50 IN THE WILDS OP SOUTH AMERICA 



The woods at Laguneta were rather open and there was 

 little underbrush. The trees, however, were burdened 

 with moss, bromelias, orchids, and other epiphytes. Climb- 

 ing bamboo and creepers filled the few clearings with im- 

 penetrable thickets. Most of the vegetation had small, 

 harsh leaves, and the stems were gnarled and stunted . 

 Clusters of fruit resembling pokeberries, on which numer- 

 ous species of birds fed, grew on tall bushes near the for- 

 est's edge. Begonias covered with red and white flowers 

 filled the hollows. 



The Laguneta region was remarkable for the number of 

 ant-birds found there (Grallaria, Chamceza, etc.) that are 

 rare in collections on account of the difficulty of collecting 

 them. We secured fifteen different species in the neigh- 

 borhood. As they live in thickets and on the ground, the 

 only knowledge one has of their presence is their strange 

 whistling notes, distinct in each species, that come from 

 some gloomy spot deep in the tangled vegetation. Gral- 

 laria squamigera was to me the most interesting species. 

 It is a huge, heavy-bodied bird, olive above and tawny 

 barred with black below. From a distance the coloration 

 reminds one of a large immature robin, but the tail is very 

 short and protrudes only about half an inch beyond the 

 lower coverts, and the long legs measure fully five inches. 

 The plumage is long and full. Occasionally we saw the 

 shy creatures as we worked in front of our tent in the after- 

 noons; we always made it a point to be very quiet and the 

 reward came in the way of shadowy forms that unconcern- 

 edly pursued their lives among the logs and brush without 

 suspecting our presence. This shows the advantage of 

 camping in the midst of the wilderness, where one is sure to 

 see and hear wild things at the most unexpected times — 

 experiences that are lost if one does not spend his entire 

 time in the very heart of their environs. 



Squirrel Woods is the name we applied to a spot below 

 Laguneta and several miles nearer to Salento. On the up- 

 ward journey the place had been singled out as being un- 



