THE SUN-BITTERN 217 



the ground for the portage of the boats. "While this was 

 being done Pedro and Asoque collected birds, and Jacob- 

 son wandered about taking photographs. By the after- 

 noon of March 31 the men had got the boats and their 

 cargoes overland to the head of the rapids, whither we 

 removed our camp in order to be in readiness to start at 

 daybreak. We left Achaba on All Fools' Day, as we were 

 reminded by the Trinidad men, who tried all sorts of 

 practical jokes on each other. We could have shot dozens 

 of penelopes on our way had we landed on any of the 

 islands, where whole flocks of these fine game-birds could 

 be seen sitting on the branches of the trees or running 

 about on the rocks. 



Above Achaba the river for a considerable distance is 

 smooth, broad, and deep. To the men this was always a 

 welcome change to working in the rapids, which neces- 

 sitated their being in the water the greater part of the 

 day. In these deep parts of the Caura the banks are of 

 earth densely wooded to the very water's edge, or with 

 only a narrow stretch of muddy beach. These narrow 

 stretches of mud are frequented by sun-bitterns ^ and a 

 species of ibis ^ named horo-koro, after its call-note. On 

 one or two occasions we also saw in such localities a pair 

 of water-hens ^ or a solitary heron of the variety known 

 to the natives as pajaro vaca,^ the cow-bird, on account 

 of its cry recalling by its depth of tone the lowing of 

 a cow. Somehow the sun-bittern when in flight always 

 reminded me of the hundred-eyed Argus and his un- 

 pleasant job of keeping watch over lo in her aimless 

 wanderings through that part of the world known to the 

 Oreeks. On the Caura the sun-bittern is called Pavito 



' Euryjnjga helias. - Harpiprion cayennensis. 



^ Aramides cajanca. * Tigrisoma liiieatum. 



