CHAPTER XL 



A BLUE LIZARD. THE GUAVA-TREE. A CATARACT. NEST 



OF YELLOW SERPENTS. A VEGETABLE HELMET. THE 



KINGFISHER. HUNTING WATER-FLEAS. THE TADPOLE. 



A COLLECTION OF WATER-BUGS. 



THE rice-soup, our every-day fare, was, on this occasion, 

 followed by fawn cutlets broiled on the embers, ac- 

 companied by potatoes. This precious tubercle, in its sav- 

 age state, only reminded us very slightly of its cultivated 

 progeny. The pulp, instead of being floury, is soft, trans- 

 parent, and almost tasteless. That, however, did not pre- 

 vent us from eating them, and doing justice to our veni- 

 son. 



While we were smoking a cigar, which was called by Su- 



