120 A NATURALIST IN MEXICO 



Just as I was about to order the boatman to paddle 

 toward the spot where the dead ducks lay, I saw a single 

 Ring-neck, for such these ducks were, winging his way 

 toward me. Unsuspicious ot danger, he drew near, and 

 even as I raised my gun to my shoulder, he merely swerved 

 a trifle to one side. As I fired, he fell with a resounding 

 splash into the water. 



Our boatman now turned toward the west, and paddled 

 toward an island some distance away. On the lake 

 we saw numbers of canoes plying too and fro between the 

 north and south shores. What was very peculiar about 

 these canoes, was the fact that they were built on almost 

 identically the plan of those used by the natives of the 

 South Sea Islands, and I could almost imagine myself 

 among those famous islands, as canoe after canoe was 

 rapidly paddled across the lake. The boatmen rest on their 

 knees in the bottom of the canoes, and use the paddle 

 alternately with the right and left hand. One of these 

 large canoes, I noticed, was manned entirely by women, 

 who seemed to be able to propel the canoe along quite 

 as rapidly as their stronger brothers and husbands. 



I soon caught sight of a stake ahead, upon which were 

 resting a number of birds. We slowly approached, and 

 just as they started to fly I hastily singled out one and 

 fired, bringing him to a stand in a hurry. It proved to be 

 the Least Bittern (^Botatirus exilis), and was a valuable ad- 

 dition to our bag. A flock of ducks, probably Ring-necks, 

 came over at this moment, and I let drive two barrels at 

 them, but missed. A few hundred yards further on we 

 came to the island. As we approached, a commotion was 

 observed in the water, and a snake was seen to glide 

 swiftly and noiselessly away. I quickly shot it; on picking 

 it up we found it to be a large species of water-snake 

 {Euiocnia insigniaruni)^ 



