134 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



drop in temperature — or had entered the structure to forage 

 for mice, I do not know; but fortunately the cat had dis- 

 covered its presence in time to prevent some one from step- 

 ping on it, and was striking at it playfully with its paws. 

 After that the cook slept on a bench instead of on the earth 

 floor, as had been her custom. 



Our daily excursions took us far into the forest which in- 

 vested the low, rounded hills in all directions. There were 

 few trails, but a lack of undergrowth made walking easy. 

 On one of our first hunting expeditions we found the rare 

 ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus), a beautiful iridescent green- 

 ish-black bird which, on account of its terrestrial habits, 

 has nearly lost the power of flight. Once before, I had seen 

 this bird, and that was on the upper Orinoco, near the foot 

 of Mount Duida. There the single individual was engaged 

 in a curious game of tag with a tinamou; the birds chased 

 one another about on the leaf-strewn ground, over logs, and 

 through the underbrush, and jumped over one another's 

 back as if playing leap-frog. We also found the flat-billed 

 motmot in considerable numbers. These birds usually 

 clung to the lianas drooping in festoons and loops above 

 the small mountain brooks, and were exceedingly stupid 

 and unsuspicious. They uttered no note, and sat motion- 

 less many minutes at a time, silhouetted like dark, ragged 

 spectres on their perches. Among the moss or green leaves 

 their color blended well with the surroundings, and we 

 doubtless passed numbers without being aware of their 

 presence. 



Not all the birds inhabiting the forests at Alto Bonito 

 are inconspicuously colored, however. There are gorgeous 

 little tanagers, humming-birds, toucans, and trogons. The 

 latter, especially, are creatures of such exquisite beauty 

 that they seem to belong to a world more ethereal than our 

 own; their brilliant scarlet or yellow breasts resemble a 

 flower of dazzling color, for which the shimmering, metallic 

 wing-coverts and back provide a resplendent setting. The 

 bird is as fragile as it is beautiful, and was evidently not 



