:::::::::m ALONG THE STREAM OF DEATH ;*::::::::: 



moment. An Iguana, black as night, shuffled along 

 a narrow ledge of rock, fifty feet above us, and scram- 

 bled into its hole, flicking off a pebble with the last 

 wriggle of its disappearing tail. The pebble came 

 bounding;; toward us and fell with a clatter at our feet. 

 In its descent it started a pair of Painted Redstarts, 

 which flew away with silvery chirps, and a Pileolated 

 Warbler and a Xanthus Ground Sparrow dashed away 

 down the arroijo, dodging swiftly among the trees. 



Two diminutive Sinaloa Ladder-backed Woodpeckers 

 made a great clatter near by, one drumming on a dry 

 resonant tree-trunk, and its mate tapping a swaying 

 rattle-seeded bush. A Pitangua Tyrant flew over, and, 

 looking down, screamed its hoarse tear-r-r ! at us. And 

 now events followed one another even more quickly. 

 A large-winged white butterfly, twice sj^lashed with 

 yellow, floated past, and a hitherto unnoticed Solitaire 

 darted at him, almost in our faces. The bird missed 

 its aim and was instantly pursued by a splendid Cop- 

 per-tailed Trogon, all brown, rose, white, and black. 

 Both birds dashed about, in swift flight, for a few 

 minutes; then the former disappeared and the Solitaire, 

 alighting about ten feet away, burst into his song, 

 sweet and measured, with no hint of breathlessness. 

 Before he had half finished, eleven great macaws 

 whistled low through the branches, almost fanning our 

 faces with their wino-s, all uttering the harshest of 

 shrieks when they suddenly perceived us. During all 



«4 247 ^ 



