I20 



THE MUSEUM 



ping down with great scratching into 

 the grass below, where our excited 

 dog took a hand in the matter, day- 

 light often finding our tent strewn 

 with the birds he had captured during 

 the night. When he found time to 

 sleep I do not know. He was after 

 birds the entire twenty-four hours. 



"In climbing over the hills of the 

 island we discovered the retreats of 

 these night birds, the soil everywhere 

 through the deep wood being fairly 

 honeycombed with their nesting bur- 

 rows. The larger tunnels of the rhi- 

 noceros auks were as a rule on the 

 slopes of the hill, while the little bur- 

 rows of the Cassin's auklet were on 

 top in the flat places. We noticed 

 many of their queer abodes that ran 

 back with many turns to a distance of 

 ten feet or more. One or both birds 

 were invariably found at the end, cov- 

 ering their single egg, for this species, 

 like many other sea birds, divide the 

 duties of incubation, both sexes doing 

 an equal sh&re. relieving each other at 

 night. 



"The puffins nested in burrows also, 

 but lower down — often just above the 

 surf. One must be very careful, in- 

 deed, how he thrusts his hand into 

 their dark dens, for should the old 

 birds chance to be at home, its vice- 

 like bill can inflict a very painful 

 wound. 



"The rookeries of the murres and 

 the cormorants were on the sides of 

 steep cliffs overhanging the sea. 

 Looking down from above hundreds 

 of eggs could be seen, gathered along 

 the narrow shelves and chinks in the 

 rock, but accessible only by means of 

 a rope from the top." 



Umbrella Ants 



The beauties of tropical scenery, and 

 the wonders of life in the forests of 

 those regions, are well-worn subjects, 

 and have employed the pens of writers 

 of many classes, from the dry-as-dust 

 naturalist, whose only interest is in 

 •dissecting every animal, bird or insect 



he can come across, to such word- 

 painters as Charles Kingsley, who, for- 

 tunately for the world at large, did "at 

 last" reach the fringe and outskirt of 

 his long-dreamed-of El Dorado, which 

 he depicted with a delight and enthu- 

 siasm which fairly carry away his 

 readers. But they are inexhautsible 

 beauties, and infinite in variety. 



To take insect life alone; no life is 

 long enough for the study of it, and no 

 description can give an idea of the 

 multitude of creatures that make their 

 homes on every tree and shrub, and 

 under every slowly dying leaf that falls 

 in the evergreen forest. The air is full 

 of butterflies, moths and iiies; while on 

 the ground and under the ground go 

 ants and beetles and spiders and frogs 

 and toads and creeping things innu- 

 merable — a vast army that no man 

 may number. 



Alas! that I have no pretension to 

 the science of the naturalist, and can 

 only tell, in plain language, something 

 of what I have seen during a six years' 

 residence in Central America; three of 

 which were spent in its densest forests, 

 where the sight of a white man was a 

 thing to be noted. 



Of all insects the most interesting 

 are the ants; and it is to be hoped that 

 some one duly qualified for the task 

 will, some of these days, undertake to 

 write the life-history of the most im- 

 portant of their tribes; for, by their 

 intelligence and perfect organization, 

 they take rank above all their kind, 

 and are well worthy of the closest and 

 most careful observation. 



The umbrella or "wee-wee" ants 

 are in some ways the most remarkable 

 of all the race; and as I happen to have 

 an intimate acquaintance with their 

 interior economy, it will be well, per- 

 haps, to begin with an account of their 

 manners and customs; how they build 

 their nests, store and keep their food 

 and organize their vast armies. 



The name of "wee-wee" is a mys- 

 tery, but so the negroes call them; 

 though why, they do not know them- 

 selves. The Spaniards simply call 



