1833.] SETTING FIRE TO THE PLAIN. 121 



but shallow lakes, and large beds of reeds. The country on 

 the whole resembled the better parts of the Cambridgeshire 

 fens. At night we had some difficulty in finding, amidst 

 the swamps, a dry place for our bivouac. 



September i^th. — Rose very early in the morning, and 

 shortly after passed the posta where the Indians had 

 murdered the five soldiers. The officer had eighteen chuzo 

 wounds in his body. By the middle of the day, after a hard 

 gallop, we reached the fifth posta : on account of some 

 difficulty in procuring horses \^e stayed there the night. As 

 this point was the most exposed on the whole line, twenty- 

 one soldiers were stationed here ; at sunset they returned 

 from hunting, bringing with them seven deer, three 

 ostriches, and many armadillos and partridges. When 

 riding through the country, it is a common practice to set 

 fire to the plain ; and hence at night, as on this occasion, 

 the horizon was illuminated in several places by brilliant 

 conflagrations. This is done partly for the sake of puzzling 

 any stray Indians, but chiefly for improving the pasture. 

 In grassy plains unoccupied by the larger ruminating 

 quadrupeds, it seems necessary to remove the superfluous 

 vegetation by fire, so as to render the new year's growth 

 serviceable. 



The rancho at this place did not boast even of a roof, but 

 merely consisted of a ring of thistle-stalks, to break the 

 force of the wind. It was situated on the borders of an 

 extensive but shallow lake, swarming with wild fowl, 

 among which the black-necked swan was conspicuous. 



The kind of plover which appears as if mounted on stilts 

 {Himantopus nigrkollis) is here common in flocks of 

 considerable size. It has been wrongfully accused of in- 

 elegance ; when wading about in shallow water, which is 

 its favourite resort, its gait is far from awkward. These 

 birds in a flock utter a noise that singularly resembles the 

 cry of a pack of small dogs in full chase : waking in the 

 night, I have more than once been for a moment startled at 

 the distant sound. The teru-tero ( Vanellus cayanus) is 

 another bird which often disturbs the stillness of the night. 

 In appearance and habits it resembles in many respects our 

 peewits ; its wings, however, are armed with sharp spurs, 

 like those on the legs of the common cock. As our peewit 

 takes its name from the sound of its voice, so does the 

 teru-tero. While riding over the grassy plains, one is 

 constantly pursued by these birds, which appear to hate 



