224 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



to increase in the same proportion, but such was obviously 

 not the case. Wherever there was a patch of ground under 

 cultivation, rats and mice teemed, particularly the latter, 

 belonging to the genus Oryzomys; they are several times 

 the size of a house mouse, have rather short tails, and are 

 of a very deep brown color. The small burrows in which 

 they live are made at the bases of weed-stalks, bushes, and 

 under fences and logs; or, lacking these protective agents, 

 they dig down into the ground almost anywhere. If one 

 sits still for a few minutes, preferably at dusk, they may see 

 the beady-eyed little animals steal forth, whiskers twitching 

 nervously, and ears alert to catch any sound which might 

 apprise them of danger. I have never seen them go very 

 far from the protection of their underground runways; and 

 even while nibbling hurriedly at some tempting bit of food, 

 they frequently dash away suddenly, then stop short, look 

 around, and come back — all apparently without the slightest 

 provocation. 



Some of the men had caught a huge tortoise known in 

 various parts of South America as the morrocoy, farther down 

 the river. This became a sort of general pet, and while it 

 was at first intended to use " Lizzie" — for that was the name 

 that had been given to the friendly, inactive creature — for 

 food, it was later decided that the animal was worthy of 

 better treatment. It was therefore agreed upon that Lizzie 

 should go to the Bronx Zoo. A comfortable crate was con- 

 structed, and just before loading it on the launch bound 

 down-stream, we gathered around the box and dropped 

 an abundant supply of sliced melon and other succulent 

 food through the bars. Then we learned an interesting 

 bit of natural history. One of the camaradas had stood 

 by until he thought enough perfectly good food had been 

 wasted on the tortoise. "Don't give her all that," he ad- 

 vised, "a turtle is just like the camel and the elephant; it 

 can go six months without eating." We were glad to learn 

 later that Lizzie survived the trip to New York, and proved 

 to be the largest of her species in the Zoo collection. 



