HOATZINS AT HOME 137 



was a tremendous thing, a wonderful thing to 

 have seen, and it seemed to dwarf all the strange 

 sights which had come to me in all other parts 

 of the earth's wilderness. I had read of these 

 habits and had expected them, but like one's 

 first sight of a volcano in eruption, no reading 

 Or description prepares one for the actual phe- 

 nomenon. 



I sat silently watching for the re-appearance 

 of the young bird. We tallied five pairs of eyes 

 and yet many minutes passed before I saw the 

 same little head and emaciated neck sticking out 

 of the water alongside a bit of drift rubbish. 

 The only visible thing was the protruding spikes 

 of the bedraggled tail feathers. I worked the 

 boat in toward the bird, half-heartedly, for I 

 had made up my mind that this particular brave 

 little bit of atavism deserved his freedom, so 

 splendidly had he fought for it among the 

 pimplers. Soon he ducked forward, dived out 

 of sight and came up twenty feet away among 

 an inextricable tangle of vines. I sent a little 

 cheer of well wishing after him and we salvaged 

 Sam. 



Then we shoved out the boat and watched 

 from a distance. Five or six minutes passed 



