166 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



bats is probably not very great, the result of which is that 

 immense numbers of them are distributed over a compara- 

 tively small area. Now, if the struggle for existence is as 

 keen as is often supposed, how can the female, encumbered 

 with her offspring fully three-fourths as large as herself, 

 compete successfully with the unhampered males, and secure 

 enough food not only for herself but also for her young? 

 The fruit-eating varieties might not suffer seriously from 

 this handicap, but it does seem as if the agility of the in- 

 sectivorous kinds catching their food on the wing would 

 be greatly affected. 



There are numbers of curious formations along the river 

 which cannot fail to attract the interest of the traveller, 

 no matter what his particular mission might be. One of 

 these is the Cerro Yapacana, a square block of granite not 

 over one thousand five hundred feet high; it is a very 

 conspicuous landmark as it towers above the forest like a 

 giant monument, and can be seen many miles away. We 

 did not come abreast of it until eight days after first sight- 

 ing it. 



There are few rubber-camps along this part of the river, 

 but several Indian families had come to spend some weeks 

 collecting turtles and eggs on the sand-banks. At night 

 absolute quiet reigned on the playas so long as the moon 

 shone; but no sooner had the brilliant orb disappeared 

 below the horizon than the water was broken with ripples 

 as numbers of turtles emerged to deposit their eggs in the 

 loose, warm sand, and jaguars came from the dark forest 

 to feast on the defenseless creatures and rend the still 

 night air with ugly coughs and grunts. 



In returning from fishing excursions we usually cut across 

 the several miles of sandy waste toward camp, guided by 

 the bright fire which the cook was required to keep burn- 

 ing, and in this way learned a good deal about the turtle's 

 habits. After leaving the water the creature wends its 

 way toward the highest point on the island or playa, and 

 with a few powerful strokes of the flippers excavates a deep 



