calendar of
+one’s feelings. Then for an hour or two June reigns, and finally from
+eleven to five o’clock in the afternoon it is hot, sultry August. In
+the shade, however, it is always comfortable. From three o’clock on we
+experience the coolness of October and until darkness shuts suddenly down
+about half-past six—like the snuffing out of a candle—the temperature is
+perfect. The nights are delightfully cool. Mosquitoes are bad only in the
+houses and at night one’s net is a protection. The humidity is high but
+it is far more bearable than that of a summer in New York City, contrary
+to our usual idea of the tropics.
+
+The manner of rain in the tropics is peculiar: the atmosphere may be
+ablaze with brilliant sunshine, when a slight haze appears in the air and
+suddenly one realizes that a fine gentle rain is falling. This may cease
+as imperceptibly as it began, or increase to a terrific downpour—to give
+place perhaps a few minutes later to the clear tropic glare again.
+
+Before taking leave of Georgetown we must mention the three chief points
+of attraction. The sea-wall comes first and, as we have said, a most
+pleasant custom of the natives is to drive there in late afternoon and
+sit in their carriages. The concrete break-water is of vital importance
+to the town itself as a portion of the streets are below sea-level. The
+broad summit forms a mile or more of promenade, with a sandy beach on one
+side, lapped with waves which strive ever to break, but cannot because
+of the thick sediment which they hold in suspense. On the other side a
+double row of tall, graceful palms adds a touch of tropical beauty.
+
+The residences near the sea-wall are the coolest and most pleasant
+in the town and are practically free from mosquitoes. We spent more
+than one delightful evening in the garden at Kitty Villa as the
+guests of our charming American friends, Mr. and Mrs. Howell. From
+the open, veranda-like rooms one may watch the Yellow Orioles,[159]
+the Brown-breasted Pygmy Grosbeaks,[129] the Anis and Kiskadees going
+to roost. Just before dusk scores of the small Black Vultures[51]
+appear, flying singly, or in twos and threes low over the trees and
+palms westward to some general roost. About this time the bats and the
+lightning bugs arrive, large numbers of very tiny bats hawking about
+after insects, and several large fruit-eaters with wings spreading almost
+two feet across. These haunt the fruit-laden sapadillo trees, and as
+the method of feeding of these curious creatures does not seem to be
+generally known we watch it with interest. One of the big fellows flits
+here and there, nipping first one fruit and then another. At last when a
+sweet or fully ripe one is found, the bat swoops up to it, alights head
+downward, and half enveloping it with his wings, bites away frantically
+for two or three seconds and then dashes off. This is repeated until
+darkness settles down, but never does the wary bat linger over his feast.
+
+In the north the sight of a single bat darting along on its eccentric way
+is not uncommon, but here we were soon to become accustomed to the sight
+of scores, some pursuing insects, or feeding on fruits, or waiting and
+watching for a chance to drink the blood of men and animals. More than
+twenty-five species have been found here within a few miles of the coast.
+Small Owls and nocturnal insectivorous birds are somewhat rare, and thus
+the bats have few foes and little competition in their aërial life.
+
+Late in the evening as we drive slowly homeward from the sea-wall we
+discover another interesting microcosm of the tropics. The road is well
+lighted with arc-lamps—sources of irresistible attraction to numberless
+insects, many of which drop stunned to the earth beneath. Some genius
+among the Georgetown toads has discovered this fact and passed the word
+along, until now one finds a circle of expectant amphibians squatted
+beneath each arc-light, with eyes and hopes lifted to the shining globe
+overhead. Now and then an unfortunate insect falls within the magic
+circle, when a toad leaps lazily forward and devours the morsel with one
+lightning-like flick of the tongue. Many of these toads (_Bufo agua_)
+are enormous fellows, a good hatful, standing full eight inches from
+their pudgy toes to their staring eyes, all comical, dignified, fat and
+sluggish, barely hopping aside in time to avoid the horse and carriage.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 61.]
+
+To a visiting naturalist the museum is the place of greatest interest,
+and although the animals and birds are faded and poorly mounted, yet
+they are representative of the fauna of the country and are hence of
+great value in accustoming one’s eyes to the strange forms of life.
+The present Curator, Mr. James Rodway, did everything in his power to
+aid us, and we are indebted to him for many kindnesses. Although he is
+primarily a botanist, entomology occupies his attention at present, and
+the supply of species of the various orders of insects living in this
+region seems well-nigh inexhaustible. Mr. Rodway is a good example of the
+healthfulness of British Guiana, for he has lived there thirty-nine years
+and has been ill only one day. He accounts for this by his teetotalism,
+but perhaps the next person we meet will inform us that a half dozen
+swizzles a day are absolutely necessary to keep the breath of life within
+the body!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 62.]
+
+The Botanical Gardens, under the able direction of Prof. J. B. Harrison,
+are a great credit to the colony. With beautiful vistas of palms and
+ornamental shrubs they combine smooth expanses of green lawns—a rare
+feature in a tropical landscape. Ponds and ditches are filled with
+Victoria regia and lotus, save one where a number of manatees keep the
+aquatic vegetation cropped close. A wonderful palm was in blossom at the
+time of our visit—a Taliput with a mass of bloom twelve feet in height
+which had begun to flower the month before. Governor Hodgson and Prof.
+Harrison gave us the freedom of the garden and placed at our disposal
+five circular aviaries which proved of inestimable value in housing the
+living birds which we were able to secure.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 63. VICTORIA REGIA IN THE BOTANICAL GARDENS.]
+
+Here Mr. Lee S. Crandall, our assistant, made his trapping headquarters
+after our return from our first inland expedition and here we spent many
+afternoons among the fields and bypaths.
+
+We soon found that bird-trapping in the tropics is a task beset by many
+difficulties. The extreme heat between the hours of ten and four o’clock
+make even the “tackiest” lime nearly as thin as water, and hardly capable
+of holding even the diminutive “doctor-bird” as the natives call the
+Hummingbirds. The call-birds, which are confined in very small cages,
+or cribs, cannot endure the high temperature under these conditions,
+and soon succumb if left out in the sun. Operations, therefore, must be
+confined to the few hours immediately following sunrise, and preceding
+sunset.
+
+Another feature, very trying to the bird-catcher, is the habit which most
+of the birds have of going singly or in pairs. A few of the Ictcrine
+birds, such as the Yellow-headed Blackbird,[154] Cowbird,[153] Little
+Boat-tailed Grackle,[160] and most of the Cassiques, feed usually in
+flocks, sometimes of great size. In the deep bush of the interior it is
+the habit of birds of many species to search together for food, following
+a set route, and keeping closely to their time schedule. But ordinary
+call-birds and “set-ups” are not for these.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 64. LOTUS IN BLOSSOM.]
+
+This gregarious habit among widely varying birds is, however, at
+times, a great aid to the trapper. A cage containing a Yellow-bellied
+Calliste[142] was one day placed in a tree about twenty feet high,
+and limed twigs arranged on neighboring branches. In two hours in the
+morning, two specimens of the same species, three Blue Tanagers,[143]
+two Black-faced Callistes,[141] two Toua-touas or Brown-breasted Pygmy
+Grosbeaks,[129] and one Yellow Oriole[159] were taken. The various
+species of Tanagers and Orioles are much more gregarious in feeding
+habits than the Finches, hence the variety caught. The Toua-touas
+were purely accidental visitors. The Finches can rarely be taken by a
+call-bird not of the same species.
+
+The black or coolie boy who makes his living at catching birds at
+“tuppence” each, sets out at daylight with his two or three call-birds in
+their cribs, arranged on a stick. Arrived at some secluded spot, where
+he has heard the song of an intended victim, he sets his call-birds on
+upright sticks of two or three feet in length and places on the top of
+each cage a strong wire, heavily smeared with the gum of the sapadillo.
+This wire is very carefully twisted so that it cannot by any possibility
+become loosened. This is, of course, contrary to the ethics of all good
+bird-catchers, for if the bird falls to the ground with its stick, it
+is much more certain to be secured, and less liable to injure itself.
+However, this is British Guiana.
+
+Having made his “set-up,” the youth steals softly back and conceals
+himself a short distance away. As soon as left to themselves, the birds,
+if they be experienced, commence their song. Soon, an answering call is
+heard. Instantly the decoys cease their song, and send forth their sharp
+call-notes. Soon the curious stranger appears, perhaps a fine adult
+male, full of eagerness for a battle. If this be the case the songs are
+again resumed, and the climax of the concert is almost certain to be the
+capture of the challenger. If the visitor be a coy female, the seductive
+call-notes are continued, and, though the time required may be greater,
+she is nearly as certain to be captured. Callow youngsters out for their
+first exploring trip, are of course the easiest victims. But when the
+trapper has taken a bird or two from this locality he must move on or
+give up for the day, for he will take no more.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 65. TALIPUT PALM IN BLOSSOM.]
+
+The trapping methods of these people are, of course, very primitive.
+They know nothing of clap-nets; they laugh at the idea of catching
+birds with an Owl, as practised successfully in the North. A black boy
+will bend his gummed wire securely on a likely twig, and lie all day
+on his back in the shade, hoping that a bird may light on it. Birds to
+whose capture they are not equal are very apt to be “licked”—stunned by
+a bullet from a sling-shot—and foisted on the unwary purchaser. These
+unfortunates, of course, rarely live more than a day or two.
+
+No regard is shown for nesting birds or nestlings. Cassiques and Orioles
+are captured by adjusting a string about the mouth of the long pendulous
+nest, and closing it tightly when the bird has entered to hover its eggs.
+In two instances, a black boy was seen to capture the female from her
+nest, by creeping up and dropping his hat over her.
+
+Some use is made of primitive trap-cages, which are baited with plantain
+or sliced mangoes. Tanagers or “sackies” and various Orioles are taken in
+this manner.
+
+These simple people have, of course, no knowledge whatever of proper
+food for insectivorous or frugivorous birds. Various fruits, preferably
+plantain, are used, and it is truly surprising how long some individuals
+will survive on this too acid food. Mr. Howie King, Government Agent
+of the Northwest District, actually kept a specimen of the Yellow
+Oriole[159] for over seven years on a strictly fruit diet!
+
+Birds and other creatures were very abundant and tame in the Botanical
+Gardens. Guiana Green Herons[38] or “Shypooks” as the coolies call
+them, Spur-winged Jacanas[23] and Gallinules[13] walked here and there,
+the latter leading their dark-hued young over the Regia pads. Small
+crocodiles basked half out of the water, none over three feet in length,
+as abundant as turtles in a northern mill-pond. Several huge water
+buffalo, imported from the East Indies, looked strangely out of place
+in this hemisphere. Butterflies were scarce although a great variety of
+flowers were in profusion everywhere.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 66. CANAL OF THE CROCODILES.]
+
+April seems to be the height of the breeding season for many birds. In
+one tree we found two wasps’ nests, and nests with eggs or young of
+the following six species of birds; the Red-winged Ground Dove,[9] the
+Great[101] and Lesser[103] Kiskadees, White-shouldered Ground Fly-catcher
+or “Cotton-bird,”[97] Gray Tody-flycatcher or “Pipitoori”[99] and
+Cinereus Becard.[114]
+
+Chestnut Cuckoos of two species,[77], [78] all four Kiskadees,[101],
+[103], [104], [106] Caracaras,[53] Black-faced Tanagers or “Bucktown
+Sackies,”[141] Woodhewers, Elanias[100] and other Flycatchers are a few
+among many birds which we were sure of seeing on every walk, while Anis,
+both great[79] and small[80] were everywhere.
+
+The Botanical Gardens are ideal for experimental botanical work and
+sugar cane in scores of varieties is being kept under observation. It
+is hard to believe that the delicate grass which we see springing up in
+the ditched fields will grow into the lofty and waving stalks of sugar
+cane. It is exceedingly variable and should afford excellent material
+for experimental study. The original yellow-stalked cane develops red
+and purple streaks in many combinations, due apparently to difference in
+soils. Cane sent to Louisiana will, within twelve years, produce much
+larger nodes owing to the plant having to fruit in six months instead
+of eleven or twelve. The stalk, however, does not gain correspondingly
+in diameter; so there is no increase in sugar capacity. Tropical plants
+can in many cases adapt themselves to shorter, northern summers, but
+temperate perennials soon die in the tropics from exhaustion, lacking
+their annual period of rest.
+
+The climatic conditions along the coast of British Guiana are peculiar,
+in that they simulate conditions usually existing at an altitude of two
+or three thousand feet. One result of this is seen in the flourishing
+tree-ferns planted in the Botanical Gardens.
+
+Insects were not particularly abundant in Georgetown, that is, for a
+tropical country. One day Mr. Rodway, with his accustomed kindness,
+brought us two very interesting chrysalids of the swallow-tailed
+butterfly, _Papilio polydamus_, illustrating the remarkable color
+variation in this species. Both were found in his yard, a few feet
+from each other, one suspended among green leaves and the other on a
+wooden stairway which was painted a brick-red. One of the chrysalids was
+leaf-green in color while the other was brown with brick-red trimmings!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 67. YOUNG ELANIA FLYCATCHERS.]
+
+There was one remarkable exception to the scarcity of insects
+in Georgetown. Late in February, a moth-like Homopterus insect,
+_Poeciloptera phalaenoides_, was present in enormous numbers on the Saman
+trees which line many of the streets. The largest individuals had wings
+almost an inch in length of a light cream color, covered for about half
+their expanse with two masses of black dots. These were the males. The
+females were wingless and their bodies were covered with a long dense
+cottony secretion. The eggs and larvæ which lined thousands of the twigs
+were also protected by this white material. One could hardly walk without
+crushing these insects, so numerous were they. The only birds we observed
+feeding on them were Anis and domestic fowls.
+
+The middle of April found these insects as abundant as ever, still
+hatching in myriads, but by the 22d of the month the broods on the main
+streets seemed to be diminishing, although the hordes infesting the trees
+at the entrance of the Botanical Gardens were on the increase. Noticing
+that there seemed to be interesting nodes of variation in the number and
+patterns of the dots on the wings of the males, we set a Coolie boy to
+gathering them for future study and he soon had a thousand or more in a
+jar of alcohol.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+STEAMER AND LAUNCH TO HOORIE CREEK.
+
+
+When we left New York we had planned to go up the Demerara River from
+Georgetown and spend our time on the Essequibo and Potaro. We had the
+good fortune, however, to take the same steamer with Mr. and Mrs.
+Gaylord Wilshire who were paying their annual visit to their two large
+gold concessions. The previous year they had travelled over many of the
+larger rivers and when we heard their glowing accounts of the northern
+and western wilderness compared to the rather thinned out “bush” and more
+travelled route of the Demerara, and were asked to join their party in
+going first to the Hoorie Mine in the northwest and then to the Aremu
+Mine in central Guiana, we hesitated not a moment.
+
+We left the Georgetown stelling, or wharf, at noon on March 2d, on the
+little steamer “Mazaruni” for the long coastwise trip to Morawhanna.
+Leaving the harbor flock of Laughing Gulls[16] behind, we steered
+straight out to sea for several hours before turning to the northwest.
+The water all along the coast is very shallow and is so filled with
+sediment that even in a heavy gale the waves break but little. We passed
+the mouth of the Essequibo, thirty-five miles in width, with the two
+great islands, Wakenaam and Leguan, fairly in the centre of the mouth.
+The night was rough and windy and the little tub rolled wildly.
+
+At five o’clock next morning we were steaming slowly between two walls
+of green which brought vividly to mind our Venezuelan trip of last year.
+A few other plants were intermingled with the mangroves, but the solid
+ranks of the latter were unbroken. The colors were as wonderful as ever;
+the rich dark green on either hand, bright copper beneath and azure
+above. A few hours later we entered Mora Passage and here palms began to
+rear their heads over the other foliage. The air was cool and bracing,
+we breathed deeply and watched for the first signs of life. A half dozen
+Muscovy Ducks[43] swung past, the giant master of the flock in the lead,
+their white wing mirrors flashing as they flew. Two Amazon Parrots rose
+ahead of us and the shore was alive with tiny white moths fluttering over
+the water.
+
+Morawhanna is within five miles of the Venezuela boundary, and
+politically is important as being the chief Government Station for the
+Northwest District, and being the entrance post for the gold fields of
+this region. As we tied up to the primitive wharf, Indians in their
+dug-outs or wood-skins appeared in numbers, bringing fish, rubber and
+other things for trade to the little Chinese store. Morawhanna itself
+consists of a straggling line of thatched huts extending irregularly
+along the bank and inland between the marshy spots.
+
+A short walk on shore showed the inhabitants to be Indians, blacks
+and half-breeds. Birds were abundant, especially Yellow-bellied
+Callistes,[142] Honey Creepers, Tanagers, and the four commoner species
+of Kiskadee Tyrants[101], [103], [104], [106]. A large Skimmer[17] flew
+past the boat and later we saw several flocks.
+
+We expected to meet the launch from the Hoorie Mine, but as it had not
+yet arrived, we boarded the steamer again and went on with it to the end
+of its route at Mount Everard. We left Morawhanna at half-past ten in the
+morning and reached our destination five hours later. Although all this
+country is low and marshy, yet the White Mangrove and the Courida, or
+Red Mangrove, here give place to a variegated forest growth, and we soon
+saw our first Mora trees,—huge we thought them, but to be dwarfed by the
+inland giants of our succeeding expeditions. The walls of vegetation were
+seventy or eighty feet in height, draped by vines, while dead branches
+protruded here and there from the water near shore. Many Snake-birds[48]
+were perched on these snags, from which they dropped silently into the
+water at our approach and swam off with body immersed.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 68. TYPICAL INDIAN HOUSE AT MORAWHANNA.]
+
+Blue-and-Yellow Macaws[61] were common—always as usual in multiples of
+two. We observed them a half dozen times in different reaches of the
+river, four in the first group, then eight, two, six, four and two. A
+trio of American Egrets[32] kept flying ahead of us for several miles,
+hemmed in by the lofty walls of foliage, alighting now and then and
+waiting for the steamer. At last when only ten yards distant they rose
+and floated over our heads.
+
+Once a splendid Guiana Crested Eagle[57] flew past and alighted on a dead
+tree, and twice we saw small colonies of Yellow[151] and Red-backed[152]
+Cassiques nesting in isolated Mora trees _out in the water_; a new method
+of protection on the part of these intelligent birds. At occasional
+intervals a nesting pair of White-throated Kingbirds[106] was seen, but
+no other of the Tyrants which are so common about houses in this region.
+The event of the day came when we caught a flash of white from a Buzzard
+floating high overhead and our stereos showed a King Vulture[50] circling
+slowly around, craning his wattled head down at us as he drifted past. We
+had never expected to see this bird near the coast and indeed we saw no
+others during our entire stay in Guiana.
+
+As we steamed past a wind-break we caught a momentary glimpse of two wee
+naked Indian children paddling away in a wood-skin while behind them
+their bronze-skinned parents watched us silently.
+
+Mount Everard lies about fifty miles from Morawhanna up the Barima River
+and consists of a ramshackle hotel and several logies—the latter being
+mere open sheds from whose rafters hammocks may be hung. The whole
+country hereabouts is low, except at this point where two small conical
+hills arise—one on each side of the river—bearing the high-sounding names
+of Mounts Everard and Terminus. The forest has been partly cleared from
+these and we attempted to explore the neighboring country. We soon gave
+it up as the underbrush was too thick, and even when we forced a way
+through it there was no footing but muddy water. Cowpaths led over the
+“mounts” which seemed to be composed of red, sticky clay. Half way up
+Mount Everard we found an enormous terrestrial ants’ nest, some fifteen
+feet across, bare of vegetation and with well-marked roads, four to six
+inches wide, leading out into the jungle. A little prodding with a stick
+brought out scores of huge-jawed soldiers (_Atta cephalotes_).
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 69. THREE YEAR OLDS AT HOME IN THEIR WOOD-SKIN.]
+
+The most interesting birds were the well-named Magpie Tanagers which
+flashed past now and then. The long, graduated tail, the glossy black and
+white plumage and the conspicuous white iris mark this as one of the most
+striking of the Tanagers. The call-note was loud and harsh but the tones
+of those we saw in captivity and of one individual which we brought back
+alive were pleasant and modulated.
+
+Euphonias, Blue,[143] Palm,[144] and Silver-beak[146] Tanagers and
+Red-underwing Doves[10] were all nesting close to the settlement,
+while in a good-sized tree whose branches were brushing against the
+“hotel” windows were some hundred nests of Cassiques—the Red[152] and
+the Yellow-backed[151] in about equal numbers. When the two were seen
+fighting, the Red-backed seemed invariably to have the better of it. The
+natives here think the different colors mark the two sexes.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 70. MOUNT EVERARD.]
+
+Just before sunset the wharf at Mount Everard began to show signs of
+life. All day it had been deserted, a few small flat-bottomed boats,
+which we came later to know by the native name of ballyhoos, being moored
+idly against the dock; but now as the day drew to a close, groups of
+Indians and negroes gathered. We hung over the railing of our boat and
+watched them as lazily and as curiously as they watched us. Then the
+quiet air was rent with a medley of grunts and squeals and brays, the
+cries and shouts of human beings rising above all the other sounds, as
+a large party of men appeared escorting one scrawny cow, one lean but
+energetic hog, and finally one donkey, in whose being was concentrated
+all the stubbornness to which his race is heir. The problem was to load
+these beasts into one of the waiting ballyhoos. The ballyhoo was small,
+the current was moving it to and fro, and the cow and the donkey and
+the hog were not minded to go a-voyaging. As the negro always talks
+to his beast of burden as though it were his intellectual and social
+equal, so in this case the men approached the animals with all manner of
+reasonable argument, explaining where they were going and the importance
+of an early start and appealing to all that was noble and estimable,
+emphasizing everything with a choice selection of expletives combined
+with physical force. Finally after pushing and prodding the ill-fated cow
+they succeeded in half shoving, half throwing it into the boat. After
+many struggles the loudly indignant hog followed. When at last the donkey
+had been safely embarked we wondered if that little craft would ever
+reach its destination, with so heavy and protesting a load: when to our
+surprise the big black, who had been most vociferous and active in the
+recent mêlée, wiped his dripping forehead and stood calling “Possengers!
+Possengers! all aboad”! with as grand an air as though he were the chief
+steward on a great ocean liner. The “possengers” proved to be half a
+dozen buxom negresses, who with many a coy glance and feminine shriek of
+terror allowed the big black proprietor to help them from the dock to the
+boat, now rocking violently beneath the restless feet of the animals.
+
+Finally the ballyhoo moved slowly up stream, bound for a distant mine in
+the far interior, and another boat laden with bananas followed. An Indian
+paddled swiftly past in his wood-skin. Then darkness fell as suddenly as
+the dropping of a stage curtain; and we turned away from the river drama
+back to our life on board the “Mazaruni.”
+
+While awaiting the dinner bell we slung our hammocks along the deck, that
+through the meal we might know that they were swinging gently in the
+velvet night air, all ready for our comfortably tired selves.
+
+The night was clear and the blacks worked for several hours in the
+moonlight, unloading cargo. Not a mosquito came to mar the beauty of
+the night. Indeed the natives said they were never troublesome here at
+Mount Everard. In our hammocks as we rocked to sleep we thought drowsily
+of the dear Venezuelan wilderness of last year. We were so glad to be
+sleeping again in the open under the canopy of the southern sky. At last
+we felt that we were on the threshold of another wilderness.
+
+At four o’clock in the morning we awoke and heard far off through the
+jungle, the old, familiar howling of the red “baboons.” About five
+a rooster crowed on board and was answered by several on shore, and
+this seemed to awaken a black who began singing from his hammock in a
+logie, when a score of others took up the wild refrain and kept it up
+until daylight. With the sudden rush of light came the distant bubbling
+of Twa-twas, those little thick-billed pygmy Grosbeaks,[130] and the
+cackling hubbub of the Cassique colony.
+
+Returning to Morawhanna we were made welcome at the home of Mr. Howie
+King the Government Agent, while waiting for our Hoorie launch. The
+government house is well built and belonged formerly to Sir Everard
+im Thurn. It is surrounded by a garden which must once have been
+magnificent and which Mr. King is attempting to restore, clearing away
+the undergrowth which has long overrun the beautiful shrubs and flowering
+plants. The house is built on the extreme southern end of a great
+island which extends in a northwest direction for about fifty miles far
+into Venezuela territory, Mora Passage lying between it and Morawhanna
+proper. Flowers were abundant, attracting many insects and these in turn
+birds of a score or more species. Kiskadees were nesting in low Bois
+Immortelle trees, Yellow-backed Cassiques or Bunyahs, in a great saman
+overhanging the house; while in the garden were Seed-eaters of several
+kinds, together with Blue and Palm Tanagers and the beautiful Moriche
+Orioles.[158] Guiana House Wrens[124] were nesting indoors on the ceiling
+rafters and under the deep eaves of the half veranda, half sitting-room
+was a beautiful pendent nest of the Feather-toed Swift[71] composed
+entirely of feathery seed plumes. It was a straight symmetrical column
+about three inches in diameter and fourteen inches long, suspended from
+the palm thatch, not half a foot from a hanging, open-comb wasps’ nest.
+The upper ten inches of the nest was built and occupied just six months
+ago in September, and a brood of two young were reared. Now the birds
+had returned and were preparing to nest again, having already added four
+inches of pure white seed-plumes, easily distinguished from the older,
+browner, weathered portion. They came to the nest every hour with a
+beakful of plumes and pressed them into position while fluttering in mid
+air, evidently utilizing their saliva as a cementing substance. In the
+interims between their visits, Hummingbirds,—sometimes two at once—came
+and filched nesting material from the lower end, fraying it out very
+appreciably. Their nests were attached to the lesser stems of a dense
+clump of bamboo in the garden.
+
+This Swift was common on all the Guiana rivers, hawking with Swallows
+over the water. Seen on the wing it appears glossy black with a white
+throat and collar.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 71. SIR EVERARD IM THURN’S HOUSE AT MORAWHANNA.]
+
+It was the height of the season of courtship of the Palm Tanagers[144]
+and they were noisy and bold. A caged female proved to be a source of
+great attraction and several wild ones kept coming to the cage. We
+trapped two and they made themselves at home within a few minutes. There
+was considerable variation, some being gray, almost a bluish gray, while
+in others the green was strongly dominant.
+
+The chickens and ducks were taken by two kinds of opossums, one, large,
+ill-smelling and living in the bamboos, and the other very small and
+rat-like. Game was abundant here and tapirs, Tinamous and Guans were shot
+for food. The mudflats were inhabited by a host of crabs; most of them
+exactly like our little fiddlers, while others were larger and blue or
+yellow in color.
+
+Sand-flies and mosquitoes were present in small numbers, the latter
+troublesome enough for hammock nets at night, but the worst pest
+hereabouts was the bête-rouge which abounded in the grass both at Mount
+Everard and here. Nowhere else did we suffer so much from the fiendish
+little beasts. Like sea-sickness or an earthquake, bête-rouge is a great
+leveller of mankind, like a common disaster doing more to make men “free
+and equal” than all the constitutions and doctrines ever signed. In a
+bête-rouge infested region the conversation is sooner or later sure
+to turn upon the subject of these little red mites. Everyone you meet
+has his or her particular pet remedy to prescribe. The subject under
+discussion may be the coolie immigration laws, or the proper scientific
+name for some species of orchid or who is to be the next Governor—but
+some sharp-eyed fellow sufferer is certain to detect the guilty look upon
+one’s face which translated into words would be “My ankles are devoured
+by bête-rouge!” and then the assembled company begins to discuss the
+topic of really vital interest.
+
+We tried _all_ the remedies—Scrubb’s ammonia, dry soap, wet salt, wet
+soda, alcohol, resinol ointment, chloroform camphor,—to little purpose
+beyond very temporary relief. Finally we reached the stage when good
+manners were thrown to the winds and every victim scratched at will,
+despite the fact that it eventually aggravated the trouble. There was
+developed an individuality in the method so that at long distances we
+were able to recognize one another by the characteristic motions of
+discomfort!
+
+Then came the discovery of crab-oil, which is an ounce of prevention and
+not a cure. Rubbed on _before_ going out, no sane bête-rouge will attack
+you. Crab-oil is made of the nut of the crab-wood tree and it is greasy
+and sticky and has a disagreeable, rancid odor, which is very lasting.
+One of us hinted that it was a question whether the remedy were not worse
+than the disease. She even objected to having bottles of crab-oil rolled
+for safety in packing, in her very limited supply of clothing. She was
+promptly pronounced “finnicky” by her “better half” who was righteously
+indignant and surprised at discovering so unexpected a quality in her.
+But then he, more than anyone else, was afflicted with bête-rouge; and so
+could not be expected to see anything at all objectionable in the odor
+of the crab-oil to which he owed so much relief. It does unquestionably
+give relief. Well protected with crab-oil one can bid defiance to the
+annoying little pests, which an old gentleman whom we chanced to meet in
+our travels persistently and seriously called “_bête noir_,” under the
+delusion that that was their proper and very appropriate name.
+
+Mr. King’s garden was a constant source of interest because of the
+flowers, the insects and the birds. In the top of a dead shrub a
+good-sized yellow flowered orchid had been tied. This, during the last
+rainy season, had evidently dropped seeds, some of which had clung to the
+branches beneath and then sprouted. When we saw them, there were twenty
+or more of these diminutive orchids scattered over the shrub, each with
+four tiny clinging rootlets, a three-parted leaflet and in the centre one
+blossom as big as the entire plant, the whole not larger than a shilling.
+
+Two large species of lizards lived in the garden, the common iguana which
+climbed the trees and fed on leaves and buds, and another, called locally
+Salapenta (_Teius nigro punctatus_), which included carrion, chicks and
+even fish in its bill of fare. They would now and then dive into a small
+pond and appear with a small fish in their jaws.
+
+The last evening of our stay at Mr. King’s we spent sitting on the wharf
+looking out over Mora Passage. The ripples died from the wake of the
+steamer as she vanished around a bend on her way back to Georgetown. A
+cool refreshing breeze blew toward us as the sun’s light faded and a
+dense flock of more than a hundred Amazon Parrots flew overhead. Our
+shadows changed from sharp black outlines thrown on the water before us
+to faint gray shapes, moon-cast on the crab-wood boards behind.
+
+The tangle of palms and liana-draped trees across the Passage became
+more indistinct and the brilliant moonlight lit up the swirling brown
+current. An Indian boy passed silently in a narrow curiara. We were his
+friends—we had given him sixpence and he was off to the little store amid
+the low thatched huts a few hundred yards down the river, which marked
+Morawhanna. We knew him only as Frederick, for no white person would
+ever be told his real name—that of some animal or bird—as such disclosure
+is against all Indian custom, from the fear of thereby giving others evil
+power over them. He gave us a quick, shy, half smile, and then all light
+died from his Mongolian features and he peered sternly into the darkness
+ahead. Well had he need of fear and caution. We may be sure his purchases
+were made stealthily and his quick return was certain, for death watched
+for him in a hundred places.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 72. PALM TANAGER.]
+
+The day before, he had testified against three of his tribe—the
+Caribs—for the murder of his father, and now the stern hand of English
+justice had closed and the chief murderer was eating his heart out
+somewhere in a cell beyond the bend of the river. No more could
+Frederick mingle with his tribe, and on his knees and in tears he had
+begged Mr. King to keep him and shelter him on the Government Island. The
+vendetta would follow him through life and it was almost certain he would
+be killed sooner or later.
+
+The calm of the evening was perfect, undisturbed by all this hidden
+tragedy. When the moon was well clear of the trees, some great frog
+hidden in the swamp began his rhythmical _kronk! kronk! kronk!_ and tiny
+bats dashed about, splashing the surface of the water as they drank or
+snatched floating insects.
+
+The _yap! yap!_ of a passing but invisible Skimmer came faintly, and the
+throbbing roll of a second kind of frog rumbled out of the dusk across
+the river. The moonlight became ever stronger and now a Kiskadee called
+sleepily from his great untidy nest in the distant village. A sharp
+whip-lash of sound came to our ears and we knew that a Parauque[70] had
+awakened from his diurnal slumber. An answering cry sounded near at
+hand in the garden and we could distinguish the two connected tones.
+The splash of paddles announced the return of the rest of our party as
+an Indian woman began a droning song from the fire before her hut a few
+yards away.
+
+Impatient as we were to get into the real “bush,” the days at Morawhanna
+were delightful. From Mr. King we learned a great deal about England’s
+government of this out-of-the-world colony. We were especially interested
+in the protection of the indentured coolie. In the first place the coolie
+labor market is never allowed to become over-crowded. Each employer sends
+in an order for the exact number of workmen which he requires, so that
+the supply brought over is never greater than the demand. The coolie
+gets free passage from India to South America, and is guaranteed work at
+a minimum wage of a shilling a day, including his food. On his arrival
+the immigration agent assigns him to a certain estate, where his term of
+indenture is five years, his wage being increased as his capacity for
+work becomes greater. During his term of service he can leave the estate
+only by permission, and he must never be found at large without his pass
+book.
+
+At the end of five years the coolie is free to work where he pleases, or
+to take up a grant of land of his own. After five years more of residence
+he may return to India free of charge if he so wishes. As the coolie is
+very thrifty and can live on threepence a day, his menu being rice and
+water, at the expiration of his ten years, in addition to having earned
+his living and supported his family, he has often saved up as much as two
+thousand dollars.
+
+Throughout his term of indenture the English government looks after him.
+He always has good medical care free, and the law watches over him with
+scrupulous vigilance, seeing that he is justly treated by his employer,
+and that no advantage is taken of his ignorance and inexperience. When
+the coolie leaves India he, of course, loses caste, but as they all fall
+proportionately, each moving down one in the social scale, a proper
+balance is preserved. The coolie returning to India, however, finds
+himself a disgraced outcast. To regain his position in society he must
+pay large sums of money to the priests; and so it is that he returns
+to his native land only to be robbed of his hard-earned savings, often
+returning to South America as a re-indentured man, to start life again.
+In order to discourage his return to India, the government offers him
+the money equivalent to his return passage. Many of the coolies take
+advantage of this and make South America their permanent home, taking up
+grants of their own and living in greater peace and prosperity than would
+ever have been possible for them in India.
+
+The population of Morawhanna is composed of coolies, Indians and blacks,
+who look to the magistrate as a sort of all powerful father to whom they
+bring troubles of every conceivable kind.
+
+As we were sitting at breakfast one day an aged coolie man was seen
+hanging around the door. He must see Mr. King on a most important matter,
+which proved to be a delicate one indeed. His wife had fallen in love
+with another man and what was he to do? Such troubles are very common
+among the coolies. Instead of avenging himself upon the man who dared to
+alienate his wife’s affections, the coolie invariably murders his wife,
+the favorite method being to chop her up “particularly small.”
+
+In this instance the wife was young and good looking, and her grievance
+was that her husband expected her to assume the entire support of him
+and his family, and she declared she would rather die than go back to
+him. The only solution of the problem was to hurry the woman off on the
+afternoon boat to Georgetown, in order to save her from murder and her
+husband from execution.
+
+They are all very fond of bringing their wrongs into court. An irate
+Indian woman will appear, bringing a charge against the dressmaker who
+has made her wedding dress too short. Dress of any description is the
+most recent of acquisitions with the Indian woman, but having acquired it
+she intends that her wedding gown shall fulfill all the requirements of
+Dame Fashion, so far as she knows them.
+
+The gown in question has been brought into court as incontrovertible
+evidence. Should she not put it on and _prove_ to the magistrate, who
+cries in despair that he knows nothing of the proper length of wedding
+gowns and calls in another dressmaker for expert opinion. The two
+dressmakers stand together and the case is dismissed. This is quoted to
+show the infinite patience with which the magistrate treats each case,
+however trivial.
+
+The commissioner of health brings a charge against a coolie man, on the
+ground that he has allowed the drains near his hut to become clogged
+and so endangered the Public Health. Mr. King reads the indictment in
+impressive, magisterial tones, accusing the offender of having permitted
+his drains to become foul. Foul is evidently the one word which conveys
+any meaning to the coolie, who exclaims in a tone of relief that he has
+never kept any “fowls”! In British Guiana the arm of the law must have a
+sense of humor as well as of justice!
+
+We often wondered what was going on behind the impassive face of little
+Frederick. Did he live in constant terror or did he sometimes forget it
+all in the light-hearted pleasure of a child? The man convicted of his
+father’s murder was a peaiman—or medicine man, who is held in great awe
+and reverence by his tribe. So Frederick’s betrayal was doubly criminal
+in the eyes of the superstitious Indians.
+
+Frederick had been brought down to Morawhanna at Christmas—a little naked
+savage knowing not a word of English. When at a loss for a word he always
+fell back upon the civil “Sir” which Mr. King had taught him. As white
+women were rare in Morawhanna he had never learned the feminine of “Sir.”
+It was very amusing to see him serving at table, going all around asking
+with great dignity, “What will you have, Suh?” regardless of the sex
+of the guest. Mr. King had taught him to knock before entering a room.
+He was childishly delighted with the new accomplishment and knocked on
+both entering and leaving the room. We discovered that he had spent our
+sixpence on a belt which it seems was the desire of his heart—already so
+sophisticated!
+
+The dazed stoicism of the convicted Indian was infinitely pathetic to
+us. This terrible thing called the _Law_ is so incomprehensible to him.
+He cannot understand it. When a convicted comrade is taken down to
+Georgetown to execution, his friends and family realize only that he has
+gone away in a boat to some mysterious place from which he never returns.
+As far as the moral effect of an execution is concerned, there is none.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 73. FREDERICK, THE CARIB INDIAN BOY.]
+
+Into the absolutely natural life of the Indian, with the simple
+and perfectly comprehended tribal laws, has come so much that is
+confusing;—the new religion, the relations of the laborer to the
+employer, the wearing of clothes and the strange and powerful law. The
+Indian is a creature of the present moment, instantly acting upon every
+desire, working when he wishes to work, and quietly dropping all work
+and departing when he so desires. What can he—the creature of Nature—know
+of all this puzzling civilization?
+
+ * * * * *
+
+At noon on March 6th we embarked on the three days’ tent-boat journey
+from Morawhanna to Hoorie Mine. A thirty-foot launch was the motor power
+and alongside this the big tent-boat was lashed, while several Indians
+hitched their wood-skins behind as boys hitch sleds to a passing sleigh.
+
+The baggage was stored fore and aft and, perched on a pile in the bow,
+we prepared for our first real day of observation along the rivers of
+the Northwest. We retraced our way northward through Mora Passage,
+frightening as we went, a flock of seven Scarlet Ibises.[27] They kept
+close together and were evidently a single family, as two were in fully
+adult plumage, while the others were only three quarters grown, and
+feathered wholly in brown and white.
+
+About three o’clock in the afternoon we reached the Waini River, but
+instead of turning toward the mouth and the open ocean which we could
+see to the northwest, we steered eastward up stream. Although the outlet
+of several large rivers, the Waini, in its lower reaches, is little more
+than a great salt water tidal inlet, or caño.
+
+At Mora Passage the Waini is about two miles wide and through the choppy
+waters of the falling tide we steered straight across to the north shore.
+Between the waters of this river and the ocean extends a long narrow
+strip of marshy mangrove, for at least forty miles. Both the White and
+the Red Mangrove are found here, the latter predominating, and this is
+the breeding sanctuary of the hosts of birds which haunt the mud-flats
+at low tide and fill the trees with a gorgeous display of color when the
+feeding grounds are covered at high tide.
+
+For the next three hours we were enchanted by a constantly changing
+panorama of bird life, which in extent and variety can seldom be equalled
+elsewhere.
+
+While crossing the Waini several Swallow-tailed Kites[58] soared
+screaming overhead, occasionally swooping past for a nearer look at us.
+As we skirted the great mangrove forest, birds flew up ahead, few at
+first but in constantly increasing numbers, until several hundred were
+in sight at once. They showed little fear and were apparently content
+to vibrate slowly along between launch and shore, accompanying us for
+fifteen or twenty miles.
+
+By far the greater number were Little Blue Herons,[34] the pure white
+immature and the slaty blue adults being equally numerous. The latter
+were very inconspicuous among the foliage, while the former stood out
+like marble statues against green velvet. The coloring showed great
+asymmetrical variation, and one young bird with a single blue feather in
+the right wing was so tame that it kept almost abreast of our flotilla.
+The irregularity of moult resulted in most remarkable patterns, as in
+several birds, each of which had one white and one bluish wing.
+
+Half a dozen Yellow-crowned Night Herons[36] were seen and twenty or
+thirty of the ill-named Louisianas.[35] A few Great-billed Terns[14]
+accompanied the herons and later in the afternoon we began flushing Snowy
+Egrets[33] in ever increasing numbers. No American Egrets were seen. All
+along the coast were small flocks of Scarlet Ibises,[27] from three to
+thirty in number, and in an hour we had driven together no less than four
+hundred. The majority were full plumaged birds clad in burning vermilion,
+but many were young in moult. We secured a young female in an interesting
+condition of moult. In the stomach were found the two chelæ or claws of
+a small crustacean, each about one-third of an inch in length. The wings
+were wholly of the immature brown, except for one tiny under-edge covert
+in the right wing. The back, lower breast and under tail-coverts were
+fairly scarlet and active moult was in progress on the head and neck.
+
+We know that in captivity these birds fade out, usually in a single
+moult, from the most vivid scarlet to a pale salmon hue, but as to the
+cause we are still in the dark. The same is true of American Flamingos
+and Spoonbills. During this trip we made certain of a fact which helps
+slightly to clear this problem—this being that Scarlet Ibises fade as
+quickly and completely when in captivity in their native country as in
+the north. This is confirmed by many birds kept formerly in Georgetown
+and also on the Island of Marajo at the mouth of the Amazon.
+
+We have noticed an interesting fact in regard to this fading out of
+birds in captivity. Whether the salmon tints appear in the first moult,
+or more gradually in several, the lesser wing-coverts and the upper and
+under tail-coverts are the last to loose the scarlet color, retaining it
+sometimes for five or six years. These feathers in the nearly related but
+pale Roseate Spoonbill are those which are normally scarlet, and this
+resemblance may be more than a coincidence.
+
+About four o’clock we were surprised to see a large black and white bird
+with long gray beak and red legs fly up from a mud-flat ahead and swing
+outward and around us. The glasses showed a Maguari Stork[29] in full
+breeding color; even the red caruncles around the eye and the long, filmy
+neck feathers being visible. We had never expected to see the bird away
+from the pampas of the interior and the sight of the splendid Stork was
+most exciting. It is almost as large as the Jabiru, white with black
+wings, scapulars and tail and is one of the most picturesque of the
+larger waders.
+
+We have had a pair of these birds alive for some time and have observed
+a curious thing about the tail. The real tail-feathers are forked,
+swallow-like, while the intervening space is filled up with the long,
+stiff under tail-coverts. In flight the whole are spread, making a
+parti-colored fan of some eighteen feathers instead of the usual six
+pairs. These under tail-coverts are a full inch longer than the regular
+tail feathers and seem to be usurping their function.
+
+Two old friends of northern waters appeared in small numbers, Ospreys[59]
+circling about high in the air with now and then a meteor-like dive,
+while Spotted Sandpipers[22] looped from one headland to another ahead of
+us.
+
+At half-past four in the afternoon we had our first sight of the great
+flocks of birds which seem characteristic of this season. Quite high in
+air, clear of the tops of the tallest trees we saw a black cloud of birds
+approaching. We soon made them out to be Greater Anis,[79] or as the
+natives called them “Big Witch” or “Jumbie Birds.” When first seen they
+were in a dense, compact mass headed straight toward us.
+
+Their flight was uniform, each bird giving three to six flaps and then
+sailing ahead for several seconds. Hundreds doing this at once made
+the sight a most striking one, while it was enhanced by their long,
+wedge-shaped tails, high arched beaks, bright yellow eyes, and the
+iridescence of their dark plumage as the slanting rays of the sun struck
+them. We counted up to a thousand in the van and then gave up—there were
+at the very least four thousand birds in the flock.
+
+The approach of the puffing launch and our great escort of Ibises and
+Herons disconcerted them and the entire company broke up, most of them
+descending, turning on their course and fleeing ahead of us for several
+miles. Their mode of flight changed completely, the birds flying close to
+the water, barely skimming its surface and swinging up every few yards to
+alight on a low branch.
+
+A piece of wood thrown among a mass of them would cause great dismay, and
+they dashed down into the nearest foliage as if a Hawk had appeared.
+Little by little they drifted past, flying rapidly near shore, and
+continuing in the direction which they had originally chosen. A few of
+the birds were moulting, but by far the greater number were in perfect
+plumage.
+
+The flock had the appearance of being on some sort of migration rather
+than assembling at a nightly roost. About Georgetown and the settlements
+and clearings in general, this Greater Ani was much rarer then the small
+Smooth-billed species,[80] twenty of the latter being seen to one of the
+former. These aberrant Cuckoos are most interesting birds and several
+females are said to combine, building a single hollow nest of sticks in
+which the eggs are hatched.
+
+Hardly had the last Ani passed out of sight when a second cloud of birds
+appeared far ahead, and before we had approached near enough to identify
+them a shrill chorus came to our ears; a horde of Blue-headed Parrots[65]
+were on their way up the coast. They behaved in much the same way as the
+Anis, but were more numerous: an estimate far below the truth gave eight
+thousand. Closely massed though most of them were, yet the eternal two
+and two formation of the tribe of Parrots was never lost, and even when
+the vanguard, terrified by our puffing launch, wheeled and dashed back
+through the ranks behind, each Parrot flew always close to its mate.
+Once later on, when only a few scores were left near us, we saw several
+perched in a bare tree close to a Hawk, like a Sparrow Hawk in size, but
+neither species paid any attention to the other’s presence.
+
+The Parrots screamed unceasingly and near the main body the noise was
+terrific—a shrill deafening roar, as from a dozen factory whistles. Until
+long after dark they flew back and forth around us, sometimes attempting
+to alight in a tree and falling from branch to branch almost to the
+water, before securing a foot or beak-hold. For several hours perfect
+pandemonium reigned around us.
+
+Whether these two phenomena of flocking birds indicated merely a nightly
+roosting habit or an actual, more or less local migration, they were
+of the greatest interest, and spectacular in the extreme. Our opinion
+inclines decidedly toward the latter theory, as they both differed
+greatly from the regular roosting flights which we observed elsewhere.
+
+Long after dark, about nine o’clock, in the faint light of the
+cloud-dimmed moon, we caught glimpses of occasional ghostly forms
+flitting silently past, and when we flashed our powerful electric light
+upon them, the feathered ghosts would emit frightened squawks; revealed
+as Snowy Egrets or young Blue Herons. Here and there among the mangroves,
+large lightning bugs flashed. At last we rolled up in our blankets and
+slept on the thwarts, to dream of the unnumbered legions of Anis and
+Parrots far off behind us in the blackness of the mangrove jungle.
+
+In a soft steady rain we steamed all next morning up the Waini, seeing
+few signs of life, except three Toucans which flew across at Barrimani
+Police Station. At noon we reached Farnum’s at the junction of the Waini
+and Barama rivers. Mr. and Mrs. Farnum live in a small house perched on
+the very summit of a symmetrically rounded hill—the first elevation we
+had seen in this flat region. There is a tiny store at the foot of the
+hill, and a saw-mill, and in the grass of the clearing, bête-rouge lie in
+patient wait for the passer-by. Mrs. Farnum told us that “Hummingbirds”
+flew into the peaked roof of the house almost every day and died. The
+natives call by this name all the species of Honey Creepers, and a
+Yellow-winged[136] male was picked up from the floor during our visit.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 74. OUR TENT-BOAT ON THE BARAMA RIVER.]
+
+We found later that this was such a common occurrence that in almost all
+the houses there were instruments for getting rid of the bewildered,
+fluttering birds. The more cruel used only a long stick with which the
+birds were struck down, but the more humanely inclined had nets on the
+end of long poles. As many as seven Honey Creepers are occasionally
+entrapped at one time. They do not seem to know how to fly toward light
+and liberty after getting up among the dark rafters.
+
+The fauna of this exceedingly marshy region was different from that
+higher up. Agoutis and pacas are abundant but capybaras do not come this
+side of Barramanni Police Station. Deer and peccaries are very rare.
+Jaguars are unknown but ocelots are occasionally found, a young one
+having been killed under the house at Christmas. It lived in a burrow and
+took a chicken each night until it was killed.
+
+Many fish were seen playing about the tent-boat as it was tied to the
+wharf, and among others were scores of small pipe-fish. Mr. Crandall
+caught a small round sun-fish-like form, brilliantly colored and with a
+most wicked looking set of triangular teeth. As he was about to take the
+fish off the hook it deliberately twisted itself in the direction of his
+hand and bit his finger, taking a piece out with one snip of its four
+razor-like incisors. This was our introduction to the famous Perai or
+Carib Fish (_Serrasalmo scapularis_) which seems to fear nothing, man,
+crocodile or fish, and a school of which can disable any creature in a
+very short time.
+
+At this point we left the Waini and turned off into the Barama. We had
+followed the Waini day and night for about sixty miles, until, from a
+stream of two miles or more in width, it had narrowed to little more then
+one hundred yards.
+
+We left Farnum’s at three in the afternoon and steamed slowly up the
+Barama for twelve hours, tying up to the bank from three to seven in the
+early morning. We slept but little, for the strange wonderland which
+opened up before us. At nine o’clock the full moon rose and the beauty of
+the wilderness became indescribable. In the north—along the rivers of
+the Canadian forest—the spruces and firs are clean-trunked, tapering to
+tall, isolated, symmetrical summits. Here the very opposite conditions
+exist; solid massive walls of black foliage, with almost never a glimpse
+of trunk and bark. Most characteristic are the long, slender bush-ropes
+or lianas. In the forest they are thick, gnarled and knotted; there we
+get the vivid feeling of serpentine struggles in the terribly slow but
+none the less remorseless striving for light and air, but along the
+rivers the lianas are pendent threads or cables—straight as plummets and
+often a hundred feet in length. These give a decorative aspect to the
+scene unlike any other type of forest—temperate or northern.
+
+In the moonlight the appearance of the walls of foliage is like painted
+scenery. Their blackness and impenetrability give a feeling of flatness
+and the summit outlines are crudely regular. The dominant sound at night
+along the Barama was a sweet tinkling as of tiny bells, all in unison and
+harmony, but with a range of at least four half-tones. The tree-toads
+clinging here and there to leaves and flowers throughout the jungle fill
+this whole region with the melody of their chimes; striking the minutes
+as if with a thousand tiny anvils, and only too often leading some enemy
+to their hiding places.
+
+We woke at early dusk and climbing out upon the bow of the tent-boat
+watched the coming of the tropical day. The medley of fairy bells was
+still bravely ringing, but as the dawn approached, the little nocturnal
+musicians ceased tolling and the chorus died out with a few faint, final
+tinkles. Six o’clock, and the sunshine upon the tree-tops brought a burst
+of sound from the Woodhewers, a succession of twelve to twenty loud,
+ringing tones in a rapidly descending scale—Canyon Wren-like and taken up
+continuously from far and near. The very tang and crispness of the early
+dawn seemed to inspire the quality of their notes.
+
+As soon as it was light, Swallows were seen in numbers, small, dark
+steel-blue in color with a striking band of white across the breast.
+These beautiful Banded Swallows[118] kept at first to two levels in the
+air; close to the water, fairly skimming its surface, and high up above
+the tallest trees—marking I suppose the early morning distribution of
+gnats and other insects. Most delicate and fairy-like they appeared when
+perched on some great orchid-hung dead branch protruding from the water.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 75. INDIAN BOYS IN DUG-OUT.]
+
+We can find no adjectives to express the beauty and calm of the cool,
+early morning on these tropical rivers. Myriads—untold myriads—of leaves
+and branches surround us like the lofty walls of a canyon. We have used
+the words wall in this connection many times and no other word seems to
+be so suitable. All sense of flatness is lost in the light of the dawn;
+and instead we see these living walls now as infinitely softened; but
+still the eye cannot penetrate the intricate tangle. Not a breath of air
+stirs the smallest leaf. It is like the fairy river of an enchanted
+country—all Nature quiet and resting—with only the brown current ever
+slipping silently past, here and there foam-flecked or bearing some tiny
+aquatic plant with its rosette of downy leaves.
+
+Then,—the lush tropical nature rushing ever to extremes—comes a deluge
+of virile life upon the scene. A great fish leaps far upward, shattering
+the surface, pursued by a fierce, brown-coated otter, almost as large as
+a man. A half dozen green Parrots throb screaming past in pairs; two big
+Red-breasted King-fishers[67] spring from their perch and come leaping
+toward us through the air, suddenly wheeling up almost in a somersault
+and down like two meteors into the water.
+
+We leave our bushy moorings at last and keep on up the river with
+the tide, passing the English mission of Father Carey-Elwis, which,
+like Farnum’s, is built on a hill, isolated amid the great expanse of
+flat marshy jungle. A dozen little naked Indian lads shriek in sheer
+excitement and rush down to the water’s edge to watch us pass, peering
+fearfully out from behind trees like little gnomes.
+
+From here on butterflies became very abundant; many large Yellows and
+Oranges and Morphos of two kinds, one altogether iridescent blue, the
+other blue and black. As the little vocal messages of the tree-frogs are
+carried far and wide through the jungle at night, so in the sunshine the
+morphos, like heliographs of azure, flash silently from bend to bend of
+the river. Conspicuous among the great Mora and Purple-heart trees were
+the white-barked Silk Cottons. Large yellow tubular blossoms and masses
+of purple pea blooms tint the trees here and there.
+
+The Indians along the river were catching two kinds of fish; one a
+silvery mullet about six inches long called Bashew, and a catfish of the
+same size. The latter was most formidable in appearance but actually
+harmless. Four slender barbels of medium size depended from the lower
+jaw, while two pigmented ones extended forward from the upper jaw and
+were so long that when pressed back they reached to the tail.
+
+Rain fell irregularly during the day, but so gently and so softly that we
+hardly knew when it began and when it ended. It never chilled but rather
+refreshed. About noon a third migrational flocking of birds was noticed;
+seventy-two large South American Black Hawks[55] circling slowly around,
+setting their wings after a while and sailing off to the west as one bird.
+
+The action and reaction among the vegetation was often as striking as
+among more active organisms. Where parasitic aërial roots had descended
+seventy or eighty feet and touched the water near shore, vines had
+somehow managed to reach out and throw a tendril about the roots, take
+hold and climb circle upon circle to the top. The palm trees alone of
+all the forest growth seemed universally free from parasitic plants and
+climbing vines.
+
+Above the mission, coincident with the increase of butterflies and the
+appearance of occasional sand-banks, palm trees disappeared without
+apparent reason. The river narrowed as we ascended until it was only
+fifty yards across and the bends increased in angle and number. Now and
+then we passed a cut-off when the stream had cut through one of its own
+bends and made a new bed for itself.
+
+A small opening in the wall of verdure was hailed as Hoorie Creek and,
+dropping behind the launch, we were towed a mile or more up its tortuous
+length, now and then running aground or rather “atree,” as it was only
+thirty feet wide and as sinuous as a serpent. We tied fast to a big
+overhanging tree which marked the end of our journey by water and, all
+excitement, leaped ashore.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+A GOLD MINE IN THE WILDERNESS.
+
+
+We loaded our tin canisters, clothing bags, guns and cameras on a cart
+which was waiting and set out along the bush trail, three and a half
+miles to the gold mine. The trail led through a great swampy forest with
+a clear brook occasionally crossing it, and for the sake of the wagon
+which had to transport all supplies, it was corduroyed in the worst
+places with small saplings or quartered trunks. We had all donned cheap
+tennis shoes which proved on this and all later occasions to be perfect
+footwear for the tropics. The rubber soles allow one to obtain sure
+footing in slippery places and a wetting matters nothing. If one walks
+far enough the shoes dry on one’s feet, or at camp a new pair may be
+slipped on in a moment and next day the old ones are none the worse for
+the soaking. Here snake-proof and water-proof shoes are as useless as
+they are uncomfortable.
+
+It was amusing to see how quickly the regard for mud and water left even
+those of our party who were taking their first dip into the real “bush.”
+For the first few yards all picked their way carefully. There was even a
+pair of storm rubbers leaving its checkered print on the forest mould!
+Then some one stepped on the loose end of a corduroy sapling which rose
+in air and fell with a sharp spat. Everyone dodged the shower of mud and
+straightway went over ankles in water. The cool fluid trickled between
+our toes and we all laughed with relief. The rubbers found an early grave
+in the mud-hole and we all strode happily along, wishing we had a hundred
+eyes, to see all that was going on around and above us.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 76. CROSSING A STREAM ON THE HOORIE JUNGLE ROAD.]
+
+A perfect medley of calls and cries came from the tree-tops high overhead
+as we tramped along. In places the trees were magnificent, looking like
+a maze of columns in some great cathedral, roofed over with a lofty dome
+of foliage. On this first walk the final impression was of a host of
+strange sights and sounds, a few of which we were able to disentangle on
+succeeding days. We had poured over Waterton, Schomburgk and Bates but we
+realized anew the utter futility of trying to reconstruct with pen and
+ink the grandeur and beauty, and forever and always the mystery, of a
+tropical forest.
+
+Then from the heart of the wilderness we came suddenly upon man’s
+handiwork; the tiny, twenty acre clearing of the gold mine. On the
+outskirts of the forest were the frail, frond-roofed shelters which
+marked the homes of the Indians and the rough mud and thatch huts of
+the black laborers. A dam was thrown across the narrow valley and on
+the rim of the jungle lake thus made, was the powerful electric engine.
+This great thing of vibrating wheels and pistons seemed strangely out of
+place in the wilderness. As we watched, it seemed to take on a semblance
+of dull life. Stolid-faced, naked Indians fed it vast quantities of cord
+wood, and in return it sucked up a great pipeful of water from the lake.
+The pipe lay quietly on trestles, winding up and around a low hill out of
+sight, giving no hint of the terrific rush of water within.
+
+Following the pipe line we turn a sudden corner on the hill-top and the
+heart of the clearing lies at our feet. At the end of the pipe, far
+below, a man stands, barely able to guide and shift the mighty spout
+of water which gushes forth. Half the hill has been torn away by the
+irresistible stream, which shoots upward in a majestic column and dashes
+with a roar against the cliff of clay and rubble. The ever-widening
+gorge which the water has eaten into the hill glows in the sunlight
+with bright-colored strata. On each side the red clay is dominant, while
+between runs the strip of pale gray which holds the precious nuggets.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 77. THE WILDERNESS TRAIL.]
+
+It is an ochreous clay carrying free gold. The rock is in place and
+perfectly decomposed to a depth of seventy-five or one hundred feet.
+This decomposition is the result of the constant infiltration of warm
+rains carrying carbonic acid and humous acids from the rapidly decaying
+tropical vegetation. Through the clay are scattered nodules of impure
+limonite.
+
+In a tumbling, falling mass the muddy water washes back upon its path,
+confined in a trough under the pipe, and as it goes it gives up its
+yellow burden. As the grains and nuggets drop to the bottom they touch
+the mercury and behold! to the eye they are no longer gold but silver!
+
+As we had been impressed by the grandeur of the forest, so we now
+began to see the romance of the wonderful gold deep hidden beneath the
+centuries of jungle growth. Gold, which we had known only in form of
+coin or ring, now assumed a new beauty and meaning. Here, amid the great
+trees, the beautiful birds and insects, the Indians as yet unspoiled by
+civilization, one could thoroughly enjoy such “money-making.” One hears
+of gold mines all one’s life, but until one actually sees the metal taken
+from its resting place where it has laid since the earth was young, the
+word means but little.
+
+Beyond the golden gorge with the roaring “little giant” ever filling it
+with spray, was a second hill topped with the bungalow which we were to
+call home. Beyond this the jungle began again.
+
+After a delicious shower-bath we slung our hammocks on the veranda and
+sat on the hillside in the moonlight for an hour or more, watching the
+night shift at work, one or two men guiding the stream beneath flickering
+arc-lights, others puddling the down rushing torrent. Just beneath us
+in the dark shadow of a bush lay the coolie night watchman, with the
+inscrutable face of his race, keeping watch over the long, snaky flume,
+at the bottom of which the quicksilver was ever engulfing the precious
+metal.
+
+Later we slept the dreamless hammock sleep of the tropics, lulled by the
+dull droning roar of the water dashing against the clay—a sound which
+echoed through the jungle and gained in volume until we drowsily knew we
+were listening to the howling of the red baboons. Even this invasion of
+man merged harmoniously with the sounds of the wilderness.
+
+
+LIFE ABOUT THE BUNGALOW.
+
+We remained at Hoorie just seven days—only long enough to begin to look
+beneath the surface and realize what a veritable wonderland it was for
+scientist or nature lover.
+
+On the last day of our stay we wrote in our journal; “Hoorie is a
+perfect health resort; temperature good[D]; no mosquitoes; food
+excellent; splendid place for laboratory work; interesting insect life
+superabundant; birds and lizards abundant; snakes rare; perai, electric
+eels and manatees in the creek; peccary, deer, red howlers, armadillos,
+sloths and ant-eaters within short distance of bungalow.” What more could
+be asked?
+
+The bungalow was a well-built house with wide veranda, perched on the
+cleared summit of a low hill sloping evenly in all directions; the thick
+bush and shrubby undergrowth beginning about one hundred feet down the
+hillside.
+
+We shall not attempt to describe or even mention the many varieties
+of creatures which haunted the clearing, but leaving these for our
+scientific reports, we shall speak only of those which are especially
+interesting.
+
+When one enters a vast forested wilderness such as this, and makes a
+good-sized clearing, the inmates of the forest are bound to be affected.
+The most timid ones flee at the first stroke of the axe; others,
+swayed by curiosity, return again and again to watch the interlopers.
+A third class, learning somehow of the new settlement, come post haste
+and make themselves at home. These are chiefly birds, which, seldom or
+never found living in the heart of the jungle, are as keen as Vultures
+to spy out a new clearing. They must follow the canoes and trail, else
+it is impossible to imagine how they learn of new outposts—whether a
+simple Indian hammock shelter and cassava field, or a great commercial
+undertaking such as this gold mine.
+
+To begin with the birds, the Hoorie clearing possessed two pairs of
+Blue,[143] three pairs of Palm,[144] and five pairs of Silverbeak[146]
+Tanagers, besides six Blue-backed Seedeaters.[131] None of these are
+forest birds and all nest in brushy places.
+
+The Blue Tanagers are clad in delicate, varying shades of pale blue; the
+Palm Tanagers in dull olive green, but both make up in noisy sibilant
+cries what they lack in color. The Silverbeaks are beautiful, shading
+from rich wine color to black, and with conspicuous silvery blue beaks.
+The little Seedeaters were the most familiar birds about the bungalow,
+coming to the steps to feed on fallen seeds.
+
+One of the first things which caught our eye were several brilliantly
+iridescent green birds, insect-catching, among the brush near the house.
+These were Paradise Jacamars,[85] and they had their homes in the clay
+banks of the rivulets, deep buried in the narrow valleys which abounded
+in the forest.
+
+Each bird had two or more favorite twigs. When bug-hunting flagged at
+one post they flew with a long swoop to the second point of vantage. Our
+assistant, Crandall, observing this, laid a limed twig across the lookout
+perch and in a short time had caught two male birds. Their mates called
+loudly for a time, then disappeared. Before night both had returned with
+new mates, which we left in peace.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 78. ENGINE HOUSE AND FLUME OF HOORIE GOLD MINE.]
+
+They were tame and allowed us to approach within eight or ten feet before
+flying to their alternate perches. Their feet are small and weak and they
+have a hunched up look as they perch in wait, turning the head rapidly in
+every direction and now and then swooping like a flash after some tiny
+insect, engulfing it with a loud snap of the mandibles. Their call-note
+is a sharp, repeated _pip! pip! pip! pip!_
+
+These birds welcome the clearing, as it means an increased supply of
+insect food. They learn the value even of the opening made by the fall
+of a single tree deep in the jungle, and here and elsewhere we noticed
+that a single pair of Jacamars would keep busy day after day in the patch
+of sunlight let in by the death of some forest giant. Jacamars form a
+rather compact group of some twenty species; in habit like Flycatchers;
+in appearance and nest like Kingfishers, but in structure more closely
+related to Toucans and Woodpeckers.
+
+Even in the short time which we spent at Hoorie we learned to expect
+a regular daily movement on the part of many of the birds. Early each
+morning a flock of about a dozen splendid Jays worked slowly around the
+edge of the clearing, at last disappearing behind the bungalow into the
+woods. In the north this would not be an unusual sight, but it must be
+remembered that members of the Jay family, like the Wood Warblers, are
+rarely seen in the tropics. Crows and Ravens are entirely absent from
+South America, and but two species of Jays find their way into British
+Guiana.
+
+Our Hoorie birds were Lavender Jays[161] and although so far from the
+home of their family they were no whit the less Jay-like. They constantly
+hailed each other with a varied vocabulary of harsh cries and calls,
+and now and then held a morsel of food between the toes and pounded it
+vigorously. They flapped but seldom, passing with short sailing flights
+from branch to branch not far from the ground.
+
+At night they returned rather more rapidly—less absorbed in
+feeding—probably to some roosting place of which they alone knew. With
+them, night and morning, were a few Red-backed Bunyahs or Cassiques,[152]
+early nesters from the colony at the dam, of which more anon. The two
+species seemed to associate closely, although it was evident that it was
+the Bunyahs which had taken up with the sturdy pioneers from the North.
+
+A short distance away from the bungalow a huge Mora stood in the forest
+looking down on all the trees around. The lightning bolt which had torn
+off its bark and killed it, had also consumed its dense clothing of
+parasitic vines and bush-ropes. So now it stood with naked, clean wood
+high above the sea of foliage, and within a day after our arrival we had
+christened it the Toucan Mora.
+
+In the evening, about on the stroke of seven, the first comers would
+arrive—a trio of Black-banded Aracaris[84] which alight and preen their
+feathers. These may remain quiet for about twenty minutes, but more often
+take to flight at the approach of a screaming flock of eight or ten Mealy
+Amazon Parrots[63] which scatter over the branches. But the other species
+of Toucans are now awake and soon the Parrots are in turn driven off, and
+four or five big-billed fellows usurp the dead Mora and sun themselves
+or call loudly to the Vultures swinging high overhead. There are two
+species of these larger Toucans, the Red-billed[81] and the Sulphur and
+White-breasted,[82] and they seem to live together amicably, but war with
+the small Aracaris. The notes of the Red-billed Toucans are like the
+yapping of a puppy, uttered in pairs and differing slightly, thus, _yap!
+yip! yap! yip!_ The great mandibles are opened and thrown upward at each
+utterance. The brilliant white-breasted birds call loudly _kiok! kiok!_
+in a high, shrill tone very unlike that of their fellows.
+
+Morning and evening the Toucans and Parrots pass, always alighting on
+the dead Mora, while during the day we detect them deep in the jungle,
+feeding in the tops of the trees and sending down to us their calls,
+_yap!_, _kiok!_ or _squawk!_ as the case may be.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 79. THE “LITTLE GIANT” AT WORK.]
+
+A fourth species, the Red-breasted Toucan[83] was occasionally seen
+high in the tree tops. These birds had two distinct utterances, one a
+frog-like croak, and the other a double-toned shrill cry, the two tones
+being B and B# above middle C.
+
+Early in the evenings, about six o’clock, all the Banded Swallows[118]
+of the surrounding region passed overhead in a dense flock, two or three
+hundred in all, soaring with a steady, half-sailing flight very different
+from the dashing swoops which carry them over the lake when feeding
+during the day. Now they are headed northward to some safe roosting
+place and with no thought of passing gnats. The myriads of graceful,
+glossy blue forms, each crossed on the breast with a band of white,
+made a most beautiful sight. In the morning their return flight was by
+twos and threes, with rapid darts here and there. Hunger now permitted
+no dressing of ranks or close formation. During the day none were to be
+seen about the bungalow, but only on the lake or along the creek bed. The
+unfortunate gnats which hummed in the bungalow clearing were attended to
+by the little Feather-toed Palm Swifts,[71] which were most abundant.
+
+Among the hosts of smaller birds which haunted the tree-tops at the edge
+of the clearing, the Black-faced Green Grosbeaks[135] were especially
+noticeable. In color they reminded one of immature male Orchard Orioles,
+being yellowish green with black throat and face. They fed morning and
+evening on the reddish berries of a great vine which ripened its fruit in
+the tree-tops, and here their song was repeated over and over, a rattling
+buzz, like the rapid stroke of a stick along the palings of a fence,
+followed by three liquid, whip-like notes, thus:
+
+[Music]
+
+The buzz part of the song also did duty as the call-note.
+
+Once or twice each day we would be treated to a glimpse of the wonderful
+Pompadour Cotingas.[116] A flock of four male birds would flash overhead
+and swing up to some lofty perch, wary, silent, but of exquisite color.
+The whole body was of a brilliant reddish purple—rich wine color—with
+wings of purest white. Silhouetted against the blue sky as they were
+perched close together, they might have been Starlings or Blackbirds as
+far as color went, but when they all shot off into the air and showed
+up against the green leaves they fairly blazed—the yellow eyes, the
+scintillating purple plumage, and the dazzling white wings. The last
+flash of the wings before they were folded out of sight was a most
+efficient protection as it seemed to hold the vision, so that several
+moments elapsed before the perching bird itself could be located.
+
+The sombre, ashy females were not observed; certainly they never joined
+in the flights with the quartet of males. In the latter sex, a half dozen
+or more of the greater wing coverts are stiffened and the webs curved
+around almost into little tubes. We know practically nothing of the wild
+habits of the Pompadour Cotinga but a most remarkable thing about the
+color is that, by the application of a little heat, it turns from deep
+reddish purple to pale yellow. It is rather interesting to compare this
+with the changing of the Purple Finch from rose-red to yellowish in
+captivity. The Chatterers or Cotingas form one of the most interesting
+tropical families of birds, and we lost no opportunity of studying
+closely all which we observed. At Hoorie, beside the Pompadour Cotingas
+we saw the Black-tailed Tityra.[113] In Mexico we had seen a closely
+related species and here again were the strange “Frog-birds,” with a
+little more black on the cap and tail.
+
+We first observed a pair near the colony of Red-backed Bunyahs in the
+creek bed, but as we were leaving the bungalow for the last time, our
+farewell was made all the harder by discovering that the Tityras had
+begun to nest in a small dead stub standing alone in the centre of the
+vegetable garden and not twenty yards from the bungalow.
+
+The birds were having a hard time of it, carrying stiff, four-inch twigs
+into a three-inch hole, but they were succeeding, showing that they knew
+better than to hold the twig by the centre. The whole head to below the
+eyes and including the upper nape was black, while the bare skin of the
+face and the basal two-thirds of the beak were bright red. The male was
+uniformly pale bluish white, while his mate was distinguished by many
+rather faint streaks of black on the breast, sides, and under parts. Both
+birds alternated in carrying the nesting material and in arranging it,
+remaining silent as long as we watched them. The nesting stub was about
+six inches in diameter and the hole thirty feet above the ground.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 80. CARIB HUNTER AND HIS CHILDREN AT HOORIE.]
+
+These birds lack the bright hues of most of their relatives, but have the
+family trait of possessing some queer trick of plumage. While the first
+flight feather of the wing is perfectly normal, measuring about three
+and a half inches in length, the second is a mere parody of a feather,
+tapering to a point and reaching a length of less than two inches. Only
+the true lover of birds will realize what an effort it took to tear
+ourselves away from this pair of birds, whose eggs and young appear to be
+as yet undescribed.
+
+Two Marail Guans[6] and a Trumpeter[25] were interesting inmates of the
+hen-yard and made no effort to escape, although they were full-winged and
+had the run of the clearing. The Trumpeter went to roost each night at
+5.30 as punctually as if he had a watch under his wing. He slept standing
+on one leg, resting on the first joints of his front toes, his head drawn
+back behind his wing.
+
+Often on our walks we would come across an Indian hut, so hidden away in
+the depths of the dense forest that its discovery was merely a matter
+of chance. Most of these huts consisted simply of four poles covered by
+the rudest sort of a palm-thatched roof. The house furnishing was as
+primitive as the house itself—a hammock for each member of the family;
+varying in size in proportion to that of their owners, like the chairs of
+the historic nursery characters—the “Three Bears.” One or two calabashes
+or gourds, several hand-woven baskets of cassava bread, some strips of
+dried fish and a smoky fire completed the picture.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 81. THREE GENERATIONS OF CARIB INDIANS.]
+
+The entire domestic life of these Indian establishments went on perfectly
+openly and quite unaffected by our curious scrutiny. We rarely saw
+the Indian men at home; they were off hunting, or fishing, or perhaps
+employed by the mine as woodcutters. The women were always busy, cooking,
+planting cassava, spinning cotton, weaving hammocks and baskets and bead
+aprons, necklaces and bracelets. We could never resist the temptation to
+stop and make friends with them. The gift of a cigarette won their hearts
+and we invariably found them very gentle and kindly. Their costumes
+were extraordinary. Those who had been presented with the garments of
+civilization proudly wore them, though they were nothing more than short,
+loose slips. But the majority wore their native dress—consisting chiefly
+of beads; certainly far more healthful and suitable for them than the
+unaccustomed clothing given them by the missionaries. The children were
+lovable little pieces of bronze, very smooth and glossy. They would often
+come softly up and slip their small hands in ours, looking up at us with
+shy wonder.
+
+In one of the huts we watched with amusement the wee-est of Indian girls
+trying to drive away a huge rooster who was pervading the hut. The
+child could not have been more than two years old—but she was already
+thoroughly feminine, waving her small arms valiantly at the intruder and
+then running away terrified to bury her head in her mother’s hammock,
+until she could summon courage for another attack upon the enemy.
+
+As time went on and news of our arrival spread, Indians from huts far
+distant in the forest made expeditions to come and look at us; as curious
+about us as was the small boy living up on the Essequibo River who saved
+up his “bits” and took a long journey down the river to see a horse. He
+had heard that there were such creatures but he wished to investigate for
+himself. So tours were made to see us and we were inspected by wondering
+eyes to whom white women were as strange as were horses to the little
+“bush” lad.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 82. MR. WILSHIRE AND CRANDALL WITH DEAD BUSHMASTER.]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 83. THE TERRIBLE BUSHMASTER.]
+
+One day at the bungalow we found a group of Indian children gathered
+about the door of the modern bathroom which Mr. Wilshire had had fitted
+up. It was all a great puzzle to the little dwellers in the forest. To
+amuse them we took them in and turned on and off the shower bath, trying
+to explain what it was, but all to no purpose. To them a bath meant “me
+wash skin in river”; while the shower-bath was merely an interesting
+scientific phenomenon—the mysterious white beings were making rain at
+their own will!
+
+We were disappointed at not getting more photographs of the Indians.
+Their prejudice against being photographed is a deep-rooted superstition.
+They feel that it gives you a superhuman power over them. Indians often
+ran like deer through the woods when we pointed the camera at them and it
+was only by passing around candy to those who came to the bungalow and so
+diverting their attention from the dreaded camera, that we secured any
+pictures at all.
+
+We encountered but one poisonous serpent, and that one by proxy. A big
+bushmaster or couanacouchi, all but dead, was brought to the house one
+day by an Indian who had speared it. It had been found coiled up on the
+forest leaves and was so like them in color that the Indian had nearly
+trod upon it. Although we searched thoroughly we could never find a
+second specimen.
+
+
+A DAY IN THE JUNGLE NEAR HOORIE.
+
+The region about Hoorie consists chiefly of small but steep hills, some
+isolated with a few hundred yards of flat land about them, others close
+together and separated by deep, narrow valleys with running water at the
+bottom. All drain into Hoorie Creek which from the mine clearing runs
+in a fairly straight direction through flat, marshy land to the Barama
+River up which we had come. The whole country is, of course, completely
+covered with a thick forest, of good-sized trees, which are heavily
+draped with vines and parasitic plants, although these are not dense
+enough to shut out the sunlight. Thus in many places a heavy undergrowth
+is found, making it difficult to get about, while the steep ascents and
+equally precipitous descents into the numerous intersecting valleys make
+extended exploration an arduous task, especially in the directions away
+from Hoorie Creek. But in this land of superabundant life, one needs but
+a short walk to fill one’s note-book with interesting facts. Let us spend
+a day in the jungle.
+
+In light marching order, with glasses and note-books only, we started out
+in the direction of the great pit of golden gravel, and finding Nasua,
+the coolie, we persuaded him to pan a few shovelfuls of earth from the
+surface of the ground within reach of the spray of the water spouting up
+towards us.
+
+It was fascinating to watch his slender deft fingers and his skilful
+manipulation of the gold pan. Filling it to overflowing with gray or red
+clay, he half sank it beneath the surface of a little pool and began
+rocking and turning it. Soon the large pebbles were all eliminated and
+only a muddy sediment left. This was washed and revolved until there
+seemed nothing but clear water, when as the last dirt was flowed over
+the rim there came the flash of the golden grains. Pressing his fingers
+on these, the pan was reversed for a moment, and then dipping his finger
+tips in the clear water of our glass vial the yellow grains sank swiftly
+to the bottom. Sometimes only a half penny’s worth would reward us, while
+again as much as a shilling’s value would be shown.
+
+Passing over the ridge we saw before us a deep and very narrow valley
+with precipitous sides, down which we slid and crawled, hanging on to
+vines and saplings to break our descent. At the bottom we found an
+interesting advance in the evolution of gold mining over the simplest
+form of gold panning. Two blacks were operating a “Long Tom,” which in
+mining vernacular is the name for a six by two, heavy, coarse, metal
+sieve set obliquely in the channel of a small brook. The gold-bearing
+gravel and clay is shovelled into it and puddled with a hoe, and the gold
+settles to the bottom to be later panned. Thus division of labor enters
+in—one black shovelling while his partner puddles. We asked them how
+much they were getting out and, as usual, they said “almost nothing,”
+or a few shillings’ worth at the most! This was to avoid any danger of
+their tiny holdings being considered too valuable and taken away from
+them. Mr. Wilshire took a pan here on another day and unearthed a tiny
+nugget, worth perhaps two shillings, much to the blacks’ discomfiture,
+who hastened to explain that such an opulent find was indeed rare. The
+poor fellows at best make little enough and it was pitiful to see the
+tiny packets of gold dust which they brought to the company’s store at
+the end of the week to exchange for food or credit checks. The universal
+Guianan name for this type of independent miner is “pork-knocker,” the
+explanation being that by knocking the rocks to pieces, they find just
+enough gold to procure the pork upon which they live.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 84. PANNING GOLD.]
+
+They are allowed to work on side streams near the large mining
+operations, their total taking of gold being relatively insignificant,
+while they sometimes locate valuable deposits in the course of their
+wanderings. They are a jolly, happy-go-lucky type, apparently careless of
+their luck and invariably optimistic of the future.
+
+A naturalist would find it difficult to keep his attention fixed on “Pan”
+or “Long Tom” in this narrow glade, for great iridescent blue morpho
+butterflies are floating about everywhere among the lights and shadows.
+From some tall trees a continual shower of whirling objects are falling,
+some white, others purple. Catching one we find it to be a narrow
+petaled, five parted, star-like blossom (_Petræa arborea_), weighted by
+a slender stem. When thrown up into the air they revolve like horizontal
+pin-wheels, falling slowly and forming a most remarkable rain of color.
+Forcing our way up the opposite slope and on through the underbrush we
+come out on the corduroy road half a mile from the mine.
+
+As a corduroy sapling turns and splashes the water under foot, a cloud
+of orange and white butterflies arises and scatters through the woods.
+Suddenly through the warm damp stillness there rings out a piercing,
+three-syllabled cry, which was to become for us the vocal spirit of
+the Guiana wilderness. Day after day we heard it wherever the unbroken
+primeval forest reigned, but never near the haunts of man. This, with
+the roar of the red baboon and the celestial theme of the Quadrille Bird,
+forms the trilogy most cherished in our memory of all the Guiana sounds.
+
+We are listening to the call of the Gold or Greenheart Bird,[115] another
+member of the Cotingas or Chatterers, which is as remarkable for its
+voice as it is lacking in brilliant colors. Loud as the call is, it is
+very ventriloquil and difficult to locate. When directly beneath the
+sound it seems to come from the tops of the highest trees, a hundred feet
+up, whereas in all probability the bird is not more than twenty-five feet
+above our heads. It sits motionless but the violence of its utterance
+makes the whole branch vibrate. We soon learn that to search and find
+the bird directly is impossible, but by letting the eyes take in as
+large a field as possible, the vibration from the vocal effort is easily
+discernible.
+
+The male Goldbird is uniformly ashy or slate-colored, slightly darker
+above, very Solitaire-like both in color and size. The female is
+distinguished by a shade of rufous on the wing-coverts and the tips of
+the flight feathers. With such coloring it is not strange that the bird
+becomes invisible amid the dark shadows of the lower branches.
+
+The natives know this bird as the _Pe-pe-yo_ from its call, and Goldbird
+from the fact that all pork-knockers believe it is never found far from
+deposits of gold; while the theory that it usually utters its call from a
+greenheart tree accounts for its third name.
+
+Its note is typical of our American tropics, where highly developed song
+is rare, but single loud, metallic or liquid syllables are the rule.
+The bird has two introductory phrases which heretofore seem to have
+escaped the notice of observers. Indeed, until one noticed the invariable
+sequence of the two sets of notes, it would never be suspected that
+they proceeded from the same bird. The introductory phrases are low and
+muffled and yet have considerable carrying power. They possess the
+indescribable vibrating chord-like quality of the Veery’s song which
+defies all description. Musically they may be written thus:
+
+[Music]
+
+Almost instantly follow the three notes of the call or song. They are
+of tremendous strength and exceedingly liquid and piercing. The nearest
+imitation is to whistle the syllables _wheé! wheé! o!_ as loudly as
+possible. We never tire of listening. The bird overhead calls so loudly
+that our ears tingle; another answers, then a third and a fourth, far
+away in the dim recesses of the forest.
+
+Many miles inland near the wonderful plateau of Roraima lives another
+species of Goldbird, similar to ours except for a bright rosy pink collar
+around the neck. We saw nothing of this beautiful Cotinga, but one of the
+Goldbirds which we secured had a distinct but irregular collar of rufous,
+hinting of a not distant relationship.
+
+A short distance along the corduroy road we came upon a half dozen naked
+Indians cutting away underbush, preparatory to making a new road bed. It
+was a delight to watch their sinewy bodies bend and strain, moving here
+and there through the thorns and sharp twigs with never a scratch. They
+came across many curious creatures among the rotting trunks and leaf
+mould, and when they learned we were interested, they would tie their
+captives with liana threads, or imprison them in clever leaf boxes, and
+save them for us. The most weird looking of these were gigantic whip
+scorpions or pedipalp spiders (_Admetus pumilio_) like brobdignagian
+daddy-long-legs, which crawled painfully about on their slender legs and
+never showed an inclination to bite. They were of great size, stretching
+some eight and a half inches across. The three hinder pairs of legs were
+normal and used for walking, while the fourth pair was attenuated and
+functioned as feelers—the “whips”—measuring full ten inches in length.
+The jaws were most terrible organs, three inches long, dove-tailed with
+wicked spines, while the tips ended in villainous fangs.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 85. WHIP SCORPION OR PEDIPALP SPIDER.]
+
+A few hundred yards farther we came to a small clearing where the squaws
+were cooking dinner. The houses of these happy people are of the simplest
+construction. Four poles support a roof covered with loose palm thatch,
+open on all sides. The hammocks are hung beneath this and an open fire
+is built in the centre. The Guiana Indians are unequalled exponents of
+the simple life.
+
+In the deep jungle we are constantly impressed with the straightness of
+all the trunks. The lianas and bush-ropes may be scalloped or spiral, or
+with a multitude of little steps like the Monkey Ladder, and still easily
+reach the life-giving light high overhead. But the trees can afford no
+bends or curves or gnarly trunks; they rise like temple columns. Cell
+must be on cell, each to aid in the life race upward. There are seldom
+high winds here in this great calm hot-house. Everywhere between the
+great trunks—whitish in the Crabwood, smoothed and noded in the Congo
+Pump, and deeply fluted in the Paddlewoods—between all these mast-like
+forms, are draped the slender ratline threads and cables of the aërial
+rigging.
+
+We seat ourselves on a prostrate trunk free of scorpions, at one side of
+the corduroy road, and watch and listen. Beside us on a tiny, dull red
+Mora sprout, eating voraciously is a caterpillar, branched and rebranched
+with a maze of nettle-hairs, while near it is another—a fuzzy fellow—who
+gives us one of the most unexpected surprises of the whole trip. As we
+first see him he is palest lavender in color, covered with long straight
+hairs, longer than those of our familiar black and brown woolly bear
+caterpillar of the north. Five minutes later we look again and see a
+third caterpillar—or no, it is the second one, but remarkably changed—a
+creature flat and immovable, covered with a score of recurved pink tufts
+of curled hair. The caterpillar chameleon has flattened his longer
+pelage of lavender into a thin line of prostrate down, bringing into
+view the recurved pink tufts, and thus has become an entirely different
+object, both as to shape, color and pattern. There must be a special
+set of muscles controlling these hairs. Even if a bird had appetite to
+digest such an unsavory hirsute object, it would well be dismayed at the
+transformation.
+
+Everywhere we observe examples of protective form or coloration. On the
+under side of a branch in front of us are what appear to be many tufts
+of blackish moss—until we brush against some of it and a few of the
+tufts resolve into dense bunches of caterpillars. Others which we touch
+on purpose to see if they be caterpillars or not, deceive us doubly by
+retaining their vegetable character.
+
+On the ground at our feet are scattered seed sheaths which have fallen
+from the branches high overhead. There are myriads of them. Suddenly one
+takes legs to itself and moves and only after examining it closely do
+we know it for a beautiful brown elater, a beetle (_Semiotus ligneus_)
+embossed with pale ivory—a perfect living counterpart of the arboreal
+seed sheaths strewn all about. Words completely fail to give an idea of
+the wonder and delight of having one’s senses set at naught by these
+devices of nature. After being taken in by several, we imagine we see
+them everywhere in innocent leaves or bit of lichens!
+
+Many travellers—Wallace and Bates among them—speak often of the
+scarcity of flowers in the tropics, but here at Hoorie and on our
+later expeditions we were hardly ever out of sight of blossoms. A few
+feet behind us, as we sit on the log, are two Solomon-seal-like plants
+(_Castus_ sp.) eighteen inches high, with the stem and leaves growing in
+a wide ascending spiral—making one revolution throughout its course. A
+sheaf of flower heads appears at the top of the plant with a single white
+open flower, giving forth the sweetest perfume. Bell-shaped, it is formed
+by a single sweeping petal, the edges apposed along the summit, and the
+mouth rimmed with the finest hair-like fringe. The slit in the upper
+part is protected by a second narrow petal recurved at the tip, showing
+the heart within. Such a blossom would be a splendid addition to our
+conservatories, and a vast harvest awaits the grower of tropical plants
+other than orchids.
+
+Now, the morning half gone, rain falls—a gentle mist, light as dew,
+refreshing and pleasant.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 86. A JUNGLE BLOSSOM.]
+
+Through the drops to the blossom comes a great morpho butterfly of blue
+tinsel, soon followed by a big yellow papilio. A tiny white butterfly,
+bordered with black, dashes up and attacks the papilio with fury, driving
+it away, as a Kingbird vanquishes a Hawk.
+
+Just as we are about to arise, a Goldbird calls in the distance and then
+without warning a beautiful song rings out close at hand—six or eight
+clear descending notes like the early morning chant of the Woodhewer, but
+even more liquid, running together at the last into a maze of warbling
+which continues for eight or ten seconds—then ceases, and the liquid
+notes form an exquisite finalé of a trio of sweet phrases. The singer
+is invisible; we never learn what it is, but it deserves a place near
+the head of the songsters even of temperate climes. As we walk along,
+Toucans and other birds fly high overhead with whirring beats of their
+drenched wings. Woodhewers loop from trunk to trunk and peer at us as
+we pass, while Ant-birds fly here and there. In all our tramps through
+thick jungles, these two latter families are in the majority, the former
+hitching up the trunks like brown Woodpeckers of various sizes, the
+latter simulating Wrens, Warblers and Sparrows in action and often in
+voice.
+
+One, a White-shouldered Pygmy Ant-bird,[91] now flits ahead of us, tiny
+as a Wren, slate-colored, with white dots on the lesser coverts of the
+wings and a dotted bar across the wings. The flanks and under wings are
+white and although ordinarily concealed, yet the little fellow flirts his
+wings every second, thus flashing out the color, and making himself most
+conspicuous. His call-note is low and inarticulate, but he occasionally
+lisps a pleasing little song; _chu! chu! chúwee!_
+
+We enter a deep narrow gully, our feet sinking deep in moss and mould,
+trip over a hidden root and, looking back, see a magnificent rhinoceros
+beetle which we have disturbed, feebly kicking his six legs in the air.
+In these deep valleys the air is saturated with reeking odors—woody,
+spicy and mouldy and altogether delightful. Moss grows on the stems of
+the plants like wide radiating fans of delicate green lace. In these
+places we find the commonest palms which grow near Hoorie—stemless, with
+fronds springing fern-like from the ground.
+
+Leaving the vicinity of the trail we start out through the heart of
+the jungle, keeping by compass in a general northwest direction. Here
+the trees increase in size and grow almost thirty feet apart, the
+intervening space being filled with lesser growth, parasitic lianas and
+huge ferns eight to twelve feet in height, tree-ferns in size but not in
+mode of growth.
+
+The rain now increases and we plod happily along drenched to the skin,
+giving ourselves up to the delight of a walk in a tropical downpour.
+Serenely oblivious of pools and dripping branches, we trudge along
+until finally a tacuba over a creek breaks with our weight and we
+splash in up to our waists. Indeed we had long ago become accustomed to
+such drenchings, for during our stay at Hoorie the days were alternate
+sunshine and shower. In starting out for a long tramp we never thought of
+taking any protection against the rain. The only thing to be shielded was
+the precious camera. What matters a wetting when one is perfectly dressed
+for whatever may happen!
+
+A word must be said here from the woman’s point of view about the costume
+which was adopted as being absolutely suited to the bush life. In the
+first place it was light—so light that one never felt the burden of a
+single superfluous ounce of weight, and when thus freed from the drag
+of heavy clothing one would come in unfatigued from tramps which would
+have been impossible for a woman in orthodox dress, no matter how short
+the skirt. But in the light khaki knickerbockers, loose negligee shirts
+of scotch flannel or fibrous cellular cloth, stockings and tennis shoes
+and a water-proof felt hat, one was ready for anything. If soaked by a
+sudden downpour, a few minute’s walk in the sun would dry one; if walking
+difficult tacubas, or clambering over huge fallen trees, of which there
+were any number throughout the forest, or climbing precipitous and
+slippery hills one was never hampered by unsuitable dress.
+
+Of course there are many wildernesses where it is unnecessary for a woman
+to wear knickerbockers and where there is no reason why she should defy
+public prejudice by doing so; but the woman who attempts to tramp through
+the South American jungle will find that safety and comfort make them
+absolutely essential.
+
+One realized as never before with what handicaps woman has tried to
+follow the footsteps of man; with the result that physical exhaustion has
+robbed her of all the joys of life in the open.
+
+Returning to our day in the jungle; we tramped silently over the sodden
+ground, now and then sending some panic-stricken Macaw or Parrot
+screeching from its roost. After an hour the rain ceased and the sun
+shone brightly, but where we were, many yards beneath the vast mat of
+tree-top foliage, only single spots and splashes of light broke the solid
+shadows. For a long distance we trod silently on deep mould and moss,
+and not a sound of beast or bird broke the stillness. As we crossed a
+swirling creek on the trunk of a mighty fallen tree, something fluttered
+ahead. We could not see what it was. Closer we came and still the object
+remained indistinct; we seemed to see a butterfly and yet it appeared
+impossible. At last we marked it down on a fern frond and crept up until
+our eyes were within two feet. Nothing was visible but the graceful
+lacery of the frond, until a slanting beam of sunlight struck it and
+there, close before us, was the ghost of a butterfly! It spread fully
+three inches but was wholly transparent save for three tiny spots of
+azure near the edge of the hind wings (_Haetera piera_). As we looked, it
+drifted to a double-headed flower of scarlet, and when it alighted, the
+scarlet of the flower and the green of the leaf were as distinct as if
+seen through thin mica, while the faint gray haze of the insect’s wings
+were marked only by the indistinct veination. The appearance of this
+ghostly butterfly amid the silence and awe-inspiring stillness of the
+reeking jungle was most impressive.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Then came an interruption, so sudden and unrelenting that it seemed to
+reach to the very heart of nature. A Red “Baboon” raised his voice less
+than fifty yards away, and even the leaves seemed to tremble with the
+violence of the outburst of sound. A long, deep, rasping, vibrating roar,
+followed by a guttural inhalation hardly less powerful. After a dozen
+connected roars and inbreathings the sound descended to a slow crescendo,
+almost died away and then broke out with renewed force.
+
+We crept swiftly toward the sound, treading as softly as possible and
+soon, in a high bulletwood, we saw three of the big red monkeys. The male
+passed on out of sight, and the second, a medium-sized animal, followed.
+The third was a mother with her baby clinging tightly to her back. She
+climbed slowly, showing her rich light golden red fur and beard, while
+the arms and legs of her dark-furred baby were revealed as lines of
+darker color around her body.
+
+Twenty minutes later we stalked another roaring male, and found four
+in this troop. We saw two of the females giving voice with the leader,
+shrill falsettos which became audible only during the less deafening
+inspiration.
+
+We tried to think of a simile for the voice of this monkey and could only
+recur to that which always came to mind—the roar of wind, ushering in a
+cyclone or terrific gale. And yet there was ever present to the ear the
+feeling of something living—as if mingled with the elemental roar was the
+howl of a male jaguar. No sound ever affected us quite as this; seeming
+always to prestige some unnamed danger. While it lasted, the sense of
+peace which had been inspired by the calmness and silence of the jungle
+gave place to a hidden portent of evil. Yet we loved it, and the savage
+delight which we took in this and other wilderness sounds made our pulses
+leap.
+
+
+THE DROWNED FOREST.
+
+At the engine house a ten foot dam had been thrown across the Hoorie
+Creek bed, and the apparently slight cause had brought about wide
+reaching effects; this slight raising of the water throwing back the
+creek in many directions. One could hardly call it a lake as there was no
+wide body of water, and yet it had a shore line of more than ten miles,
+reaching out a long finger-like extension up every side valley. The
+original creek was only a few feet wide and the jungle grew down to the
+very bank. So now the trees were deep under water.
+
+All which were below the new level were dead, standing like an array of
+tall bare ghosts compared to the luxuriant forest all about. When on
+a rise of ground, one could trace the course of the lake by the lines
+of naked branches. And when steering one’s canoe between the leafless
+trunks, the effect was most startling. The sunlight came through in a
+way different from any tropical forest. Every leaf had fallen, leaving
+the trees as bare as in a northern winter and stripping the vines and
+bush-ropes, but the condition of the parasites and air-plants was most
+interesting. All those which were truly parasitic, living on the life-sap
+of their hosts, were of course also dead, but the orchids and other
+air-plants were flourishing—showing as large tufts or sprays of light
+green here and there. In places the branches had a beaded effect, so
+numerous and yet so isolated were the epiphytes.
+
+We drifted silently along, by the impetus of a touch of the paddle on a
+passing trunk. Orchids were in blossom, and ferns, mosses and lichens
+ran riot in orange, brown and ivory patches on the tree-trunks. Muricots
+and the fierce perai were abundant here, and now and then some fish
+broke water, throwing rings of light into the shadowy places. Spiders,
+ants and a host of other wingless insects were crawling on many of the
+trunks, made captive by the flood. Their inability to walk on the water
+was evident when we knocked some of them off, so they must have lived on
+their island trees for the last year, the time of existence of the dam.
+The spiders were legion in species, hardly two alike, from minute ones,
+shaped like nothing else under heaven, with relatively enormous hooks and
+thorns on their brightly colored abdomens, to giant tarantulas, who stood
+up and threatened us before beating a dignified retreat.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 87. THE DROWNED FOREST.]
+
+The increase of water had attracted many water-loving birds, and great
+Rufous Kingfishers[67] swung past us, strong-winged, beautiful birds,
+carrying on their business of life in a virile, unhesitating way. Between
+the trunks flashed the White-banded Swallows[118] now hovering before a
+trunk and snatching a spider, now dipping at full speed for a floating
+gnat. A hollow rattling drew our attention upward, and there, gazing
+intently down at us, was a splendid Woodpecker—the Guiana Ivory-bill,[89]
+close kin to our Ivory-bill of the Florida swamps. Imagine a big
+Woodpecker with dark brown back, wings and tail, while the long erect
+crest, head, neck and breast are bright scarlet, shading into rich rufous
+on the under parts! Such a beauty looked down at us, and then without
+sign of fear dived into a hole.
+
+The Indians, passing several times a day, with loads of cord wood in
+their ballyhoos or flat-bottomed boats, were familiar with the Woodpecker
+and asserted that the bird had no mate. It was a male and although we
+visited the place several times no female ever appeared. The dead tree
+which held the nest was called Aramaca by the Indians, and was about
+a foot and a half in diameter, with the entrance not less than sixty
+feet above the water. A living tree like it on the bank near by had
+obtuse entire leaves and large, brown, slightly curved pods. The trunk
+was rotten, especially at the water line, and as it could not have
+remained standing much longer, we decided to investigate the home of this
+little-known bird.
+
+We hailed the first Indians who appeared and set them to work felling
+the tree. The Woodpecker flew out at the first stroke of the axe, and
+remained close by, showing little fear or anxiety. We landed and the
+Indians made the trunk fall in our direction. It struck the water with
+a terrific splash, breaking into several lengths, and finally coming to
+rest with the hole upward. Running out along the floating log we found
+that the nest contained a single bird, with no trace of addled eggs or
+other young. The opening was a circle, four inches in diameter, and the
+cavity fourteen inches deep. The young bird was about five days old,
+featherless and downless, but the sprouting feather tracts were very
+distinct.
+
+On the edge of the branches of the lower mandible, about three-quarters
+of the way to their base, were two round, white knobs or warts, and a
+large white patch like an abnormally large egg-tooth was at the tip of
+each mandible. These structures were undoubtedly direction marks for
+aiding the parent in finding the mouth of the young bird in the darkness
+of the nest chamber. When the mouth was open they formed the four
+corners, with the throat cavity in the centre.
+
+A most remarkable collection of creatures gathered on the upper side
+of their wrecked tree, tenants of the bark and wood for the last year.
+Two small green-headed lizards made flying leaps and escaped ashore.
+But marooned for life were several species of bark beetles (_Nyctobates
+giganteus_ and _Paxillus leachii_), a huge boring beetle, and spiders
+galore. We noticed a slight disturbance among the bits of floating
+bark and pith, and scooped up a most wonderful creature—a true bug,
+perfectly flat, with the sides of its body drawn out into irregular flat
+serrations, while in color it was the very essence of lichened bark or
+dead leaf. Placed on a piece of wood it instantly drew in its legs and
+clung tightly. If it had not been frightened by the water we could have
+handled it a dozen times without knowing it was an insect.
+
+A few yards away a pair of Mealy Amazon Parrots[63] were shrieking and
+flying restlessly about a great Mora tree, but we could not discover
+their nest. On our way home a dainty Blue Honey Creeper[136a] alighted on
+the bow of our canoe; rich deep blue except for wings, tail and throat
+which were black. The feet and legs were clear yellow, showing most
+conspicuously against the plumage.
+
+A pair of Great Green Cassiques[150] had swung their four-foot pendent
+nest from the tallest limb of a tree standing in the water, and we
+spent ten minutes watching the male court his mate. As he uttered
+his incoherent medley of liquid cowbell-like notes, he bent his
+neck, thrusting his head far downward and forward, and at the same
+time throwing both wings forward and around in a semicircle. As this
+curious action was completed, the vocal utterance came to a close and
+the performance was over. The early stages in the evolution of such a
+courtship may be observed in our common Cowbird of the north, and a
+further developed stage in the little Guiana Cowbird.
+
+
+THE CITY OF THE CASSIQUES.
+
+On the first day of our arrival, even before we came in sight of the
+clearing, we heard the cries of the splendid big Orioles or Cassiques,
+known all over Guiana as Bunyahs. In the creek bed below the dam, but
+within the radius of the clearing, stood a medium sized tree and among
+its branches a colony of Scarlet-backed Cassiques[152] were flying back
+and forth from their nests.
+
+We made a mental note of them at the time but passed on without giving
+them more than a glance. Later near the bungalow we occasionally saw
+them in small numbers associating, as we have already stated, with the
+Lavender Jays.[161]
+
+As we wished to take a number of young Cassiques back to New York with
+us and to study the colony as thoroughly as we could in the space of a
+week’s time, we started out early one morning for the Cassiques’ tree.
+The long pendent nests were all seventy feet or more from the ground.
+Taking the rusty climbing irons from their case, we recalled vividly the
+last time they had been in use—a cold June day in Nova Scotia, when the
+nesting hole of a Three-toed Woodpecker had been the goal. How different
+were these tropical surroundings!
+
+Bravely the start up the tree was made; jab and pull, jab and pull, while
+the straps pressed in on ankle and knee, giving that peculiar sensation
+that cannot be described, but which every climbing naturalist knows so
+well. Ten, twenty, thirty feet were scaled, and then one’s hand on the
+opposite side of the trunk broke through some tiny earthen tunnels, and,
+like many an unfortunate telegraph-line-man, struck a live wire. At
+least, the sensation was very much the same, only the electric shocks
+were here progressive, and when they had reached the elbow, they were
+seen to be a numerous and enthusiastically defensive horde of ants. At
+one end a pair of jaws gave a firm point of leverage and attachment,
+whereby the insect could secure a footing while operating the sting from
+the opposite end of his anatomy.
+
+There have been martyrs to science as well as religion, but much as one
+might desire to look into those nests only forty feet above, it may be
+doubted if any man could have controlled his feelings and coördinated his
+muscles sufficiently to continue the ascent. The details of the descent
+were hazy; an exceedingly rough trunk seemed to shoot upward through
+one’s embrace until the ground was reached and the Cassiques screamed
+their delight.
+
+They had seen many of the four-handed folk foiled in a similar manner,
+and now this new enemy, who scaled the trunk with two hands and two spurs
+was equally baffled by the tiny allies of the birds!
+
+But study the colony we must, and selecting a line of soft, springy
+underbrush, we had an Indian drop the tree on it A cloud of screaming
+Cassiques followed it to earth, scattering only as we ran up and began
+to gather the young birds. Out of the first nest there rushed a lizard
+about a foot in length, brown, with head and fore-legs bright green.
+He scurried like a streak of light across the red tailings, the speed
+sending him up on his hind legs, so that his track was bipedal.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 88. NESTS OF RED-BACKED CASSIQUES.]
+
+Before we describe the condition of the colony as we found it when we
+reached the fallen tree, it will be interesting to record its early
+history as far as we know it. This was the first year of this colony of
+Cassiques, as last year there were none nearer the clearing than the
+mouth of Hoorie Creek, three and one-half miles away, where in a tree,
+overhanging the house of a black, a colony has been in existence for two
+years. Three months ago, in January, one Scarlet-backed Cassique was
+observed in the clearing at the mine, but it soon vanished. Within a few
+days, however, a number of these birds appeared, perhaps guided by the
+solitary scout. They set to work at once, establishing their new colony
+in the tree which we had cut down. So at the time we began to study this
+colony, it could not have been older than three months.
+
+The tree stood alone in the centre of the tailings from the gold washing
+and 20 or 30 feet away from all the surrounding trees. The finely sifted
+sediment of the tailings had broadened out the water of the creek bed
+so that it flowed delta-like on both sides of the tree. With their
+characteristic intelligence, the Cassiques had taken advantage of this
+unusual condition, and were thus guarded from enemies, by the water, by
+the isolation from other trees and by the far more formidable stinging
+ants which probably for many years had had their home on the trunk
+of the tree. The little bird city as we found it contained 39 homes;
+three-quarters of which were on one branch, 70 feet from the ground,
+while 10 were suspended from a smaller branch, a few feet lower down.
+Of the 39 nests, 4 were only half finished, while 10 were empty, having
+been already used and deserted this season. The others may be divided as
+follows:
+
+ One nest contained an addled egg; white with brownish spots
+ chiefly at the larger end.
+
+ One nest had one egg containing a week old embryo.
+
+ Two nests each had a skeleton of a well grown young bird; one
+ of which had been caught about the neck, and the other about
+ the legs by fine flexible tendrils which had caused their
+ deaths.
+
+ There were altogether 28 young birds: 9 full-fledged, 16 with
+ feathers just appearing, while 3 were recently hatched. They
+ were distributed as follows:
+
+ 14 nests contained 1 young bird.
+ 7 nests contained 2 young birds.
+
+The special distribution was as follows:
+
+ _Number and Condition of Young._ _Number of Nests._
+
+ 2 well-fledged young in 2 nests.
+ 1 well-fledged young in 5 nests.
+ 2 partly fledged young in 4 nests.
+ 1 partly fledged young in 8 nests.
+ 2 newly hatched birds in 1 nest.
+ 1 newly hatched bird in 1 nest.
+
+The nests were typically Cassique-like, made of stout rootlets and
+grasses, while at the lower end was a cup-shaped lining of very fine
+grass and root hairs, forming a soft bedding. The nests varied from
+thirteen to eighteen inches in length, and all but five had an upper
+roosting chamber, built on above the entrance. These five were built
+directly beneath a group of others, and the bases of the ones above
+served as protecting roofs. This was a most interesting adaptation to
+varying conditions. Just before felling the tree we noticed in several
+instances that both parents shared in the work of bringing food to the
+young ones. Almost all of the young were uninjured by the fall of the
+tree. Three were thrown out of the nests and these we chloroformed in
+order to find what their food had been. The stomach of one was crammed
+with white seeds of two kinds; one nearly round and about as large as the
+head of a pin, while the others were longer, perhaps one-third of an inch
+in length. Mingled with these seeds were remains of numerous insects;
+beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars. The two other birds, which were
+younger, and almost bare of feathers, had received chiefly animal food,
+as follows:—
+
+ 1. A three-inch, smooth caterpillar, medium sized spider, many
+ small bugs, and a mass of berry seeds.
+
+ 2. Several one-inch cut-worms; spider; small iridescent beetle;
+ yellow butterfly; a few berry seeds.
+
+The young birds were almost without down, the adult plumage being
+outlined very shortly after hatching. In a bird of only four or five days
+the dull orange or yellowish color of the rump feathers shows plainly.
+When these break through their sheaths, the color is a dull rose;
+becoming redder as the feathers increase in length, but not attaining the
+brilliant scarlet of the parent birds until the succeeding moult. When
+full grown, these birds measure about ten inches in length and are glossy
+black in color, save only for the brilliant scarlet rump. The bill is a
+conspicuous greenish white, while the feet are black. The eyes of the
+nestling are dark hazel in color, while in the old birds the iris is of a
+most beautiful greenish blue.
+
+The voice of the very young birds is a shrill incessant _peep! peep!_
+when they are gaping for food, but the half-fledged youngsters utter
+solitary harsher notes under the same conditions. The five fully fledged
+birds had learned what fear was and instead of feeding, crouched down
+at the bottom of the artificial nest which Mr. Crandall made for them.
+But hunger overcame fear and before night all had taken food. We kept an
+Indian busy gathering a berry or fruit which looked, tasted and smelled
+much like a miniature tomato. The leaves of this low plant are large,
+deeply incised and studded above and below with numerous thorns. The
+plant is from three to six feet in height, is abundant in the clearing,
+and forms the favorite vegetable food of the Cassiques. In addition to
+this, the young birds had a few mealworms and ants’ eggs from our small
+store, and all the soft insects which our Indian could capture. After two
+full days of grasshopper catching, the pride of the noble red-man began
+to feel itself injured, and additional inducements in the way of tobacco
+were needed to sustain his interest in his orthopterous pursuits.
+
+On the following day the oldest of the young Cassiques flew feebly to a
+low perch and nothing could induce him to return to his fellows again.
+He uttered isolated call-notes, which however, at the approach of food,
+merged at once into the baby scream.
+
+We had carried the young Cassiques a third of a mile to the veranda
+of the bungalow, where they were put out of sight and sound of their
+parents; yet early next morning four Cassiques had discovered their
+offspring and were flying back and forth close to the house carrying food
+in their beaks. In an hour no fewer than twenty Cassiques had collected,
+and on placing the young out in a low tree, the parents came at once and
+fed them.
+
+One bird which we watched carefully brought masses of caterpillars which
+it inserted within the wide mouth of the young. Although the young birds
+were mixed up, five or six of the same size being placed together in one
+artificial nest, yet there was no question about recognition on the part
+of the old birds. At least there was no reckless undirected feeding;
+certain young were fed by certain adults.
+
+The second day after we had taken the young birds, no Cassiques came to
+feed them, and we found the reason was that the entire flock had begun
+to found a new colony in the very nearest tree to the one we had cut
+down, about twenty feet away. This too was isolated and protected both by
+shallow water and by the vicious tunneling ants.
+
+Some of the new nests must have been started the day before, as the roost
+chambers were complete and in several the top of the nest itself was
+finished. The rains had been rather heavy for a few days and may have
+influenced the early building of the shelters above the nest. To the
+three or four inches of nest the birds were bringing beakfuls of fibres,
+both sexes working energetically. We were glad to know that our wholesale
+destruction of the first colony site had wrought no permanent change.
+At the rate the birds were building, the second colony would be in a
+flourishing state in another two weeks.
+
+These Red-backed Cassiques[152] together with their near relatives the
+Yellow-backs[153] are most interesting birds, and a careful study of the
+growth and daily routine of a colony would yield most valuable results.
+They seem to trust more to the presence of man as a protection against
+enemies than to the guardianship of wasps, but both methods are to be
+found. We traced these birds all the way up the Barama, and from what we
+could learn, none were found higher up, the colony at Hoorie Mine being
+the farthest outpost.
+
+
+NIGHT LIFE.
+
+Owing to our brief stay and the difficulty of exploration in this hilly
+and densely underwooded country, we gained little thorough knowledge
+of the vertebrate fauna hereabouts. The phase of tropical life which,
+during the week of our stay, was most striking, was the wonderful host
+of insects attracted by the electric lights in the evening. The bungalow
+contained four large rooms, two on each side of a wide central passage,
+extending through the house—a kind of interior veranda, open front and
+back. This was the dining room, where every day we feasted upon delicious
+dishes of peccary, tinamou, curassow and paca, or “bush-hog,” “maam,”
+“powie” and “labba,” as we learned to call them in the vernacular.
+
+Here during the evening meal, after the lights were turned on, came
+legions of the most curious, the most beautiful winged creatures
+imaginable. We all turned entomologists and never tired of admiring
+the wonderful colors, and bizarre shapes which night after night were
+revealed in never-ending array. The first night Crandall sent up an
+excited call of “Get a vial! Get a vial!” and this became our vesper
+slogan. From the yard, or veranda, or room, or kitchen hut, would come
+the call from some of our party, “Get a vial!” and the one nearest the
+array of bottles in the improvised laboratory would hasten to the aid
+of the discoverer, who would probably be found with eyes glued to some
+strange creature and blindly reaching out behind for the approaching
+vial, in which to capture his prize.
+
+There were few insects of very small size and many indeed were gigantic,
+as judged by our standards of the north. None were unpleasant and
+they seldom attempted suicide in soup or cocoa. They were content to
+flutter a moment about the electric globe and drop quietly to the white
+table-cloth. Praying mantises, or “rar-hosses” as our southern negroes
+call them, would whirr in and climb awkwardly over the bouquets of
+flowers, swaying from side to side and now and then reaching out for some
+passing insect, with a sudden unflexing of those murderous, deceptive
+fore-legs. One which flew on the table was a new species, which has been
+named _Stagmomantis hoorie_.[E] If exercise during meals is good for
+one’s digestion then we were hygienic in the extreme, for twenty times in
+succession we would have to go to the veranda laboratory to chloroform
+our captives.
+
+The second evening, although a heavy rain was falling, a bewildering
+number of moths, mostly small but of exquisite patterns, dashed in
+between the drops. There were almost never two alike; indeed among one
+hundred species captured on two evenings, there were but two duplicates.
+
+It is folly to try to describe with any exactness the beauty, even of
+the commonest, plainest insect, and how much more impossible to convey
+an accurate idea of these tropical beauties. Think of a sapling near
+an electric light covered with fifty or sixty exquisite moon moths
+(_Thysania agrippina_)—pale creamy white, banded and looped with lines of
+brown—none less than nine inches in spread of wing and many reaching an
+even foot across.
+
+The hawk-moths that came to our table were all different, all beautiful;
+one a study in pale yellow; another variegated green with blended purples
+and red (_Argeus labruscae_) on the hinder wings. This one too bore on
+its eyes the long shaft of a pollen stalk from some night flowering
+orchid.
+
+Then a moth would come, recalling somewhat the Promethea and Polyphemus
+of our childhood’s collecting, but with great transparent mirrors in
+the centre of the wings (_Attacus [Hesperia] erycina_); next, two as
+different as possible but which we learned later were sexes of the
+same species (_Dirphia tarquinia_)—the female, large, plain brown with
+a forked streak of light across the fore-wings: her mate a full third
+smaller with rosy hind-wings and fore-wings frosted white, save for two
+conspicuous circles at the fork of his white lightning.
+
+On the third evening there were fewer moths, but many more beetles and
+grasshopper-like insects. Green was the predominating color among the
+moths this evening—from palest yellow-green to darkest bottle-green. In
+some the green had a border sending ray-like lines across all four wings.
+Yellow and white were the colors almost always present in combination
+with the green, the yellow being usually confined to the hinder wings. A
+stain of gold was sometimes laid over the green, and in one beauty the
+green seemed to have been spattered at hazard over a milky-white surface.
+This proved to be a female of a species known only from a single male
+(_Racheolopha nivetacta_) the female proving to be twice as large as her
+mate.
+
+Instead of burying the insects in envelopes or mounting them in the
+orthodox way with the fore-wings raised unnaturally until the hind edge
+is at right angles to the body, we merely supported the wings, and
+allowed them to dry in the natural position. By doing this we usually
+lost sight of part of the hinder wing, but we gained the true relation of
+the spots and patterns on the fore-wings to those on the thorax and the
+result was in many instances surprising. For example, when spread, the
+fore-wings of one tiny moth (_Pronola fraterna_) showed two meaningless
+black spots forming each one-third of a circle. When closed naturally,
+these united with the black abdomen to form a perfect black circle
+stamped upon a mat of velvety cream color.
+
+All words are inadequate to describe these exquisite creatures; one
+with the lightning flash of gold across its cloudy background; another,
+enscribed with Chinese hieroglyphics; a third of lavender, yellow and
+russet mosaics set about large transparent windows of opalescent blue.[F]
+One of the most exquisite was a little moth (_Chrysocestis fimbriaria_)
+spreading less than an inch, with wings of iridescent mother-of-pearl
+rimmed with dull golden, on which was set a score of embossed beads of
+the most brilliant gilt, flashing as no gem ever flashed.
+
+If one could spend a season here studying the motions alone of these
+insects, it would well repay him. One moth, iridescent with a broad
+border of black (_Eudioptis hyalinata_), curled the abdomen straight up
+into the air, and separated its extremity into a wide-spread tuft of
+hairs. These radiated like the tentacles of a sea anemone, and when the
+whole was waved about, it looked like some strange crawling caterpillar,
+holding its head high above the prostrate wings of the moth.
+
+The last evening, as if to make our departure still harder, the insects
+increased in number. Walking sticks five and six inches in length
+skimmed through the air, their bodies, legs and wings dark in color and
+ornamented with irregular scales and projections, until their resemblance
+to a jagged-barked twig was perfection. If this species were represented
+by thousands of individuals in its haunts, birds or four-footed enemies
+would soon learn to detect even such an exact counterfeit, and the
+protective value would be lost. But in the tropics the infinite variety
+is the key-note to success in protective adaptation. On the table-cloth
+at one time would be perfect green leaves (katydid-like orthopters),
+green leaves with large worm-eaten defects or spottings (some of the
+mantises) and many brown, lichened leaves and twigs (moths and walking
+sticks). Even if two of the same species appeared at once, the chances
+were that one would be much the larger and of an entirely different shade
+with a distinct individual pattern of mimic defects.
+
+Big owl moths (_Hyperchiria liberia_, _H. nausica_, _Automeria
+cinctistriga_ and others) alternated with tree-hoppers of all sizes with
+branched and rebranched horns rising from their thoraxes (_Hemiptycha
+[Umbonia] spinosa_ and others). The prize of one evening was a
+grasshopper (_Pterochroya ocellata_) which came in on the sleeve of the
+coolie butler. It had alighted on the white cloth as he crossed the
+yard between the kitchen and the house. Its wide, jagged fore-wings met
+closely above the back, forming a half green, half brown leaf, complete
+even to the mid and side ribs. On the hind wings were what we could
+merely guess were either sexual ornaments or warning markings, visible
+only in flight. The ground color of these translucent wings was a finely
+mottled yellow and brown, while painted on the pleated surface were two
+eye-spots like those upon the feathers of a Peacock-pheasant, a dark
+velvety shaded portion with a delicately shaded ocellus at one edge.
+
+The last insect captured was a tree-hopper as big as a cicada, mottled
+and marbled on the fore-wings, and stained scarlet on the hinder.
+
+In Appendix C, pages 397, 398, I have added a list of a few of the moths
+and Orthoptera collected on the dining table at Hoorie, which have been
+identified.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THROUGH THE COASTAL WILDERNESS WITH INDIANS AND CANOE.
+
+
+The most interesting observation we made on the launch trip from Hoorie
+Creek down the Barama River, was of a flocking of more than two hundred
+big green Cassiques[150] the birds of the liquid cow-bell notes, which
+passed low overhead with a roar of cackling voices, and a loud whistling
+of wings, bound for some safe roosting place—still another species to
+exhibit this common roosting habit.
+
+We found Farnum’s deserted, the family having gone down to Georgetown,
+so we took possession of the empty house; swinging our hammocks on the
+porch and watching the sun sink over the river, with the dark forest
+beyond, growing ever darker. As we had been told that there were no
+mosquitoes, we had not hung our hammock nets, and the droning hum of
+these miserable pests kept us awake for hours. From across the river came
+the discontinuous, labored puffs of an overloaded freight train pulling
+up a grade. Now and then the wheels would slip and four or five chugs
+would come in quick succession. One could imagine the heavy trail of
+smoke and sparks, the shining rails and the long line of heavy, slowly
+moving cars—then the sound ceased, and far down the river another frog
+took up the chugging. Now and then the voice of a red “baboon” came to
+our ears; and continually the mosquitoes “zooned” and on the floor below
+our hammocks the dog whined unceasingly as he scratched his bête rouge.
+When we opened our eyes, lightning bugs of several candle-power flashed
+above us in the thatch of the porch, and by their light we could see big
+tarantulas dragging their prey here and there, seeming ready to drop with
+fatigue at any moment. All the sounds of the wilderness are lulling, save
+that of mosquitoes when one is netless. Many times that night we wished
+ourselves back in the boat.
+
+We had heard that there was a coast-wise way of returning to Georgetown;
+threading little-known rivers and creeks in a small canoe. The idea of
+exploring those charming little creeks at which all through the journey
+we had looked with longing, was fascinating to us, and we owe this
+realization of our dreams to Mrs. Wilshire, who planned the trip and gave
+it to us as a surprise. This proved to be the most wonderful canoe voyage
+which any of us had ever taken. For five days we were paddled, portaged,
+towed and pushed through a wonderland abounding in rarely beautiful
+birds, butterflies and orchids. We slept at night under our tiny
+tarpaulin, or invaded, and were made welcome at little isolated Indian
+missions. Our pen falters at the thought of attempting to give any idea
+of the wonders of that trip, but day by day we set down our impressions
+as best we could and here are some of them.
+
+It was almost noon on the 16th of March before we had our men, luggage
+and canoe in readiness to start. Pushing off we said good-by to the rest
+of the party; including Crandall and his precious cargo of Red-backed
+Cassiques and other live birds. They were to return via Morawhanna and
+the “Mazaruni” direct to Georgetown.
+
+We secured a little canoe, or ballyhoo, about fifteen feet long, with
+a tarpaulin stretched over the centre. In the bow were four Indian
+paddlers, two men and two boys, while in the stern as steersman and
+paddler was a splendidly built Carib Indian, Marciano, chief of the
+Hoorie woodmen.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 89. BARAMA RIVER FROM FARNUM’S HOUSE.]
+
+Amidships was piled our luggage and we distributed ourselves over and
+around the clothing bags and larder boxes. Mr. and Mrs. Wilshire and we
+two composed the list of passengers, and the unceasing pleasure of those
+five days was a good test of mutual congeniality and adaptability to
+“bush-travel.”
+
+The stroke adopted by our Indians was a peculiar one, which we were
+to hear all day and often throughout the night, for these men of the
+wilderness, short and stocky in build, seemed tireless, and hour after
+hour they would keep hard at work, sometimes for as much as thirty-six
+hours at a stretch, with only a brief nap or two.
+
+The Indian paddle rhythm set by little Pedro, the younger boy in the bow,
+accentuated every other stroke, the tempo of the strokes becoming more
+and more rapid, until, when further speed was impossible, one stroke was
+suddenly omitted, and the gap thus formed marked the new slow tempo,
+which in turn, in the course of fifteen to twenty strokes of the paddle,
+would work up to a climax and the former rhythm begin again. All kept
+perfect time, the new change not being inaugurated on any exact stroke,
+but the others seeming to know instinctively when it would come. Whether
+they were eating, talking or looking behind them it was the same, all
+changed as one man.
+
+Two or three hours after starting, we made a landing in order that the
+Indians could cook their breakfast, invariably composed of a combination
+of pork, dried fish, rice and cassava. This menu was varied only when
+one or more of the ingredients happened not to be procurable. Sometimes
+for many days the Guiana Indians worked hard upon nothing but cassava.
+The jungle was thick about the little clearing which they made for a
+fire, and word passed rapidly along the lines of parasol ants that
+manna was available in the form of rice and bread crumbs. A few minutes
+after a bit of food was thrown down it would mysteriously take legs to
+itself and begin to walk away, the motor power being myriads of these
+interesting insects. Big-headed soldiers patrolled all along the winding
+trail of foragers, troubling no one unless they were disturbed or the
+workers attacked. Several species of orchids, Brassias and others unknown
+to us, were in blossom all about us.
+
+On we went again, becoming more and more delighted with our method of
+travel. There was no puffing, smelly kerosene engine, no clatter of many
+tongues; and we were close to the water with nothing overhead between us
+and the sky, or the overhanging branches. The typical river birds paid
+little attention to our silent craft; and we were able to watch Giant
+Kingfishers,[67] Guiana Cormorants,[47] Snake-birds,[48] Parrakeets and
+Swallows at close range.
+
+In sheltered places along the bank our canoe pushed through unbroken
+masses of the floating rosettes of leaves, known as the Shell Flower
+(_Pistia stratiodes_). The leaves are shell-shaped, thick, strongly
+ribbed and light velvety green in color, covered with a coat of short,
+dense hairs which repel the water so that when pushed beneath the surface
+the plant bobs up as dry as before. Thousands of these little plants
+become detached from their sheltered bays and are carried out to sea
+where they decay and disappear. Small Water Hyacinths were less common.
+
+The river was full from recent rains in the interior, and in some
+places for several hundred yards the surface was thickly covered with
+innumerable small yellow blossoms splashed with scarlet at their hearts,
+while every now and then a large purple pea-blossom would be seen. These
+had doubtless fallen from the tree-tops where the river was narrower and
+the vines and branches overhung the stream. Many insects were carried
+down afloat on the blossoms and now and then a great hairy tarantula
+would appear, with each of his eight feet in a blossom, trying to keep
+his balance until he could reach solid ground again.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 90. SCENE ON THE BARRABARRA.]
+
+Agami Herons,[39] beautiful in their plumage of glossy green, chestnut
+and blue, were standing here and there in the shallows snatching the
+insects from the petals as they floated past.
+
+At four o’clock in the afternoon we left the Barramanni River which had
+averaged about two hundred feet in width, and entered the charming
+little Biara, which was only about sixty feet from shore to shore. Here
+the vegetation was very dense, water lilies in hundreds with curious,
+serrated leaves and a profusion of the sweetest of flowers. We were
+paddling through literally a river of water-lilies. Clavillina blooms
+hung low over our faces; wild cocoa pods showed rich brown among the
+foliage. Mucka-mucka with its great heart-shaped leaves was everywhere,
+a plant which on a later trip was to interest us as forming the food of
+the Hoatzin. The air was filled with the sweet penetrating calls of the
+Goldbirds[115] and Woodhewers and now and then the puppy-like yaps of
+Toucans.[81] Pendent nests were numerous, built so far out over the water
+that we could touch them as we passed, thus safe from marauding monkey
+and opossum.
+
+The stream was dotted with islets, varying from a few inches to as many
+yards in circumference, crowded with ferns and graceful sedges, all
+perfectly reflected in the mirror-like water. One such islet of the
+smallest size was crowned with a single-petalled, white calla lily,
+surrounded by a host of tiny purple orchid blossoms; a square foot of
+perfect beauty and perfume set in the ebony water. Seldom were we out
+of sight of flowering orchid, vine, bush or tree. Orchids were in the
+ascendant and our tarpaulin brushed against long Golden Showers, graceful
+shoots of Cattleyas and curious green Spider Orchids.
+
+There seems to be no autumn in this land, and death comes only to single
+leaves, while the variegated scarlet and yellow hues of new sprouting
+foliage made brilliant every bend of the stream. The Moriche or Eta Palm
+is dominant here and the vegetation of these lesser streams is dense and
+bushy,—intimate and delightful, rather than grand and awe-inspiring as
+along the forest rim of the Barama.
+
+Toucans and Ant-birds darted across the water ahead of us; tree-ferns
+stretched out their graceful fronds and sifted their pollen down upon
+us. The bird songs of this region are not long and elaborate, but there
+was no dearth of most delightful, liquid phrases, usually loud and
+penetrating. Six songs, all wholly unlike one another, reached us that
+day, all unknown, mysterious. We steered close to the bank and picked a
+wild cocoa pod but found it unripe and the beans had only a raw aroma.
+Two long-snouted weevils crawled from the heart of the pod, one of the
+myriad hidden forms of life of this wonderland.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 91. WAKE OF A MANATEE SWIMMING UP RIVER.]
+
+Now and then we passed a little open grassy savanna where the water was
+no longer brown, but a clear black from the steeping of the decaying
+vegetation.
+
+In many places the water leaves showed where manatees had been browsing,
+and occasionally we caught sight of the huge ungainly creatures, as they
+swam slowly up stream or nosed the vegetation along the bank.
+
+All this and much else we passed in an hour, and at five o’clock entered
+a third stream—the Barrabarra. The whole country hereabouts is swampy, so
+when at dark we stopped for our evening meal we did not land but rested
+quietly among the lily pads. The Indians ate, as they did everything
+else, silently, with only now and then some low guttural ejaculation.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 92. MANATEE BROWSING CLOSE TO THE BANK.]
+
+We flashed our powerful electric light upon the lily pads and found that
+the water was full of active life. Scores of little fishes were resting
+motionless in the thin film of water covering the lily leaves, some with
+the basal half of the body and two lines up and down from the eyes,
+black. Marciano called them _Salaver_. In addition to other very slender
+fish, there were numbers of little fresh-water prawns shooting about
+among the maze of fanwort beneath the pads. The glint of strange shapes
+came to us—tiny Cyclops and others which the human eye was powerless to
+name without a microscope. We sat in the darkness listening to the sounds
+of the swampy jungle. Not a mosquito hummed, and the frogs eclipsed all
+other, lesser noises, calling in basso and treble, with tinkling bells
+and a clear ringing chime like the æolian singing of a telegraph wire.
+
+Marciano climbed back to his seat in the stern, gave an order and the
+paddles pushed sluggishly through the pads, carrying fear and tumult
+to thousands of little aquatic lives. The next four hours we shall
+never forget as long as we live. On and on we went through the pitchy
+darkness, guided solely by the light of the little bow lantern. The bush
+ropes ahead stood out in sharp silhouette like giant serpents coiled in
+mid-air across our path. The night seemed to press in on our tiny atom of
+life. The shadows of the waving arms of the paddlers were thrown on the
+foliage behind the boat, looking like some huge spider-like thing forever
+following it. The sheets and drops of water thrown up by the Indians
+gleamed like molten silver.
+
+The open savannas increased in size and extended farther on each side
+than the shaft of electric light could carry. Great tufts of pampas
+grass towered high above our heads, drooping gracefully outward in all
+directions. The channel narrowed and the lily blossoms increased until
+the water was thickly studded with them. Their odor hung heavy on the
+air and when one of the blossoms itself was smelled, the perfume was as
+sweet and as overpowering as chloroform. During the day they had been all
+but odorless. For miles we pushed through the tangle of water plants;
+in places the men having to drag and push the boat over the reeds and
+grasses, crushing scores of spider lilies with the keel. This is the
+back-water divide between the rivers which flow northward into the Waini
+and those which flow to the south. During the dry season this route
+becomes impassable.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 93. MANATEE TAKING IN AIR AND ABOUT TO DIVE.]
+
+Later we came to open pond-like spaces and here we found another species
+of water lily with a smaller flower and a smooth-edged leaf with maroon
+colored under side. Owls, large moths and bats occasionally flitted
+across the field of light.
+
+It was half-past ten at night when Marciano told us that we were turning
+into the Morooka River. We were to follow this river down to the very
+sea, but here it was barely distinguishable as a narrow channel through
+the grass and reeds. Another hour passed and several dark forms loomed up
+in the dim light of our lantern, and when we reached them we found that
+they were boats tied to a rough sort of landing.
+
+We climbed out and stumbled sleepily about, getting the cramped feeling
+out of our bodies. Then when the Indians had tied up the boat and slung
+our hammock bags over their backs, we followed them up the long avenue of
+lofty cocoanut palms which stretched down to the water’s edge. We felt
+our way slowly in the darkness, walking stiffly and uncertainly after the
+cramped position in which we had been compelled to sit for so many hours.
+
+At last Marciano held high his lantern and we saw towering before us
+a huge white cross. Instinctively we all paused reverently. Whatever
+one’s faith may be, it is impossible to come thus upon the symbol of a
+great and ancient church, standing in the midst of a vast and primeval
+wilderness, without a feeling of awe and reverence. There in the teeming
+ceaseless life of the wilderness was the mystery of creation: and there
+stood the white cross, a symbol of man’s attempt to solve the tremendous
+problem of creation and immortality.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 94. A VISTA OF THE BIARA.]
+
+The light revealed a crude little church with an adjoining building
+standing behind the cross. To this other building the Indians led us.
+We knocked gently, then harder, then pounded. No response! Half a dozen
+dogs gathered and howled mournfully. At last finding a side door ajar,
+we entered a spacious room, part dining-room, part school-room, with
+a loom and a half-finished Indian hammock in one corner. We called
+and shouted, we pounded on the floor and walls, and at last from the
+distance—upstairs—came an answering roar. Down to us came the jolliest
+priest we ever hope to meet. Two strange men and women had invaded his
+castle at midnight, routing him out of well-earned rest, and yet his
+welcome was as warm as though we were expected friends. Our jovial host
+furnished us with lights, and gave us permission to sling our hammocks
+from the rafters of the great school-room. About one o’clock in the
+morning we rolled into our swinging couches completely tired out. But
+sleep was not to be had at once. An ominous gritting squeak was heard,
+then another, and our faces were softly fanned by invisible wings.
+“Vampires!” came the exclamation from the furthermost hammock. “Never
+mind them,” answered a sleepy voice from Mr. Wilshire’s hammock; “doctors
+say bleeding is healthful!” The scientist echoed his sentiments but in
+vain. We had to dive down into the clothing bags and pull out the hammock
+nets. Now these articles are somewhat difficult to adjust under the best
+of conditions and this night they were perversity itself.
+
+We found that in the packing at Hoorie, the nets had become mixed and
+two were of an unknown pattern, with apparently no entrance hole except
+at the ends. A hammock net is shaped like a buttoned up coat with the
+hammock running through the sleeve portions. It is an acrobatic feat not
+soon to be forgotten, when one is dead tired and in the dark, and has to
+enter his net by climbing up to the end of the hammock rope and sliding
+down through a small, long shute of netting! It was two in the morning
+before we were settled, and as we finally dropped asleep a score of
+fierce little demon faces were squeaking and gibbering at us.
+
+At six o’clock the following morning we were awakened by a dozen little
+naked Indian boys flitting silently about, peering at us like tiny copper
+elves, or like human incarnations of the bats which had hovered about us
+during the night. Going outdoors in the dusk we heard a perfect medley of
+bird notes, Wrens, Thrushes, Tanagers, Seedeaters, all giving voice at
+once, while from the farther end of the cocoanut walk came a chorus from
+a colony of Yellow-backed Cassiques.[151] We saw the mission cat teasing
+something and took from her a tiny oppossum with fur of richest brown,
+and no larger than a mouse. The little creature was unhurt, but played
+’possum until it recovered from its fear when it made itself at home in a
+small suitcase.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 95. FATHER GILLETT AND HIS INDIAN BOYS.]
+
+When our jolly priest appeared to wish us good-morning, the little
+Indian lads bowed their bronze figures reverently and kissed his hand.
+Some of them busied themselves weaving a hammock, while others set the
+table and later served us at breakfast. Our priest was like the genial
+monk of a mediæval story. He was delightful with his tribe of small
+Indian boys, ordering them about in a great voice but with his eyes
+beaming with affection for them. “Man alive!” he would shout, “bring the
+finger-bowls!” And to our amazement, the wee naked valet not only knew
+what finger-bowls were, but actually produced them, passing them around
+the table with colossal dignity.
+
+“That man’s a linguist,” the Father added; “he speaks English, Spanish
+and several Indian dialects.”
+
+The good Father’s heart was overflowing with kindness toward every living
+thing. He could not even bear to see his cat waiting hungrily for her
+breakfast, but ordered his small butler at once to give her some milk.
+
+We wondered why the Father’s Indian boys had such straight, slim,
+well-proportioned figures, instead of the unwieldy “cassava-stomachs” so
+characteristic of the little savage Indians. With a twinkle in his eye
+the Father told us that his first step in converting the small Indian
+lad to Christianity was a huge dose of castor oil; then regular hours
+and regular meals of nourishing food, instead of allowing them to munch
+cassava all day. Then one might proceed by teaching them the doctrine,
+and always a useful trade, while after that was achieved there was plenty
+of time for a more literary education, if the individual warranted it.
+He had reason to be proud of his method, for in all our travels we never
+met a missionary whose works “spoke louder” than those of Father Gillett;
+for the most successful and worthy Indians in the colony had been trained
+by him. Some of them had become excellent engineers, others priests and
+still others had learned good trades.
+
+After breakfast the Father took us through the chapel, followed by his
+dusky little tribe, all crossing themselves piously before the altar. He
+showed us with pride the decorations of the altar and the ceiling, all
+the work of himself and his little Indians. The ceiling represented the
+dome of heaven, bright blue, and dotted with a multitude of white stars.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 96. TROPICAL LUXURIANCE.]
+
+When we called our little Pedro, the youngest of our Indian paddlers, to
+tell Marciano that we were ready, Father Gillett’s eyes filled with tears
+and he said, “Is your name Pedro? I lost a lovely Pedro. He died of fever
+last Easter. I did not know I could miss him so much. He used to talk to
+me. He was not like other Indian boys. He loved to talk.” Then turning to
+us he added simply, “It is a lonely life sometimes, you know.”
+
+We were told that white women had never before passed through that part
+of British Guiana. So unexpectedly did we arrive at midnight, and so
+early did we depart next morning that perhaps our visit seems as unreal
+to the good Father as it sometimes does to us—like a very vivid dream
+which we can never forget. He loaded us with gifts of cocoanuts and fruit
+and in the fresh coolness of early morning we again set forth on our
+journey.
+
+Just as we were paddling away, the Father ordered all his small boys into
+the water for their regular morning swim. Head first they went, splashing
+about as gayly as a school of strange copper-colored fish.
+
+We found as we went on that the Marooka changed rapidly in character.
+It was no wider but the water lilies and pampas grass disappeared and a
+softer, finer grass covered the marsh, dotted with a host of purple and
+yellow flowers rising from some aquatic plant. Isolated trees became more
+numerous, and great Woodpeckers, resembling our splendid Ivory-bills,
+looped here and there. Swallow-tailed Kites[58] dipped and soared and
+Kiskadees[101] shrieked near the occasional huts of the Indians.
+
+At noon we lunched on erbswurst and jam at a Protestant
+Mission—Warramuri—where a small colony of Red-backed Cassiques were
+established. A school of about fifty Indian children were studying and
+reciting at the top of their lungs.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 97. CAPYBARA ON THE BANK OF A STREAM. (Photo by
+Bingham.)]
+
+We left in an hour and from here on the Marooka widened and consequently
+lost somewhat in interest. The low elevation on which the English Mission
+is built is composed wholly of fine white sand, and beyond this mangroves
+began to appear and the foliage became less diversified.
+
+We landed for an hour at a small cocoanut plantation and found a most
+ingenious method of improving time and space until the main crops should
+yield. Rice was planted in long narrow trenches which are flooded twice
+a day. Between these trenches the young cocoanut palms are placed, and
+in the spaces separating the palms, cassava and coffee are grown, while
+between them in turn and around the edge of the trenches were plantain
+and tania. The catch crops are thus made to pay for the price of the
+land and labor. Land—virgin forest—can be empoldered and ditched for $35
+an acre. The first year’s two rice crops will repay this and continue
+to do so for five years, when the cocoanuts will yield a regular income
+for fifty or sixty years. This, at least, is the calculation of the
+agriculturist.
+
+Deer, peccaries and capybara are found on this little clearing, and we
+saw several of the latter animals running about among the underbrush
+on the bank. Mealy Amazon Parrots[63] were nesting in an inaccessible
+stub. Ant-birds of several species were by far the most abundant birds.
+Everywhere the undergrowth was flaming with sharp-pointed scarlet
+blossoms on long stalks which a native called Wild Plantains.
+
+Below the plantation, mangroves composed the only vegetation visible
+along the banks of the river, and before long our canoe began to rise
+and fall with the swell of the sea. For days the smell of the damp
+tropical marshes had filled the air, and now we sniffed eagerly at the
+invigorating salt breeze. We lowered the tarpaulin, tied everything fast
+and prepared bailers under the direction of Marciano.
+
+At last, rounding a curve of the river we came in sight of the sea—a vast
+stretch of turbulent brown water. A Cocoi Heron[31] and an American
+Egret[32] flew away with protesting croaks, and we began to pitch and
+toss as we turned south, beyond the outermost sprawling mangrove roots.
+
+We had been warned on no account to make this part of the trip with other
+than full-blooded Indian paddlers, and when we saw the need for steady,
+skilful work, we were indeed glad that we had Marciano and his good
+crew. The waves were too muddy to break, but they rolled high over the
+low rail of our canoe and we were soon soaked through and had to bail
+steadily to keep the frail craft from filling. In the midst of all the
+excitement three splendid Flamingos[42] flew overhead, one close behind
+the other, necks and legs extended to the full. We watched them until
+our eyes ached, and then a dash of several quarts of salt, muddy water
+in our faces, brought us suddenly back to grim reality. After we had
+paddled three or four miles, we entered the broad mouth of the Pomeroon,
+turned close in along shore and finding a sheltered bight, waited for
+the turning of the tide and to give our Indians a much-needed rest. The
+heavily laden canoe had given them a hard paddle against wind and tide,
+and we were to travel onward throughout all the night.
+
+As dusk settled down a Frigate-bird[49] swooped past, followed by a large
+flock of several hundred Boat-billed Herons[37] croaking like their
+relatives the Night Herons, and on their way doubtless from some roosting
+place to their nocturnal feeding grounds; for as they reached the water
+they scattered, some going up the river, others along the shore.
+
+From the east, straight across the whole width of the Pomeroon came
+another great flocking, a host of Mealy Amazon Parrots[63] flying as
+usual two and two close together—by hundreds and by thousands. They
+turned south along our bank and flew inland, and were joined, almost over
+the spot where our canoe was moored, by another great multitude of their
+kind, coming steadily down the coast. At the very lowest estimate there
+were eight or ten thousand parrots. Once and only once we saw a solitary
+individual unaccompanied by a mate. While still in view he attempted
+to attach himself to a pair of birds, whereupon both dashed at the
+unfortunate intruder and drove him headlong out of sight below the level
+of the branches. It is indeed a serious thing to lose one’s mate if one
+is a parrot! To be a widow or a widower is to be an outcast.
+
+At ten minutes past six the parrots vanished in the dusk and true to
+its name a “six o’clock bee,” a species of large cicada, sent out its
+shrill whistle from the mangrove to which our canoe was tied. Here for
+the first time since we left Farnum’s we encountered mosquitoes and sand
+flies, but oil of tar did much to discourage them. It is a curious fact
+that although the prevailing wind blows in the direction from which we
+had come, yet these troublesome insects are said never to pass beyond the
+line of the Pomeroon’s mouth.
+
+After an hour of paddling we stopped for a supply of water at a tiny
+Portuguese store built on piles, and going by the name of Poc-a-poo.
+It was a weird little place with rows of tiny shelves on which were
+bottles of lemon soda which was remarkably good, and an assortment of
+ribbons, knives and paddles for trade with the Indians. We purchased
+some well-made Carib Indian baskets and, stumbling over a caged Guan[6]
+or Maroodie as they called it, ordered it sent to Georgetown, where it
+appeared the following week and is now a contented inmate of the New York
+Zoölogical Park.
+
+At nine o’clock we started on our all-night paddle up the Pomeroon. Like
+most tropical nights near the sea the air was chilly. We rolled up in our
+blankets, and anointed our faces with the tar oil. The scientist chose as
+his night’s couch one of the long sloping side seats. The slope was only
+a fraction of a degree, but gravity and drowsiness would invariably cause
+the downfall of the occupant of the seat, much to the disturbance of the
+canoe’s equilibrium.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 98. SOUTH AMERICAN THATCHED HOUSE, AND NESTS OF GREEN
+CASSIQUES. (Photo by Bingham.)]
+
+As we lay and listened to the strange rhythm of the paddles, and
+watched the brown current swash past the side of the boat, we thought
+of all the exciting scenes this river and this coast had witnessed:—the
+ill-fated search for El Dorado by Sir Walter Raleigh; then the capture
+and recapture of the colony no less than three times by Dutch and
+British. Later came a period of great prosperity when hundreds of sugar
+plantations yielded great profits to their owners and the social life was
+as gay as that of our old Virginia. Then followed the ruin of the sugar
+industry, bands of run-away slaves taking to the wilderness; and now
+to-day, the chimneys of the old mills are often the only marks of former
+civilization which the jungle has not obliterated.
+
+We skirted the mangroves for hours and saw nothing but an endless
+succession of those weird stilted plants, while scores of four-eyed fish
+skipped and slithered over the mud, or dashed across our bow, attracted
+by the glow of our lantern. In the electric light they looked pale and
+ghostly against the black mud.
+
+At midnight we passed a light which showed the location of Marlborough
+Police Station. Two hours later we heard weird music from a tom-tom and a
+four-toned fife or flute. Crude as it was, it had a wild melody and the
+syncopated, or “rag,” time was perfect. We could see the hut near the
+water and hear the shouts of the dancers as we passed down the centre
+of the river. We were hailed by a canoe of half-drunken negroes who put
+off and wished to accompany us up the river. Marciano gave a low command
+and one of the Indians muffled the lantern; then all swung together in a
+new rhythm—the full-speed paddle-rhythm of the Caribs—and we fairly flew
+through the water. After every five minutes spurt our crew rested for
+a few seconds to locate our unwelcome pursuers. At first they cursed
+us and paddled furiously, but their tipsy efforts were no match for our
+lithe red-men and the negroes soon dropped out of sight and hearing.
+
+There was no moon but throughout all the night whenever we awoke, the
+southern cross gleamed brilliantly down at us, and almost in the zenith
+Orion stood ever poised in his gigantic stride. As usual frogs and toads
+furnished most of the nocturnal music, and we spent an hour or more in
+classifying the various utterances. Among them was the Telegraph Toad
+who spoke in a regular make-and-break Morse code, sending his wireless
+messages to his mate. Another, heard more rarely, was what we called
+the Wing-beat Frog. This species gave out a muffled throbbing roar like
+the hurried wing-beats of a Swan in full flight. It would last for five
+seconds, to be answered instantly by another across the river.
+
+From the wonderland of the narrow Biara, we had come out upon the
+boundless expanse of the ocean, passing thence to this splendid river
+a half mile across. But we had far from finished the experiences and
+variety of this ever-to-be remembered trip.
+
+At daybreak we pushed through a tangled mass of lilies and water
+hyacinths into a tiny caño or creek, and in a soft rain, while the tired
+Indians slept beneath protecting palm leaves, we cooked erbswurst and
+cocoa. The morning chorus was infinitely sweet, from flocks of invisible
+songsters, a trembling descending chord of three notes, rising at the end
+in a plaintive, questioning way.
+
+At eight o’clock we went on again, the Indians apparently perfectly
+rested after their two hours’ sleep. The Pomeroon narrowed to about a
+hundred yards, mangroves disappeared and mucka-mucka with its oblong,
+pineapple-like fruit, took their place. Flowers were abundant,—white
+convolvulus; wild sorrel, pink with deep carollas; large yellow blossoms
+with scarlet hearts, and many other varieties. Four-eyed fish were
+still common and Great Rufous Cuckoos,[77] Lesser Kiskadees[103] and
+Swallow-tailed Kites[58] were building nests.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 99. MILES OF LILIES.]
+
+At Pickersgill Police Station we stopped for lunch. These posts are the
+sole representatives of law and order in the wilderness, and here the
+semi-military organization of negro police have their quarters. Most
+of them are men of unusually large size, and in disposition they are
+pleasant and obliging. They never failed to do their best to make us
+comfortable. The duty of these men is varied. Besides being responsible
+for the good conduct of the inhabitants of their districts, they keep
+account of shipments and all passing boats and passengers, and stand
+ready to run down, or rather paddle down, fugitives from justice. At each
+post are little rooms reserved for travellers, and here any strangers
+with proper credentials are at liberty to swing their hammocks and make
+themselves at home. The sergeant had just trapped a half dozen pretty
+blue and yellow Violet Euphonia Tanagers[140] in a mango tree near the
+station. The usual colony of Yellow-backed Cassiques[151] was deserted
+at the time of our visit, but had been occupied twice during the last
+year. Lying half in the water in front of the house was an anaconda
+fifteen feet long which had just been shot. We purchased thirty bananas
+for fourpence, and with fried bananas and bacon, the unfailing and never
+cloying erbswurst, jam, educator crackers and lime squash, we had a meal
+fit for the gods.
+
+At this point we left the Pomeroon and turned up the Harlipiaka for
+two hours, then into the last real river of our trip, the Tapakuma.
+This river was only about seventy-five feet wide and with vegetation
+neither grand nor very luxuriant, principally eta palms and mucka-mucka.
+Wild cocoa and clavillina blossoms were everywhere and numerous Lesser
+Kiskadees[103] were building. Many small, deserted estates appeared
+as the river grew narrower, and morpho butterflies and Silver-beak
+Tanagers[146] haunted the half-overgrown ruins. Catching sight of a snake
+on an overhanging branch, we persuaded Marciano to steer close to it, but
+as we reached out to seize it, our Indian’s fears overcame him and he
+swung out quickly, the serpent making its escape into the water. It was
+a harmless species about five feet long, and yellow-brown in color. With
+the exception of the dead anaconda, it was the only snake we had seen on
+our trip. When we commented on this, Marciano relieved his feelings in
+two words, “Me glad!”
+
+It was dead high tide, although the water was fresh—backed up by the salt
+tide farther down. The surface seemed to be covered with rubbish, and
+at first glance it looked as unsavoury as the water in a New York ferry
+slip! But when we examined it, the flotsam proved to be composed of a
+host of various nuts and seeds, many of which were beginning to send out
+roots and leaflets. They were of all shapes and sizes—from large flat
+disk-like pods and round vegetable-ivory nuts, to smaller ones covered
+with corrugated husks, fluted or polished like metal.
+
+The river became still more narrow, and twisted and turned to every
+point of the compass. Flowers were abundant and we noted at least twenty
+species with large and conspicuous blooms. A blue-bell blossom was
+especially characteristic of the Tapakuma, growing up from the water six
+to thirty inches. There were few lilies and the predominating tree was
+one with sensitive foliage, which went to sleep in the late afternoon.
+Several species of orchids in full flower were common, and from one
+branch we pulled into the canoe a string of a dozen plants of a most
+fragrant white orchid—_Epidendrum nocturnum_. The whole region was very
+different from that of the Biara but no less interesting.
+
+Just before sunset we came to the fairyland of Tapakuma Lake. We had
+zigzagged through many miles of tortuous channels, with copper-colored
+Indian hunters passing us now and then, silently in their small canoes.
+At last we came to a portage—a gentle slope up which our canoe was
+dragged, over the divide and into the great grassy expanse of water
+savanna, in the centre of which is the dark deep lake.
+
+We walked a few yards into the woods to see some “falls” which turned out
+to be only a moderately foamy rapid, and on the way we disturbed a large
+troop of monkeys which limbed off slowly through the branches; and then
+hurried back to our boat, for we were still far from Anna Regina, where
+we planned to spend the night.
+
+On and on we went, the darkness settling quickly down. A new Castanet
+Frog raised its voice. This was really remarkable—a syncopated Oriental
+rhythm, clicking musically, and held by one frog for only a minute or two
+when another instantly took up the little tune. This shifting of place,
+the music sounding first here, then farther on, made it seem as if some
+invisible dancer were swiftly whirling over the reeds and tules. One
+could hear the clicking of the castanets and the tinkling of anklets, and
+the thought was made more vivid as a bejewelled coolie woman passed us in
+a long narrow dug-out, paddled swiftly by her husband.
+
+The water was very high and a wide new channel among the grasses so
+confused Marciano that we paddled for an hour before we realized that
+we were lost. We changed direction and guided ourselves by the stars,
+passing some dense grass through which we had to push laboriously. At
+last Marciano sent a clear, penetrating call through the night and the
+coolie answered, far ahead and to the left. We called twice after that
+and then came into a canal, and soon were alongside two canoes blocked by
+a lock. We would have as soon expected to find a motor car here in the
+wilderness as a canal lock, but nevertheless there _was_ a canal lock
+with no one to operate it. By our combined efforts we opened it, passed
+through and found ourselves surrounded by miles of sugar-cane fields. We
+had entered the back door, as it were, of the great sugar plantation of
+Anna Regina, one of the few which are still in operation. We were on the
+home stretch and the Indian boys towed us the remaining distance, running
+at full speed, tumbling head over heels into the water; and forgetting
+for once their usual Indian stolidness, they giggled and chattered as if
+they were out for a lark, instead of having paddled a heavily laden canoe
+on thirty-six hour stretches!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 100. THE ROAD TO SUDDIE.]
+
+At midnight we reached the end of the canal, and a hundred yards up a
+road we found the Anna Regina police station. The guard turned out,
+cleared away the judge’s bench and witness box in the courtroom and laid
+blankets for us on the benches, as there were no rafters for our hammock
+ropes. Our Indians would not come near the dreaded prison house, but left
+our baggage at the entrance. They said good-by as they were to start back
+at once. We had grown to have a real affection for these simple men and
+boys, and found them the best of travelling companions, silent, courteous
+and wonderful workers. May the time come when Marciano will again pilot
+us through that beautiful region to which no pen or camera can do the
+slightest justice!
+
+The following morning after a walk through the neighboring coolie village
+of Henrietta, where we purchased some Yellow-bellied Callistes[142] and
+other birds, we secured a carriage, with a horse and a mule as motor
+power, and drove to Suddie, taking the steamer thence down the Essequibo
+River to Georgetown.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+THE WATER TRAIL FROM GEORGETOWN TO AREMU.
+
+
+We allowed ourselves only forty-eight hours in Georgetown to unpack our
+specimens and prepare for our second expedition into the “bush.” This
+time we were to leave the coast and strike straight inland, passing up
+the Essequibo River to Bartica, thence via the Mazaruni and Cuyuni to
+the Aremu and the Little Aremu rivers. Near the head-waters of this last
+stream was the gold mine which marked our journey’s end, deep within the
+wilderness.
+
+On the morning of March 23d, we left Georgetown on one of Sproston’s
+steamers en route for Bartica. A pair of Gray-breasted Martins[122]
+accompanied us, and we found that they were nesting in an angle between
+two beams of the main deck covering. Young birds were in the nest, so the
+Martins must have accompanied the steamer on many of the alternate day
+trips between Georgetown and Bartica. Not only this but the river boat
+exchanges routes every two weeks with her sister steamer which is plying
+on the outside northwest route to Morawhanna, the fortnightly change from
+fresh to salt water doing away with all need for keel cleaning. So these
+birds had started their nest while the boat was making her sea trips.
+During much of the time we were on the boats the birds kept flying out
+to each side over the water in pursuit of insects for their brood. They
+sometimes went far ahead or out of sight a half mile to shore.
+
+After entering the wide estuary mouth of the Essequibo we passed Leguan
+and Hog islands, each over ten miles in length, while above these a
+succession of smaller islands appeared. The river is about three miles
+in width, fringed with mangroves, and we saw no life on shore save
+occasional Cocoi Herons[31] feeding on the flats.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 101. GRAY-BREASTED MARTINS NESTING ON THE STEAMER.]
+
+The Essequibo is the largest river in the colony and rises in the extreme
+south, somewhere in the Acarai Mountains near the equator, some six
+hundred miles inland. Like all the great rivers of this region it is
+navigable by steamers for only a short distance, rapids and cataracts
+barring the way about fifty miles above the mouth. The first great
+tributary is the Mazaruni, entering from the southwest and touching with
+its uttermost head-waters the very base of that mysterious lofty plateau,
+Roraima, on the borders of Brazil.
+
+We landed at the very apex of the point of land between the Essequibo and
+Mazaruni rivers,—the village of Bartica or Bartica Grove. It is a most
+dilapidated place, half in ruins, a single street of miserable houses
+filled with blacks and coolies.
+
+We were invited to spend the night at the house of an Englishman, Mr.
+Withers, enjoying again the unfailing hospitality of the wilderness. In
+a launch we proceeded three miles up the Mazaruni, and climbing a steep
+hill, denuded of its forest, we turned and revelled in the magnificent
+view. A small, heavily-wooded island in the foreground broke the
+surface of the shining waters, and beyond, the two mighty rivers rolled
+ceaselessly, joining their floods with hardly a ripple. Directly across,
+on the opposite shore of the Mazaruni, the picturesque white buildings of
+the penal colony could be seen, looking more like the hotels and cottages
+of some watering place than like prisons. If one must be imprisoned for
+life there are few places one would prefer to this!
+
+An American company had obtained a concession of some seven thousand
+acres for the purpose of raising sisel hemp, and Mr. Withers was in
+charge of this important undertaking. His home, on the crest of the hill,
+overlooked the surrounding rolling country, six hundred acres of which
+had already been cleared during the preceding nine months and planted in
+the valuable fibre plant. Here again we found a most ingenious system
+of catch crops, peanuts, castor beans and corn, surrounding but not
+interfering with the slower growing sisel. Their success was yet to be
+proven.
+
+A careful study of the effect on animal and plant life of this clearing
+away of the forest would yield much of interest. Many sloths with young
+were caught when the trees were being felled, and Goldbirds, Woodhewers,
+Parrots and other forest birds had now retired some distance from the
+clearing. The antlers of two deer shot here were simple spikes. Insects
+of all kinds had greatly increased, and caterpillars of strange shapes
+and colors were legion in number and doing their best to undo the labor
+of the agriculturists. Insect-eating birds of certain types had increased
+enormously, and Gray-breasted Martins,[122] Barn[121] and Variegated[119]
+Swallows filled the air, while Kiskadee Tyrants of three species,[101],
+[103], [104] other Flycatchers, House Wrens,[124] Seedeaters,
+Hummingbirds and Honey Creepers were abundant, swooping over the open
+fields, snatching insects from the air, or leaves, or ground, according
+to the method of hunting of each species. The Honey Creepers[136a] were
+continually getting into trouble here as elsewhere in the darkened upper
+roof space of the house, and many had to be caught and liberated daily.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 102. COOLIES AND THEIR WIVES FISHING IN THE
+ESSEQUIBO.]
+
+Small snakes and toads are also said to have increased, due doubtless
+to the increase of insect food, but the abundance of agoutis or acouris
+was unfortunately only too evidently due to the supply of succulent
+vegetables.
+
+This evening the regular afternoon wind continued until late, and it
+was too cool to walk about without a coat. The wind sounded anything
+but tropical, howling around the eaves of the house like a northern
+blizzard. The moon rose about nine o’clock—a great flat-sided ball of
+orange, lighting up the pale bare fields but throwing all the jungle into
+blackest shadow. Soon the light became stronger and the two southern
+crosses paled from view, the false one higher up, kite like, and the
+_vera cruz_, low and resting on its side.
+
+“Sproston’s” is a company which controls many of the steamer and launch
+lines of the colony, and gives remarkably good as well as reasonable
+service. When the day comes that the tourist learns of the beauties of
+this country, the transportation lines will become of immense value.
+Now they depend principally on the many American concessions and other
+interests for freight, and upon pork-knockers and bovianders for
+passengers.
+
+At nine o’clock on the following morning, travelling again on one of
+Sproston’s launches, we left Mr. Withers and proceeded up the Mazaruni,
+in about an hour reaching the point of its confluence with the Cuyuni.
+This was as beautiful as the junction of the Essequibo and the Mazaruni
+which we had left. Turning up the Cuyuni we went on and on through a
+region of indescribable beauty. The noble river spreads out in a wide
+smooth expanse,—a tropical Hudson with palisades of trees. It is very
+shallow and when the water is low there is little but tide at this
+point. Hence mangroves are dominant, becoming, however, smaller and less
+numerous as we proceeded. At eleven o’clock we reached the beautiful
+falls at Lower Camaria Landing and went ashore to find a delicious
+breakfast prepared for us by the genial and hospitable Mr. French and
+served by his aged man-servant, who was christened _Swan_, but who was
+familiarly known throughout the colony as “French’s _Boy_.”
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 103. FALLS AT LOWER CAMARIA.]
+
+At Camaria a series of all but impassable rapids and falls occurs, and a
+portage of three and a half miles is necessary. A well-made sandy wagon
+trail points the way, rising gradually and then slowly descending again.
+At the top of the rise the sand is of the finest and whitest quality.
+Butterflies were extremely abundant along this wood road, a dozen
+splendid blue Morphos being sometimes in sight at once.
+
+One interesting species of butterfly (_Castina licus_) was very common,
+flying along ahead of us with short spurts and alighting on bare twigs,
+just within the shadow of the jungle. They were dark brownish above,
+tinted with dull orange and green and with four broad streaks of white
+across the wings. They were perfectly protected in the positions of rest
+which they chose on small bare twigs, the brown merging invisibly with
+the dark recesses of the undergrowth beyond, while the white markings
+exactly simulated a white orchid blossom, sprouting, as so many of them
+do, from a leafless stem. As the mule cart passed laden with our luggage,
+we seized the Graflex camera and secured the accompanying photograph.
+In spite of their protective colors and mode of resting, the wings of
+almost all had been nipped by birds, and we saw one fall a victim to a
+Flycatcher. The characteristic birds of this trail were Swallow-tailed
+Kites[58] and Yellow-bellied Trogons,[76] the former soaring overhead
+every few minutes and the latter dashing from cluster to cluster of
+berries.
+
+In the middle of the afternoon our walk brought us to Upper Camaria,
+where we were again on the bank of the Cuyuni. Here, tied to a gigantic
+Mora tree, a second launch awaited us, and from here to our second
+night’s stopping place at Matope we stopped only once, at Tiger Island,
+to take a few “pork-knockers” on board. Although there were only
+three small, hut-like houses here, there was the invariable colony of
+Yellow-backed Cassiques.[151]
+
+The tide was blocked by the succession of falls and rapids, and so
+at Upper Camaria the whole character of the vegetation was changed.
+Mangroves had vanished and in their place were mucka-mucka and other
+aquatic growths, backed by the solid walls of trees and vines.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 104. A BUTTERFLY MIMICKING AN ORCHID.]
+
+Snakebirds[48] were perched in solitary state at frequent intervals
+along the banks,—silent, sinister looking, craning their necks out at
+us and either dropping quietly into the water and sinking from view or
+flapping heavily upward. Ordinarily their flight is very pelican-like;
+six or eight flaps, then a short scale, but when they once reach a high
+altitude, they soar most gracefully with set wings, first in a wide,
+slow circle, then with a sudden straight rush, then a circle and so on,
+all apparently without a single wing beat. When thus high in air they
+have a most peculiar arrow-shaped appearance; thin sharp beak, slender
+neck and body, and broad, fan-shaped tail.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 105. FRESH-WATER FLYING FISH.]
+
+While the launch was puffing slowly along we saw one of the most
+unexpected sights of the trip—a fresh-water flying fish _Carnegiella
+strigatus_. It did not leave the surface entirely but skimmed steadily
+along in a straight line with the tip of the deep keel of the abdomen
+just cutting the surface. It was small, not more than two inches long,
+and of the greatest interest to us at that time, as we did not then know
+that such a thing as a fresh-water flying fish existed. To see a silvery
+little form break from the mirror-like surface of the river and go
+skimming off through the air left us amazed.
+
+These fish were silvery in color, marked with irregular black markings,
+with long, wing like pectoral fins and a remarkably deep keel, like the
+keel of a racing yacht.
+
+As we went on, the walls of foliage became higher and more dense,
+stretching up, far up above our heads, until the topmost branches were
+from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five feet above the water.
+Majestic vistas opened out ahead of us, and now and then great solid
+banks of flowers hung like huge tapestries upon the foliage walls. One
+white flower with a plume-like tuft of long slender stamens, filled whole
+bends of the river with its sweet perfume and formed aërial banks of
+bloom fifty feet square. We saw here for the first time the Green River
+Ibises[26] looking dull black in the sunlight. They were of the same size
+as Scarlet Ibises but with a shorter tail, and flapped more slowly in
+flight.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 106. SALT-WATER FLYING FISH.]
+
+Just before dusk we reached the house of the government agent of this
+district, Mr. Nicholson, and were made welcome at his little home in
+the heart of the wilderness. The house is on a steep bluff of red clay,
+changing to yellow near the water and commanding a fine view up and down
+the river. Below, the river is smooth and shining, while a quarter of
+a mile above the house a mass of tumbling white water blocks further
+progress and marks the second portage.
+
+In the yard near the house one passes through a cluster of young fruit
+trees and here two small colonies of Yellow backed Cassiques[151] had
+located, clustering their pendent nests almost within arm’s reach about
+two big nests of stinging ants. At dusk several hundred Smooth-billed
+Anis[80] dropped into a clump of bamboo and with much racket and
+squabbling settled for the night.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 107. CUYUNI RIVER.]
+
+This region is wholly undisturbed, the few “pork-knockers” and Indians
+who pass keeping entirely to the river. Mr. Nicholson told us that
+Capybaras (_Hydrochoerus capybara_) came every night and raided the
+vegetable garden, and we had good evidence of this. Pushing through
+the bush a short distance downstream at dusk, we saw a small herd of
+these creatures appear and distribute themselves over the banks. Some
+waded along the shallows, or swam out and dived, to come up with a
+mouthful of algæ. Others climbed the clay slope and disappeared into the
+jungle. They seemed like reincarnations of some of the great unwieldy
+prehistoric beasts—restorations of those bones by which alone we know of
+their existence in past ages. It was too dark to photograph these giant
+rodents, but by the kindness of Dr. Bingham we are able to show several
+splendid photographs of Capybaras, taken in their haunts.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 108. A HERD OF EIGHT CAPYBARAS, SIX ADULT AND TWO
+YOUNG. Notice the Snout of a Crocodile in the Water on the Left. (Photo
+by Bingham.)]
+
+The Indian hunter at Matope finds abundance of game within a mile of the
+house; two kinds of deer, tapir, peccary, and of course Curassows and
+Guans. Trumpeters[25] are often heard from the house but are considered
+too tough for food.
+
+We talked, chiefly by signs, with the Arowak Indian hunter who had just
+come in with a Bush-hog or Peccary (_Dicotyles tajacu_). As soon as
+the animal is killed, the gland on the lower back is cut out, a piece
+of skin being removed about four by eight inches. If this is not done
+immediately, the flesh will become musky and unfit to eat. The hunter was
+familiar with the rare White-lipped Peccary (_Dicotyles labiatus_), which
+he described as larger than the common kind and going in small families
+of two to five individuals. This was a dangerous animal, and more than
+once he had been treed by them, whereas the Common Peccary was timid and
+harmless except when wounded or cornered.
+
+Mr. Nicholson had recently seen a full-grown Great Anteater
+(_Myrmecophaga jubata_) swimming the river, and curiously enough we later
+witnessed a similar performance where the banks were about a third of
+a mile apart. The creature was making fair headway, although drifting
+rapidly, and was completely immersed save for the elongated snout and
+head, and the upper part of the bushy tail, which waggled frantically
+with the efforts the anteater was making.
+
+Mr. Nicholson promised to obtain some living Trumpeters for us and
+later kept his word by sending one to New York a few months after we
+left. There are gold diggings near here which were worked by the Dutch
+in 1625. In the earlier days of the English occupancy, gold smuggling
+was an every-day occurrence at Bartica, and Mr. Nicholson had to take
+extraordinary precautions to guard against it. He would scrape a line
+under the keel of a boat from stem to stern, by this means often
+discovering hidden bags of gold. Many a coopful of innocent looking
+fowls, brought down by the “pork-knockers,” were slain by the government
+inspectors and found to have their crops and gizzards filled with the
+precious yellow grain. Cartridges were a favorite means of smuggling,
+the powder being removed and replaced with gold. There is no longer any
+attempt at smuggling now as it does not pay.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 109. GREAT ANTEATER. (Photo by Sanborn.)]
+
+Vampires (_Desmodus rufus_) are so abundant at Matope that every evening
+one of the servants collects the chair cushions on the veranda and packs
+them under an upturned chair. Otherwise, the dogs, bitten while sleeping
+on these cushions, would ruin them with their blood. We swung our
+hammocks on the veranda and kept one light burning, and although the bats
+squeaked shrilly throughout the night, none of us were bitten.
+
+Early next morning we packed up and set out, and in a few minutes a
+launch landed us at the foot of the falls. This portage was only about
+a hundred yards in length, bringing us to Perseverance Landing. Here
+were several tent-boats, most of them filled with “pork-knockers.” We
+stored our luggage in the one reserved for us and climbed into a tent
+ballyhoo with ten paddlers in addition to the bowman and steersman—all
+big, powerful, piratical looking blacks, except the steersman, who was
+an Indian. Now came the most exciting part of our trip, passing up the
+series of rapids which filled the whole bed of the river. It took us
+until noon to pass them. A smooth expanse of water would indicate depth
+sufficient to float a steamer. Then a bar of granite would appear, rising
+on shore into huge boulders and forming a series of foaming, tumbling
+waves across the river. In such a place there were numerous small islands
+and the width increased greatly, while the water everywhere was shallow,
+with channels ramifying here and there.
+
+As we approached one of these rapids the bowman stood up and the men
+braced themselves for the tremendous exertion. Starting with a slow,
+steady stroke, this became quicker and quicker as the white water was
+reached, then the bowman, using his long paddle lever-like against the
+thwart, held the ballyhoo steady, while the men drove her through the
+swirling water. The current became stronger and stronger, the canoe
+seemed to slow down, be stationary, even to slide back a foot or two.
+Then the great black backs, glistening with perspiration, would twist and
+bend in a final effort and the boat would shoot forward into the quiet
+eddy at the foot of the rapid, with the water swirling past on each side.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 110. A TACUBA ON THE CUYUNI.]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 111. RAPIDS ON THE CUYUNI.]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 112. RUSHING THE BOAT INTO THE RAPIDS.]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 113. WARPING THE BOAT THROUGH THE LOWER WHIRLPOOLS.]
+
+Now, at a word from the steersman, the blacks tumbled overboard, hastily
+getting out heavy rope cables, which one or two of the most powerful took
+in their teeth or tied around their waists and carried to some projecting
+rock as far ahead as possible. After they had fought their way up to the
+rock they tied the rope securely and now all hands took hold, some of
+the rope, others of the boat, and pushed and pulled her up through the
+boiling torrent.
+
+In one or two cases it was possible to zigzag up through the less
+formidable shallows. After a particularly difficult piece of paddling
+we would rest in some backwater for a few minutes and have time to look
+about us. Every snag held its complement of vampires which took to wing
+only when we were very close. Solitary Sandpipers[21] and Parauques[70]
+were abundant, the latter apparently nesting on the numerous little
+sand-bars, and swooping near the boat or swinging up to a bare branch
+where they perched lengthwise and watched us with half-shut eyes.
+
+The rocky islets were covered with the low Water Guava (_Psidium
+fluviatile_), and the rocks which are usually covered with shallow
+water or those within reach of the falls were studded with thousands of
+little starry flowers. In other places masses of delicate pink blossoms
+raised their heads above the shining mat of green submerged leaves which
+fairly carpeted the pools. The beds of pink, green and white amid the
+pools reminded us strongly of the many-colored sponges, hydroids and
+anemones in a tidal pool of the Bay of Fundy or a reef off a Florida Key.
+These aquatic flowers, far out from shore, gave forth a sweet perfume
+attracting flies, bees and even butterflies, which flitted through the
+mist, just clearing the foaming water.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 114. A REST MIDWAY UP THE RAPIDS.]
+
+Now and then small reddish-brown crocodiles were seen sunning themselves
+on the sand-bars. One, not more than three feet in length, paid no
+attention to the revolver shots which threw up the water close to him.
+The little flying fish became more numerous as we went on, skimming here
+and there in the smooth pools. Twice we saw one dash at an insect, once a
+large bee and the second time a butterfly, but they were less successful
+in their insect hunting than the Swallows—both the Banded[118] and the
+Variegated[119]—which swooped across our bow. Whenever we went close to
+a bank we saw multitudes of a new flower, with its graceful rebarbed
+stamens, looking like the falling lines of sparks from a rocket.
+
+We lunched to-day on a splendid outcropping of rock on the left bank,
+after chasing into the cracks some big and remarkably colored tarantulas,
+with light red bodies and dark legs.
+
+One of the most delightful surprises on this trip was the boat songs of
+the blacks. How we wished afterwards that we had written down the words
+and music at the time. One melody remains clear in our memory:
+
+[Music]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 115. THE FINAL STRUGGLE UP TO SMOOTH WATER.]
+
+The words of the songs were delightful. One never-ending refrain imparted
+the original and thrilling information that
+
+ “A long time ago is a veree long time.”
+
+Another song was the Stevedore’s Shantée. Then all would break out in a
+wild harmony.
+
+ “Dat citee hotel is de place wha I dwell,
+ Fare thee well—fare thee well—my citee hotel,
+ My citee hotel—my citee hotel.”
+
+The one of which we never tired was all about “Salina—mya dear,” and we
+made the men sing it over and over until they were breathless.
+
+Like all negroes they were full of spirits and childish humor. Their
+paddling was splendid but terribly wasteful of strength, as at the end
+of each stroke they gave a strong upward jerk, sending a shower of drops
+into the air. Our luggage ballyhoo was sometimes abreast of us across the
+river and when the sunlight was reflected from the eight circles of water
+thrown into the air at each stroke, the sight was a beautiful one.
+
+When we returned several weeks later, the shooting of these rapids
+was as exciting as had been the ascent. There was no slow difficult
+paddling or dragging up of the ballyhoo, but a swift shooting downward,
+giving fleeting views of tall walls of verdure, innumerable islets,
+great smooth-faced rocks around which our canoe slid, perilously close,
+her keel sometimes scraping the algæ on the bottom. We shot here and
+there from side to side of the river, back and forth, guided by the
+stolid-faced Indian in the bow. Now and then we would turn completely
+around in order to keep to a deep channel which bent on itself at an
+acute angle. Then a moment’s breathing in slack water before the men gave
+way again, either to hold back with all their might or to put every ounce
+of strength into their work to keep the boat steady in her course, as we
+ran parallel to a double line of seething, trembling waves, to enter
+which would have been instant destruction.
+
+We would pass by a half dozen smooth-looking false channels, to enter the
+single safe one, perhaps far across under the lee of the opposite shore.
+A pilot not acquainted with every foot of the way would have overturned
+us instantly. The Indian would head our bow into the roughest part of the
+water apparently in sheer foolhardiness, but always the waves broke under
+us and tossed us like a chip over the jagged rocks. A cross current in
+the maelstrom would tear our bow out of its course, and at a cry from the
+steersman, all ten backs would bend as one and fairly lift the boat back
+into her course. As before, Macaws shrieked overhead, Cocoi Herons[31]
+stood watching us like statues and the little living fish rose from our
+bow and ploughed their furrows to right and left. But all passed as a
+swiftly-moving kaleidoscope, as instantaneous side-lights upon the great
+white tumbling mass of water which ever boiled and surged about us.
+
+At noon of the day of our ascent we entered the Big Aremu River, a side
+tributary of the Cuyuni not more than a hundred feet wide, and an hour
+later we grounded at Aremu Landing. Here we said good-by to Sproston’s
+launch and paddlers, and from here on were transported by Mr. Wilshire’s
+own men and boats. We slung our hammocks that night in an open-work,
+thatched and wattled house, the company’s storehouse, after a delicious
+swim in the cool water.
+
+No insects came about the vampire-discouraging lantern at night and
+no evening choruses of birds were heard except a family of Red-billed
+Toucans.[81] The iridescent rough-backed green beetles, known to jewelry
+makers as Brazilian Beetles (_Mesomphalia discors_), were abundant on a
+vine near the house.
+
+As on our former expedition on the rivers of the northwest we found that
+as the streams became smaller, their interest increased. The Cuyuni is
+awe-inspiring and grand beyond words, but the banks of the Aremu, closing
+in little by little as we ascended, brought us into more intimate contact
+with the creatures of jungle and forest.
+
+We started up the stream in an open ballyhoo of smaller size, at first
+with paddles, but changing to poles when the water became shallower.
+Snags, or tacubas as is the more euphonious native name, became abundant
+and sometimes stretched far out over our heads. Flying fish skimmed in
+all directions and vampires (_Desmodus rufus_) in scores flew from the
+dead branches projecting from the water. They choose a small-sized one,
+say two inches in diameter, and alight, one below the other, with heads
+raised, watching us. Like little animated sun-dials they revolve on their
+perches as the sun passes over, keeping the wood between them and the
+bright light. Many of the snags had bits of dead leaves and other débris
+clinging to them, brought down and lodged by the last freshet, and it
+was not until we almost put our hand on them and the bats flew, that
+we could tell whether we were looking at a cluster of vampires or dead
+leaves. There were hundreds throughout the course of the river, so it is
+a wide-spread diurnal roosting habit of these fierce little creatures.
+The blacks in this part of the country call the vampires “Dr. Blairs,”
+after a certain colonial doctor of the olden times whose favorite method
+of treatment was blood-letting.
+
+Swallows in the early morning filled the air above the river with a
+cloud of rapidly moving forms. Orchids in full bloom were abundant,
+long shoots of Golden Showers, the sweet _Epidendrum odoratum_ and
+many others unknown to us, all drenched with dew and filling the river
+canyon with fragrance. Three species of Kingfishers[67][68][69] and big
+Yellow-bellied Trogons[76] appeared now and then. The trees were taller
+than any we had yet seen, many of the moras and cumacas being much over a
+hundred feet from base to top.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 116. SHOOTING THE RAPIDS AT FULL SPEED.]
+
+At noon we stopped for breakfast in a primeval forest with rather thin
+underbrush. Many small scarab beetles (_Canthon semiopacus_) were resting
+in the hollows of leaves with their branched antennæ raised, waiting
+apparently for some hint of an odor which should summon them to their
+mission of life—the depositing of their eggs in decaying flesh. Spinning
+through the aisles made by the giant columns of tree-trunks, were curious
+translucent pin-wheels, and not until we captured one in the butterfly
+net did we realize we were looking at the same attenuated forest
+dragon-flies (_Mecistogaster_ sp.) which had deceived us so completely
+five years ago in Mexico.[G] The movement of the long, narrow wings,
+with the spot of white at the tips was, to the eye, a circular revolving
+whirl, with the needle-sized body trailing behind. The white spots
+revolved rapidly, while the rest of the wings became a mere gray haze.
+These weird creatures, apparently so ethereal and fragile, were hunting
+for spiders, and their method was regular and methodical. From under
+leaves or from the heart of widespread webs, good-sized spiders were
+snatched. A momentary juggling with the strong legs, a single nip and
+the spider minus its abdomen dropped to the mould, while the dragon-fly
+alighted and sucked the juices of its victim. If we drew near one of
+these spiders on its web, it instantly darted away, sliding down a silken
+cable to the ground or dashing into some crevice, but the approach of the
+hovering dragon-fly, although rather deliberate, was unheeded, the spider
+remaining quiet until snatched from its place.
+
+On a tiny jungle creek we alarmed several large, blunt-nosed brown
+lizards, with low dorsal crests, which ran up into the branches to escape
+us. In this respect they differed from the big iguanas which always
+dropped with a resounding splash into the water at our approach.
+
+Near some wild plum trees whose fruit was ripe, we found tracks of deer,
+agoutis and some of the smaller cats. The fruit was yellow and oblong in
+shape with a large stone, and tasted the way a tonca bean smells—bitter
+and yet sweet—a strange concentrated essence of the tropics which excited
+one, in that it differed so completely from the taste of any other fruit.
+
+Morphos became more abundant from this point on. Some were wholly
+iridescent blue above—a blinding, flashing mirror of azure; others were
+crossed by a broad band of black, while in a third species the blue
+was reduced to a narrow bar down the centre of the wing. Great yellow
+swallow-tailed butterflies and exquisite smaller ones flew about us. The
+crocodiles of the Aremu were all small, none over three feet, and were
+all black in color.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 117. A WILDERNESS PASSION FLOWER—SIMITÚ.]
+
+As we went on we were impressed with the amount of work which had been
+necessary to open up this river for the passage of ballyhoos laden with
+mine machinery. Six months ago it had been impassable, except for small
+Indian canoes, and these had often to be dragged ashore and around
+obstructions. Now the little channel had been opened, and although for
+the most part completely overhung with interlacing vines and branches,
+yet our ballyhoo wound in and out around the tacubas with but little
+hindrance. The cost of opening it had been more than $15,000. Huge
+tree-trunks had to be sawn through, but even then, the wood of many
+species having greater specific gravity than water, the trunks would sink
+to the bottom like stones, offering a greater obstruction than before.
+Dynamite was then used to clear them from the bed of the stream.
+
+In the early afternoon, a beautiful dull-red passion flower on a climbing
+vine became common, and we found that its fruit was edible and called by
+the natives Simitú. Although apparently so much at home here, this plant,
+known as the Water Lemon (_Passiflora laurifolia_), is really an escape
+from cultivation.
+
+The river twisted and turned in every direction and the banks were four
+to eight feet in height with sloping bars of sand on the inside bends.
+Palms were rather scarce, their place, in appearance at least, being
+taken by the tall, slender Congo pump trees with deeply serrated rosettes
+of leaves. Tree-ferns appeared in ever increasing numbers and stretched
+their graceful fronds from the banks far out over our heads.
+
+During midday, silence filled these river glades, both birds and insects
+resting quietly in the heat, and the only sound was the regular scraping
+of the poles against the sides of the ballyhoo. The heat was not
+oppressive except in the glaring sunshine on the water, but such exposure
+was rare in these deeply forested recesses. We had had no rain thus
+far and the temperature of the mornings and evenings was delightfully
+cool. At night we could scarcely keep warm rolled in a hammock in a
+thick blanket. Unpleasant insects were entirely absent, and yet we were
+travelling in the heart of a tropical wilderness, which most of us
+have pictured as a sizzling, steaming hot-house, teeming with venomous
+reptiles and stinging bugs of all descriptions.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 118. OUR CAMP ON THE AREMU RIVER.]
+
+About three o’clock, the Goldbirds[115] began calling and some other
+species with a single loud whistle. A Cormorant rose with heavy
+wing-beats ahead of us, and when we flushed it the second time we shot
+it. It was the little Guiana Cormorant[47] only twenty-eight inches in
+length, with eyes of dull green. A deer broke away from the bank at the
+sound of the shot and dashed off.
+
+That night we made camp in the jungle. A skeleton shelter roof of poles
+was thrown up, over which was stretched a tarpaulin, coming to within six
+or seven feet of the ground all around. Then a double row of stout stakes
+was driven into the leaf mould along each side and the hammocks slung
+from them. They were springy, and one swung not only sideways but with a
+slight end for end motion that made every movement easy.
+
+While we were making camp we were hailed by a passing ballyhoo, the
+occupant of which proved to be Mr. Fowler, the head of the Colony
+Department of Lands and Mines, who had been at the mine on a tour
+of inspection and was now on his way back to Georgetown. Hospitable
+Mrs. Wilshire at once invited him to come over from his camping place
+farther downstream and dine with us. A dinner party in the “bush!” We
+all shared the feeling of festivity. The men hastily constructed a
+table of the trunks of young saplings, while the rest of the party hung
+lighted lanterns from the overhanging branches. Directly in front of
+the camp was a tall, straight Copa tree draped with long hanging bush
+ropes dangling from the lowest branches, seventy or eighty feet up the
+trunk. The base sent out thin, far-reaching buttresses, the intervals
+between which formed natural seats and closets for our guns and bags. Mr.
+Fowler’s Indian hunter brought in several Curassows which we added to
+the Cormorant for dinner. Mr. Fowler had seen a Bush-master (_Lachesis
+mutus_) a few hundred yards upstream, the first poisonous snake of which
+we had heard on this trip. We had a merry dinner, Mr. Fowler telling us
+many an interesting story of his early days in the colony.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 119. POLING UNDER TACUBAS ON THE LITTLE AREMU.]
+
+The jungle around our camp was alive with sound all night—frogs chiefly;
+the wing-beating fellows, the heavily loaded freight engines, the
+bleating calves and a new kind which raised its loud and continuous voice
+in choking roars. One’s imagination pictured death struggles between
+man-like monkeys and other creatures, the qualities of human and bestial
+voices were so blended in this utterance. Vampires flew about back and
+forth under our shelter but none bit us. So strange and wonderful was
+this night in the “bush” that for many hours sleep was impossible.
+
+Early next morning a light rain fell for an hour and through it we
+photographed our night’s camp. As the sun shone dimly through the mist
+a chorus arose—Woodhewers, Parrots, Macaws and in the distance the ever
+thrilling moan of the red “baboons.”
+
+The last black pushed off with his pole about eight o’clock and we
+settled ourselves for our last day of river travel. The stream became
+narrower and more diversified, in places being not more than twenty-five
+feet from bank to bank, then spreading out to twice that width with
+strange keel-like sharp rocks projecting from its surface. We elbowed
+our way through a perfect maze of dovetailed tacubas and slanting
+tree-trunks, which we went around or rubbed along or scraped over.
+Sometimes we all had to crouch flat down to the level of the gunwale to
+pass under a low trunk, or again even to climb out on to the log and
+down into the ballyhoo on the other side. Now and then a pole would
+be wrenched from a negro’s hand as the current or impetus of the boat
+twisted it to one side, or the man himself would be flicked overboard
+amid roars of laughter from his mates, who, when he climbed dripping on
+board again, would inquire the cause for the sudden desertion of his
+post.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 120. TREE-FERNS ON THE LITTLE AREMU.]
+
+These tacubas, which are really fallen trees, are the most apparent
+danger in the jungle, although the chances of accident from them are very
+slight. Along the bank were many slanting trees, bound sooner or later
+to give way. On our return journey down the Aremu we passed, or rather
+scraped under, a huge trunk which completely spanned the creek. It must
+have fallen about two days before and we had to push through a perfect
+tangle of orchids and lianas.
+
+Tree-ferns twelve feet high draped the banks; spiders of weird shapes
+dropped upon us, buoyed up by their long silken cables; brush-tipped
+aërial roots dangling at the ends of plummet lines fifty feet long were
+drawn from stem to stern of the boat and across the pages of our journals
+as we wrote.
+
+Half an hour after starting we discovered a Three-toed Sloth
+(_Choloepus_) high up in a tree almost over the water. Mr. Howell shot
+the creature and we found it to be of large size, with long reddish-brown
+hair. The face, expressionless as it always is in these animals, had
+small eyes of a warm hazel color. Later we had it cooked and found it
+quite palatable.
+
+In many of these tropical growths the new or first leaf-shoots are pale
+or brilliant red, this holding good in the case of the giant moras,
+several trees with locust-like foliage, and even the flat, leaf-vines,
+_Monstera_ or shingle plants, crawling up the trunks. One small tree
+with entire leaves and covered with sweet-scented tassel-shaped flowers,
+had at least half its foliage of a pale yellow-green. This is the spring
+of this region in so far as such a region of never ending warmth and
+moisture may be said to have a spring. On every hand flowers were in
+abundance. All were unknown to us, but most were of large size and varied
+odor and color. All the tales of the rarity of flowers in the tropics had
+not fitted in with our experiences.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 121. A SLOTH IN ACTION.]
+
+In the course of three bends of the river, during some fifteen minutes’
+observation, we observed the following in masses of sufficient size to
+catch the eye far off and add a decided color tone to the spot where they
+grew: purple pea-blooms in wisteria-like bunches; falling-star white
+flowers; pink two-petalled ground flowers in dense clumps; spider lilies,
+the large kind; red passion flowers; white tubular blooms; five-parted
+purple star-shaped flowers; wild cotton, in enormous masses of bloom,
+resembling clematis and as fragrant; long thin racemes of very fragrant,
+dull greenish white flowers; brush-like purple blooms, white at the base,
+growing sessile on the trunks, with an edible fruit, which the blacks
+call “Waika.”
+
+This list is exclusive of all the many inconspicuous flowers and all
+orchids, which were seldom out of sight. Its value lies only in giving
+the faintest of hints of the wonderful beauty of these jungle water
+trails.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 122. A SLOTH ASLEEP.]
+
+On these upper reaches of the stream the two water birds most in evidence
+were Tiger Bitterns[40] and Great Rufous Kingfishers.[67] One could
+write pages trying to describe a single vista of this beautiful region
+and yet give only a hint of its charm. In one place a mighty loop of a
+lofty bush rope or monkey ladder with ornate woody frills decorating the
+edges, hangs swaying high in air across the stream. Several other giant
+vines have caught hold and have wormed their way in serpentine folds
+along the first great swing. In the spaces between these huge living
+cables, seeds and parasitic plants have taken root and grown, filling up
+the network with their aërial bulbs and in turn furnishing rootholds for
+an innumerable variety of flowers, ferns, orchids, mosses and lichens.
+The mosses are long and fan-shaped like some species of coral, and
+the lichens are red, pink, gray and white. The whole forms, high over
+our heads, an enormous hanging garden which no human ingenuity could
+duplicate.
+
+Two hours after starting we reached the place called Two Mouths and
+turned into the Little Aremu. In no place is this stream more than
+twenty-five feet wide, with low, sloping sandy or clay banks facing steep
+ones, first on the right, then on the left side, according to the bend of
+the stream and the force of the current. As we went along a splendid male
+Crested Curassow[4] flew up and was shot, to be added to our menu. Before
+we came in sight it was clucking softly.
+
+A splash around a bend, and sharp claw and toe marks showed where a
+capybara (_Hydrochoerus capybara_) had just entered the water, and from
+here on we found such tracks common on every sandy bank.
+
+We were amused at our steersman’s occasional orders to the crew. In
+places where the current was swift and poling was very difficult he would
+shout in a most woful and despairing voice “O Lord!”, giving us quite a
+start. We eventually found that he was intending this ejaculation for
+“Pole-hard!”
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 123. WHERE ONLY OTTERS AND FISH CAN PASS.]
+
+Black-shelled mollusks were common on submerged logs, and on the banks
+above the water line were scores of curious spiders and insects, while
+dragon-flies of a half dozen or more species darted swiftly about.
+Throughout the morning we were never out of hearing of the hammering of
+Woodpeckers, or the cooing of Doves or the laughing, descending scales of
+Woodhewers. The Chinese music of the cicadas came to our ears, a sound
+which recalled vividly the forests of Venezuela.
+
+The water was now at a medium level, but after heavy rains when it is
+high, all the great tacubas six feet above our heads are submerged and
+much of the land along the river banks becomes a swamp.
+
+Farther upstream when the water became very shallow and the stream
+narrowed to twelve or fifteen feet, some of us left the ballyhoo in order
+to make the work of the blacks easier, and took to the trail. After a
+fifteen minutes’ walk we saw the glimmer of sunshine through the trees
+and knew that we had reached the gold mine of the Little Aremu.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU.
+
+SOME PAGES FROM MY DIARY.
+
+(_By C. William Beebe._)
+
+
+Even more to the Gold Mine of Aremu than to Hoorie is the application
+“island” or “oasis” in the jungle, appropriate. The clearing is about
+twenty acres in extent, approximately circular, with the magnificent
+forest trees crowding densely to the very edge. The bungalow and mine
+shaft are on the summit of a symmetrical hill, which slopes evenly and
+steeply down on all sides. The hill is about a hundred feet in height and
+yet the trees far down at the foot tower high above it.
+
+The concession includes about seven and a half square miles, and in many
+places where the rock outcrops, well paying deposits of gold are visible.
+At Aremu there is a soft quartz ledge about eight feet wide running
+almost vertically and rich in gold. Often the metal is visible and a
+small lens shows the yellow crystals encrusting the white matrix.
+
+The first day at Aremu we went down in the mining bucket, two and
+two—each clinging to the wire cable and balancing the opposite person.
+Down and down went the swaying bucket, slowly revolving—the heat and
+sunshine of the upper air replaced by the cool darkness—damp and chilly
+with rich earthen, clayey smells. Eighty-five feet below the surface the
+four leads began, one a hundred feet along the vein. This consists of a
+ferrugineous gold-bearing quartz, somewhat decomposed by the dissolving
+out of several of its constituents. The candles shed a flickering light
+on the slimy, dripping walls and for a few moments one felt completely
+confused—so hard was it to stand there shivering and yet realize that a
+few yards overhead was brilliant tropical light and sunshine, gaudy birds
+and butterflies. One seemed in a wholly different world.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 124. AREMU GOLD MINE, SHOWING BUNGALOW AND MINE
+SHAFT.]
+
+But though forever buried in dripping darkness, there were as bright
+colors here as in the living creatures above ground. Each side of the
+quartz vein ran an endless series of beautifully stratified, decomposed,
+talc-like clays; purest white, orange, slate-colored, pink, blue, yellow
+and brown—one hue succeeding another like some strange fossil rainbow.
+
+Outside near the bottom of the hill, two gaping holes showed where the
+blacks who discovered the gold years ago worked the ledge by hand—leaving
+even in their tailings enough gold to make it well worth working over.
+Now electric stamps, run by great boilers, do the work, all brought up
+the Little Aremu bit by bit, with the greatest labor, at seasons of high
+water.
+
+Here as at Hoorie a few pork-knockers were allowed to locate their
+diminutive claims and glean what superficial metal they could from
+surface deposits. A mile away to the west was a large outcropping
+known as “England” and here four or five blacks were working. On each
+Saturday night they would bring their little packets of gold to the
+store to receive credit checks or receipts. Once as we were crouching in
+the jungle watching some “cushie” or parasol ants, two of these black
+pork-knockers passed within a yard without seeing us, each with his
+little bundle of worldly belongings on his head, topped by a wooden gold
+pan.
+
+I have mentioned panning as the most primitive method of mining, next
+to which comes the “Long Tom.” At “England” we found a third advance—a
+method of breaking up partly decomposed gold-bearing quartz. A deep
+narrow pit showed where the material was found, shovelfuls being thrown
+up on two successive ledges before it reached the surface. It was then
+carried to an open thatched roof beneath which was a primitive, two-man
+power stamp. This was nothing but a gigantic hammer made of two logs,
+the hammer part covered with metal, and the handle hung in a socket,
+so that the centre of gravity lay toward the head. Two men, balancing
+themselves by clinging to uprights, stepped in unison on the tip of the
+handle, their combined weight depressing it and raising the head; then
+stepping off suddenly the hammer came down with great force on a pile of
+broken gold-quartz, fed into a hardened hollow beneath it. This mining
+enterprise required no less than five men, and they were taking out about
+$1.20 each a day.
+
+Comparing the division of labor among men with that among cells, we may
+liken the single “pork-knocker” to an Amoeba, where a single man and
+a single cell perform all the necessary functions; the Long Tom with
+two men is like the simpler sponges—where one set of cells secretes
+the skeleton of spicules, giving shape to the whole, and another set
+lashes the water and absorbs the tiny bits of food. The crusher with
+its five men, each performing his individual labor, corresponds to some
+slightly higher organism—a jelly-fish or anemone,—while the electrically
+run stamps, employing several score of men, is like the complex cell
+machinery of a beetle or butterfly.
+
+The Aremu Mine clearing had been in existence only about six months, and
+the trees which were felled had been sawed up or burnt so that there
+was no such abundance of wood-loving insects as at Hoorie. At night a
+few Longicorn beetles would appear and buzz about, but almost no moths.
+In fact during our whole stay only one moth of large size was seen. One
+small species of moth, with wings of a general rusty-red, a light line
+along the front margin and spreading only an inch, appeared in numbers on
+the evening of April 2d. The following day we saw many of the Gray-rumped
+Swifts snatching them from the bushes in the clearing. I brought a single
+specimen back and found it was a species new to science, which has been
+named _Capnodes albicosta_.[H]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 125. DESCENDING THE SHAFT.]
+
+Walking sticks and mantises were more abundant. Some of the former had
+well-developed wings on which they whirred about the bungalow; others
+had none at all or reduced to a scale-like vestige. In an individual
+of a third group the wings, while perfect, were pitiful affairs, mere
+mockeries of pinions, barely an inch in extent, while the body of the
+insect was almost five inches in length. When thrown into the air the
+poor “stick” expanded his wings to the fullest but wholly in vain. There
+was just sufficient spread of wing to act as a parachute and allow him to
+scale safely to the ground.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 126. WALKING STICK INSECT.]
+
+We watched him several days and never tired of his peculiar walk, swaying
+from side to side. Often when at rest the front pair of legs would be
+extended parallel with the antennæ, along the anterior line of the body,
+making the imitation twig eight inches over all (Fig. 126).
+
+As we walked through the jungle wood roads close to the clearing, large
+forest dragon-flies, small tiger beetles (_Odontochila confusa_, _O.
+cayennensis_ and _O. lacordairei_) and a few yellow-spotted Heliconias
+were the most noticeable insects. One or two of the giant metallic
+Buprestid beetles (_Euchroma goliath_) were sure to be seen flying about
+the fallen trees, and our Indian hunter invariably made a dash at them,
+and as invariably missed the active, alert creatures.
+
+Passing by a great mora stump in the clearing, our attention was
+attracted one day by a large caterpillar hanging dangling about two feet
+from the ground, squirming and wriggling vigorously. We ran up and saw a
+most interesting sight. Through a hole, about three quarters of an inch
+in diameter, protruded one of the claws of a good-sized scorpion. These
+villainous pincers had a secure grip on two of the long head spines of
+the caterpillar, which was dangling helplessly. As the latter wriggled,
+the scorpion made attempt after attempt to draw its victim inside the
+hole, a most absurd thing, as from tip to tip of spines the caterpillar
+measured almost two inches across. After watching this tableau I caught
+the scorpion’s claw in a pair of pliers, drew him out, and, Milady
+holding him up with the caterpillar, I photographed them together.
+
+The caterpillar was a most gorgeous creature; pale green, fading into
+yellowish at the posterior edge of each segment, while the movable
+joints were dark brown. On the seven posterior segments there were six
+rows of branched spines, the stalks pale orange and the branches pale
+blue—the three colors, green, orange and blue, making a most harmonious
+combination. On the anterior five segments there were two additional rows
+of spines, small ones, low down on the sides. The eight spines on the
+head segment pointed forward, projecting beyond the head. The longest
+spines were on the second, third and caudal segment and were over three
+quarters of an inch. All the blue branchlets ended in a dark, tiny needle
+point, and they stung like nettles as we found when we accidentally
+touched some.
+
+I had never heard of a contest between two such creatures, and should
+think the scorpion must have been hard put to it for food, to make
+frantic attempts to secure such a prickly mouthful.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 127. SCORPION AND CATERPILLAR AFTER THEIR BATTLE.]
+
+South of the bungalow, scrubby bush had been allowed to grow up and
+here was a scattering of non-forest birds; three pairs of Silver-beak
+Tanagers[146] and a pair of Seed-eaters.[131] Gray-rumped Swifts[72]
+coursed over the clearing and Toucans, Macaws and Orange-headed
+Vultures[52] were occasionally seen from the bungalow, while a pair of
+splendid Red-crested Woodpeckers[88] hammered the trunks and leaped from
+tree to tree all through the day.
+
+In the clearing itself we saw little of mammalian life, although we dined
+daily on all the bush meat from bush-pig to acourie. The whitened bones
+of an ocelot lay in perfect arrangement at the edge of the clearing fifty
+yards from the bungalow, picked clean by ants but for some unaccountable
+reason untouched by Vultures. The animal had been shot at night, chicken
+stealing.
+
+At daybreak the red howlers came to the edge of the clearing and awakened
+us from our slumbers by their wonderfully weird chant.
+
+Jaguars were not seen or heard, except one reported by the mail carrier
+who runs between Aremu and Perseverance Landing. Some years ago an Indian
+near here found a litter of jaguar cubs containing two normally colored
+and one black individual. The latter was purchased by a colonist and sent
+to the London Zoo.
+
+A dull-colored, harmless snake, four feet long, with two rows of keeled
+scales along the back, was the only serpent we found in or near the
+clearing. Lizards were everywhere and one very large iguana inhabited a
+bit of wood-road, but evaded all our efforts to add him to our mess pot.
+
+The Amphibians alone in this region would well repay months of study.
+Our brief visit gave us only a glimpse of them. The commonest frog
+in the jungle near the clearing was a medium sized, dark-bodied one
+(_Dendrobates trivittatus_) with green legs and two pale green bands,
+one running around the front edge of the head, back over the eyes and
+down the sides of the body; the second line being beneath the first. The
+under parts were covered with blue lines and mottlings. The first half
+dozen seen were normal in appearance, but then one was encountered which
+instantly drew my attention. A closer look showed that the back of the
+animal was covered with a solid mass of living tadpoles, each over half
+an inch in length. When I urged him into a jar, two tadpoles were scraped
+off and wriggled vigorously. When put into water they sank to the bottom
+and made no attempt to swim, although the tail fins were well developed
+and there was as yet no trace of limbs.
+
+I kept this frog in a box with wet earth and a puddle of water, and two
+days later half the tadpoles had left his back and were swimming strongly
+in the muddy water. They were attached to the back of their parent only
+by their sucking disks, and the object of the strange association seemed
+only temporary and not intended to last until the tadpoles became adult.
+They would probably drop off and swim away one by one when their father
+entered some forest pool. This species of frog was very active and
+capable of remarkably long jumps.
+
+As I shall mention later, the sharp eyes of my Indian hunter spied a
+most remarkable frog in the jungle one day, which I brought home in my
+pocket. Its scheme of protective form and color was perfect—the hue of
+dried leaves and withered mosses, with deeply serrated sides and a high
+irregular ridge over each eye. I placed it among some dried leaves and
+tried to focus on it with my Graflex, but could not find it. Then I
+stooped down and although the frog had not moved and I knew the square
+yard within which it was resting, it took me a full minute before I
+located it, and optically disentangled it from its surroundings. I have
+never seen such a case of complete dissolution and disappearance. When I
+alarmed it, the frog closed its eyes—thus obliterating the dark spots of
+its irides, and then little by little opened them again.
+
+Every evening at half past five o’clock we would troop down to the
+stream and swim and paddle about on the sand bars in the half day—half
+moonlight. The water was cool and refreshing and the temperature of the
+air invigorating at this hour, and to lie on one’s back and look up at
+the lofty moras and other trees stretching their branches fifty yards or
+more overhead was a sensation never to be forgotten.
+
+We spent ten days at the Aremu Mine, and it speaks well for the working
+possibilities of this region that I was able to rise at five o’clock
+in the morning and with intervals only for meals, keep up steady
+work—exploring, photographing and skinning until ten o’clock at night,
+when usually the last skin would be rolled up or the last note written.
+I would then tumble, happy and dead tired, into bed and know nothing
+until the low signal of our Indian hunter summoned me in the dusk of the
+following morning. I worked harder than I ought to have done even in our
+northern countries and yet felt no ill effects.
+
+What impressed me chiefly in regard to the birds of this region was,
+first the abundance, and second, the great variety. In the course of the
+ten days of our stay, we identified 80 species of birds, and observed at
+least a full two hundred more which we were unable to classify except as
+to family or genus. Wishing to study the birds alive I refrained from
+shooting as much as possible and chose to make this expedition rather
+one of preparation in learning what tropical wood-craft I could from an
+excellent Indian hunter, than of gathering a collection and thereby a
+lengthy list of mere names. When, sometime in the future, we return to
+this splendid field of study and spend months in careful observation of
+some such limited region, we may hope to add something of real value to
+our knowledge of the ecology of these most interesting forms of tropical
+life. We have the results of the collector, par-excellence, in our museum
+cases of thousands of tropical bird-skins. Now let us learn something of
+the environment and life history of the living birds themselves.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 128. MILADY AND THE GIANT MORA TREE.]
+
+It is against my rule to write in diary form, but owing to the limited
+time we spent at Aremu and the series of events, some of which extended
+over two or three days, I have made an exception in this case and will
+put down a few of the incidents of jungle life in the order in which I
+observed them. Far from giving all the observations made here on birds
+and other creatures, I have included only those of greatest interest,
+which will convey an idea of the conditions of life here as compared to
+those in our northern woods and forests.
+
+MARCH 28th.—Leaving the house before noon I crossed the Little Aremu by a
+foot bridge, at the western edge of the clearing. The stream here flows
+gently and smoothly; it is from one to four feet deep, and ten to fifteen
+feet wide. Following it upstream, one is stopped within a few yards by
+a perfect tangle and maze of interlocked vines and trunks showing what
+it was like lower down before the hand of man hewed and blasted a free
+channel. The forest about the mine clearing is probably near the extreme,
+even of tropical growth. One feels absolutely dwarfed as one gazes up—far
+up, at the lofty branches, where birds like tiny insects are flying
+about, in a world by themselves. The trunks are clean, hard and straight
+as marble columns and the undergrowth is thin, giving access in almost
+any direction, yet dense enough to harbor many species of birds and
+animals.
+
+Turning south along a wood road, I started on my first tramp into the
+jungle. It was the hottest part of the day, but there was all the
+difference in the world between sun and shade, and here in the recesses
+of the forest it was pleasantly cool, and birds and insects were abundant.
+
+One of the first sounds which came to my ears was a loud, intermittent
+rustling among the dried leaves, marked now and then by a low grunt.
+Crawling up quietly behind a great mossy log, I peered over and was
+surprised to find that I had been stalking a huge tortoise. I certainly
+might reasonably have expected to see a mammal instead of a reptile,
+as our tortoises of the north are not in the habit of attracting our
+attention by their vocal efforts. This was a South American Tortoise
+(_Testudo tabulata_) of the largest size, not far from two feet in
+length, and he was busy rooting in the ground for some small nuts which
+had fallen in great quantities from the tree overhead and settled among
+the débris of the leaf mould. The shell of the tortoise was high and
+arched, dark brown in color with a bright yellow centre in each shield.
+There were two deep abrasions on the shell, apparently caused by the
+teeth of some carnivore.
+
+These tortoises were very common and we had many delicious soups and
+stews made of their meat. They were, however, heavy and awkward to carry
+and we never bothered to bring them home unless on the return journey
+and near the clearing. In one individual we found eight eggs about to be
+deposited.
+
+My wood road led up a gentle incline down which logs had been skidded,
+and after a half mile it merged gradually into the jungle. At the last
+sign of the axe I sat down on a fallen trunk and quietly waited. Three
+Blue Honey Creepers[136a]—two males and one green female,—dashed here
+and there in the branches close overhead. They uttered sharp cheeps,
+until the males flew at each other and began fighting furiously—ascending
+for fifty feet in a whirling spiral of hazy blue and black, and then
+clinching and falling to earth, where they clung together claw to claw,
+and pecked viciously and in silence, their beautiful plumage disheveled
+and broken. The lady—heartless cause of all this terrible strife—cheeped
+in low tones overhead and nonchalantly plucked invisible dainties from
+the undersides of leaves. I took a step toward the combatants and they
+separated and vanished, the lady, be it noted, following swiftly in their
+wake.
+
+Close upon this melodrama came a fairy Manakin, black with a conspicuous
+white chin. I never saw another and cannot identify it, distinctly
+marked though it was. Through the forest came the low belling of Green
+Cassiques;[150] then no sound save the drowsy hum of insects high
+overhead. The most frequent noise came from falling leaves, twigs and
+branches—yes, leaves, for “gently as a falling leaf” in this tropic world
+might mean, “like the stroke of a sledge hammer!” The realization comes
+again, as a yellow leaf eddies past my seat, that autumn is distributed
+throughout the whole year, while the freshly opening pink and reddish
+shoots on every hand show that spring is never absent.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 129. AËRIAL ROOTS OF BUSH-ROPE.]
+
+I observed something circling about in an opening to my left and on
+examining it found a peculiar flat cake-like wasp nest, with the solitary
+pair of owners (_Polybia_ sp.) on the rim. It was attached to the
+extremity of a long, slender bush-thread dangling from a great distance
+above. There was not a breath of air and the secret of the circling
+motion—the nest moving irregularly in an ellipse of about ten feet—was
+not solved until with my glasses I made out a small monkey—a marmoset
+apparently—clinging to a branch near where the bush-thread started. The
+little creature had found some store of food in a hollow or crevice of
+the bark. To get his hand in, he was compelled to push aside the dangling
+curtain of aërial root-threads, and this occasional motion was enough to
+send the end, far below, sailing around in a large circle.
+
+As I resumed my seat, a great beetle, like a polished emerald, alighted
+close beside me,—not heavy and blundering, like a June-bug or scarab,
+but nervous, flicking its wings wasp-like, ready at an instant’s alarm
+to whirr away as swiftly as light. A beautifully marked Longicorn
+beetle buzzed past and alighted ten feet up a sapling, leaving me
+eying it enviously, atremble with all my boyhood’s collecting ardor.
+Heliconias sailed slowly past and one of the beautiful transparent jungle
+butterflies alighted at my feet, with only a few dots of azure revealing
+the position of the wings. White and yellow butterflies floated high in
+air, where a hundred kinds of flowers flashed out among the green foliage.
+
+Lizards were abundant in this little clearing, slipping along fallen
+trees with sudden rushes and halts, or tearing madly after each other
+with loud rustlings through the fallen leaves. Some were beautifully
+colored, splashed with blue, orange and green; while other dark ones
+had a network of delicate light lines crossing the back, cutting the
+creatures up into likenesses of small lichened leaves.
+
+When the sun shone out brightly, two or three minute midges danced before
+my eyes—otherwise I was free from the “insect scourges” of the tropics!
+
+The trees on this and all later days constantly drew from us exclamations
+of delight. They were magnificent, awe-inspiring, and if I could think
+of any stronger word of appreciation I should apply it at once to them.
+Their immensity and apparent age made one reflect upon the transiency
+of animal and human existence. Even the long-lived Parrots and Macaws
+perching on their branches seemed like may-flies of a day compared with
+these giants of the jungle, which had watched century upon century pass.
+
+As I looked at the circle of trees bordering the clearing—a clearing
+which itself was the result of the felling of only one such giant—the
+great variety of trees was at once noticeable. Near relatives—brothers
+and sisters, or fathers and sons—could not exist within each other’s
+shadow. So it was that a dozen kinds were visible from my seat. One
+splendid fellow sent up a perfectly rounded grayish column, one hundred
+and fifty feet or more, propped with a single great fox-colored buttress,
+sweeping gracefully out from the weaker side of the ground hold of the
+trunk, like the train of a court lady’s dress.
+
+Another column was round but deeply fluted, the trunk being rimmed with a
+succession of scallops, while in a third tree known as Paddle-wood, this
+was carried to an extreme, the trunk being little more than the point of
+juncture of a dozen thin blade-like sheets of wood. The whole was of a
+beautiful leaden-gray color.
+
+The moras were the biggest and tallest trees within sight, and sent out
+huge buttresses, twenty feet in all directions with space between them
+for a good-sized room. The impression of security was perfect—it seemed
+as if the strongest of winds could never overcome such a reinforced
+structure.
+
+Hearing near at hand the strange cicada _whirr!_ which we have described
+in a previous chapter (page 23), I watched for the insect and soon traced
+the sound to a very large cicada high up on the trunk of a tree. Wishing
+to identify it and lacking other means of getting it, I backed away some
+distance and brought it down with a 22 calibre shot cartridge. It is a
+remarkable country indeed where one goes gunning for bugs! And not only
+this, but I only winged my game! one pellet of lead breaking the main
+vein of the right wing, bringing the insect to the ground where it buzzed
+and flopped about until I caught and chloroformed it.
+
+It was a beautiful species almost three inches in length with transparent
+wings marbled with wavy black markings, and with the thorax and abdomen
+ornamented with tufts of golden and brown hair (_Cicada grossa_).
+
+Keeping to the left through the open underbrush I intersected another
+wood road, then swung around and at last entered the clearing from the
+southeast. Hearing a rustling I suspected another tortoise, and was about
+to pass on when I saw leaves and twigs flying into the air behind a log.
+Creeping from tree to tree I saw that the commotion was made by a trio
+of Ant-thrushes or, as I prefer to call them, Antbirds. They took the
+leaves and leaf mould in their beaks and threw them over their backs,
+all three working side by side, covering a width of about two feet.
+They were Woodcock Antbirds,[93] reminding one, in the general tone of
+coloration of the upper parts, of that bird. The chin and throat were
+black bordered with white which extended up the sides of the neck and
+forward over the eyes. The tail was short and often held erect over the
+back, while the strong legs and feet proclaimed them terrestrial rather
+than arboreal. When flying or excited, a row of white spots flashed out
+from all the wing feathers save the first two primaries, but when the
+wings were closed only buff markings were visible. Now and then two of
+the birds would spy some morsel of food at the same instant and a tussel
+would ensue. With angry scolding cries the two contestants would strike
+at each other with their beaks, with wings wide spread and the elongated
+feathers of the back raised and parted, exposing the conspicuous white
+base of the plumes, almost like a rosette. These white stars were
+very conspicuous amid the dark shadows of the forest floor, vanishing
+instantly when the wings were lowered. This color was not visible in
+flight. Many of the species of this group of birds have a similar
+concealed dorsal spot, and it must serve some definite purpose. When
+the matter of dispute was devoured or had crawled away into safety, the
+quarrel was at once forgotten and the birds began scratching peacefully
+side by side as before.
+
+A short distance beyond I encountered what I found later was the most
+common assemblage of birds to be found in this region—a flock of Antbirds
+and Woodhewers, with a few other species, such as Flycatchers and
+Tanagers. One could not take even a short walk in the forest hereabouts
+without observing several such flocks, numbering from a dozen to fifty or
+more individuals.
+
+The Antbirds comprise a family, _Formicariidae_, of which more than
+two hundred and fifty species are known. They are rather generalized
+passerine birds, which are found only in the tropical forests of northern
+South America. Inconspicuous in color and retiring in habits it is only
+when one becomes familiar with these tropical jungles that one realizes
+how numerous these birds really are. Their notes are usually uttered only
+at intervals and are often difficult to locate. They creep silently among
+the lower branches or, as we have seen, search the ground for the insects
+which form their food. The name Ant-thrush is rather a misnomer, for they
+are not Thrushes, and while they are always attendant upon the swarms of
+hunting ants yet they seldom feed upon the ants themselves, but on the
+insects stirred up by the ferocious insects.
+
+We know but little about the nesting habits of these birds, and we were
+unable to locate a nest during our brief stay although we knew that
+several were breeding near the clearing.
+
+Like most other tropical families, Antbirds have been compelled by
+competition to specialize, and we find some Shrike-like in habits as
+well as appearance; others resembling the long-legged Pittas of the East
+Indies, while the majority parallel Wrens, Warblers or Thrushes.
+
+The Woodhewers of the well-named family _Dendrocolaptidae_, or
+Tree-chisellers, form with the Antbirds a considerable percentage of the
+smaller forest birds of this region. There are not far from three hundred
+forms of these birds, all of dull colors—rufous or brown tones prevailing.
+
+Woodhewers in the main parallel the Woodpeckers, and especially the Brown
+Creepers, in their method of obtaining food. Their claws and feet are
+strong, the legs short, and the tail feathers in the majority of species
+are stiff and spine-like. They hitch up the trunks of trees, finding
+their food in the chinks and crevices of bark, but not boring into the
+wood like Woodpeckers. While the stiff tails show that all have probably
+descended from tree-creeping ancestors, some Woodhewers have deserted the
+trunks and have become Warbler-like in haunt and habit. Such a one is
+the Cinnamon Spine-tail[94] or “Rootie” (p. 379). In the tropical forest
+however, Woodhewers differ but little in their method of locomotion, and
+one or more of these fox-colored birds hitching up a great trunk is one
+of the commonest sights. There is remarkable adaptiveness in the bills,
+some being stout and blunt, others long and curved.
+
+The notes of these birds are, with the calls of the Toucans and Cotingas,
+among those most frequently heard. In the early morning especially, the
+sweet descending scales of single notes from various parts of the forest
+forms a feature which is seldom lacking.
+
+Just before I reached the clearing I flushed two labbas or pacas
+(_Coelogenys paca_) which ran squealing almost from under my feet. These
+are rodents, looking like giant Guinea-pigs about two feet in length,
+with brown fur spotted with white. Their flesh is the most delicate of
+all the “bush meat.”
+
+Mr. Howell followed my tracks later in the afternoon and brought home a
+Tamandua, or Lesser Anteater (_Tamandua tetradactyla_), which he shot in
+a tree. This creature is rather sloth like in color and in development
+of its claws, but its tail is prehensile, and nothing more unlike could
+be imagined than the heads of the two animals, that of the sloth short,
+round and blunt; the anteater’s long, slim and pointed.
+
+MARCH 29th.—We had an excellent illustration this morning of how easily
+one can get a totally wrong idea of the animal and bird life of a
+tropical forest. Nine of us started out along a faint trail used by black
+“pork-knockers,” which, after several miles of twisting and turning, led
+to an outcropping of gold, known as “England,” all on Mr. Wilshire’s
+concession. Throughout the whole tramp, although we lagged behind, we
+noted not a single bird or animal of interest save for a scattering of
+Toucans and Parrots. Every living creature fled before us or remained
+hidden. One might thus tramp across a continent and report the tropics
+to be barren of life, except in the tree-tops. Not only this, but the
+few birds which flew over or were otherwise seen momentarily were
+without exception brilliantly colored, and this would help to sustain
+the wide-spread impression that tropical birds are invariably of bright
+plumage, which is very untrue. There are really more dull-colored than
+brilliant birds in the tropics.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 130. TAMANDUA. (Photo. by Sanborn.)]
+
+At last I slip aside, let my companions go on, and make a detour to
+the left of the trail. Here in the heart of the jungle I discover an
+overgrown clearing with the skeleton of a hut in the centre. The ruin
+itself is a thing of exquisite beauty, the half-decayed uprights and
+roof saplings being interlaced and overhung with vines, the brilliant
+scarlet, poppy-like passion flowers crowning all. From the blossoms
+comes a busy hum of insects, in sharp contrast to the silence of the
+trail along which we have come. In the virgin forest there is ever sharp
+contrast. Brilliant bits of sunlight alternate with blackest shadow;
+deathly silence is broken by the ear-piercing call of the Goldbird; the
+dull earthy smell of the mould is suddenly permeated by the rare sweet
+incense of some blossom or the penetrating musk of an animal or some huge
+hemipterous insect.
+
+In a clearing—even a deserted one like this and only a few yards in
+extent—all is toned down. The odors are diffused and difficult to
+analyze; the droning of bees alternates only with the sharper whirr of
+a Hummingbird’s wings, either the brown White-eyebrowed one,[73] or the
+beauty with long sweeping tail.[75] The Rufous-breasted Hummingbirds[74]
+are abundant here and have quite a sweet song, a trill of twelve or
+fifteen notes, slow at first but rapidly increasing and ascending.
+
+The half hidden framework of the hut with the collapsed shelf and table,
+tell of man’s past presence; so do the papaw, sugar-cane and banana run
+riot; and suddenly we hear the sweet rollicking song of a little House
+Wren,[124] man’s follower, filling the deserted glade with sweetness;
+probably hoping that soon he will return and reclaim this fast vanishing
+oasis. For when the trees and vines—already reaching up over the papaw
+and bananas—close densely in, as they surely will, the jungle will become
+sovereign again, and then the pair of tiny birds will flee. Not for them
+are the dark silences, the tall sombre trunks. Their jubilant little
+souls crave light and companionship. Many of the birds of the tropical
+jungle have sweet single notes and calls—but most have harsh primitive
+voices. All are characterized by a solemnity or plaintiveness of tone,
+and none that I can recall have the joyful theme which fills the song of
+this little pioneer from more civilized regions; a song which is out of
+place away from mankind. Their sweetness has touched the heart of the
+native Guianans, who call these Wrens God-birds.
+
+It is nine o’clock, cloudy and cool, and I am sitting near the old hut
+and write on a trunk fallen across the trail. A shuffling of feet comes
+to my ears and soon a good-sized opossum, but smaller than ours of the
+north, trots swiftly toward me. Not until he gets within arm’s reach does
+he realize that something is wrong. I sit as immovable as stone and he
+puts a grimy little hand on the very edge of this journal. His nose works
+furiously, his rat-like beady eyes fairly bulge. Then he turns, just as
+I grab at his tail, but his hind claws scratch my arm so severely that
+I loose him, and he flees back on his trail—rolling awkwardly along but
+making remarkably good time. He was probably on his way home after an
+early morning’s hunt. Thus the jungle folk have already begun to close in
+on this deserted clearing.
+
+An hour later as I am kneeling quietly some six feet from the log, busy
+liberating a beautiful little butterfly from the tangle of a spider’s
+web, I am surprised to see the same opossum trot past. I know him because
+he has a kink in one ear. To see what the little fellow would do I leap
+toward him, but he has encountered me once and come to no harm, so he
+will not be turned back again. Instead of dodging me, the opossum only
+increases his speed, crosses the log, drops out of sight among the
+bushes, snorts twice to himself, and is swallowed up forever by the dark
+jungle. This log is apparently his regular highway, and he chooses to
+risk my apparently fierce onslaught and to run over the opened journal,
+bag, hat and gun, rather than change to a new path along another tree
+trunk a few feet farther along the trail.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+We mortals sometimes have faint hints of coming events, and as I was
+leaving the clearing I instinctively kept all my senses on the alert. I
+had proceeded only a few yards into the jungle when some of the sweetest
+flute-like notes I have ever heard came from a patch of underbrush ahead.
+What could it be! I knew that no human being could whistle like that, and
+when they were repeated I realized how coarse any flute would sound in
+comparison. Nothing in this world but a bird could utter such wonderful
+notes. My memory recalled descriptions of the Quadrille-bird[125] and I
+knew I was at last listening to it.
+
+Our northern ravines have their Hermit Thrush; the canyons of Mexico are
+transfigured by the melody of the Solitaire and here in the deepest,
+darkest jungles in the world arises the spirit of the forest in song—the
+hymn of the Necklaced Jungle Wren. Dropping everything which would impede
+my progress, I crawled slowly and silently over the soft mould until I
+was close to the patch of thick brush. Then I waited and prayed, and
+the gods of the Naturalist were good, and a little brown form flitted
+up to a low branch and from the feathered throat came the incomparable
+tones of the fairy flute. The bird sang a phrase (I) of six to ten notes
+at a time. This was repeated several times, when an entirely new theme
+(II) was begun, which was given only once, then a third (III) and fourth
+were tried. Each note was distinct, and of the sweetest, most silvery
+character imaginable. In all but two phrases the invariable end consisted
+of two notes exactly an octave apart, the last like an ethereal harmonic.
+Twice the tones were loud and penetrating, twice they came so faintly
+that one’s ear could hardly disentangle them from the silence.
+
+Birds with scale-like songs are far from uncommon: in the north the
+Field Sparrow; in Mexico the Canyon Wren; here the Woodhewers, but this
+was wholly new, phrase after phrase each differing from the preceding.
+How I longed for a phonograph! I scrawled a staff on a bit of paper and
+pin-pricked the notes where they seemed to come and reproduce them here.
+But what a parody they are, be they whistled or played!
+
+[Music]
+
+[Music]
+
+[Music]
+
+The Necklaced Jungle Wren,[125] or Quadrille-bird as the natives know it,
+is a true Wren barely four inches in length, brown above, with a black
+collar spangled with white. The face, throat and breast are rich rufous,
+with the lower parts pale brown. This is the singer. The song no man may
+describe!
+
+A small deer sprang up at my left, and I had walked some distance in
+that direction when I suddenly realized that I had missed the trail, and
+had been following an imaginary opening through the jungle. On closer
+examination this proved to be a deer trail leading to a small spring of
+clear water. I will never forget the first thought of terror at being
+lost in this endless forest. In one direction a few miles away lay the
+bungalow; in the opposite direction one might wander for weeks without
+meeting even an Indian. As this thought came I espied a little scarab
+beetle resting in the hollow of a leaf, who, as I looked, climbed slowly
+to the rim, wriggled his antennæ and took to wing. What a wonderful power
+of scent it was which was directing him straight as a magnet, to some
+far distant bit of decaying flesh, and with what marvellous vision the
+Vulture high overhead spied me and hung for a moment watching me through
+a break in the foliage! How dull and inefficient seemed all my organs
+of sense in such a crisis as this. For a few moments I devoted myself
+to discovering which was north, and from which direction I had come.
+The cloudy sky and the sameness of all the vistas through the jungle
+completely foiled me, and I had to give it up and ignominiously unravel
+my puzzle deliberately and unromantically. I stuck my long-handled
+butterfly net in the ground and began to describe circles about
+it—widening them gradually, until on the third round I intersected the
+trail and went on my way.
+
+The danger of being lost is by no means an imaginary one, and even with
+a compass it is sometimes difficult to retrace one’s tracks. The Indians
+themselves have to guard against becoming confused when in a new region.
+Before I reached the main trail, and met the returning party, I saw a
+number of the exquisite White-capped Manakins,[109] clad in shining black
+save for their snowy caps. Their flight, unlike their white-breasted
+cousins which we met in Venezuela, was noiseless. They were far from
+silent however, twanging their little vocal chords in an apology for a
+song—a wheezy, grasshopper-like buzz. The females were silent, sombre
+little beings—dull olive green above, with a grayish cap and paler below.
+
+After lunch at one o’clock in the afternoon, I started out again and
+climbed to the summit of a densely forested hill, southeast of the mine
+clearing. The tree-tops were filled with birds and not for a moment was
+I entirely out of sight or sound of one or more species. A few yards
+from the clearing I followed up an excited cackling and found a pair of
+splendid Red-crested Woodpeckers.[88] They had a nest in a tall dead
+stub and were trying to dislodge an iguana which was steadily crawling up
+a neighboring branch. A moment after I came into sight one of them struck
+the lizard with its wings, whereupon the iguana reared up and lunged with
+open mouth, the birds then ceasing their attack upon the inoffensive
+saurian.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 131. AGOUTI. (Photo by Sanborn.)]
+
+What splendid birds the Woodpeckers are—strong, active, full of vitality
+and enthusiasm over life. These were big fellows, black above,
+variegated on shoulders and head with white; thickly barred below and
+with a long crest of blazing scarlet. They spent much of their time near
+the bungalow, and when they drummed steadily their scarlet head-plumes
+seemed a living flaming haze.
+
+Near the summit of the hill a tall Silverballi had been felled and
+sawed by hand into boards. This had made a small clearing like the one
+I visited yesterday. The trees were filled with many species of birds
+attracted by the abundant insect life, some of which I knew and made
+notes upon, while most were unknown to me. A group of tiny feathered
+beings was busy catching midges near the top of one of the highest
+trees, their sharp _cheeps!_ coming faintly down to me. Hopeless of
+ever observing them at closer range, I secured one and found it to
+be a Buff-tailed Tyrantlet.[107] This waif of the upper air was less
+than three and a half inches in length with rather unusual coloring,
+the fore part of the body gray, the back, wings, lower breast and tail
+rufous. Its claim to the Flycatcher family was proved by the broad
+beak and remarkably long bristles. One must have an aëroplane or, more
+practically, an observing station in the tree-tops to study these and a
+hundred other interesting birds at close range. With a couple of hundred
+spikes as a ladder, I intend some day to make one of these mighty trees
+give up many of its secrets.
+
+As I was about to seat myself on the ground beyond the clearing, a big
+Guan[5] or Maroodie, as we learned to call it here, arose with a loud
+cackling cry and a rush of wings. Simultaneously a dark-colored animal
+slipped into a hole freshly excavated some twenty feet away.
+
+I lay prone, waiting for some other unexpected manifestation of life,
+but all was quiet. Then I prepared to watch for the reappearance of the
+unknown burrowing creature, and pressed my face close among the ferns
+where I could just see the entrance. A minute passed and directly across
+my line of vision, a few inches away from my face, crawled, as rapidly
+as it could move, a very large caterpillar almost four inches in length.
+Never have I seen a more remarkable looking one. Its ground color was
+a peculiar dark wine-red or purple, like the plumage of the Pompadour
+Cotinga. From the sides of the back projected brush-like tufts of red and
+black hair, while a continuous line of dense golden hair extended out
+from the body just above the feet. Over six segments was drawn a pale
+yellow pattern of the most delicate lace-like markings, a dainty network
+different on each segment. Altogether it was a wondrous creature and
+entirely put the burrowing mammal out of mind.
+
+I carried it to our improvised laboratory on the veranda of the bungalow,
+but it refused food of all description, and day by day became smaller
+in size and duller in color. Instead of dying, it transformed one night
+into a large, beautiful chrysalid, yellow-green with a pale bloom over
+the surface. It was an inch and a half in length, thick-set in the centre
+and tapering rapidly. The joint between the fifth and sixth segments
+was hinged and the terminal portion would swing vigorously from side
+to side. The spiracle on the sixth segment was cream colored and much
+longer than the others, while the bottom of the chrysalid ended in two
+short, brownish spines. Seventeen days later in Georgetown, a beautiful
+orange-shaded Morpho butterfly emerged. I looked it up in a curious old
+volume, “The Insects of Suriname” by Madame Merriam, written many years
+ago, and found it was a rare insect, _Morpho metellus_, light orange on
+the fore-wings, shading toward the body into pale green and on the hinder
+wings to velvety black. From tip to tip it spreads six inches.
+
+On this tramp I heard at least a dozen unusually loud or musical calls
+and whistles, new to me, which I could not trace to their authors. In one
+case, however, I was successful. Creeping up to a low, thick patch of
+brush, a splendid scarlet bird flew out and alighted twenty yards away,
+again giving utterance to its characteristic loud whistle. To-day I was
+contented with listening and watching, but later I secured the bird as
+I could not otherwise identify it. It was what I have christened the
+Black-headed Scarlet Grosbeak,[134] differing from the description of
+this species in being 8⅜ instead of 7½ inches in length. It was scarlet
+below, dull red above, with a scarlet necklace and a jet black head and
+throat. A yellowish female showed herself for only a moment. The whistle
+was loud and penetrating, but sweet in quality. The first theme had three
+distinct phrases which may be represented thus:
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The second consisted of three scales, the first ascending one being more
+abrupt than the succeeding ones, thus:
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When the first bird ceased, another took up the whistle as long as I
+remained near the place. What splendid birds these would be in an aviary,
+striking both in color and notes. The nest, eggs and young, as is the
+case with so many South American birds, are unknown.
+
+Goldbirds[115] were calling all through the woods, and when one paid
+close attention, considerable variation was apparent in their notes. One
+individual uttered the _wheé! wheé! o!_ twice in quick succession with
+the two introductory phrases (_vide_ page 189) only before the first
+call. This was repeated three times and then the bird reverted to the
+usual single utterance. On my way home two agoutis sprang up before me
+and I secured one for the general mess.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU.
+
+SOME PAGES FROM MY DIARY (_continued_).
+
+(_By C. William Beebe._)
+
+
+For our supply of meat we depended altogether upon the efforts of an
+Indian hunter who made daily excursions from the clearing after game,
+and who never failed to come back heavily laden with some one of eight
+or ten varieties of edible birds or mammals. He was an Arrawak, going by
+the name of Francis, his real Indian name being of course never revealed.
+Like most of the Indians we met, he was quiet, serious and taciturn,
+but I had the good fortune early to win his approbation and to satisfy
+him that, while my hunting clothes were no match for his copper-colored
+skin in stalking animals, yet I could manage to get through the woods
+without any great noise or bustle. The only personal information I could
+obtain from him was that he was born on the upper Mazaruni, had a brother
+and two sisters and was “’bout four hand” (twenty) years old. He got
+fifty cents a day and his food for hunting and slept in a tiny hammock
+swung beneath the bungalow floor. The Indian hunter at Hoorie was paid
+sixty-eight cents a day without rations.
+
+Francis and I had some interesting tramps together and one of my most
+enjoyable memories of these great tropical jungles is of this little
+red-man, short, well-built, muscular and absolutely tireless. I found
+him to be a great help in searching for certain rare birds and animals,
+and I learned a good deal of jungle craft from him. As one example among
+many things, I noticed that he never stepped on a log or fallen tree,
+and it was not until I had crashed through and hurt my ankle on one
+which had been undermined by ants that I realized how excellent a rule
+this was. A log of apparently the hardest wood might be but a shell thin
+as paper. The facility with which Francis found his way about in rain
+as well as sunshine was a puzzle, until by careful watching I found he
+was constantly making new trails by breaking, in the direction of the
+trail, tiny twigs, the leaves of which were of a slightly different color
+beneath. Such a mark every fifteen or twenty feet was almost a hopeless
+clue for me at first, although ultimately I learned to discover them more
+readily. As the breaking made no noise and was accomplished by the least
+motion of the hand, it was long before I detected it. When I went out
+alone I chose to leave a “blaze” every _ten_ feet!
+
+MARCH 30th.—At daybreak we started out on our first tramp, I with camera,
+bag, gun and glasses. Half a mile from the clearing I cached the camera
+and bag, the pace being such that I could not keep up while carrying
+them. I have hunted in Canada and elsewhere with first-rate guides and
+backwoodsmen, but this was a very different matter. From the moment we
+entered the jungle the whole demeanor of Francis was changed. He walked
+like a cat and _never for a moment_ relaxed his vigilance, and therein
+he differed from a white man, who would unconsciously relax when he
+thought game was still some distance away. His figure slipped silently on
+ahead of me, flowing under trunks, passing around the densest clumps of
+underbrush, while I followed and imitated as best I could, learning every
+minute more than I had ever known of the art of effacing oneself in the
+wilderness. Every step was made carefully and the entire field of view
+ahead swept, and every significant sound noted. A branch would fall with
+a series of resounding crashes and the Indian would apparently not hear
+it, while a cracking twig or a low rustle which I could scarcely detect
+would lead him off in an entirely new direction, not necessarily toward
+the sound, but often to flank it or get to leeward of it. During the
+first two or three hours we would give our whole attention to hunting,
+but when the day’s supply was provided, we then stalked the birds and
+wild creatures and watched them, as closely as we could.
+
+Our first tramp was in a general south or southeast direction, passing
+over a succession of hills, five in all, three of which were high and
+quite steep, but all of about the same diameter with regular slopes and
+flat, narrow valleys. These were mostly swampy, or if dry had a stream
+flowing slowly along the middle. Agoutis were abundant in such places and
+we could always depend on obtaining them when desired.
+
+As we left the bungalow I had laughingly asked Mrs. Wilshire what meat
+she desired for dinner and she said “Venison.” So when I told Francis,
+in the broken English which we must use in talking to these Indians,
+that we must get deer, he nodded and disdained the agoutis. If I had
+said, “Francis, we must be sure to get deer to-day in preference to other
+game,” he would have understood not a word. But “Shoot-um deer, eh? no
+accourie, no labba, no maipurie,” outlined the day’s work perfectly in
+his mind. I was rather reluctant to use this _um! ugh!_ language at
+first; it savored too much of theatrical Indian dialect or of “penny
+dreadful” wild-west jargon, but it soon became perfectly natural and was
+really necessary.
+
+After a half-hour’s walk Francis motioned me to take the greatest care,
+and pressed my shoulder lower until I was almost on my knees while we
+slowly crept around a great mora trunk. He pointed steadily ahead, but
+after a three-minute scrutiny I could discern not a sign of life. Then he
+raised his gun and fired, and set loose a half dozen feathered bombs, or
+so it sounded as a flock of nearly full-grown Guiana Crested Tinamou[2]
+arose with a roar. I secured one with a quick snap shot and we tied up
+the brace of birds with a slender tough bush-thread. Fastening head, feet
+and wings together, the Indian tied them ingeniously around his waist,
+the birds hanging down behind out of the way.
+
+At the sound of the guns three tiny male Purple-throated Euphonias[138]
+clad in purple jackets, yellow caps and waistcoats, came down to see what
+the noise was about. They were ridiculously tame and sang their simple
+chattering song in our very faces.
+
+In the fourth valley we found a perfect maze of agouti tracks mingled
+with the fresh imprint of a tapir’s feet. Francis showed me the spot
+where he had shot one of these “bush-cows” the week before. A few yards
+beyond we found a deer’s track and in some way the Indian seemed to
+know that the animal was close at hand. We crawled silently for twenty
+or thirty yards through a shallow creek, then separated and crept along
+the slope, one on each side. A sudden rustling of vines came from a bend
+in the stream and we both caught sight of the bright rufous flanks of a
+deer. We secured it and then for some reason Francis remained perfectly
+quiet for five minutes while a delightful bit of wilderness life appeared
+close to me.
+
+The smoke from my gun was still clinging to the great fern fronds
+overhead, when a second deer, a doe, walked fearlessly past along the
+opposite slope, stopping to nibble at a leaf now and then, and at last
+vanished in the underbrush. I was about to climb down to the deer we had
+shot when I heard a splash and a weak little bleat, and, looking at a
+pool ahead, there I spied the tiniest of fawns standing in the shallows,
+looking full at me, and now then splashing the water.
+
+I whistled and the little thing started toward me fearlessly, standing
+knee-deep in the water, its tiny rufous form decorated with three lines
+of spots, every one of which was perfectly reflected in the water.
+Suddenly with a snort and a stamp the mother took one leap over a bush,
+her eyes staring in terror at me, then turned and vanished. In some way
+she had infused the spirit of fear into her offspring, for with a bleat
+which was almost a shriek the little fellow galloped madly, awkwardly
+after her, tripping every few steps as he turned his head to see if this
+awful thing was pursuing. I never saw such an instantaneous change from
+confidence to fear in any creature. The most remarkable thing was that
+the mother and fawn had not taken fright at the roar of the guns in their
+very ears. The very loudness and proximity must have had a numbing effect
+on the organs of hearing. I found that Francis had seen the second deer
+after shooting at the first, and had lain flat while she walked so near
+him, that, as he showed me by her tracks, he could have reached out his
+hand and touched her as she passed.
+
+We know but little of the deer of this region, and I took some notes on
+this first Savanna Deer (_Odocoileus savannarum_) which we obtained for
+the mess. It was a male without horns, and of a uniform rich rufous above
+with grayish-brown head, and the legs up to the hock mouse-color. The tip
+and under side of the tail and inner thighs were white, while the rufous
+color was continuous around the breast and belly. The deer stood 24½
+inches high at the shoulder and weighed 70 pounds. It had been feeding on
+leaves and on a great number of seeds of the Kakaralli tree, much like
+the mora. The seeds look like nutmeg in the mace, and two grow in each
+husk.
+
+The skill and rapidity with which Francis prepared the animal for
+carrying was remarkable. He removed eight-foot strips of bark from a
+small tree which he called Mahoo and stripped off the tough pliable inner
+layer. With this he bound the legs and head together, then tied a broad
+band of bark about the body leaving it loose at the top. I hoisted up
+the deer and he put his arms and shoulders through the tied legs as if
+it had been a pack bag and slipped the loose band of bark across his
+forehead, like the tump-lines of the Canadian Indians.
+
+A gentle cool breeze was blowing down the narrow valley and the blood
+from cleaning the animal had not been exposed five minutes when a line of
+burying beetles and yellow wasps began coming up-wind to the feast. Such
+a summons calls them far and wide from their vantage points on leaves and
+branches, where we see them so frequently in walking through the jungle.
+Before fifteen minutes had passed, an Orange-headed Vulture[52] appeared
+soaring over the little opening in ever lessening circles. He too had
+responded, but as much by sight as by scent, to the welcome meal.
+
+On the way home we frightened a group of large weasel-like creatures
+which we found to be Tayras (_Galictis barbara_) or, as the natives call
+them, Hackas. Seven ran rapidly away snarling and I secured one. They had
+been feeding on big grubs which they had nosed out among the dead leaves,
+a rather remarkable occupation for creatures of the fierce Mustelidæ
+family. The fur was dark-brown with a white spot on the breast, while the
+tail was long and bushy.
+
+Before we reached the clearing a Quadrille Bird[125] sang to us from the
+heart of a tangled swamp, a new theme differing from any I had heard:
+
+[Music]
+
+During the four mile walk to the clearing there was hardly a minute
+when we were out of sight or sound of birds. Big Blue Tinamou[1] and
+Jacupeba Guans[5] boomed up before us; Woodpeckers and Manakins of
+several species called and flew here and there, while we passed flock
+after flock of Antbirds, Woodhewers, Flycatchers and Tanagers. One bird
+which I secured, the Wallace Olive Manakin,[112] was altogether of a
+dull olive, with none of the brilliant color patches of its congeners.
+When I went to pick up the specimen I saw a curious jointed band lying
+across it and found a six-inch centipede on the bird. The Manakin must
+have fallen across the path of the Myriapod as it was crawling over the
+jungle floor. While wrapping up this bird, a flock of tiny Brown-fronted
+Jungle Vireos[128a] flew close to us, uttering a song like a diminutive
+alarm clock, _Whirrrrrrrrrrr-chee! Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrr-chee!_ Francis shot
+one, which was hardly more than four inches in length, olive-green above,
+paler below. Those who think that all tropical birds are brightly colored
+should see the great number of species of sober little fellows like these.
+
+MARCH 31st.—Francis and I started out in a light rain at daybreak in
+search of Trumpeters and howling monkeys. The cook was well supplied with
+meat so we did not intend to bother with game. With the help of Goeldi’s
+plates of Brazilian birds and much crude attempt at sketching I had
+taught Francis what creatures I wished especially to see.
+
+About three hundred yards from the clearing Francis pointed out a
+beautiful nest of a White-throated Robin[127] made of green, growing
+moss, and placed close to the trunk of a tree, about six feet from the
+ground. We marked the spot and went on, but a day or two later I returned
+and examined it more carefully. This Thrush is olive brown above, pale
+below with a streaked chin and throat like our northern Robin. Its most
+characteristic mark, however, is a patch of pure white on the upper
+breast, which flashes out like a star among the shadows of the jungle.
+The parent was shy and would slip off at my approach, but return as
+silently if I walked away for a minute. When I prepared to photograph
+the nest she thought something was seriously wrong and voiced her alarm
+with a sharp _cut! cut!_ When I focussed close to her home, her anger got
+the better of her and she scolded me roundly with harsh notes, repeated
+in phrases of seven, _chack-chack-chack-chack-chack-chack-chack!_
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 132. NEST AND EGGS OF WHITE-THROATED ROBIN.]
+
+The nest touched the trunk of the tree, but rested on a loop of a
+two-inch bush rope or liana, which swung against the bark, binding one
+tree to another. Just below was a fungoid excrescence larger than the
+nest itself. The nest was a double one, the new one being built directly
+on the older. The latter was composed of dry dead moss, while the new
+one was fresh and green. There were two eggs, pale blue-green, thickly
+spotted with brown of various shades, much more densely at the larger end.
+
+We found this Robin was a common breeder hereabouts and discovered four
+other nests, all within a half mile of the clearing, yet all in deep
+jungle. The parents differed radically in their actions; two allowing
+us to inspect their treasures without fear, while two others became
+terrified if we approached within twenty feet of their nest.
+
+To return to our Trumpeter and howling monkey hunt; it rained much of
+the morning, but for the most part only a drizzle. Francis said that wet
+weather made bad hunting except for deer and bush-cow or tapir, chiefly
+because the continual noise made by the falling rain-drops made it
+difficult to hear the rustlings of birds and animals.
+
+I thoroughly enjoyed this new aspect of the jungle world. As usual
+small birds were fairly abundant, of which apparently 99 per cent. were
+Antbirds or Woodhewers. The most common Antbird in the valleys was the
+Scaly-backed, slate-colored except for the feathers of the back, wings
+and tail which were black tipped with white. At one place two dozen of
+these little birds must have been in sight, uttering sharp, snapping
+calls, and clinging, like Marsh Wrens, to upright stems in the low
+underbrush.
+
+Every now and then we came across a good-sized hole with fresh earth
+thrown out at the entrance. Francis said that this was made by a “Yāsee”
+and he recognized an armadillo when I drew it.
+
+Suddenly the rain came down in sheets, and streamed through the dense
+foliage. Francis gave me his gun, ran to a tooroo palm, a species which
+has no stem but sends its leaves, fern-like, from a base level with the
+earth. He cut off five stalks with as many blows of his knife, brought
+them to me and stuck them upright in the fork of a low branch. We stood
+under them for half an hour and never a drop came through, although three
+inches out in any direction the rain was falling in torrents. It was a
+wonderful example of a waterproof shelter put up in about thirty seconds.
+Can we blame these Indians for a general lack of industry, when game is
+as easy to obtain as we found it, and when one may build a house in a
+half a minute with a few knife strokes!
+
+During the entire downpour we saw only a Long-tailed Hummingbird[75]
+which unconcernedly searched the undersides of leaves for insects.
+Francis said its nest was hung on the side of the tip of a tooroo frond.
+A fluted tree of large size near us he called ballicusan, saying it was
+used for making paddles like ruruli. A section would look something like
+this:
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 133. SECTION OF PADDLE-WOOD TREE.]
+
+The folds when cut off are so thin that a very little additional shaping
+forms them into blades.
+
+As we were walking along after the shower, several twigs fell on us,
+which would have been unnoticed by me, as leaves and even branches are
+continually dropping in these forests. But Francis looked up at once and
+whispering “Baboon” pointed to where a great male red howler (_Mycetes
+seniculus_) was walking slowly along a branch overhead. A carefully aimed
+shot brought it to earth, stone dead. It was a magnificent specimen
+weighing just twenty pounds and the hyoid bone protruded like an
+exaggerated Adam’s apple.[I]
+
+These howling monkeys are of course not really baboons, as these latter
+monkeys live only in the Old World and have short tails; while the
+howlers are members of the American family Cebidæ.
+
+They are of a low type of intelligence and will not live long in
+captivity, being morose and sullen, very unlike other smaller South
+American primates. The hyoid bones in the throat are enlarged to form
+a great thin-walled bony drum, which is the chief instrument in the
+production of their wonderful voice.
+
+There were two females and a smaller male in this party, but I got no
+clear sight of the others after I shot the old one. As in the case of
+the deer, tiny burying beetles began coming within two minutes after
+the blood of the baboon had been splashed on the leaves. We had walked
+for ten or fifteen minutes after shooting the monkey when we heard an
+infantile roar from the remaining male. This the old one would never
+have allowed, so we had an interesting example of the almost immediate
+usurping of the leadership by a young animal, at the death of presumably
+its parent.
+
+Francis had remarkable eyesight, and when he once realized that I was
+interested in small birds and other objects he would silently point out
+everything in our path. In this way I found a remarkable frog which
+was so protected by its color and markings that I should never have
+discovered it by myself. I have mentioned it before as being of good
+size, earthern brown in color, with a tall, thin leaf-like ridge on the
+head over each eye and a row of light-grey tubercles like fringe down
+each side of the body. From the tip of the nose to the tail extended a
+narrow, pale bluish line and externally there seemed to be almost no
+differentiation between head and body.
+
+I heard Red-billed Toucans[81] calling in a high tree and stalking them,
+succeeded in shooting two, both males, one younger than the other. The
+coloring of their beaks was wonderfully brilliant and variegated. Their
+notes were of the Robin-song type, _Phéo-pha!_ although the resemblance
+to a puppy’s voice was also strong. They had been feeding on seeds with a
+pinkish pulp which Francis called suluwafaddy.
+
+There were three Toucans in this group and when the first old bird was
+shot the others returned and called continuously and loudly. The third
+also came back to the same tree and I found that this was the adult
+female.
+
+In this case as always, I did not take the life of a living creature
+without some good reason: for sport, never—but either as food, or as in
+this instance as the only way to solve a problem of scientific interest.
+I had noticed trios of Toucans in many places and wondered whether the
+third bird was an extra female or young. On the following day I observed
+no fewer than five separate trios of Toucans of two species, and now that
+I knew the dull-colored upper tail-coverts were a clue to the young bird
+of the year, my high power stereo glasses showed me a single young in
+each instance. We know practically nothing of the nesting habits of this
+group except from vague accounts. So it is certain that in this region
+the rule is that only one young bird is reared to maturity.
+
+The loud hollow whirring of the wings of these birds often drew our eyes
+up to the tree-tops and we had many opportunities of watching them feed.
+The commonest way was for them to creep out as far as they dared to the
+branch tips and then crane their necks and bills to reach the fruit.
+But often they adopted a more spectacular method. A trio would beat
+heavily into a berry-laden tree and perch quietly a few moments, looking
+carefully in all directions for danger, overhead for hawks and eagles,
+beneath and around for monkeys, opossums and snakes. Then one would
+launch out, make a flying leap at a pendent cluster of fruit, clutch
+it frantically with its feet, and dangle and sway for ten seconds at a
+time—reaching out the while and filling its bill with the berries. Then
+when the bird dropped exhausted to a branch below, it would swallow what
+it had gathered.
+
+After shooting the Toucans I leaned my gun against a patch of black moss
+on a tree trunk. To my astonishment the moss whirled outward and back,
+and then I saw it was a host of caterpillars crowded as densely as they
+could be in a patch three feet high and forming a semicircle about the
+six-inch trunk. They were covered with black, branched, stinging hairs,
+with two longer tufted ones on the segments near the head. As Francis
+said, “Um wurrum’s hairs bite hard!”
+
+I began experimenting with their reaction motions. I found that any _sst_
+sound or hiss, the snapping of fingers, whistling, hand clapping, or
+pounding on the metal or wood of my gun, caused absolutely no response on
+the part of the caterpillars. No matter how close to the creatures or how
+loud or sudden was the sound, unless they were touched they did not move.
+On the contrary, any utterance of such sounds as _bis!_ _bow!_ _bing!_
+_buzz!_ even when so low as hardly to rise above a whisper, caused every
+caterpillar of the many hundreds to react as one. The head with the long
+tufted appendage was jerked quickly backward, then down, and on the edges
+of the mass from side to side. Those in the centre, because of their
+position, had only the up and down flick. The effect as a whole was
+indescribable. An inconspicuous growth of moss was transformed like a
+flash into a seething, rearing mass of waving caterpillars. A suggestion,
+altogether theoretical, is that the reaction to the buzzy sounds may hint
+that the chief danger feared by these caterpillars is the fatal buzz of
+the wings of the ichneumon fly.
+
+This evening we added baboon and bill-bird to our venison, and were
+surprised to find the former tender and by no means devoid of taste.
+The Toucans were tough, but more than one of us came back for a second
+helping of “howler”—in spite of the cannibalistic chaff with which we
+were regaled!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 134. PHONETIC CATERPILLARS.]
+
+The rain had increased in amount successively during the last three days
+and to-night a new sound was added to our nocturnal chorus—the Bubbling
+or Gurgling Frogs, which, by the score, vented their joyful emotions in
+energetic gulps from the jungle at the edge of the clearing.
+
+APRIL 1st.—Having missed finding Trumpeters yesterday, Francis promised
+them for to-day and we took a long tramp full of incident as usual. We
+circled to the north, swinging around beyond the first two valleys and
+then turning and describing a second curve intersecting the first. Two of
+the Jungle Wrens or Quadrille Birds[125] sang their incomparable strains,
+each with a theme of its own. The first had two phrases which it uttered
+alternately, thus;
+
+[Music]
+
+There is absolutely no other bird song with which to compare it.
+The timbre, when heard at a distance, is that of the Wood Thrush
+quality—sweet, liquid and altogether ethereal. But the distinctness of
+the notes and their remarkably intricate trios and gradations are wholly
+unique. Three or four large species of Antbirds ran rapidly here and
+there, holding their short tails erect and jerking them frequently, thus
+presenting a decidedly ralline appearance.
+
+We saw several Little Tinamous[3] in the course of the day, one of which
+I shot. When the cook cleaned it in the evening, he found an egg about
+to be laid. Several days later a short distance from the clearing,
+a bird of this species was flushed from a slight hollow between the
+buttresses of a mora. The following day when the bird flew from the same
+spot it was found that an egg had been deposited. It was of a burnished
+purple color and was 35 × 45 mm. in size. Although we knew that the
+egg had been laid less than twenty-four hours before, yet it contained
+an embryo corresponding to a four day chick. This fact, in the case of
+these generalized birds, may have some significance when we remember the
+advanced state of embryonic development characterizing the newly laid
+eggs of many reptiles.
+
+After an hour or more of the most careful stalking in a low swampy
+valley, we heard the unmistakable thunderings of Trumpeters[25] or
+Warracabras, and my blood leaped in response. Long before I could hear
+them, Francis had distinguished the low booming note amid all the other
+jungle sounds. I had studied specimens for months in the north and had
+searched in vain for any definite account of their habits. And now,
+although the briefness of my stay would permit of almost no chance for
+real investigation, yet here at any rate were the birds themselves in
+their native haunts. At last we flushed two which flew down from their
+perch with a sudden whirr of wings and ran swiftly out of sight. As they
+flew they uttered the familiar _Chack! chack!_
+
+These interesting birds have no near relations, but form a Sub-order
+by themselves. They run very swiftly but seldom use their wings, and
+although they swim quite well, rivers of any size are never crossed.
+Large flocks are sometimes met with, but the birds travel more often in
+small parties. They feed on the ground and roost in the tall trees. The
+voice has many variations but the sound from which the name is derived is
+very loud and sonorous, and can be heard at a great distance. Trumpeters
+are very common pets among the Indians, to whom they become greatly
+attached, and although given full liberty in the midst of the dense
+bush they never attempt to return to their former homes. When standing
+upright, the Trumpeter reaches a height of from 18 to 20 inches. The
+head and neck are black and covered with soft velvety feathers, about a
+quarter of an inch in length, and slightly recurved. On the upper part of
+the breast and the lower part of the neck a purplish iridescence appears
+on the feathers while the rest of the plumage is entirely black, with the
+exception of a brownish band across the back, and the grayish plume-like
+secondaries. The tail is very soft and does not exceed four inches in
+length and is indeed hidden by the wing feathers.
+
+I made careful inquiry concerning the nesting of the Common Trumpeter.
+So-called biographers have credited it with nesting on the ground or in
+a hole high up a tree; of laying from two to ten or more eggs, which in
+the words of the describers are white, dirty-white, or green!
+
+I questioned Francis at various times and could never get him to vary his
+answers. He said that the Trumpeter nested in the hollow of a tree and
+laid three, four or five white eggs.
+
+On another occasion I questioned the Indian who hunted for Mr. Nicholson
+at Matope and he said the Warracabra builds a nest of leaves well up in a
+tree and lays five white eggs.
+
+While waiting for the Trumpeters we heard the strange Bare-headed
+Cotinga[117] or Calf-bird. The note has been compared to the lowing of
+a cow, but to me it seemed much more musical resembling the humming of
+a goblet when one’s moistened finger is rubbed around the rim. The bird
+is yellowish brown with a bare head and keeps to the tops of the trees.
+It is not shy however and can easily be approached and watched with the
+glass.
+
+The most interesting discovery I made to-day was the elaborate courtship
+and challenge performance of the Crested Curassow.[4] In a low bit of
+valley with thick underbrush we put up a deer which dashed off before we
+could catch more than a glimpse of it. It was followed by two agoutis,
+one of which we gathered in for dinner. The note of alarm of these
+rodents is a loud nasal _Wăăăăh!_ Then Francis clutched my arm and by
+listening intently I could just hear a faint low mumbling. It might have
+been a bumble bee a few feet away, but the Indian pointed to the east and
+said “Powies—Warracabras! Me go shootum labba.” Which very plainly meant
+that there were Curassows and Trumpeters near me and that he would leave
+me to stalk and study them, while he went to secure a toothsome paca for
+dinner.
+
+I cached my gun, in fact everything but my glasses, and began creeping
+as silently as possible down the course of the little valley. Francis,
+quietly amused, smiled as I tied my handkerchief tenderfoot fashion to my
+gun; expressing quite as much as a multitude of chaffing remarks could
+have done.
+
+[Illustration: FIRST PHASE OF CURASSOW STRUTTING, A SLOW WALK WITH RAISED
+TAIL.
+
+FIG. 135. Rear view.
+
+FIG. 136. Side view.]
+
+Foot by foot I pushed through or crawled under fallen trees and tangled
+vines and tree-ferns, close to the hot steaming forest mould, with the
+low distant booming becoming ever more distinct. The ventriloquial
+quality completely deceived me, and long after I thought to see the
+performer I went on and on for many yards. At last I turned to the south
+to gain the shelter of a great fallen tree which had begun to merge its
+rotten wood with the débris of the jungle floor. I shall never forget
+pushing aside a mass of beautiful green orchids and slipping into a
+great hollow made by a second tree which had fallen athwart the first.
+Just beyond were three Crested Curassows,[4] a male and two females, the
+latter busy scratching among the dead leaves, while the male was devoting
+himself to a most remarkable performance.[J]
+
+The splendid bird walks slowly up and down the clear space which he has
+chosen. The entire body is tilted far forward, the breast low and the
+wings pointing down in front, the wrist portion, or shoulder as it is
+often wrongly called, dropping almost to the ground. The wing tips lie
+flat upon the back, and the tail is raised, while the head is held high,
+almost touching the back and tips of the wings. The tail, carrying out
+the line of the back, points straight upward, and the white belly, flanks
+and especially the under tail-coverts are fluffed out to their greatest
+extent, forming a most conspicuous white mark against the black of the
+remaining plumage. (Fig. 135.)
+
+[Illustration: SECOND PHASE OF CURASSOW STRUTTING.
+
+FIG. 137. Standing with Pebble in Beak, striking the Head against the
+Back.]
+
+Now from a tree near by comes a low penetrating moan or muffled boom.
+The bird in front of me at once changes his whole demeanor. He continues
+his walking but it assumes more of a mincing character, uttering all the
+while several notes, like low but shrill squeaks or gurgles, mingled with
+snorts and snores, all rather subdued. These seem rather hit or miss,
+there being no regular sequence or similarity of the utterances. Several
+times these sounds are interrupted by the bird stopping, appearing to
+pick up something, and then to dash its head violently against its back,
+producing a low champing sound which seems to excite the females, who
+otherwise are wholly indifferent. Try as I may I can make nothing of this
+action, and later it is an indiscreet, impatient movement of mine at such
+a juncture that ultimately frightens the birds and ends my observations.
+I was delighted therefore when observing the Curassow in the north to see
+the bird repeatedly pick up pebbles or a feather or twig and champ them
+in its bill just as the wild bird did. The clicking sound resulted only
+when a hard object was picked up, but the dull thuds were made by the
+skull of the bird striking violently against its dorsal vertebræ, the
+object it had picked up being held meanwhile in its bill. (Fig. 137.)
+
+The wild Curassow soon drops whatever it has picked up and claps its
+wings together seven or eight times over its back, making a loud slapping
+sound. It then turns its back on its rival in the tree, plucks nervously
+at the wings, right and left, for a full minute or longer, and then
+reaches convulsively forward several times, with its head and neck, the
+bill being wide open, gulping in a great quantity of air. Its abdominal
+air-sacs swell, its wings are lowered and rounded out until the bird
+appears half as large again as usual. Thus it stands, half squatting
+with lowered head and tail, and within a period of five to ten seconds
+utters usually four notes of the deepest and most penetrating character.
+Now that I am within a few yards, they sound no louder than when several
+hundred yards away. The exertion put forth shows this vocal effort to
+be a strenuous one, and at the second performance the tones are rather
+low and confused. But the normal utterance, this climax of the whole
+challenge, is as follows:
+
+[Music]
+
+This may be imitated by anyone with a deep bass voice by humming the
+syllables _Um, um, um-um-um_, to the notes as I have written them.
+
+During this period the actor, as observed in the captive specimen, seems
+almost in a trance, standing with half closed eyes, oblivious even of a
+hand resting on the feathers of his back, and the recovery is slow, the
+bird seeming dazed for a short time.
+
+As I lay concealed in the Guiana forest, the whole performance was
+repeated five times in twelve minutes, the Curassow appearing most
+excited after it had finished the challenge call. It frequently ran to
+the hens and walked about them, while the captive bird which I observed
+paid no attention to the hens, but showed off to human visitors and
+devoted himself to attacks upon their footwear.
+
+[Illustration: THIRD PHASE OF CURASSOW STRUTTING.
+
+FIG. 138. Back turned, Wings lowered, Air-sacs inflated, uttering the
+penetrating Challenge Call.]
+
+No part of the performance was ever omitted. Invariably he turned his
+back on his rival or observer, invariably he first walked and snorted,
+then champed and clapped his wings, and finally sent out his challenge.
+As I have said, one may closely imitate this call, and the birds, as I
+learned on another occasion, will respond to repeated calls and come
+within shooting distance.
+
+Taken altogether, the performance was a most delightful insight into
+the lives of these little known birds, and the complexity and intricate
+succession of the various maneuvres was remarkable. As I have said, at
+one of the pebble champing periods I become so interested that I made
+a noise and the three birds rose at once and whirred away, while I
+retraced my steps. I returned as carefully as possible and encountered
+a troup of small monkeys which passed close overhead, sending down a
+rain of dead twigs. They apparently have the habit of breaking off twigs
+when they are progressing leisurely, as I observed this same unnecessary
+amount of falling twigs and branches on several other occasions. When
+thus engaged they make a great racket, uttering now and then plaintive,
+inarticulate sounds. When once they spy you beneath them a sudden chorus
+arises like the greatly exaggerated swearing of a red squirrel, and off
+they go rapidly, silently, with not a sound of breaking branches.
+
+Finding a good point of vantage not far from my gun and bag, I waited
+for Francis, squatting—coolie fashion—out of respect to the bête rouge
+which were numerous and enthusiastic at this point! I sat there five
+minutes and not a moment was devoid of interest. I accidentally snapped a
+stick, and like an electric spark came a sharp _zizz!_ at my very elbow.
+I jumped as if an electric shock had indeed accompanied it, and then
+broke another stick. Again the _zizz!_ snapped in answer, and close to my
+resting place I discovered a “Six o’clock Bee,” as the natives call these
+giant cicadas (_Cicada grossa_). Like the Curassow, he was on the _qui
+vive_ for rivals and ready with his challenge. As often as I snapped a
+stick, he whirred out an answer.
+
+A pair of Blue-and-yellow Macaws[61] screamed. When heard in the
+distance, all harshness is eliminated from their voices, and an extremely
+human quality of sound is acquired, as of one person calling in a
+high tone to another. A Green Cassique[150] whirred overhead, tolled
+his cow-bell and strutted with slow elaborateness. Suddenly a pair of
+Trumpeters[25] came into view, but saw me at the same instant, and with
+loud _chacks!_ fled in all haste. Going on to our meeting place I almost
+stepped on Francis, who had been, quietly watching me and resting after
+having returned with a load of game.
+
+We struck the broken twig trail on which we secured the old howling
+monkey yesterday, and a few hundred yards from the spot we heard the
+young male roaring. He had improved wonderfully on his falsetto yell of
+yesterday, and except for a general weakness of volume and an occasional
+break and tendency to get out of breath, he made a good showing in
+the vocal gymnastics of his race. Twice after this we ran across the
+youngster and each time he was howling, but entirely alone. He had not
+yet secured a mate and his mother and aunt had apparently deserted him
+upon his assumption of leadership!
+
+A half-hour’s walk close to the clearing this afternoon revealed birds
+everywhere in flocks, passing leisurely. Small Woodpeckers were tapping,
+Woodhewers picking and prying, Antbirds peering under leaves and twigs,
+and the Flycatchers audibly snapping up insects in mid-air. The jungle
+was filled with dee-dee-dees, chirps, chacks, low mewings and whistles,
+while a rain of falling leaves, ripe berries, dead twigs and bits of bark
+marked the progress of the flocks. I shot a number of birds which were
+new to me, one of which I could not find until after ten minutes’ search.
+When I discovered it, a line of ants five yards long had formed and it
+was covered with their bodies. So swiftly do tropical scavengers work!
+
+I secured a Wedge-billed Pygmy Woodhewer[96] with its single young one,
+which must have left the nest that very day. Curiously enough, the latter
+perched as often as it clung to the tree-trunks, and keeping this in mind
+I found that the measurements of the two birds were very interesting.
+There was almost no difference between the length of the wings and beaks
+of parent and young, but the tail of the young bird was only 1⁷⁄₁₆ inches
+in length as compared with 4¾ inches in the adult. From this it appears
+that the climbing habit is not developed as early in the young Woodhewer
+as in Woodpeckers, in which it seems instinctive from the first.
+
+Resting my camera for a moment against the buttress of a giant mora, a
+small brown bird flew out and I recognized another Wedge-billed Pygmy
+Woodhewer.[96] It flew to a sapling and peered at me around the side.
+When I did not move away it came nearer and voiced its disapproval by a
+five-syllabled cry, _chik-chik-chik-chik-chik!_ This made me suspicious
+and peering down a narrow crevice formed by a deep fold in the buttress
+I caught a glint of white, and finally made out three eggs, one of
+which seemed to be freshly broken. A safer or cosier place could not be
+imagined. The crevice was eighteen inches deep and only two inches wide,
+with the opening of the fold almost closed by a small dangling bush rope.
+The nest itself was only two feet above the ground. The eggs were pure
+white and were laid on a thin net-work of rootlets and fibres resting on
+the black mould which had collected in the crevice. The following day it
+took me two hours of hard work, cutting and sawing, to reach the nest,
+and when Milady spooned up nest and eggs, four good-sized scorpions came
+with them, unpleasant guests I should think! There were two eggs in the
+nest and a broken one on the ground outside which the parent had removed
+the night before. This egg had probably been broken by the hurried flight
+of the parent on the preceding day. The eggs were a broad oval in shape,
+dull white and both measured 20 by 16 mm.
+
+Four other pairs of birds were nesting on this side of the clearing,
+Yellow-winged Honey Creepers,[136] Jungle Wrens,[125] two pair of
+White-throated Robins,[127] and a Guiana Quail or Douraquara.[8] This
+last I found wholly by accident as I was watching a dragon-fly which
+had been injured by a small Flycatcher. Good-sized pieces were bitten
+out of the two hind wings and one of the others was doubled and broken.
+Yet the brave little insect was far from giving up and managed to fly
+slowly, albeit with a heavy slant to one side, the loose wing making a
+whizzing sound as it vibrated. I followed to see its ultimate fate. As
+it passed the end of a log a green lizard leaped from a leaf and seized
+the unfortunate insect in mid-air, thus typifying the _anlaga_ of bird
+flight. The lizard fell full length upon a rounded pile of dead leaves
+and like a bomb there shot forth the whirring form of the Quail, which
+scaled off between the trees.
+
+We found the Douraquara[8] had rocketted from a tunnel about a foot
+in length, made of twigs and dead leaves, which led to a round hidden
+nest cavity containing four white eggs, one of which was broken. On the
+following day the Quail had removed all trace of broken egg and shell. So
+completely was the nest a part of the jungle floor that never except by
+accident would we have discovered it.
+
+Day after day, on every tramp we took we were more and more impressed
+with the myriad examples of protective form and coloration. As I have
+said before, it is the immense variety rather than the exactness of
+detail which makes these resemblances so effective. I became so confused
+at times that repeatedly I would net a falling leaf or blossom or even
+fire at an imaginary bird, or on the other hand fail altogether to notice
+some rare bird or insect until I passed on some distance and happened
+to turn around. For instance, while walking along I saw something
+drift down and catch on a leaf. I thought to myself, this is surely an
+insect, although a most remarkable mimic. Then I bent over and examined
+it closely, lifting the branch close to my eyes, and decided it was
+nothing but a dead leaf, half curled and shrivelled up. As I turned
+away I swooped at it idly with my net and lo! it took to flight and
+cost me several yards of hard pursuit before I secured it again. The
+irregularity of its wings, their leaf-brown color edged with a line of
+yellow, and the remarkable drifting flight in full sunshine, all helped
+to deceive me. It was a moth, _Gonodonta pyrgo_.
+
+The Goldbirds,[115] although the size of large Thrushes, are absolutely
+indistinguishable in their garb of dull brown in the shadowy mid-forest,
+neither descending to the ground nor ascending to the sun-lit tree-tops.
+
+Almost as common as the piercing _wheé! wheé! o!_ of the Goldbirds was
+a less loud but penetrating _Chuckle-de-deé!_ which we heard almost as
+soon as we entered the shadows of the jungle. Three days of intermittent
+search passed before we discovered the author of this omnipresent sound.
+The note seemed to come from the tree-tops and we unconsciously held in
+mind a bird at least the size of the Goldbird. Imagine our surprise when,
+after searching the branches with aching necks, we finally detected the
+bird in the very act, finding it perched only about ten feet above our
+heads. It was a veritable mite of a bird, the Golden-crowned Manakin[110]
+clad in forest green with a tiny crown spot of yellow. From head to
+tail he measured less than three inches, and of all the marvels which
+we have encountered in our travels the most remarkable was how such a
+tiny creature, considerably smaller than our Ruby-crowned Kinglet, could
+produce such a tremendous volume of sound. His _Chuckle-de-deé!_ can
+easily be heard a hundred yards away through dense forest.
+
+Once identified it was an easy matter to locate these little Manakins.
+They loved the deep, damper parts of the woods and were ridiculously
+tame, perching quietly and calling continuously when one walked around
+within arm’s reach. We discovered the nest of one of these birds a short
+distance from the mine clearing in a sapling about seven feet from the
+ground, a very frail affair suspended in the fork of a branch. It was
+merely a thin cup of fine bush threads and rootlets, while two or three
+small leaves were fastened to the bottom with strands of cobweb. One
+could see through it anywhere. It was only 1¾ inches across and ¾ of an
+inch deep inside the cup.
+
+The bird was on the nest and refused to leave until we lifted her off and
+photographed her. Then she flew and chuckle-de-deed with all her little
+power!
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 139. GOLDEN-CROWNED MANAKIN LIFTED FROM NEST.]
+
+While insects were far from rare in the jungle itself, they were present
+in myriads in the little fallen-tree clearings. Blue Morphos flashed in
+and out of the thickets, while white-spotted, clicking ones, snapped
+back and forth. In the darker recesses the transparent Ghost Butterflies
+flew silently and almost invisibly, while Heliconias threaded the vines.
+Giant bees buzzed past now and then. One which I caught was an inch and a
+half long with tremendously thick and hairy hind legs, an orange collar
+across the front of the thorax and an equally broad band of yellow on the
+abdomen (_Centis americana_).
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 140. YOUNG DUSKY PARROTS.]
+
+Among the most interesting birds which we found nesting were Dusky
+Parrots.[66] About one hundred yards from the clearing we observed two
+red-breasted Parrots fly from a hole about forty feet up in a tall dead
+kakeralli tree. We watched the tree, morning and afternoon for several
+days, often for an hour at a time, but neither saw nor heard anything
+of the birds. Fearing that we had been deceived in thinking they were
+nesting we had a black cut down the tree, but no sooner had the dust
+settled from the débris of rotten wood than a chorus of raucous cries
+arose, and four young Parrots, nearly fledged, were gathered into a hat.
+
+The quartet showed an interesting sequence of growth, there being
+several days’ difference between each one. The youngest was clad only
+in quill-like blood feathers; number two had the scapulars, part of the
+crown, the breast and a half inch of the tail feathers out of the sheath.
+Number three was pretty well feathered except for face, throat, under
+wings and sides, while number four was to all intents and purposes a real
+Parrot! The way in which the old birds kept hidden was remarkable.
+
+One day Milady and I started out with only the lay of the land and a
+compass for guide and walked straight toward that unknown region lying
+to the northwest. A whole chapter could be written of our observations
+on that single tramp, but I shall keep our notes for a future work on
+the natural history of this region and add to this already too lengthy
+account only a few paragraphs.
+
+We saw many Lavender Jays[161] restless and numerous, yet curious to know
+what manner of beings we were. Their alarm note _Keeeow!_ accompanied us
+for a long distance. Later in the morning we spent some time watching a
+dense line of parasol ants. They were as gay as Fifth Avenue on Easter
+Sunday, being laden with the purple and white blossoms of some forest
+tree. The broad wavering banners interspersed with those insects which
+bore stamens and pistils lance-like, presented a most humanly comical
+appearance. The tiny creatures are so serious and in such a hurry and yet
+look so tipsy and political, that one never tires of watching them.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 141. EARLY MORNING IN THE WILDERNESS.]
+
+Black clouds and a high wind overtook us and we walked rapidly on,
+looking for some sort of shelter, he were lucky enough to discover a
+huge tree, hollow, even to the centre of the buttresses and this we made
+our headquarters during the storm. From each of four natural windows
+we watched the jungle life during the rain. A small patch of the black
+caterpillars was near by on a light-barked tree, all reacting or not
+according to whether we ejaculated _sst!_ or _buzz!_ As before they
+were very conspicuous and made no attempt at concealment, although at a
+distance they resembled a black knot-hole on the trunk. But their rôle
+was evidently to depend on their threatening actions and their even more
+reliable stinging hairs.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 142. INDIAN HUNTER BRINGING IN A PECCARY.]
+
+On the very floor of our shelter a tragedy was enacted. A small wasp
+(_Notogonia_ sp.) less than an inch in length with a splash of gilt on
+thorax and head, dashed upon a brown cricket (_Gryllus argentinus_)
+more than twice its size, and stung it. Then the wasp left its prey and
+ran off about eight inches to a round hole which it had excavated in the
+black wood mould. Back to the cricket again it came, turned it right side
+up, seized it by the head and began to drag it along. Although I can
+hardly credit the wasp with the conscious intention, yet its sting had
+certainly been delivered in exactly the right spot. The whole cricket
+was paralyzed except for the two front pair of legs. The motor nerves of
+these were unaffected and they kept up a convulsive pulling and pushing
+which aided the wasp greatly in its difficult task. Indeed the wasp did
+little but straddle its prey and steer, while the cricket pushed itself
+along.
+
+Just before the latter disappeared still kicking into the hole, the wasp
+stung it again and laid a small curved white egg on one of the hind legs
+of the cricket. The hole was just the right bore to admit the body of the
+victim and was six inches deep.
+
+As soon as the sun came out, huge metallic Buprestid beetles boomed about
+the trunk and the Woodhewers began their sweet scale-songs, and close
+over our heads a tiny Golden-crowned Manakin[110] joined in with his
+_Chuckle-de-deé!_, the effort almost lifting him from his perch.
+
+ * * * * *
+
+In offering these notes on the jungle life about the Aremu clearing, I
+have purposely refrained from classifying them, as I wished the reader
+to realize how, in this region of superabundant life, events crowd in
+upon one—insect, bird, flower, animal—without apparent rhyme or reason.
+Yet they really pass in splendid sequence, the key to which lies in the
+ultimate relation of each to the other. Some day, if we do not delay
+until the destroying hand of man is laid over this whole region, we may
+hope partially to disentangle the web. Then, instead of a seeming tangle
+of unconnected events, all will be seen in their real perspective:
+The flower adapted to the insect; the insect hiding from this or that
+enemy; the bird showing off its beauties to its mate, or searching for
+its particular food. These things can never be learned in a museum or
+zoölogical park, or by naming a million more species of organisms. We
+must ourselves live among the creatures of the jungle, and watch them day
+after day, hoping for the clue as to the _why_—the everlasting _why_ of
+form and color, action and life.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+THE LIFE OF THE ABARY SAVANNAS.
+
+(_By C. William Beebe_).
+
+
+We had made two successful expeditions into the jungle or “bush” of
+Guiana, and now our third and last trip was to be in the open savanna
+region in the eastern portion of the Colony, near the coast. The first
+resident American to welcome us to British Guiana was Mr. Lindley Vinton
+who, with Mrs. Vinton, did all in their power to make our stay in
+Georgetown a pleasant one. Their house was made our home and certainly no
+strangers in a strange land were ever made more welcome than were we.
+
+Mr. Vinton is a living refutation of the statement that continued
+residence in the tropics invariably results in loss of energy, for
+seldom, even in our own virile country, can one find a man more full of
+vitality. At the time of our visit he was interested in several large
+concessions, one of which was a rice growing proposition on the Abary
+River.
+
+When he promised “Canje Pheasants,” or Hoatzins[11] in his back yard, and
+thousands of Ducks flying past every day, we smiled as we remembered the
+Hoatzins in the depths of the Venezuelan mangroves. But, exaggerated as
+we believed his enthusiastic reports to be, we were glad indeed to accept
+his invitation to spend a week at the bungalow on the rice plantation. We
+ultimately found that he had actually understated the conditions of bird
+life on the Abary!
+
+On April 12th, Milady and I took the funny little compartment train for
+Abary Bridge, or, as our ticket read, Belladrum, which we reached at 9.30
+after a two hours’ slow ride.
+
+The land along the coast is all flat savanna, dotted for the first half
+of the journey with tumbled down coolie huts and tiny dyked fields of
+pale green young rice. Later for some distance these give place to large
+groves of cocoanuts. On the left, stretch the seawall dykes, relics of
+Dutch industry, perfected by the English.
+
+Throughout the entire journey, hundreds, sometimes thousands of birds
+were in sight, often for several miles in succession; but as exactly
+similar scenes were later visible and at closer range on our up-river
+trip, I will not repeat myself.
+
+The train was stopped for our benefit at the bridge across the so-called
+Abary River, which proved to be a little stream only about a hundred and
+twenty-five feet wide. Loading our luggage and ourselves into a fussy
+little launch we chugged up-river for three hours.
+
+Along the right bank—the leeward—for most of the distance, grew an
+irregular fringe of bushes and low trees. Beyond, almost to the horizon,
+stretched the vast savanna, covered with reeds, rushes and tall coarse
+grass, each a pure culture in its place of occurrence.
+
+Scattered over this great expanse were myriads of birds of many species,
+the only other visible living creatures being a small herd of half-wild
+cattle here and there.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 143. AMERICAN EGRET ON THE ABARY RIVER SAVANNA.]
+
+For the first few miles two species predominated—as they had almost
+all the way from Georgetown—the Little Yellow-headed[154] and the
+Red-breasted Blackbirds.[155] Few more beautiful sights can be imagined
+than a cloud of these birds rising ahead of the train or launch, and
+scattering far and wide over and through the reeds. The general color of
+both is a rich black, which itself contrasts strongly with the green of
+the savanna. But when we add to this the brilliant yellow head and neck
+of the former and the scarlet throats, breasts and wing edges of the
+latter, the color scheme is one which is never forgotten. The two species
+would rise in distinct flocks, perhaps six or eight hundred of each,
+flow up and over the tall grass in two living waves of scarlet and gold,
+and then intermingle, the rain of red and yellow sparks being gradually
+quenched by the green expanse, as the birds settled among the shelter of
+the reeds. Of course these flocks were composed only of those individuals
+close to the track or the river bank. How many myriads were scattered
+over the savanna we shall never know. We must have flushed a great many
+thousand of these two species in the course of the day, and scattered
+among them were a few Guiana Meadow larks[157] looking much like our
+northern birds.
+
+Every few dozen yards over the savanna, a tall white figure stood
+motionless, silently watching us—American Egrets[32] distributed
+for their day’s fishing, hundreds dotting the marsh, each solitary,
+statuesque. Among them was a sprinkling of Wood Ibises[28] and beautiful
+Cocoi Herons.[31] These latter were much shyer than the others and all
+within a hundred yards of us would take to flight as we passed, leaving
+their more fearless comrade-fishers in full possession.
+
+All these Herons soon became a common sight, and we swept mile after mile
+of savanna with our glasses, seeing nothing but the white birds dotted
+everywhere. At last we were rewarded, and a giant white Stork came into
+sight, towering above the Herons, with black head and neck, and the sun
+reflected from the distended scarlet skin of the lower neck. The bill had
+the faintest of tilts upward and we knew we were looking for the first
+time at a living Jabiru,[30] the biggest and perhaps the rarest wading
+bird of our continent. It stands fully five feet in height and the spread
+of the wings is about eight feet.
+
+Soon another appeared a half mile farther on, and a third, and before our
+journey’s end we had seen at least a dozen of these splendid birds. We
+have but one or two meagre descriptions of its nesting and I therefore
+have included among the illustrations a most interesting one taken by Dr.
+Bingham, showing a Jabiru on its nest together with its two half-grown
+young. These birds do not nest on the Guiana savanna but retire at the
+rainy season far into the interior.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 144. NEST AND YOUNG OF JABIRU. (Photo by Bingham.)]
+
+Spur-winged Jacanas[23] in loud cackling pairs were everywhere, showing
+conspicuously against the green reeds—dark chocolate when at rest and
+flashing pale yellow in flight. Guiana Cormorants[47] and Snakebirds[48]
+rose or dived ahead of the launch, twenty of the former taking refuge in
+one small tree as we passed.
+
+Hawks were abundant and one of the most numerous was the Cream-headed
+Hawk,[54] which soared low over the savanna or perched on the shrubs
+along the bank. Small birds showed no fear of it, often alighting in the
+same tree. From almost every bush along the river bank little Guiana
+Green Herons[38] flew up from their nests, built close to the surface
+of the water. These herons “froze” like Bitterns when they alighted,
+standing motionless with the bills at an angle of 45°. Along the railroad
+they were semi-domesticated, flying fearlessly in and out of the coolie
+yards, and snatching bits of food from the very door-ways of the huts.
+
+About eleven o’clock, on rounding a sharp turn in the river, we saw what
+appeared to be great expanses of burnt marsh. On and on we went and
+at last we realized that we were looking at vast phalanxes of Ducks.
+Suddenly, without warning, a living sheet of birds rolled up from the
+ground, hung a moment, then gained momentum and wheeled upward. Thousands
+began to rise at once, until for fifty or a hundred yards on each side
+of the river, there was an almost unbroken wave of birds, flying upward
+and backward. From this mass of life, giving forth a medley of shrill
+whistles which soon deepened into a perfect roar of wings, single lines
+of ducks detached themselves, shooting out in all directions, passing up
+and across the river, or right and left out over the savanna. They were
+Gray-necked Tree-ducks[45] with a plentiful scattering of the Rufous[44]
+and a very few White-faced.[46] The great curving wave never ceased for
+a moment as we approached, but widened and thickened and wheeled over
+and behind us until the sky was pitted with their bodies. I took picture
+after picture with my Graflex, the ground glass reflecting a myriad of
+swiftly moving forms.
+
+Then the Ducks which had first arisen, having flown in a great circle
+over the savanna, returned, and intersecting the newly arisen host,
+formed a crisscrossing maze which carpeted the heavens with a close
+warp and woof of living birds. Even in Mexico, where we had watched the
+vast flocks of Ducks and Geese on Lake Chapala, there was nothing to
+equal this. The Ducks looked dark against the sunlight but whenever they
+veered, the white wing-bands flashed like mirrors.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 145. GRAY-NECKED TREE-DUCKS RISING FROM THE SAVANNA.]
+
+We counted the birds in one short line near us and found there were four
+hundred and twenty individuals. No one could count those in even one of
+the flocks but there must have been at least twenty thousand in the first
+phalanx we encountered.
+
+As we passed on, many hundreds settled again on their feeding grounds,
+where nothing was visible of them save a myriad heads and necks,
+stretched high and watching us curiously. As many others however flew
+far away, the dense matted flocks fraying out into long single or double
+lines, some of which must have been a half mile in length.
+
+In this region these birds are Tree-ducks only in name, as later in the
+year hundreds of eggs will be found scattered over the savanna, and
+sooner or later the flocks will dissolve into pairs, each to nest on some
+low hummock in the marsh.
+
+These Ducks never settle on the open water of the river on account of the
+many dangers swimming beneath, of which more anon. They sleep and feed
+and nest among the thick growth of reeds and grass of the savanna itself.
+
+After passing the second main body of Tree-ducks we now and then heard a
+louder whistle of wings, and a family flock of four or five great black
+Muscovy Ducks[43] would rush past; the leader, the drake, being almost
+twice the size of the members of his harum.
+
+Small birds were not much in evidence from the launch, although Anis[80]
+were abundant, fluttering awkwardly among the bushes, and the big
+Kiskadees[101] were nesting about every hundred yards. This was the first
+time in the Colony that we had seen these latter birds nesting away from
+human habitations, so this open savanna region would appear to be their
+natural home, while the other yellow Tyrants frequent wooded river banks.
+
+At one o’clock we came in sight of a barn-like shelter in which was
+housed a huge steam traction plough, and radiating out across the savanna
+were the lines of dykes which marked the great fields intended for rice
+planting.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 146. OUR BUNGALOW ON ABARY ISLAND.]
+
+A few minutes more of steaming brought us to a landing place on a small
+island, with the bungalow in the centre. This islet and in fact this
+whole region has an interesting history. All this savanna was once a
+densely wooded jungle of mora trees, eta palms and other growth. In 1837
+a drought occurred of such extent that all the vegetation—trees, palms
+and underbrush—became dry as chips. The inevitable followed and a fire
+started in some way which swept this whole region, reaching in places
+even to the Demerara. Then floods came, broke through the loosened
+barrier of tangled roots, and infiltrated through the soil. Grass and
+reeds took the place of the great moras, and now, almost to the horizon,
+stretches the flat, open expanse of marsh. Indeed it is only to the west
+that trees are visible, where two miles away “eta bush” begins. In the
+tops of these palms the black Muscovy Ducks make their homes, feeding out
+on the marsh and bringing down their young—so it is reported—in their
+beaks.
+
+Sixty years ago or thereabouts, many runaway slaves fled into the
+interior, most of them hiding in the recesses of the “bush” or high
+woods. These lived either with the Indians, in many cases intermarrying
+with them, or founded settlements by themselves. Some of these
+unfortunate blacks, however, made their way up the Abary and when they
+had come thus far—eighteen miles—finding no habitable land they set to
+work to make an island.
+
+In the midst of this then (as practically now) unexplored region, these
+desperate men toiled at the black muck of the river edge, scooped it up
+and packed it on the foundation of reeds until a more or less dry island
+of about five acres had been formed. Here to-day we found a low mound of
+rich black mould, with nine good-sized isolated trees, several cocoanut
+palms and a few bananas. Corn planted here grows with wonderful rapidity.
+
+The long occupancy and numerous inhabitants of the islet is attested by
+the thousands of pieces of pottery with which the ground is covered. On
+some I found a rude attempt at decoration, and the shape of the rims and
+handles were much like the primitive African art of to-day. There was
+probably a low hummock or mound as the nucleus for the island, and four
+or five feet beneath the surface several Indian stone axes have been
+unearthed—telling of still earlier human habitation—perhaps in the days
+of the jungle.
+
+Here we had planned to spend a week, but were prevented by an accident
+from remaining more than three days, but even in the short space of
+thirty-six hours of daylight we learned much of the life on and about
+this islet.
+
+Our two other trips had been to tiny islands of cleared ground in the
+midst of a sea of the densest jungle; here we were marooned in the shade
+of a little isolated group of trees on a diminutive hillock of earth,
+bounded in all directions by an impenetrable marsh. If one so much as
+took a single step from the island, it was into three feet or more of
+water and tangled reeds, too dense to push a boat through. During the
+rainy season boats can be poled through, and at the dry season firmer
+footing is possible, but our visit was at a time betwixt and between. I
+have made a small rough plan of our domain on the Abary, Fig. 147.
+
+The river was at this point only about seventy-five feet in width,
+flowing almost due south. As we ascended it, a narrow inlet became
+visible in the right bank, which led into a good-sized lagoon about as
+wide as the river, which had probably been formed by the excavation of
+the marsh. This lagoon bounded the north and part of the east sides of
+the island. The prevailing wind was from the east and this probably
+accounted for the line of small trees and bushes being almost altogether
+on the western bank.
+
+We were welcomed at the bungalow by Mr. Harry, the young American
+engineer in charge, who, without the ornate phrases of Spanish
+hospitality, but in the simple American manner, put the bungalow and
+everything at the plantation at our disposal.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 147. MAP OF ABARY ISLAND.]
+
+Nothing more different from what we encountered in the bush can be
+imagined. There, no sunlight save what sifts down through the tall trees;
+here, a blaze of light from horizon to horizon: there, hosts of living
+creatures, but as a rule single individuals of a species or in pairs;
+here, unnumbered hosts in flocks of many thousands of the same species.
+It was a wonderland guarded by stern guardians; teeming with life on
+land, in the air and in the water. Not a moment of the day, or for that
+matter, of the night was free from sight or sound of some of these
+interesting creatures.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 148. ABARY RIVER, SHOWING HIGH GROWTH ON WEST BANK.]
+
+First as to the guardians. The sun we found to be a most terrible menace
+on the quiet open waters, and an exposure of an hour would have resulted
+in most painful blisters, and these in the tropics are of more serious
+moment than in the north. With broad-brimmed hats, however, there was no
+danger.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 149. SPIDER LILY NEAR ABARY ISLAND.]
+
+The day, even out on the marsh itself, was comparatively free from
+insects, but at 5.30 a few mosquitoes appear. By 6 o’clock one would call
+them numerous, and between 6.30 and 7.30 they are legion and ferocious.
+One cannot sit still unprotected for a moment at a time. After 7.30
+they all disappear, especially when there is a light wind, but at nine
+o’clock they are present in full numbers again. We slept the first night,
+or rather lay down, on cots with nets. The mosquitoes, or most of them,
+could apparently easily make their way through the mesh, but when swollen
+with blood failed to escape again. We slept but little, kept awake by the
+biting and humming of the wretches.
+
+From daybreak when we arose until about nine o’clock sand flies held
+high revel, biting severely, after which all the insect pests vanished
+and one could decide to postpone suicide until the coming night! After
+this however we used close cloth nets, which defeated the efforts of the
+mosquitoes.
+
+We found so much to interest us on and in the immediate vicinity of the
+islet that we made no extended trips either up or down the river. In
+the three days we lived there we observed the following fifty species
+of birds, nineteen of which (marked with asterisks) were nesting on the
+islet or within a few yards of it:
+
+ Red-underwing Dove (_Leptoptila rufaxilla_).
+ * Hoatzin (_Opisthocomus hoazin_).
+ * Wood Rail (_Aramides cayana_).
+ Purple Gallinule (_Ionornis martinica_).
+ Great-billed Tern (_Phaëthusa magnirostris_).
+ Eye-browed Tern (_Sterna superciliaris_).
+ * Jacana (_Jacana jacana_).
+ Wood Ibis (_Tantalus loculator_).
+ Jabiru (_Mycteria americana_).
+ Cocoi Heron (_Ardea cocoi_).
+ American Egret (_Herodias egretta_).
+ * Guiana Green Heron (_Butorides striata_).
+ Horned Screamer (_Palamedea cornuta_).
+ Muscovy Duck (_Cairina moschata_).
+ Rufous Tree-duck (_Dendrocygna fulva_).
+ Gray-necked Tree-duck (_Dendrocygna discolor_).
+ Guiana Cormorant (_Phalacrocorax vigua_).
+ Snakebird (_Plotus anhinga_).
+ Black Vulture (_Catharista urubu_).
+ Yellow-headed Vulture (_Catharista urubitinga_).
+ Caracara (_Polyborus cheriway_).
+ South American Blue Hawk (_Geranospizias caerulescens_).
+ * South American Black Hawk (_Urubitinga urubitinga_).
+ * Rufous Kingfisher (_Ceryle torquata_).
+ Parauque (_Nyctidromus albicollis_).
+ Goatsucker (sp?).
+ Green Hummingbird (sp?).
+ Little Rufous Cuckoo (_Piaya rutila_).
+ Smooth-billed Ani (_Crotophaga ani_).
+ * Cinnamon Spine-tail (_Synallaxis cinnamomea_).
+ * Pied Ground Flycatcher (_Fluvicola pica_).
+ * White-headed Flycatcher (_Arundicola leucocephala_).
+ * Cinereus Tody-flycatcher (_Todirostrum cinereum_).
+ * Guiana Kiskadee Tyrant (_Pitangus sulphuratus_).
+ * Lesser Kiskadee Tyrant (_Pitangus lictor_).
+ * Large-billed Kiskadee Tyrant (_Megarhynchus pitangua_).
+ * White-throated Kingbird (_Tyrannus melancholicus_).
+ Tree Swallow (_Tachycineta bicolor_).
+ Variegated Swallow (_Tachycineta albiventris_).
+ Barn Swallow (_Hirundo erythrogaster_).
+ * Gray-breasted Martin (_Progne chalybea_).
+ Red-breasted Swallow (_Stelgidopteryx ruficollis_).
+ * Guiana House Wren (_Troglodytes musculus clarus_).
+ * Black-capped Mocking-thrush (_Donacobius atricapillus_).
+ * Pygmy Seedeater (_Sporophila minuta_).
+ Little Yellow-headed Blackbird (_Agelaius icterocephalus_).
+ Red-breasted Blackbird (_Leistes militaris_).
+ Meadow Lark (_Sturnella magna meridionalis_).
+ * Yellow Oriole (_Icterus xanthornus_).
+ Little Boat-tailed (_Guiana_) Grackle (_Quiscalus lugubris_).
+
+The most interesting of all were the Hoatzins,[11] whose raucous squawks
+brought vividly to our minds the mangrove swamps of Venezuela where we
+had studied them last year.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 150. NEST OF A HOATZIN IN THE MUCKA-MUCKA ON WHICH
+THESE BIRDS FEED.]
+
+As I have said the east bank of the river is for the most part clear of
+growth, save for the reeds and grasses of the savanna. Along the western
+bank is a dense shrubby or bushy line of vegetation; occasionally rising
+to a height of twenty or thirty feet or again appearing only two or three
+yards above the reeds beyond. The brush grows altogether in the water
+and consists chiefly of a species of tall Arum, or mucka-mucka, as the
+natives call it, frequently bound together by a tangle of delicate vines.
+Here and there is a low, light-barked tree-like growth. This narrow
+ribbon of aquatic growth was the home of the Hoatzins, and from one
+year’s end to another they may be found along the same reaches of the
+river. In general, their habits did not differ from those of the birds
+which we observed in Venezuela. Throughout the heat of midday no sight or
+sound revealed the presence of the birds, but as the afternoon wore on
+a single raucous squawk would be heard in the distance, and we knew the
+Hoatzins were astir.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 151. THE AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPHING HOATZINS.]
+
+Directly in front, between the bungalow and the river, as may be seen
+from my diagram (Fig. 147), the brush had been cut away on either hand
+for a distance of about sixty yards. Every evening from 4.30 to 5.30
+P.M., the Hoatzins gathered on the extreme northern end of this wide
+break in their line of thickets, until sometimes twenty-five or thirty
+birds were in sight at once. Some would fly down to the low branches and
+begin to tear off pieces of the young tender shoots of the mucka-mucka.
+With much noise and flapping of wings, several made their way to a single
+bare branch which projected out over the cleared marsh. The first bird
+would make many false starts, crouching and then losing heart, but the
+next on the branch, getting impatient, at last nudged him a bit, and
+at last he launched out into the air. With rather slow wing beats, but
+working apparently with all his power, he spanned the wide extent of
+cleared brush, then the ten feet of water, then fifteen yards more of
+stumps, and with a final effort he clutched a branch—and his goal was
+reached! After several minutes of breathlessness he continued on his way
+out of sight into the depth of the brush. The second Hoatzin would then
+essay the feat, but fail ignominiously and fall midway, coming down all
+of a heap among the stumps. Here a rest was taken, and for five or ten
+minutes the bird would feed quietly. Then a second flight carried it back
+to the starting point or to the end of the open space.
+
+Sometimes when the birds alighted and clutched a twig, they would be so
+exhausted that they toppled over and hung upside down for a moment.
+
+Watching the Hoatzins carefully with stereos for several evenings in
+succession we came to know and distinguish individual birds. Two, one of
+which had a broken feather in the right wing, and the other a two-inch
+short central tail feather, were excellent flyers and, taking their
+leaping start from the high branch, never failed to make their goal,
+going the whole distance and alighting easily. All of the others had to
+rest and one which was moulting a feather in each wing could achieve only
+about ten yards. This one fell one evening into the water at the second
+relay flight, and half flopped, half swam ashore.
+
+One evening a Hoatzin flew toward us and alighted near some hens on the
+ground, but took wing almost instantly back to his brush-wood. A day or
+two before we came one of the birds had used a beam of the porch as a
+perch.
+
+This general movement occurred at both sunrise and sunset and was always
+as thorough and noisy as we found it the first evening of our stay. For
+months, we were told, it had been kept up as regularly as clockwork.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 152. (A) FEMALE HOATZIN FLUSHED FROM HER NEST; THE
+MALE BIRD APPROACHING.]
+
+In the morning as the sun grew hotter the birds became quiet and finally
+disappeared, not to be heard or seen again until afternoon. They spend
+the heat of the day sitting on their nests or perched on branches in the
+cooler, deeper recesses of their linear jungle.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 153. (B) FEMALE HOATZIN IN THE SAME POSITION, THE
+MALE HAVING FLOWN NEARER.]
+
+The last view of them in the morning, as the heat became intense, or late
+in the evening, usually revealed them squatted on the branches in pairs
+close together. On moonlight nights however they were active and noisy,
+and came into the open to feed. The habit of crouching or settling down
+on the perch is very common with the Hoatzins, and it may be due to the
+weakness of the feet and toes. I am inclined however to consider it in
+connection with the general awkwardness in alighting and climbing, as a
+hint of the unadaptability of the large feet to the small size of the
+twigs and branches among which they live. Inexplicable though it may
+appear, the Hoatzin—although evidently unchanged in many respects through
+long epochs—yet is far from being perfectly adapted to its present
+environment. It has a severe struggle for existence, and the least
+increase of any foe or obstacle would result in its extinction.
+
+At the time of our arrival the Hoatzins had just begun to nest. They were
+utilizing old nests which, although so apparently flimsy in construction,
+yet were remarkably cohesive. The nests are almost indistinguishable
+from those of the “Chows” or Guiana Green Herons which were built in the
+same situations. The latter were usually low over the water, while the
+Hoatzins’ were higher, from five to twelve feet above the surface of the
+marsh. The twigs were longer and more tightly interlaced in the Hoatzin’s
+nest, and while the nests of the Heron crumbled when lifted from the
+crotch, the others remained intact. The Hoatzins placed their nests in
+crotches of the tree-like growths, or more rarely supported by several
+branched mucka-mucka stems. Both sexes aided in the building as we
+observed two birds collecting and weaving the twigs. Three sets of eggs
+which came under our observation numbered respectively 2, 3, and 4. From
+what information I could gather, two seems to be the usual number.
+
+The eggs are rather variable in shape. One which I have, from the
+Orinoco, is elliptical, while my Abary specimens are oval. The ground
+color is creamy white. The entire surface is marked with small
+irregularly shaped dots and spots of reddish brown, inclining to be more
+abundant at the large end. The brown pigment deposited early in the
+oviduct is covered by a thin layer of lime and thereby given a lavender
+hue. The size averages 1.8 by 1.3 inches.
+
+Hoatzins seem to be very free from enemies, although from year to
+year their numbers remain about the same. The waters beneath them are
+inhabited by numbers of otters, crocodiles, anacondas and voracious fish,
+so that death lies that way. They seem also to fear some predatory bird,
+for whenever a harmless Caracara Hawk[53] skimmed low over the branches
+on the lookout for lizards, the Hoatzins always tumbled pell mell into
+the shelter of the thick foliage below.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 154. (C) MALE HOATZIN ALARMED AND ABOUT TO TAKE
+FLIGHT.]
+
+We found that the best time to approach and photograph the birds was
+during their siesta. As we paddled along the bank they scrambled from
+their perches or nests up to the bare branches overhead, calling hoarsely
+to one another. Pushing aside the dense growth of Arums and vines, we
+worked our canoe as far as possible into the heart of the bush, to the
+foot of some good-sized tree perhaps a foot in diameter. Stepping from
+the boat to the lowest limb, Milady would hand me the big Graflex with
+the unwieldy but necessary 27-inch lens, and I began my painful ascent.
+At first all was easy going, but as I ascended I broke off numerous dead
+twigs and from the broken stub of each issued a horde of black stinging
+ants. These hastened my ascent and at last I made my way out on the
+swaying upper branches. (Fig. 151.) From here I had a fairly clear view
+of the surrounding bush and if I worked rapidly I could secure three or
+four pictures before the Hoatzins took flight and hid amid the foliage.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 155. (D) FEMALE HOATZIN CROUCHING TO AVOID
+OBSERVATION.]
+
+Of all my pictures that of Fig. 157 is the prize. We came upon a flock
+of Hoatzins late in the afternoon and were fortunate enough to get into
+a clear space and to photograph eleven on the same plate; the confused
+mass near the centre of the picture containing four individuals. Fig. 148
+shows the character of the country where we found the Hoatzins on Abary
+River, with the line of dense growth on one side and the level savanna on
+the other.
+
+A study of an individual pair of birds is given in Figs. 152 to 156,
+and the actions of these two birds were so typical of Hoatzins that
+an account of them will apply to the species in general. I made these
+photographs from a boat, standing on the thwarts while Milady guided it
+through the brush.
+
+We flushed the female from her nest (marked by a circle in Fig. 150) and
+she flew to a branch some eight feet higher (Fig. 152). The male then
+appeared from a tree beyond (centre of Fig. 152). We remained perfectly
+quiet, and the next photograph shows her tail-on, looking about, while
+the male, who has flown nearer, is watching us suspiciously. Fig. 154
+shows the male on another perch, still more alarmed, and a moment later
+he thrashed his way out of sight. Meanwhile the female had rediscovered
+us and crouched down (Fig. 155) hoping to avoid observation, but as we
+pushed closer to the nest, she rose on her perch, spread tail and wings
+to the widest (Fig. 156), her scarlet eyes flashing, and uttering a last
+despairing hiss, launched out for a few yards. At this moment, as may be
+seen in the same picture, a second pair of birds left their nest in the
+next clump of undergrowth and raised their discordant notes in protest at
+our intrusion.
+
+The assertion which we made last year—Milady having been the first to
+observe it—that Hoatzins use their primaries as fingers, in the same way
+that the chicks and partly grown young use their wing claws, has been
+received with some doubt, and I am glad to offer a photograph (Fig. 156)
+as evidence. In the right wing of the Hoatzin, the thumb feathers are
+plainly visible, with their inner edges fretted away, while the first six
+primaries also show signs of severe wear, such as would be expected from
+the rough usage to which they are put.
+
+Attention is called to the apparent immobility of the crest, which is as
+fully erect in the crouching Hoatzin (Fig. 155) as in the same bird a
+minute or two later, alert and about to fly (Fig. 156).
+
+Thus it was that we took the first photographs ever made of these most
+interesting birds.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 156. (E) FEMALE HOATZIN TAKING FLIGHT, WITH WINGS
+FULLY SPREAD; A SECOND PAIR OF BIRDS LEAVING THEIR NEST, IN THE
+BACKGROUND.]
+
+Insects were abundant on the island and if we had taken time we could
+have made an interesting collection. Three species of bright Orange
+butterflies were numerous (_Euptoieta hegesia_, _Colaenis phaerusa_
+and the familiar Red Silver-wing, _Agraulis vanillae_, of our northern
+fields), and with these were also a White (_Pieris monuste_) and a
+Yellow (_Callidryas statira_). The three commonest dragon-flies were
+_Diastatops tincta_, _Erythrodiplax umbrata_ and _E. peruviana_.
+
+There were two pairs of Black-capped Mocking-thrushes[126] on the island
+and they afforded us much amusement. They are true cousins of the Catbird
+and Mockingbird, and from their actions would almost seem to have a
+strain of Chat blood! A pair lived in each of the brush clumps _a_ and
+_b_ (Fig. 147) and hour after hour would sit calling and answering each
+other. One pair (the two birds sitting close to each other) would shout
+in unison _powie! powie! powie!_ rapidly a dozen times in succession. The
+other pair responded _week! week! week! week!_ as often and as rapidly.
+At each enunciation the half-spread tails of the respective pair of birds
+wagged violently from side to side, exactly as if pulled with a string.
+As the utterances of each of the two birds were synchronous, the wagging
+was always in perfect time, but sometimes the “strings” got crossed with
+this effect (a); or this (b); but almost every time the movement was in
+unison thus (c); or thus (d). These active, interesting birds have in
+addition an elaborate song, uttered singly, which these individuals were
+practising but which we had heard fully developed at La Brea in Venezuela.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 157. FLOCK OF ELEVEN HOATZINS.]
+
+Purple Gallinules[13] and Cayenne Wood Rails[12] were seen every day but
+were not abundant. A pair of the latter were nesting near the island and
+well merited their native name of Killicow, screaming a confused chorus
+of syllables resembling these for five minutes at a stretch every morning.
+
+Among the smaller marsh birds, Jacanas[23] easily held first place, both
+in numbers and in action and voice, day and night. About every half hour
+through the day a group of these birds would set up a wild and frantic
+clacking, sounding as if a dozen hens were being pursued and had about
+given up all hope of escape. This was usually caused by the appearance
+of a crocodile, large or small, from beneath the lily pads. All the
+Jacanas within sight would gather at once and dance excitedly about on
+the surrounding pads until the pestered reptile sank again into the muddy
+waters. Several times we saw trios of these birds in play or combat, each
+holding the wings spread low and in front, ready to strike with the sharp
+spurs or to protect their own body by the buttress of feathers. They are
+very graceful in all their motions, holding the wings straight upward for
+a few seconds after alighting.
+
+This being practically a treeless region, the birds were of necessity
+either terrestrial, aquatic or aërial, and the latter formed a not
+inconsiderable percentage. Terns were one of the most picturesque
+features of the savanna, flying over and around the island in small
+flocks, the large Great-billed fellows[14] with black caps and wings, and
+the tiny Eye-browed species[15] reminding one of our Least Tern. Both
+beat back and forth, or hung fluttering over the lagoon, and now and then
+dropped plummet-like after a small fish.
+
+The Swallows were legion—six species in all, forever swooping over the
+marsh or snatching sips of river water as they flew. The Variegated[119]
+were the most beautiful, and we welcomed as old friends Barn[121] and
+Tree Swallows,[120] whose twittering forms brought our northern autumn
+marshes vividly to mind. Many Flycatchers and Seed-eaters were nesting
+close by, while the beautiful Orioles[159] clung to their pendent nests
+over the water, and a House Wren[124] divided his time between inspecting
+his brood in a hollow stub at the foot of the bungalow steps, and
+singing his heart out, from the roof. The little “Rooties” or Cinnamon
+Spine-tails[94]—absurdly Wren-like but in reality Woodhewers which have
+deserted tree-trunks for reeds—showed us their homes, concealed in great
+untidy balls of twigs. As they flit here and there through the bushes and
+grasses, they let off a sound like a miniature rattle.
+
+The mornings and evenings, here as elsewhere in the tropics, are the
+periods of greatest activity among birds and other creatures. In the
+afternoon, before the Hoatzins began to gather, great tarpon would play
+in the river, the shower of drops scattered by their leaps sparkling
+like silver in the slanting rays of the sun. The few in the lagoon are
+of small size, but tarpon in the Abary reach a weight of 185 pounds.
+A swirling in the shallows near the landing shows where an anaconda
+(_Eunectes murinus_) is stirring after his day’s rest. His mate, ten feet
+long, has just been shot after having helped herself to the bungalow
+chickens—one each night for a week, and serpent number two (whose size
+our Arrawak Indian squaw cook places at a fabulous thirty feet or more!)
+must soon pay the same penalty unless he changes his diet.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 158. CROCODILES ON A SOUTH AMERICAN RIVER BANK.
+(Photo by Bingham.)]
+
+Toward dusk all the Swallows of the world—or so it appears—fly past in
+loose bands or singly, northward toward the eta bush to roost, hundreds
+and thousands of them—Red-breasted,[123] Banded,[118] Barn,[121]
+Variegated[119] and Tree[120] Swallows with scores of the Gray-breasted
+Martins.[122] Then the fishers of the savanna appear, looking whiter
+and more ghostly than ever, against the dark clouds; flock after
+flock flapping silently over: a score of Egrets[32] in an irregular
+line, then a dozen more smaller troops; Wood Ibises[28] higher up
+and beating heavily, then—and our pulses quicken—a half dozen great
+Jabirus[30]—slowly throbbing toward the sunset. The Ducks prefer the
+river, and above the fluid tide a living river of birds sets upstream,
+hosts passing until long after dark. We paddle in the early dusk to
+mid-stream and the whistling stream of Ducks curves gracefully upward,
+descending again when beyond us. As we go up or down river, we find the
+bend always overhead; when we leave the river, the host resumes its
+horizontal flow again. Faintly from behind the house, from the edge of
+the distant eta bush itself, comes in the evenings a low sound, gaining
+in volume until the syllables may be framed to human speech—_Mo-hóo-ca!
+Mo-hóo-ca!_ and we are listening to the evening call of the Horned
+Screamer,[41] a bird known to us only from books.
+
+The night sounds from the lagoon are full of mystery. Sea-cows souse
+and roll in the river and apparently at the very landing. Otters play
+and cough and utter gasping sighs which make one’s flesh creep until we
+learn what they are. The legend of the Warracabra Tigers, which Waterton
+and all after him recount, may well have had its origin in these great
+river mammals, who are noisy, fearless and sometimes reach a length of
+six feet. A beautiful skin which I brought home measures five and a
+half feet from nose to tip of tail. Water-haas, or capybaras, probably
+add their share to the confusion, but the major part of the medley is
+due to crocodiles, who wait until night before beginning their active,
+noisy business of life, which, be it concerned with food, mate or play,
+requires a vast deal of splashing and bellowing. This latter is a deep
+abrupt roaring like the final roars of a lion’s cadence. An eight-foot
+crocodile was shot in the lagoon a few days before, or rather shot at, as
+the beast seemed to be none the worse.
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 159. LAGOON BETWEEN ABARY ISLAND AND RIVER.]
+
+Small wonder that, when we consider snakes, crocodiles, otters
+and voracious fishes, that the gentle Vicissi Ducks prefer the
+safer vegetation of the marsh itself! The real birds of night were
+few—but with voices weird and awesome, in perfect harmony with this
+unpeopled waste. A pair of Parauque-like beings who in uttering liquid
+accents reiterated their names, mingled with the ever tragic toned
+questioning of another Goatsucker, pleading with us to end his agonized
+uncertainty—_Whó-are-yoú? Whó-are-yoú?_
+
+Early on the morning of our last day, April 15th, I awoke and peered out
+through the dimness of my muslin hammock net to catch the first hint of
+dawn. The east soon became lighter and the warp and woof of the cloth
+softened and disguised the scene which stretched before me from the edge
+of the veranda. As I lay there half awake, I seemed to see great towering
+moras, with their masses of dependent parasites, stretching high into the
+air. This passed, and the savanna became more distinct—the whistle of
+Ducks’ wings overhead was almost incessant, with now and then the note of
+a Hoatzin. Dull thuds indicating some one at labor behind the bungalow
+and the sound of low negro voices added to the imagery and I seemed to be
+with the black men three score years before, laboring at their island,
+fighting disease and starvation—harassed by heat, insects and reptiles;
+ever on the watch for their pursuing masters while the orange headed
+Vultures soared overhead, waiting for their turn which sooner or later
+would come.
+
+A bit of comedy broke in upon my dream—the voices of the negroes from
+their hammocks at the other end of the porch became audible for a moment.
+
+“Wont you tak’ a drink of sompfin to interact de cold?”
+
+“No tanks, ah doesn’t stimulate.”
+
+[Illustration: FIG. 160. YOUNG SPUR-WINGED JACANA.]
+
+Parting my hammock net, I found my vision of jungle growth had been
+prompted by a great bank of black cloud, out of which the sun leaped at
+that instant and lighted up the beautiful green and blue of savanna and
+river. Little Green Herons[38] were fishing at the water’s edge and a
+Jacana[23] was leading her brood of three small chicks within a few feet
+of my hammock, down to a causeway of trembling lily pads. The youngsters
+were very tiny, clad in gray with a large black mark on the nape. Even
+in comparison with their mother their toes were of enormous length. They
+kept at her very heels and when she stopped for a moment crept beneath
+her wings. But at this concentration of weight the water would begin to
+trickle over the rim of the fragile pads and the mother would hurry on,
+flashing out the yellow of her wings every few steps, perhaps as a signal
+to her brood.
+
+Why every chick is not snapped up by hungry crocodiles or other aquatic
+ogres is a mystery. Every morning this and several other bands, all of
+three, would thread their way across the lagoon to the reeds beyond.
+
+After breakfast about 8 o’clock, while I was reconnoitering for the best
+place to begin trapping the Hoatzins, as we wished to take some home
+alive, tragedy came, sudden and unexpected. A single pitiful cry brought
+me back to the house in an instant, and there was Milady, who but a
+moment before had been happily planning with Crandall about preparations
+for trapping, lying with a broken wrist. A hammock in which she had
+seated herself for an instant had come untied and given way and it was
+a miracle that the seven foot drop backward to the ground had resulted
+in only one broken bone. Game little lady, her first words were, “Oh! we
+can’t get the Hoatzins”!
+
+The remainder of that 15th of April will ever be a misty dream in my
+mind. We bandied no words as to the value of Hoatzins in particular, or
+the whole world of science in general, versus Milady’s hurt, but without
+confusion quickly organized our plan of action. I had the best corps of
+helpers one could want; Mr. and Mrs. Vinton, Crandall and Harry. One of
+us constantly dropped cold water on the injury, another threw together
+all our belongings; others worked like Trojans to assemble the launch
+engines, which had been taken apart for cleaning. In two hours we were on
+the throbbing little boat, passing the Hoatzins and hosts of Ducks with
+unseeing eyes.
+
+Then two hours later at the railroad bridge came a quick run to the
+nearest telegraph office, where a sympathetic, 300 pound negro “mammy”
+presided over the instrument and wept copiously for the “po’ lil’ lady,”
+while she clicked out an urgent message for a special train. She said “Ah
+am too sorry for to heah dat bad news,” and when our procession drew
+up at her little house to wait for the train she called out to Milady
+the comforting information that “In der midst of life we are in death!”
+This greatly amused the sufferer, and we settled ourselves for the long
+wait. As long as one has something to do, any helpful work, to keep
+one’s hands or mind busy, it is an easy matter to control one’s feelings
+in a critical emergency. But when one must wait quietly for hours, the
+long period of inaction is maddening. We tramped up and down the track,
+telephoning every few minutes to locate the progress of the special along
+the line. Then Crandall spied a big yellow-tailed snake (_Herpetodryas
+carinatus_) crossing the track. Here was an excuse for working off
+surplus steam, and we both made a dash for it. Crandall caught it by
+the tail as it was disappearing into the brush and we had an exciting
+ten minutes getting it unharmed into a snake bag, the active creature
+succeeding in biting us twice before we muffled it. Visitors to the
+Reptile House of our Zoölogical Park little imagine, when gazing at this
+handsome creature, what a relief to our tense nerves its capture meant.
+
+At last the special came in sight and we set out on the wildest of rides
+to Georgetown. Having seen Milady in a doze on a sofa in the train,
+Crandall and I climbed up to the railed-in roof of the car and, with
+the wind beating down our very eyelids, watched the narrow escapes of
+dogs, cows, donkeys and coolies, from the track at the approach of this
+unlooked for train. The yellow and scarlet Blackbirds blew up like chaff
+on either hand. Egrets, Ibises and Jabirus watched in amazement from
+afar, or flew hurriedly off at the long drawn-out siren whistle, which
+hardly ceased across the whole country.
+
+We met the single afternoon train, side-tracked to let us pass, and then
+had an open road to Georgetown. Slowing down, we passed through the
+station, on through the streets, to within a half block of Mr. Vinton’s
+house.
+
+Here good Dr. Law took charge and, ten hours after the accident, fitted
+the shattered bone so skilfully that hardly a trace remains of the bad
+colleus fracture. The patient had no temperature at the time of the
+operation, the only ill effect being a short, sharp attack of malaria.
+I cite all these details chiefly to show the falsity of most of the
+universal slanders on a tropical climate.
+
+Nine days afterward on April 24th, we sailed from Georgetown, homesick
+with desire to remain longer in this wonderland. The three short
+expeditions we had made, served only to whet our eagerness to search
+deeper beneath the surface, and glean some of the more fundamental
+secrets which Nature still hides from us. But we had fulfilled the
+bush-proverb; we had “eaten of labba meat and drunk of river water” and
+we know in our hearts that some day we shall return.
+
+Meanwhile the thought of that vast continent, as yet almost untouched by
+real scientific research; the supreme joy of learning, of discovering,
+of adding our tiny facts to the foundation of the everlasting _why_ of
+the universe; all this makes life for us—Milady and me—one never-ending
+delight.
+
+
+
+
+FOOTNOTES
+
+
+[A] The superior figures following the names of birds throughout the
+volume refer to a list of their scientific names given for identification
+in Appendix A.
+
+[B] Actual temperatures (Fahrenheit) taken in the mangrove forest on
+board the sloop are as follows:
+
+ March 30th—
+
+ 5.30 A.M. 66°
+ 9.30 86°
+ 11.30 86°
+ 1.30 P.M. 86°
+ 7.00 78°
+
+ March 31st—
+
+ 5.30 A.M. 71°
+ 6.30 72°
+
+ April 1st—
+
+ 6.00 A.M. 73°
+ 10.00 80°
+ 2.00 P.M. 85°
+ 6.00 80°
+
+ April 2nd—
+
+ 5.30 A.M. 69°
+ 7.30 77°
+
+[C] In looking over the laws of the colony I found the following Wild
+Birds’ Protection Ordinance. I have added the explanatory names in
+parentheses. (C. W. B.)
+
+List of Wild Birds absolutely protected.
+
+ Black Witch (Ani)
+ Campanero (Bell Bird)
+ Carrion Crow (Vulture)
+ Cassique
+ Cock-of-the-Rock
+ Cotinga
+ Crane (Heron)
+ Creeper (Woodhewer)
+ Egret
+ Flycatcher
+ Gauldin (Heron)
+ Goatsucker
+ Grass Bird
+ Ground Dove
+ Jacamar
+ Hawk
+ Heron
+ Hummingbird
+ Hutu (Motmot)
+ Kingfisher
+ Kite
+ Macaw
+ Manakin
+ Martin
+ Owl
+ Parroquet
+ Qu’est-ce qu’il dit (Kiskadee)
+ Shrike
+ Sun Bird (Sun Bittern)
+ Sparrow
+ Swallow
+ Tanager
+ Thrush
+ Toucan
+ Trogan
+ Troupial
+ Woodpecker
+ Wren
+ Vulture
+
+List of Wild Birds protected from April 1st to Sept. 1st.
+
+ Bittern
+ Curlew
+ Curri-curri (Scarlet Ibis)
+ Douraquara (Partridge)
+ Dove (other than Ground Dove)
+ Ibis
+ Hanaqua (Chachalaca)
+ Maam (Tinamou)
+ Maroudi (Guan)
+ Negro-cop (Jabiru)
+ Parrot
+ Pigeon
+ Plover
+ Powis (Curassow)
+ Quail
+ Snipe
+ Spur-wing (Jacana)
+ Trumpet-bird
+ Wild Duck
+
+[D] The average daily temperature during our stay was as follows:
+
+ 6.30 A.M. 68°
+ 7.30 71°
+ 8.00 72°
+ 10.00 76°
+ 12.00 77°
+ 2.00 P.M. 81°
+ 5.00 74°
+ 7.00 73°
+ 9.30 71°
+
+[E] Zoölogica, Vol. 1, No. 4, page 123.
+
+[F] Both of these moths proved to be new to science, both as to species
+and genus and have been named respectively _Hositea gynaecia_ and
+_Zaevius calocore_. Zoölogica, Vol. 1, No. 4.
+
+[G] Two Bird lovers in Mexico, pp. 239-241.
+
+[H] Zoölogica, Vol. I, No. 4.
+
+[I] The color of the back and sides was a light gold, shading into dark
+maroon or red on the head, tail and limbs. The skin of the face, ears,
+palms and scantily haired under parts was dark slate. The eyes were
+hazel brown. The total length was 50½ inches, 25 of which consisted of
+the tail. The bare prehensile portion along the lower side of the tail
+extended 11½ inches backward from the tip. The forearm and hand was 16
+inches long; the hind leg 18 inches. The hair of the beard was 1¾ inches
+long. The Monkey had been feeding on leaves and some kind of fruit with
+stones like cherry pits.
+
+[J] There were several intervening branches, and two or three links in
+the performance were not clear until I returned north.
+
+Col. Anthony R. Kuser has most kindly put his splendid aviaries at
+Bernardsville, New Jersey, at my disposal for scientific investigation,
+and here, for a month or more after our return, a male Curassow would
+go through this whole performance for the benefit of anyone who would
+watch him. After the various “stunts” had been performed, he would fly
+at the feet of the observer and, wrapping his wings about one’s shoes,
+would peck savagely at the shoestrings. From this and other indications I
+decided that the performance is more in the nature of a challenge than a
+courtship display.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX A.
+
+CLASSIFIED LIST OF BIRDS MENTIONED IN THIS VOLUME.
+
+
+ TINAMIFORMES.
+
+ [1]. Great Blue Tinamou—_Tinamus tao_ Temm.
+ [2]. Guiana Crested Tinamou—_Tinamus subcristatus_ (Cab.).
+ [3]. Little Tinamou—_Crypturus variegatus_ (Gmel.).
+
+ GALLIFORMES.
+
+ [4]. Crested Curassow—_Crax alector_ Linn.
+ [5]. Jacupeba Guan—_Penelope jacupeba_ Spix.
+ [6]. Marail Guan—_Penelope marail_ (Gmel.).
+ [7]. Red-tailed Chachalaca—_Ortalis ruficauda_ Jard.
+ [8]. Guiana Quail—_Odontophorus guianensis_ (Gmel.).
+
+ COLUMBIFORMES.
+
+ [9]. Red-winged Ground Dove—_Columbigallina rufipennis_ (Bonap.).
+ [10]. Red-underwing Dove—_Leptoptila rufaxilla_ (Rich.).
+
+ OPISTHOCOMIFORMES.
+
+ [11]. Hoatzin—_Opisthocomus hoazin_ (Müll.).
+
+ RALLIFORMES.
+
+ [12]. Cayenne Wood Rail—_Aramides cayanea_ (Müll.).
+ [13]. Purple Gallinule—_Ionornis martinica_ (Linn.).
+
+ LARIFORMES.
+
+ [14]. Great-billed Tern—_Phaëthusa magnirostris_ (Licht.).
+ [15]. Eye-browed Tern—_Sterna superciliaris_ Vieill.
+ [16]. Laughing Gull—_Larus atricilla_ Linn.
+ [17]. Black-tailed Skimmer—_Rhynchops nigra cinerascens_ Spix.
+
+ CHARADRIIFORMES.
+
+ [18]. Semipalmated Plover—_Aegialeus semipalmatus_ (Bonap.).
+ [19]. South American Collared Plover—_Aegialitis collaris_ (Vieill.).
+ [20]. Hudsonian Curlew—_Numenius hudsonicus_ Lath.
+ [21]. Solitary Sandpiper—_Helodromas solitarius_ (Wils.).
+ [22]. Spotted Sandpiper—_Tringoides macularia_ (Linn.).
+ [23]. Spur-winged Jacana—_Jacana jacana_ (Linn.).
+
+ GRUIFORMES.
+
+ [24]. Sun-bittern—_Eurypyga helias_ (Pall.).
+ [25]. Common Trumpeter—_Psophia crepitans_ Linn.
+
+ ARDEIFORMES.
+
+ [26]. Green River Ibis—_Phimosus infuscatus_ (Licht.).
+ [27]. Scarlet Ibis—_Eudocimus ruber_ (Linn.).
+ [28]. Wood Ibis—_Tantalus loculator_ Linn.
+ [29]. Maguari Stork—_Euxenura maguari_ (Gmel.).
+ [30]. Jabiru—_Mycteria americana_ Linn.
+ [31]. Cocoi Heron—_Ardea cocoi_ Linn.
+ [32]. American Egret—_Herodias egretta_ (Gmel.).
+ [33]. Snowy Egret—_Egretta candidissima_ (Gmel.).
+ [34]. Little Blue Heron—_Florida caerulea_ (Linn.).
+ [35]. Louisiana Heron—_Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis_ (Gosse).
+ [36]. Yellow-crowned Night Heron—_Nyctanassa violacea_ (Linn.).
+ [37]. Boat-billed Heron—_Canchroma cochlearia_ (Linn.).
+ [38]. Guiana Green Heron—_Butorides striata_ (Linn.).
+ [39]. Agami Heron—_Agamia agami_ (Gmel.).
+ [40]. Amazonian Tiger Bittern—_Tigrisoma lineatum_ (Bodd.).
+
+ PALAMEDEIFORMES.
+
+ [41]. Horned Screamer—_Palamedea cornuta_ Linn.
+
+ PHOENICOPTERIFORMES.
+
+ [42]. American Flamingo—_Phoenicopterus ruber_ Linn.
+
+ ANSERIFORMES.
+
+ [43]. Muscovy Duck—_Cairina moschata_ (Linn.).
+ [44]. Rufous Tree Duck—_Dendrocygna fulva_ (Gmel.).
+ [45]. Gray-necked Tree Duck—_Dendrocygna discolor_ Scl. and Sal.
+ [46]. White-faced Tree Duck—_Dendrocygna viduata_ (Linn.).
+
+ PELECANIFORMES.
+
+ [47]. Guiana Cormorant—_Phalacrocorax vigua_ (Vieill.).
+ [48]. Snake-bird—_Anhinga anhinga_ (Linn.).
+ [49]. Frigate Bird—_Fregata aquila_ (Linn.).
+
+ CATHARTIDIFORMES.
+
+ [50]. King Vulture—_Gypagus papa_ (Linn.).
+ [51]. Black Vulture—_Catharista urubu_ (Vieill.).
+ [52]. Orange-headed Vulture—_Cathartes urubitinga_ Pelz.
+
+ ACCIPITRIFORMES.
+
+ [53]. Caracara—_Polyborus cheriway_ (Jacq.).
+ [53a]. South American Blue Hawk—_Geranospizias caerulescens_ (Vieill.).
+ [54]. Cream-headed Hawk—_Busarellus nigricollis_ (Lath.).
+ [55]. South American Black Hawk—_Urubitinga urubitinga_ (Gmel.).
+ [56]. White-headed Chimachima Hawk—_Leucopternis albicollis_ (Lath.).
+ [57]. Guiana Crested Eagle—_Morphnus guiananensis_ (Daud.).
+ [58]. Swallow-tailed Kite—_Elanoides forficatus_ (Linn.).
+ [59]. American Osprey—_Pandion haliaetus carolinensis_ (Gmel.).
+
+ STRIGIFORMES.
+
+ [60]. Southern Pygmy Owl—_Glaucidium brazilianum phalaenoides_ (Daud.).
+
+ PSITTACIFORMES.
+
+ [61]. Blue and Yellow Macaw—_Ara ararauna_ (Linn.).
+ [62]. Red and Blue Macaw—_Ara macao_ (Linn.).
+ [63]. Mealy Amazon Parrot—_Amazona farinosa_ (Bodd.).
+ [64]. Yellow-fronted Amazon Parrot—_Amazona ochrocephala_ (Gmel.).
+ [65]. Blue-headed Parrot—_Pionus menstruus_ (Linn.).
+ [66]. Dusky Parrot—_Pionus fuscus_ (Müll.).
+
+ CORACIIFORMES.
+
+ [67]. Great Rufous Kingfisher—_Ceryle torquata_ (Linn.).
+ [68]. Red-bellied Kingfisher—_Ceryle americana_ (Gmel.).
+ [69]. Pygmy Kingfisher—_Ceryle superciliosa_ (Linn.).
+ [70]. White-necked Parauque—_Nyctidromus albicollis_ (Gmel.).
+ [71]. Feather-toed Palm Swift—_Panyptila cayanensis_ (Gmel.).
+ [72]. Guiana Gray-rumped Swift—_Chaetura spinicauda_ (Temm.).
+ [73]. Eye-browed Hummingbird—_Phaëthornis guianensis_ Bouc.
+ [74]. Guiana Rufous-breasted Hummingbird—_Phaëthornis episcopus_
+ (Gould).
+ [75]. Guiana Long-tailed Hummingbird—_Topaza pella_ (Linn.).
+
+ TROGONIFORMES.
+
+ [76]. Greater Yellow-bellied Trogon—_Trogon viridis_ Linn.
+
+ CUCULIFORMES.
+
+ [77]. Great Rufous Cuckoo—_Piaya cayana_ (Linn.).
+ [78]. Little Rufous Cuckoo—_Piaya rutila_ (Illig.).
+ [79]. Greater Ani—_Crotophaga major_ Gmel.
+ [80]. Smooth-billed Ani—_Crotophaga ani_ Linn.
+
+ SCANSORES.
+
+ [81]. Red-billed Toucan—_Rhamphastos erythrorhynchus_ Gmel.
+ [82]. Sulphur and White-breasted Toucan—_Rhamphastos vitellinus_ Licht.
+ [83]. Red-breasted Toucan—_Rhamphastos_ Sp.
+ [84]. Black-banded Aracari Toucan—_Pteroglossus torquatus_ (Gmel.).
+
+ PICIFORMES.
+
+ [85]. Paradise Jacamar—_Urogalba paradisea_ (Linn.).
+ [86]. Yellow-billed Jacamar—_Galbula albirostris_ Lath.
+ [87]. Rufous-tailed Jacamar—_Galbula ruficauda_ Cuv.
+ [88]. Great Red-crested Woodpecker—_Campephilus melanoleucus_ (Gmel.).
+ [89]. Great Ivory-billed Woodpecker—_Ceophloeus lineatus_ (Linn.).
+ [90]. Yellow Woodpecker—_Crocomorphus semicinnamomeus_ (Reichenb.).
+
+ PASSERIFORMES.
+
+ FORMICARIIDAE.
+
+ [91]. White-shouldered Pygmy Antbird—_Myrmotherula axillaris_ Viell.
+ [92]. Scaly-backed Antbird—_Hypocnemis poecilonota_ (Pucher.).
+ [93]. Woodcock Antbird—_Rhopoterpe torquata_ (Bodd.).
+
+ DENDROCOLAPTIDAE.
+
+ [94]. Cinnamon Spine-tail—_Synallaxis cinnamomea_ (Gmel.).
+ [95]. Whistling Woodhewer—_Dendrornis susuranus susuranus_ (Jard.).
+ [96]. Wedge-billed Woodhewer—_Glyphorhynchus cuneatus_ (Licht.).
+
+ TYRANNIDAE.
+
+ [97]. White-shouldered Ground Flycatcher—_Fluvicola pica_ (Bodd.).
+ [98]. White-headed Marsh Flycatcher—_Arundinicoal leucocephala_ (Linn.).
+ [99]. Gray Tody-flycatcher—_Todirostrum cinereum cinereum_ (Linn.).
+ [100]. Yellow-breasted Elania Flycatcher—_Elaenea pagana_ (Licht.).
+ [101]. Guiana Kiskadee Tyrant—_Pitangus sulphuratus sulphuratus_ (Linn.).
+ [102]. Venezuela Kiskadee Tyrant—_Pitangus sulphuratus trinitatus_ Hellm.
+ [103]. Lesser Kiskadee—_Pitangus lictor_ (Cab.).
+ [104]. Great-billed Kiskadee Tyrant—_Megarhynchus pitangua pitangua_
+ (Linn.).
+ [105]. Streaked Flycatcher—_Myiodynastes maculatus maculatus_ (Müll).
+ [106]. White-throated Kingbird—_Tyrannus melancholicus_ (Vieill.).
+ [107]. Buff-tailed Tyrantlet—_Terenotricus erythrurus erythrurus_ (Cab.).
+
+ PIPRIDAE.
+
+ [108]. Golden-headed Manakin—_Pipra erythrocephala_ (Linn.).
+ [109]. White capped Manakin—_Pipra leucocilla_ Linn.
+ [110]. Golden crowned Pygmy Manakin—_Pipra brachyura_ (Scl. and Sal.).
+ [111]. White-breasted Manakin—_Manacus manacus manacus_ (Linn.).
+ [112]. Wallace’s Olive Manakin—_Scotothorus wallacii_ (Scl. and Sal.).
+
+ COTINGIDAE.
+
+ [113]. Black-tailed Tityra—_Tityra cayana_ (Linn.).
+ [114]. Cinereus Becard—_Pachyrhamphus atricapillus_ (Gmel.).
+ [115]. Goldbird—_Lathria cinerea_ (Vieill.).
+ [116]. Pompadour Cotinga—_Xipholena pompadora_ (Linn.).
+ [117]. Bare-headed Cotinga—_Calvifrons calvus_ (Gmel.).
+
+ HIRUNDINIDAE.
+
+ [118]. Banded Swallow—_Atticora fasciata_ (Gmel.).
+ [119]. Variegated Swallow—_Tachycineta albiventris_ (Bodd.).
+ [120]. Tree Swallow—_Tachycineta bicolor_ (Vieill.).
+ [121]. Barn Swallow—_Hirundo erythrogaster_ Bodd.
+ [122]. Gray-breasted Martin—_Progne chalybea chalybea_ (Gmel.).
+ [123]. Red-breasted Swallow—_Stelgidopteryx ruficollis_ Baird.
+
+ TROGLODYTIDAE.
+
+ [124]. Guiana House Wren—_Troglodytes musculus clarus_ Berlp. and Hart.
+ [125]. Necklaced Jungle Wren—_Leucolepia musica_ (Bodd.).
+
+ MIMIDAE.
+
+ [126]. Black-capped Mocking-thrush—_Donacobius atricapillus_ (Linn.).
+
+ TURDIDAE.
+
+ [127]. White-throated Robin—_Planesticus phaeopygus_ (Cab.).
+ [128]. White-breasted Robin—_Planesticus albiventer_ Spix.
+
+ VIREONIDAE.
+
+ [128a]. Brown-fronted Jungle Vireo—_Pachysylvia ferrugineifrons_ Scl.
+
+ MNIOTILTIDAE
+
+ [128b]. American Redstart—_Setophaga ruticilla_ (Linn.).
+
+ FRINGILLIDAE.
+
+ [129]. Brown-breasted Pygmy Grosbeak—_Oryzoborus torridus_ (Gmel.).
+ [130]. Thick-billed Pygmy Grosbeak—_Oryzoborus crassirostris_ (Gmel.).
+ [131]. Blue-backed Seedeater—_Sporophila castaneiventris_ (Cab.).
+ [132]. Pygmy Seedeater—_Sporophila minuta minuta_ (Linn.).
+ [133]. Yellow-bellied Seedeater—_Sporophila gutturalis_ (Licht.).
+ [134]. Black-headed Scarlet Grosbeak—_Pitylus erythromelas_ (Gmel.).
+ [135]. Black-faced Green Grosbeak—_Pitylus viridis_ (Vieill.).
+
+ COEREBIDAE.
+
+ [136]. Yellow-winged Honey-creeper—_Cyanerpes cyancus_ (Linn.).
+ [136a]. Blue Honey-creeper—_Cyanerpes caeruleus_ (Linn.).
+ [137]. Venezuela Bananaquit—_Coereba luteola_ Cab.
+
+ TANGARIDAE.
+
+ [138]. Purple-throated Euphonia—_Euphonia chlorotica_ (Linn.).
+ [139]. Black-tailed Euphonia—_Euphonia melanura_ Scl.
+ [140]. Violet Euphonia—_Euphonia violacea_ (Linn.).
+ [141]. Black-faced Calliste—_Calospiza cayana_ (Linn.).
+ [142]. Yellow-bellied Calliste—_Calospiza mexicana mexicana_ Linn.
+ [143]. White-shouldered Blue Tanager—_Tangara episcopus episcopus_ Linn.
+ [144]. Northern Palm Tanager—_Tangara palmarum melanoptera_ Scl.
+ [145]. Northern Silver-beak Tanager—_Ramphocelus jacapa magnirostris_
+ (Lafr.).
+ [146]. Southern Silver-beak Tanager—_Ramphocelus jacapa japaca_ (Linn.).
+ [147]. Magpie Tanager—_Cissopis leveriana_ (Gmel.).
+
+ ICTERIDAE.
+
+ [148]. Black Parasitic Cassique—_Cassidix oryzivora oryzivora_ (Gmel.).
+ [149]. Great Black Cassique—_Ostinops decumanus_ (Pall.).
+ [150]. Green Cassique—_Ostinops viridis_ (Müll.).
+ [151]. Yellow-backed Cassique—_Cacicus persicus_ (Linn.).
+ [152]. Red-backed Cassique—_Cacicus affinis_ Swains.
+ [153]. Guiana Cowbird—_Molothrus atronitens_ (Cab.).
+ [154]. Little Yellow-headed Blackbird—_Agelaius icterocephalus_ (Linn.).
+ [155]. Red-breasted Blackbird—_Leistes militaris_ (Linn.).
+ [156]. Meadowlark—_Sturnella magna_ (Linn.).
+ [157]. Guiana Meadowlark—_Sturnella magna meridionalis_ (Scl.).
+ [158]. Moriche Oriole—_Icterus chrysocephalus_ (Linn.).
+ [159]. Yellow Oriole—_Icterus xanthornus xanthornus_ (Gmel.).
+ [160]. Little Boat-tailed Grackle—_Quiscalus lugubris_ Swains.
+
+ CORVIDAE.
+
+ [161]. Lavender Jay—_Cyanocorax cayanus_ (Linn.).
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX B.
+
+NATIVE GUIANAN NAMES OF BIRDS.
+
+
+ Great Blue Tinamou—Maam.
+ Little Tinamou—Little Maam.
+ Curassow—Powis.
+ Guan—Maroodi.
+ Guiana Quail—Duraquara.
+ Chachalaca—Hanaqua.
+ Hoatzin—Canje Pheasant.
+ Purple Gallinule—Coot.
+ Guiana Wood Rail—Killicow.
+ Spur-winged Jacana—Spur-wing.
+ Skimmer—Scissor-bill.
+ Sun Bittern—Sun-bird.
+ Trumpeter—Warracabra.
+ Scarlet Ibis—Curri-curri.
+ Jabiru—Negrocop.
+ Wood Ibis—Nigger Head.
+ Tiger Bittern—Tiger-bird.
+ Herons—Chow or Shypook.
+ Cocoi Heron—Crane.
+ Horned Screamer—Mohuca.
+ Gray-necked Tree-duck—Vicissi.
+ Snake-bird—Ducklar.
+ Black Vulture—Carrion Crow.
+ Orange-headed Vulture—Governor Carrion Crow.
+ Caracara—Hen Hawk.
+ Owls—Night Owl.
+ Spectrum Parrakeet—Kissi-kissi.
+ Motmot—Hutu.
+ Hummingbirds—Doctor-birds.
+ Four-winged Cuckoo—Wife-sick.
+ Great Ani—Jumby-bird.
+ Smooth-billed Ani—Old Witch.
+ Toucan—Bill-bird.
+ Checked Ant-thrush—Dominique or Check-bird.
+ Cinnamon Spinetail—Rootie.
+ Bell-bird—Campanero.
+ Gold-bird—Greenheart-bird—Pĭ-pī-yŏ.
+ Cinereus Becard—Woodpecker.
+ White-shouldered Ground Flycatcher—Cotton-bird.
+ Southern Scissor-tailed Flycatcher—Scissor-tail.
+ Guiana Kiskadee Tyrant—Kiskadee.
+ White-throated King-bird—Madeira or Gray Kiskadee.
+ White-headed Marsh Flycatcher—Parson-bird.
+ Cinereus Tody-flycatcher—Pipitoorie.
+ Yellow-breasted Elanea Flycatcher—Muff-bird or Muffin.
+ Guiana House Wren—God- or Guard-bird.
+ Necklaced Jungle Wren—Quadrille Bird.
+ White-throated Robin—Thrush.
+ Yellow Warbler—Bastard Canary.
+ Brown-breasted Pygmy Grosbeak—Toua-toua.
+ Thick-billed Pygmy Grosbeak—Twa-twa.
+ Blue-backed Seedeater—Blue-back.
+ Pygmy Seedeater—Fire-red.
+ Crown-headed Seedeater—Crown-head.
+ Plain-headed Seedeater—Plain-head.
+ Lineated Seedeater—Ring-neck.
+ Pee-zing Grassquit—Pee-zing.
+ Honey Creepers—Hummingbirds.
+ Yellow-bellied Calliste—Goldfinch.
+ Black-faced Calliste—Bucktown Sackie.
+ Violet Euphonia—Bucktown Canary.
+ Blue Tanager—Blue Sackie.
+ Palm Tanager—Cocoanut Sackie.
+ Silver-beak Tanager—Cashew Sackie.
+ White-lined Tanager—Black-sage Sackie.
+ Olive Saltator—Tom-pitcher.
+ Little Boat-tail Grackle—Black-bird.
+ Guiana Cowbird—Corn-bird.
+ Black Parasitic Cassique—Rice-bird.
+ Yellow-backed Cassique—Yellow Bunyah or Mockingbird.
+ Red-backed Cassique—Red Bunyah.
+ Red-breasted Blackbird—Robin Red-breast.
+ Little Yellow-headed Blackbird—Yellow-head.
+ Moriche Oriole—Cadoorie.
+ Yellow Oriole—Yellow Plantain Bird.
+ Guiana Meadowlark—Savannah Starling.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX C.
+
+
+ALPHABETICAL LIST OF HOORIE ORTHOPTERA.
+
+ Acontista perspicua
+ Anaulecomara furcata
+ Colpolopha obsoluta
+ Creoxylus spinosus
+ Enopterna surinamensis
+ Gryllotalpa hexadactyla
+ Moncheca nigricauda
+ Posidippus degeeri
+ Prisopus flabelliformis
+ Pseudophasma phthisicus
+ Pterochroza ocellata
+ Schistocerca flavofasciata
+ Vates lobata
+
+NEW SPECIES OF MANTIS.
+
+ Stagmomantis hoorie Caudell
+
+ALPHABETICAL LIST OF HOORIE MOTHS.
+
+ Anacraga citrina
+ Anthocroca cuneifera
+ Apatelodes pandarioides
+ Apela divisa
+ Argeus labruscae
+ Argyrostoma nitidisquama
+ Attacus erycina
+ Automeris cinctistriga
+ Automolis semirosea
+ Azelina gammaria
+ Ballantiophona gibbiferata
+ Baeotarcha coemaroalis
+ Berberodes simplex
+ Capnodes subrutilans
+ Carthara ennomoides
+ Chrysocestis fimbriaria
+ Claphe braganza
+ Claphe mediana
+ Claphe morens
+ Claphe namora
+ Coenipeta bibitrix
+ Colla gaudialis
+ Dasygnia meterythra
+ Desmia funeralis
+ Dichromapteryx dimidiata
+ Dirphia tarquinia
+ Drepanodes agrionaria
+ Dyasia viviana
+ Eudioptis hyalinata
+ Epicepsis gnoma
+ Euagra collestina
+ Euclea cippus
+ Gonodonta pyrgo
+ Gonopinea albilunalis
+ Hadena regressa
+ Hylesia inficita
+ Hyperchiria liberia
+ Hyperchiria nausica
+ Ingura circularia
+ Iza rufigrisea
+ Lepasta conspicua
+ Letis occidua
+ Leucinodes elegantalis
+ Lysana plexa
+ Maerodes columbalis
+ Malocanpa Eugenia
+ Melese castrena
+ Neritos coccinea
+ Neritos phaeoplaza
+ Olceclostera mira
+ Olceclostera satellitia
+ Orthogramma rufotibia
+ Pamea notata
+ Peosina helima
+ Phyllodonta cajanuma
+ Prepiella radicans
+ Pronola fraterna
+ Prumala ilus
+ Racheolopha confluaria
+ Racheolopha nivetacta
+ Racheolopha pallida
+ Racheolopha sarptaria
+ Racheospila intensa
+ Rifargia apella
+ Rolepa cuprea
+ Rosema zelica
+ Samea ebulealis
+ Samea gealis
+ Scolecocampa liburna
+ Stericta abrupta
+ Stericta multicolor
+ Stictoptera
+ Tachyphyle acuta
+ Tanasphysa adornatalis
+ Thysania agrippina
+ Tosale velutina
+ Trosea ignicornis
+ Urga parallela
+ Vipsophobetron marinna
+
+NEW SPECIES OF HOORIE MOTHS.
+
+ Acropteryx opulenta Dyar
+ Capnodes albicosta ”
+ Claphe laudissima ”
+ Emarginea empyra ”
+ Eois costalis ”
+ Hadena niphetodes ”
+ Hemipecten cleptes ”
+ Hylesia indurata ”
+ Illice biota ”
+ Ischnurges bicoloralis ”
+ Macalla pallidomedia ”
+ Neophaenis aedemon ”
+ Paracraga amianta ”
+ Rifargia phanerostigma ”
+ Saccopleura lycealis ”
+ Thermesia dorsilinea ”
+ Trosia nigripes ”
+ Zatrephes cardytera ”
+
+NEW GENERA AND NEW SPECIES OF HOORIE MOTHS.
+
+ _Dichocrocopsis_—Dichocrocopsis maculiferalis Dyar
+ _Hositea_—Hositea gynaecia Dyar
+ _Incarcha_—Incarcha aporalis Dyar
+ _Minacragides_—Minacragides arnacis Dyar
+ _Thyonoea_—Thyonaea dremma Dyar
+ _Zaevius_—Zaevius calocore Dyar
+
+The Photographs and descriptions of these new genera and species have
+been published in Zoölogica, Vol. 1, No. 4.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+Illustrations are indicated by page numbers in Italic.
+
+
+ A.
+
+ Abary, Birds of, 364, 365.
+ Bungalow, _358_.
+ Island, _358_, 359.
+ River, 350, 360, _362_.
+
+ _Admetus pumilio_, 189, _190_.
+
+ _Aequidens_, 68, _69_.
+
+ Agouti, 160, _312_, 315, 318.
+
+ _Agraulis vanillae_, 375.
+
+ Amazon Parrot. _See_ Parrots.
+
+ American Redstarts, accompanying army of hunting ants, 50.
+
+ _Anableps anableps._ _See_ Four-eyed Fish.
+
+ Anaconda, 26, _27_, 240, 379.
+
+ André, Eugene, x, 86, 89.
+
+ Anis, 121, 131, 133, 358.
+ Accompanying army of hunting ants, 49, 50.
+ Greater, flock of, 156, 157.
+ Smooth-billed, 254.
+
+ Anna Regina, 242, 243.
+
+ _Anopheles_, 76.
+
+ Antbirds, 194, 302, 303, 304.
+ Accompanying army of hunting ants, 49.
+ Scaly-backed, 324.
+ White-shouldered Pigmy, 194.
+
+ Anteater, 170.
+ Great, 256, _257_.
+ Lesser, 305, _306_.
+
+ Ants, Black, (_Neoponera commutata_), 49.
+ Battle with hunting ants, 52.
+ Houses of, 48, 49, 138.
+ Hunting Ants (_Eciton_), 49-54.
+ Battle with Black Ants, 52, 53.
+ Warfare in nests of other species, 54.
+ Parasol, 49, 217, 218, 345.
+ Fungi gardens of, 49.
+
+ Aremu, Camp on, _274_, 275.
+ Gold Mine, 285-288, _287_, _289_.
+ Landing, 268.
+ Little, 244-284, _276_, 297.
+ River, Big, 244, 268.
+
+ _Argeus labruscae_, 211.
+
+ Armadillo, 170, 324.
+
+ _Atta cephalotes_, 138.
+
+ _Attacus (Hesperia) erycina_, 211.
+
+ _Automeria cinctistriga_, 213.
+
+
+ B.
+
+ Baboons. _See_ Monkey, Red Howling.
+
+ Bananaquits, 40.
+
+ Barama River, 158, _216_.
+ Entrance of, 160, 161.
+ Our tent boat on the, _159_.
+
+ Barima River, 137.
+
+ Barrabarra River, _219_, 222-225.
+
+ Barrimani Police Station, 158, 160.
+
+ Bartica, 244, 245, 246.
+
+ Bashew, 165.
+
+ Bats, Fruit-eating, 121, 122.
+ Manner of alighting, 43.
+ Number of species of, 122.
+ Scarab, 270.
+ Vampires. _See_ Vampires.
+
+ Bee, Giant, 343, 344.
+
+ Beetles, Bark, 201.
+ Brazilian, 268.
+ Buprestid, 291, 348.
+ Elater, Brown, 54, 55, 192.
+ Larva of small species of, 55.
+ Longicorn, 288.
+ Tiger, 291.
+
+ Bête rouge, 144, 146.
+
+ Biara River, 220-222, _226_.
+
+ Bingham, Dr. Hiram, xi, 255, 354.
+
+ Birds brought alive from British Guiana to New York Zoölogical Park,
+ 116.
+
+ Bird Protection Ordinance of British Guiana, 115.
+
+ _Blaberus trapezoideus._ _See_ Cockroach.
+
+ Blackbird, Red-breasted, 351, 353.
+ Yellow-headed, 125, 351, 353.
+
+ Blacks. _See_ Negro.
+
+ Bois Immortelle trees, 42.
+
+ Botanical Gardens, experimental botanical work, 131.
+ Fauna of, 129-131, 133.
+
+ _Brassias_, 218.
+
+ British Guiana, climatic condition of coast of, 131.
+
+ _Bufo agua_, 122, _123_.
+
+ Buffalo, Water, 129.
+
+ Bunyahs. _See_ Cassique, Red-backed _and_ Yellow-backed.
+
+ Bushmaster, _182_, _183_, 184, 277.
+
+ Bush-rope, aërial roots of, _296_.
+
+ Butterflies, black and white, 193.
+ Ghost, 343.
+ Heliconias, 40, 343.
+ Milkweed, 58.
+ Morphos, 14, 187, 193, 250, 343.
+ Orange shaded, 313, 314.
+ Two species of, 163, 271.
+ Orchid, 250, _251_.
+ Orange, 163, 187, 375.
+ Owl, 40, 41, _42_.
+ Papilio, 193.
+ Red Silver-wing, 375.
+ Swallow-tailed, 132.
+ Transparent, _196_.
+ Yellow, 163.
+
+
+ C.
+
+ Calf-bird. _See_ Cotinga, Bare-headed.
+
+ _Caligo ilioneus_, 40.
+
+ Calliste, Black-faced, 127.
+ Yellow-bellied, 127, 135, 243.
+
+ _Callidryas statira_, 375.
+
+ _Calomesus psittacus_, 14.
+
+ Camaria Landing, 248, 250.
+ Falls at Lower, _249_.
+ Upper, 250, 251.
+
+ Caño San Juan, 75.
+
+ Caños, exploring in dug-out, _21_.
+
+ _Canthon semiopacus_, 270.
+
+ _Capnodes albicosta_, 288, 289.
+
+ Captain Truxillo, 22, 30, 74, 75, _78_, 82, 83, 90, 91, 104, 108.
+
+ Capuchin Monkey, 6, 20, 24.
+
+ Capybara, 22, _233_, 254, _255_, 282, 381.
+
+ Caracara, 131.
+
+ Carey-Elwis, Father, Mission of, 163.
+
+ Carib, Fish. _See_ Perai.
+ Indian hunter and children, _178_.
+ Indian huts at Hoorie, 179, 181.
+ Indians, three generations of, _180_.
+
+ _Carnegiella strigatus_, 252.
+
+ Cassiques, 125, 129.
+ Big Green, Courtship of, 202.
+ Flocking of, 214.
+ Nests of, 36, 37, _236_.
+ Notes of, 37, 56, 201, 338.
+ Red-backed, 137, 139, 142, 174, 215.
+ Colony of at Hoorie, 202-209.
+ Eggs of, 205.
+ Embryo, 205.
+ Food of, 206, 207, 208.
+ Nests of, _204_, 205, 206, 208.
+ Young birds, 205, 206, 207, 208.
+ Yellow-backed, 32, 137, 139, 142.
+ Nesting of, _33_, _34_, 35, 36, 251, 253.
+
+ _Castina licus_, 250, _251_.
+
+ _Castus_ sp., 192, _193_.
+
+ Caterpillar, black, 328, _329_, 347.
+
+ Catfish, Crucifix, _13_, 14.
+ Armored, 68.
+ Of Guiana, 164.
+
+ _Centis americana_, 344.
+
+ _Centrurus margaritatus_, 39.
+
+ _Cercoleptes caudivolvulus_, 37.
+
+ Chachalaca, Abundance near Guanoco, _38_.
+ Voice of, 23, 24.
+
+ Chameleon caterpillar, 191, 192.
+
+ _Chrysocestis fimbriaria_, 212.
+
+ _Choloepus_, 279.
+
+ Cicadas, Chant of, 24.
+ Chinese music of giant species, 25.
+ _Cicada grossa_, 301, 302.
+ Six-o’clock bee, 235, 338.
+
+ Cinereus Becard, 131.
+
+ _Clavillina_, 219.
+
+ Cockroach, 45.
+
+ _Coelogenys paca_, 305.
+
+ _Colaenis phaerusa_, 375.
+
+ Congo Pump, 191, 273.
+
+ Coolie, of British Guiana, _117_, 118, 150.
+ Indenture system, 148-149.
+
+ Coolies and their wives fishing in Essequibo, _247_.
+
+ Cormorant, Guiana, 218, 275, 354.
+
+ Cotinga, 304.
+ Bare-headed, 332.
+ Pompadour, 176, 179.
+
+ Cotton Bird. _See_ Flycatcher, White-shouldered Ground.
+
+ Couchi-couchi. _See_ Kinkajou.
+
+ Cowbird, Guiana, 125, 202.
+
+ Crab Oil. _See_ Bête rouge.
+
+ Crabs, 144.
+ Dancing, 16, 17.
+ Enemies of, 19.
+ Inhabiting roots of mangroves, 17.
+ Inhabiting trunks and branches of mangroves, 17, 18.
+ Method of catching, 19.
+ Mimicry among, 17, 18.
+
+ Crab wood, 191.
+
+ Crandall, Lee S., ix, 125, 160, 171, _182_, 207, 209, 215, 385.
+
+ Creepers, Blue Honey, 201, 298.
+ Honey, 135, 160.
+ Yellow-winged Honey, 158, 340.
+
+ Crew. _See_ Sloop.
+
+ Crocodiles, 14, 15, 57.
+ Canal of, _130_, _380_, 381, 382.
+ Of the Aremu, 271.
+
+ Cuckoos, Chestnut, 131.
+
+ Cumaca trees, 269.
+
+ Curassow, 255, 282.
+ Crested, courtship of, 332, _333_, 334, 335, 336, _337_, 338.
+
+ Curlews, 8.
+
+ Cuyuni River, 244, 248, _254_, _259_, 269.
+ Flowers of, 263.
+ Rapids of, 258, _260_, _261_, _262_, 263, _264_, _266_, 267, _270_.
+
+
+ D.
+
+ Deer, 160, 170, 246, 310, 311, 319.
+ Savanna, 320.
+
+ _Dendrobates trivittatus_, 293, 294.
+
+ _Desmodus rufus._ _See_ Vampire.
+
+ _Dicotyles labiatus._ _See_ Peccary, White-lipped.
+
+ _Dicotyles tajacu._ _See_ Peccary, Common.
+
+ _Dirphia tarquinia_, 211.
+
+ Dolphins, 30.
+
+ Douraquara. _See_ Quail, Guiana.
+
+ Dove, Red-winged Ground, 131, 139.
+
+ Dragon Fly, 270, 271.
+ _Diastatops tincta_, 376.
+ _Erythrodiplax umbrata_, 376.
+ _Erythrodiplax peruviana_, 376.
+
+ Dress suitable for woman on jungle trips, 195, 196.
+
+ Drowned Forest of Hoorie, 198-202.
+
+ Ducks, Gray-necked Tree, 355, _356_, 357.
+ Muscovy, 30, 135, 357, 359.
+ Rufous Tree, 355.
+ Vicissi, 383.
+
+
+ E.
+
+ Eagle, Guiana Crested, 137.
+
+ _Eciton_, 49, 50.
+
+ Egrets, American, 137, 234, _352_, 353, 381.
+ Snowy, 8, 64, 154, 158.
+
+ _Elainia._ _See_ Flycatchers.
+
+ Electric eels, 170.
+
+ Encounter with curiara in the Guarapiche, 22.
+
+ _Epidendrum fragrans_, 22, 23.
+
+ _Epidendrum nocturnum_, 241.
+
+ _Epidendrum odoratum_, 269.
+
+ Essequibo River, 134, 244, 245.
+
+ _Euchroma goliath_, 291.
+
+ _Eudioptis hyalinata_, 212.
+
+ _Eunectes murinus._ _See_ Anaconda.
+
+ Euphonia, 139.
+ Black-tailed, 40.
+ Purple-throated, 319.
+ Violet, 240.
+
+ _Euptoieta hegesia_, 375.
+
+
+ F.
+
+ Farnum’s, 158, 214, 215.
+
+ _Felis concolor_, 60, 61.
+
+ Ferns, tree, on Little Aremu, _278_.
+
+ Filo, 77, 84.
+
+ Flamingo, 234.
+
+ Flycatchers, Elania, 131, _132_.
+ Gray Tody, 131.
+ Kiskadee, 37, 112, _114_, 120, 121, 131, 135, 142, 148, 239, 247,
+ 357.
+ Streaked, accompanying army of hunting ants, 50, _51_.
+ Tyrant, 116,
+ accompanying army of hunting ants, 50.
+ White-shouldered Ground, 65, 66, 131.
+ White-headed Marsh, 65.
+
+ Flying Fish, Fresh Water, _252_, 265, 269.
+ Salt Water, _253_.
+
+ Forest, drowned, _199_.
+
+ Four-eyed Fish, 14, _16_, 19, 57, 237, 239.
+ Devoured by Crocodile, 15.
+ Eyes of, 19.
+
+ Fowler, Mr., 275, 277.
+
+ Francis, Jungle craft of, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 326, 332,
+ 333, 338.
+
+ Frederick, 147-148, 151, _152_.
+
+ French, Mr., 248.
+
+ Frigate-bird, 234.
+
+ Frog, Bleating Calf, 277.
+ Castanet, 242.
+ Freight engine, 214, 277.
+ Roaring, 277.
+ Wing-beat, 238, 277.
+
+
+ G.
+
+ _Galictis barbara_, 321.
+
+ Gallinules, 129.
+ Purple, 378.
+
+ Georgetown, 112.
+ Beauty of, 116.
+ Botanical Gardens of, 123.
+ Chief points of attraction of, 121.
+ Inhabitants of, 112, 114.
+ Museum of, 123.
+ Sea Wall of, _119_.
+ Street life of, 116-118.
+ Street of, _113_.
+ Typical day of, 120, 121.
+
+ Gillett, Father, 226, 227, _228_, 230.
+
+ Gold Bird, 187, 188, 189, 193, 220, 246, 275, 307, 315, 342.
+
+ Gold, Long Tom process, 185, 186, 187.
+ Mines. _See_ Aremu, Hoorie.
+ Panning, 185, _186_.
+
+ Golden Shower Orchid, 220.
+
+ _Gonodonta pyrgo_, 342.
+
+ Grackle, Little Boat-tailed, 128.
+
+ Grassfinches, 48.
+
+ Grell, Ellis, x, 86, 87, 90.
+
+ Greenheart Bird. _See_ Gold Bird.
+
+ Green River Ibis, 253.
+
+ Grosbeaks, Black-faced Green, 176.
+ Black-headed Scarlet, 315.
+ Brown-breasted Pigmy, 121, 127.
+ Thick-billed Pigmy, 142.
+
+ _Gryllus argentinus_, 348.
+
+ Guanoco, Children of, _100_, 104.
+ Dances at, 97-103, 104.
+ Fever at, 106.
+ First night at, 90-93.
+ “Headquarters” at, 87, 88, 97.
+ Inhabitants of, _97_.
+ Priestless chapel at, _105_.
+ Quarrel with United States of America, 98, 99.
+ Revolutionary reports at, 98, 99.
+ River of, 86.
+ Suffering that came to, 106, 107.
+ Village of, 32, 86.
+ Women of, 106.
+
+ Guan, 144, 235, 255, 313.
+ Jacupeba, 321.
+ Marail, 179.
+
+ Guarapiche River, 20, 80, 81, 82.
+
+ Guarauno Indians, 29.
+ At Caño Colorado, _83_.
+ Papoose, _107_.
+ Squaws, _85_.
+ Wandering tribes of, 103.
+
+ Guard Ship, 75, 76.
+ Venezuelan soldiers on board of, _76_.
+
+ Guava, Water, 263.
+
+ Gulls, Laughing, 134.
+
+
+ H.
+
+ Haasnoot, Captain, 111.
+
+ _Haetera piera._ _See_ Butterfly, Transparent.
+
+ Harrison, Prof. J. B., 123, 125.
+
+ Harry, Mr., 385.
+
+ Hawk, Caracara, 371, 372.
+ Chimachima, White-breasted, _62_, 64.
+ Cream-headed, 354, 355.
+ South American Black, 164.
+
+ Heliconia butterfly. _See_ Butterflies.
+
+ Heliconias, Scarlet, 58, 60.
+
+ _Hemiptycha (Umbonia) spinosa_, 213.
+
+ Herons, Agami, 219.
+ Boat-billed, 234.
+ Cocoi, 8, 234, 245, 268, 355.
+ Guiana Green, 129, 355, 371.
+ Immature Blue, 64.
+ Little Blue, 15, 154, 158.
+ Louisiana, 154.
+ Yellow-crowned Night, 154.
+
+ _Herpetodryas carinatus_, 386.
+
+ Hoatzins, Eggs of, 371.
+ Enemies of, 371, 372.
+ Flight of, 28, 29.
+ Flock of, _377_.
+ Food of, 29, 219.
+ Habits of, at Abary, 366, 367, 368, _369_, _370_, _372_, _373_,
+ _375_.
+ Nesting of, 29, _366_, 371.
+ Number at Abary, 350.
+ On the Guarapiche, _28_.
+ Photographing, _367_, 372, 373, 374.
+ Sedentary life of, _28_, 29.
+ Use of wings, 374.
+ Voice of, 26, 28, 365.
+ Young of, 28.
+
+ Hodgson, Sir Frederick, x, 125.
+
+ _Homalocranium melanocephalum_, 45, 46.
+
+ Hoorie mine, Average daily temperature at, 170.
+ Bungalow, 170, 209.
+ Creek, 164.
+ Crossing stream on road to, _167_.
+ Drowned forest of, 198-202.
+ Fauna around, 170, 171, 209.
+ Flora of, 192, 194, 195.
+ Indian life near, 179-184, 189, 190, 191.
+ Insects of, 209-213.
+ “Little Giant” at, _175_.
+ Mine, 167-169, _172_.
+ Wilderness trail to, 165-167, _168_.
+
+ _Hoplias malabaricus_, 68, _69_.
+
+ Hornaday, Dr. William T., xi.
+
+ _Hositea gynaecia_, 212.
+
+ Hummingbird, Long-tailed, 325.
+ Rufous breasted, 307.
+ White eye-browed, 307.
+
+ _Hydrochoerus capybara._ _See_ Capybara.
+
+ _Hyperchiria Liberia_, 213.
+
+ _Hyperchiria nausica_, 213.
+
+
+ I.
+
+ Ibis. _See_ Green River. _See_ Scarlet.
+
+ im Thurn, Sir Everard, house of, 142, _143_.
+
+ Indian and the Law, 151, 152, 153.
+ Boys in dug-out, _162_.
+ Three-year-olds at home in wood-skin, _138_.
+
+ Insects. _See_ Hoorie.
+ Mounting of, 211, 212.
+
+
+ J.
+
+ Jabiru, 353, _354_, 381.
+
+ Jacamar, home of, 26.
+ Paradise, 171, 173.
+
+ Jacana, Spur-wing, 63, 64, 129, 354, 378, _384_, 385.
+
+ “Josefa Jacinta.” _See_ Sloop.
+
+ Jaguar, 63, 160, 293.
+
+ Jays, Lavender, 173, 174, 345.
+
+ Jelly-fish, 4.
+
+ Jones, Mr. B. Howell, x.
+
+ Jumbie Birds. _See_ Anis.
+
+
+ K.
+
+ Killicow. _See_ Rail, Cayenne Wood.
+
+ King, Howie, 129, 148.
+ As magistrate of Morawhanna, 149-151.
+ Garden of, 146.
+ House of, 142.
+
+ Kingbirds, White-throated, 137.
+
+ Kingfishers, Feeding on insects, 16.
+ Red-breasted, 163.
+ Rufous, 199, 282.
+
+ Kinkajou, 37.
+
+ Kiskadee. _See_ Flycatchers.
+
+ Kites, Swallow-tailed, 154, 250.
+
+
+ L.
+
+ Labba. _See_ Paca.
+
+ La Brea, x, 30, _59_. _See_ also Pitch Lake.
+
+ La Ceiba, 20.
+ Our floating home at, _18_.
+
+ Lilies, Spider, _57_, 58, 225, _363_.
+
+ Lizards, At Morawhanna, 146.
+ Protective coloration of, 43, _44_, _45_.
+ Tegu, 24, 146.
+
+ Loricates. _See_ Catfish, Armored.
+
+ Lotus, _126_.
+
+
+ M.
+
+ Macaws, 8.
+ Blue and Yellow, 137, 338.
+
+ Maestro, 14, 77, 80, 84, 85, 87.
+
+ Manakin, Golden-crowned, 342, _343_, 348.
+ Gold-headed, 44.
+ Wallace Olive, 322.
+ White-breasted, 44, 45.
+ White-capped, 311.
+
+ Manatee, 125, 170, _221_, _222_, _224_, 381.
+
+ Mangrove, Flowers of, 15.
+ Jungle, description of, 9-12.
+ Manner of preparation of, 10.
+ Map of trip through, 2.
+ Red, 135, 153.
+ Sunset in Mangrove wilderness, _80_.
+ White, 135, 153.
+ Wilderness, _95_.
+ Young plants, _11_, 58.
+
+ Mantis, 213, 289.
+ _Stagmomantis hoorie_, 210.
+
+ Map, of Abary Island, _361_.
+ Of three expeditions into British Guiana, _110_.
+ Of trip through Mangrove Wilderness, _2_.
+
+ Marciano, 215, 222, 223, 234, 237, 238, 240, 242, 243.
+
+ Marlborough Police Station, 237.
+
+ Maroodie. _See_ Guan.
+
+ Martins, Gray Breasted, 112, 244, _245_, 247, 379.
+
+ Matope, 253, 256, 258.
+
+ Mazaruni River, 244, 246, 248.
+ Steamer, 134, 141, 142.
+
+ Maximiliano Romero, 101-102, 106.
+
+ _Mecistogaster_ sp., 270, 271.
+
+ _Mesomphalia discors_, 268.
+
+ Mission, on Morooka River, 225.
+ Warramuri, 231, 233.
+
+ Monkeys, Capuchin, 6, 20.
+ Marmoset, 300.
+ No fear of railroad, 56, 57.
+ Red Howling, Description of, 325-326.
+ As food, 329.
+ Voice of, 20, 56, 142, 170, 197, 277, 293, 325.
+
+ _Monstera_, 279.
+
+ Mora Passage, 135, 146, 153, 174, 175, 301.
+
+ Mora Tree, 135, 137, 138, 269, _296_.
+
+ Morawhanna, 135.
+ Typical Indian House of, _136_.
+ Home of Mr. Howie King at, 142.
+
+ Morooka River, 225, 231.
+ Agriculture on, 233.
+
+ Morpho butterfly. _See_ Butterflies.
+
+ _Morpho metellus_, 314.
+
+ Mosquitoes, 12, 30, 39, 76, 86, 112-114, 120, 141, 144, 214, 235,
+ 362, 364.
+
+ Moths, Hawk, 210.
+ Moon, 210.
+ Owl, 213.
+ Waltzing, 46, 47.
+
+ Mountains of Venezuela, 30, _31_.
+
+ Mount Everard, 135, 137, 139, _140_, 141.
+ Bête rouge of, 144-146.
+
+ Mucka-mucka, 219, 238, 251, 366.
+
+ Muricot, 198.
+
+ _Mycetes seniculus._ _See_ Monkey, Red Howling.
+
+ _Myrmecophaga jubata_, 256, 257.
+
+
+ N.
+
+ Negro of British Guiana, _117_, 119.
+
+ _Neoponera commutata_, 49.
+
+ Nicholson, Mr., 253, 254, 256, 332.
+
+ _Notogonia_ sp. _See_ Wasps.
+
+ _Nyctobates giganteus._ _See_ Beetles, Bark.
+
+
+ O.
+
+ _Odocoileus savannarum._ _See_ Deer, Savanna.
+
+ _Odontochila cayennensis._ _See_ Beetles, Tiger.
+
+ _Odontochila confusa._ _See_ Beetles, Tiger.
+
+ _Odontochila lacordairei._ _See_ Beetles, Tiger.
+
+ Opossum, 144, 308, 309.
+
+ Orchids, fragrant white, 22, _23_.
+
+ Orinoco River, 4.
+
+ Orioles, Moriche, 142.
+ Yellow, 121, 127, 129.
+
+ Ospreys, 156.
+
+ Otter, 163, 281.
+
+
+ P.
+
+ Paca, 160, 305.
+
+ Paddle-wood, 191, 301, _325_.
+
+ Palm sheath, rocking toy, _100_.
+ Covering flower of palm, _102_.
+
+ _Papilio polydamus_, 132.
+
+ Parauque, 148, 263.
+
+ Paria, Gulf of, 5, 75.
+
+ Parrakeets, 30.
+
+ Parrots, Amazon, Mealy, 174, 201, 233, 234, 235.
+ Blue-headed, flocking of, 157-158.
+ Dusky, 344.
+ Young of, _344_, 345.
+ Yellow fronted, _66_, 135, 146.
+ Eggs of, _67_, 68.
+ Home of, _64_.
+ Island of in Pitch Lake, 62, _63_.
+ Nest of, _65_, 66.
+ Young of, _67_, 68.
+
+ _Passiflora laurifolia._ _See_ Passion Flower.
+
+ Passion Flower, _272_, 273.
+
+ _Paxillus leachii_, 201.
+
+ Peccary, common, 160, 170, 233, 255, 256, _347_.
+ White-lipped, 256.
+
+ Pe-pe-yo. _See_ Gold Bird.
+
+ Perai, 160, 170, 198.
+
+ _Peridromia feronia_, 43.
+
+ Peripatus, discovery of and description of, 46.
+
+ Perseverance Landing, 258.
+
+ _Petræa arborea_, 187.
+
+ Phosphorescence off coast of British Guiana, 111.
+
+ Pickersgill Police Station, 239, 240.
+
+ _Pieris monuste_, 375.
+
+ Pigmy Owl, 40.
+
+ Pipe-fish, 160.
+
+ Pipitoori. _See_ Flycatcher, Gray Tody.
+
+ _Pistia stratiodes._ _See_ Shell Flower.
+
+ Pitch Lake, of Venezuela, 30, _59_, _88_.
+ Daily life at, 94-96.
+ Digging pitch, _90_.
+ Early morning trips to, 55-61.
+ Flora of, 63, 64.
+ History of, 91-92.
+ Jungle railroad to, 55, _56_, 57.
+ Loading cars at, _93_.
+ “Mother” of, _61_, 62, 63.
+
+ Plover, 8.
+
+ Poc-a-poo, 235.
+
+ _Poeciloptera phalaenoides_, 132, 133.
+
+ _Polybia_ sp., 299, 300.
+
+ Pomeroon River, 234-240.
+
+ Pontón. _See_ Guard Ship.
+
+ Porcupine Tree, _36_, 37.
+
+ Pork-knocker, 187, 188, 256, 258, 287, 288.
+
+ Port of Spain, 3, 4.
+ Street life of, 119.
+
+ Protective resemblances, 41, 42, 43, 44.
+
+ _Pseudaucheniplerus nodosus_, 13.
+
+ _Psidium fluviatile_, 263.
+
+ _Pterochroya ocellata_, 213.
+
+ Puff-fishes, 14, _15_.
+
+ Puma, South America, 60, 61.
+
+ Purple heart trees, 163.
+
+ _Pyrophorus_ sp., 54, 55.
+
+
+ Q.
+
+ Quadrille-bird, 188, 309, 310, 321, 330.
+
+ Quail, Guiana, 340, 341.
+
+
+ R.
+
+ _Racheolopha nivetacta_, 211.
+
+ Rail, Cayenne Wood, 378.
+
+ Robins, White-breasted, 116.
+ White-throated, 322, _323_, 324, 340.
+
+ _Rhyncophorus palmatum._ _See_ Weevil.
+
+ Rodway, James, 123, 132.
+
+
+ S.
+
+ Salapenta, 146.
+
+ Saman Trees, 132, 142.
+
+ Sandpipers, 8.
+ Solitary, 263.
+ Spotted, 58, 156.
+
+ Sapadillo, 121, 127.
+
+ Scarlet Ibis, 7, 8, 81, 153, 154, 155.
+
+ Scorpion, _39_, 46.
+ Battle with Caterpillar, 291, _292_.
+ Whip, 189, 190.
+
+ Screamer, Horned, 381.
+
+ Sea-cows. _See_ Manatee.
+
+ Seedeaters, 60, 142.
+ Blue-backed, 171.
+
+ _Semiotus ligneus_, 192.
+
+ Serenades, by negroes from Pitch Lake, 100, 101.
+
+ _Serrasalmo scapularis_, 160.
+
+ Shell Flower, 218.
+
+ Shypook. _See_ Heron, Guiana Green.
+
+ Silk Cotton Trees, 163.
+
+ Sigh heard in the Mangrove forest and explanation of, 26.
+
+ Simitú, _272_, 273.
+
+ Skimmers, 8, 135, 148.
+
+ Sloop, Anchored in Guanoco River, _72_.
+ At La Ceiba, _18_.
+ Description of, 3, 71.
+ Description of crew of, 77.
+ Entering Mangroves, _5_.
+ First night on board, 72-75.
+ Loss of, 108.
+ Saying good-by to, 93.
+
+ Sloths, 37, 61, 170, 246.
+ Three-toed, 279, _280_, _281_.
+
+ Snake-birds, 30, 137, 251, 252, 354.
+
+ _Sphingurus prehensilis_, _36_, 37.
+
+ Spider lilies. _See_ Lilies.
+
+ Spider, Pedipalp. _See_ Scorpion.
+
+ Sproston, 248.
+
+ Squirrels, Orange and gray, 24.
+
+ _Stagmomantis hoorie._ _See_ Mantis.
+
+ _Stomolophus meleagris_, 4.
+
+ Stork, Maguari, 155, 156.
+
+ Sugarcane, experimented on in Botanical Gardens, 131.
+
+ Sun-bittern, _25_, 60, 86.
+
+ Suddie, _243_.
+
+ Swallows, Banded, 162, 175, 176, 200, 265, 379.
+ Barn, 247, 379.
+ Emerald and white, 24.
+ Red-breasted, 379.
+ Tree, 379.
+ Variegated, 247, 265, 378, 379, 381.
+
+ Swift, Feather-toed, 144.
+ Nest of, 143, 176.
+ Gray-rumped, 289, 292.
+ Palm, 56.
+
+
+ T.
+
+ Tacuba, 269, 279.
+
+ Taliput palm, 125, _128_.
+
+ _Tamandua tetradactyla._ _See_ Anteater, Lesser.
+
+ Tanager, Black-faced, 131.
+ Blue, 127, 139, 142, 171.
+ Magpie, 138, 139.
+ Palm, 37, 116, 139, 142, 144, _147_, 171.
+ Silver-beak, 116, 139, 171, 240, 292.
+
+ Tapakuma, Lake, 241.
+ River, 240, 241.
+
+ Tarantulas, 100, 101, 199, 215, 218, 219, 265.
+
+ Tapir, 144, 255.
+
+ Tarpon, 379.
+
+ Tayras, 321.
+
+ Tegu Lizard, 24, 146.
+
+ _Teius nigropunctatus._ _See_ Tegu Lizard.
+
+ Temperature, of Hoorie, 170.
+ Of Mangrove Forest of Venezuela, 12.
+
+ Tern, Great-billed, 154, 378.
+ Least, 378.
+ Yellow-billed, 8.
+
+ _Testudo tabulata._ _See_ Tortoise, South American.
+
+ Thrush, Black-capped Mocking, 40, 376.
+
+ _Thysania agrippina._ _See_ Moth, Moon.
+
+ Thurn, Everard F. im. _See_ im Thurn.
+
+ Tiger Bittern, 282.
+
+ Tiger, Warracabra, 381.
+
+ Tinamou, Great Blue, Description of, 48.
+ Discovery of nest and eggs of, _47_, 48.
+ Guiana Crested, 318, 319.
+ Little, 330.
+
+ Tityra, Black-tailed, 177, 179.
+
+ Toads, of Georgetown, 122, _123_.
+ Telegraph, 238.
+ Tree, music of, 161.
+
+ Tortoise, South American, 297, 298.
+
+ Toua-toua. _See_ Grosbeak, Brown-breasted Pigmy.
+
+ Toucans, 30, 158.
+ As food, 328.
+ Black-banded Aracari, 174.
+ Feeding of, 327, 328.
+ Red-billed, 174, 268, 326, 327.
+ Red-breasted, 175.
+ Sulphur- and White-breasted, 174.
+
+ Trapping birds, 125-129.
+
+ Tree-hopper, 213.
+
+ Trinidad, 3, 4.
+
+ Trogon, Yellow-bellied, 250, 269.
+
+ Trumpeters, 60, _117_, 179, 255, 256, 330-332, 338.
+
+ Twa-twa. _See_ Grosbeak, Thick-billed Pigmy.
+
+ Tyrantlet, Buff-tailed, 313.
+
+
+ V.
+
+ Vampires, 227, 258, 263, 269, 277.
+
+ _Victoria regia_, 116, 123, _124_, 129.
+
+ Vinton, Mr. and Mrs. Lindley, 350, 385.
+
+ Vireo, Brown-throated, 322.
+
+ Vulture, Black, 112, 121.
+ King, 137.
+ Orange-headed, 292, 321, 383.
+
+
+ W.
+
+ Waini River, 153, 154, 158, 160.
+
+ Walking Sticks, 289, _290_.
+
+ Warracabra. _See_ Trumpeter.
+
+ Wasps, 24, 25, 40.
+ Nests of, 131.
+ _Notogonia_, 347.
+ Protection of Cassiques by, 34, 35.
+
+ Water-haas. _See_ Capybara.
+
+ Water Hyacinth, 218.
+
+ Water Lemon. _See_ Simitú.
+
+ Weevils, Palm, 45.
+
+ Welcome of Wilderness, 88-90.
+
+ “Whó-are-yoú?”, 383.
+
+ Wilderness, early morning in, _346_.
+
+ Wilshire, Mr. Gaylord, x, 134, _182_, 227, 305.
+ Mrs. Gaylord, x, 134, 215, 275.
+
+ Witch Birds. _See_ Anis.
+
+ Withers, Mr., house of at Bartica, 246-248.
+
+ Wood Ibis, 353, 381.
+
+ Woodhewers, 131, 194, 220, 246, 284, 303, 304, 322, 348.
+ Accompanying hunting ants, 49.
+ Cinnamon spine-tail, 304, 379.
+ Clinging to trunk of tree, _50_.
+ Music of, 161, 193.
+ Wedge-billed Pigmy, 339, 340.
+
+ Woodpeckers, 30.
+ Guiana Ivory-bill, 200, 201.
+ Red-crested, 48, 292, 311, 312, 313.
+ Yellow, 40, _41_.
+
+ Wren, Guiana House, 112, 120, 142, 247, 307, 308, 379.
+ Jungle, 340.
+ Marsh, 324.
+ Necklaced Jungle. _See_ Quadrille-bird.
+
+
+ Z.
+
+ _Zaevius calocore_, 212.
+
+
+Transcriber’s Note: The music files are the music transcriber’s
+interpretation of the printed notation and are placed in the public
+domain.
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75453 ***
generated by cgit v1.2.3 (git 2.25.1) at 2026-03-17 09:19:28 +0000