258 Notes 0)1 Jioigle and Other Wild Life. 



Under the name " Craxy," lie roamed at will about the 

 Station. We became great friends, and eventually he would 

 allow none but me to touch him. We often took walks together 

 and afforded much amusement to my associates when they saw 

 this bird, witli dignified gait and an apparent sense of his impor- 

 tance, strutting" along a jungle trail with his solitary human 

 companion. As night came on he always waited about until I 

 was ready to accompany him, a hundred yards away, to his 

 favourite roosting tree — an immense wild fig that overhung" 

 the Cuyuni River — at the very top of which, perhaps forty yards 

 from the ground, he spent the night. Arriving at the tree, 

 be slowly climbed and flew from limb to limb until I lost him 

 from view amid the thick foliage and in the fast falling shades 

 o^ the tropical night. At daybreak Craxy was wont to fly froni 

 his tree, as straight as he could, to my tent, but, I fear, not 

 always making" a good shot of it. At least I was several times 

 accosted at breakfast with a remark like this : " That confounded 

 bird of yours landed on my tent early this morning and woke 



me out of a sound sleep; the next time he does it ." ^ Jf 



course I apologised and explained that I, too. was waked by a 

 chorus of powee-powec' s that did not cease until T rose and, 

 pyjama-clad, led the hungry l)ird around to the cook and begged 

 some favourite scraps for his breakfast. 



During" the day Craxy lived around the Station, occasion- 

 ally visiting the laboratory, from which he was often 

 ignominiously expelled by some investigator whose " material 

 ■ le had examined for the purpose of deciding whether it was 

 edible or not. Otherwise his time was largely occupied in 

 the useful work of exterminating" grasshoppers and other insects. 

 At length the time arrived for me to leave Kartabo and for 

 Craxy to be sent to the Bronx Park, for which he was originally 

 slnted, and as only I could do it easily I had to commit the crime 

 oT caging this free bird. Oh f how I hated the job! It was 

 no trick at all to lure him into the wire enclosure provided for 

 birds awaiting transportation, and then to close 'the door as I 

 emerged, but " alas ,the silence in the trees "! The outraged 

 bird would not even look at nie next day, and would not come 

 at my call. I did not blame him, for had I not deserted and 

 betrayed him? However, the day before I left we w^ere, I 

 think, entirely reconciled, and I forgiven. During the night I 



