IN THE PACIFIC. 255 



quietly along the margin of the lake, occasion- 

 ally landing to shoot a noisy " Chachalaca " that 

 would insist in calling our attention to his 

 whereabouts. These birds are not unlike our 

 English hen pheasant, but are not so large; 

 they are exceedingly stupid, and sit on the trees 

 gazing at one, and uttering a cry like that pro- 

 duced by running a stick sharply across a 

 u shingle " roof or paling. 



Now and then a duck would rise from the 

 rushes, when the paddle was quickly exchanged 

 for the gun to bring him to the bag ; or a 

 rabbit would scuttle away into the bush, giving 

 one only a snap shot ; besides these there were 

 hundreds of cranes, ibis, curlew, bitterns, boat- 

 bills, spoonbills, and flamingo to be seen, and 

 alligators in every direction. 



We arrived in due time at " Casadero," a 

 solitary ranch by the water-side ; by this time I 

 had three brace of ducks, a rabbit, and a couple 

 of chachalaca in the canoe, besides a few ibis and 



curlew. To my disappointment E did not 



appear, so after waiting two hours for rest and 



