390 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



the mosses a few yards away; one, two, five minutes passed; 

 then a minute, shadowy form darted out of the darkness, 

 perched on a moss-covered boulder, and turned a pair of 

 bright, inquisitive eyes upon the strange monsters which 

 had invaded its snug retreat. The white throat gleamed 

 conspicuously among the deep-green surroundings as the 

 bird paused a moment to complete its inspection; then up 

 went the short, barred tail, straight into the air, and a suc- 

 cession of low, scolding notes emanated from the feathered 

 mite as it hopped about in angry excitement. 



We found that the bird existed in numbers; once we 

 had discovered a way of entering its stronghold, it was pos- 

 sible to make the desired studies. Thus our difficult search, 

 covering so many hundreds of miles, came to a pleasant 

 and successful close. 



Our work in the Argentine, however, was by no means 

 completed. After a short return trip to our base, we went 

 some distance farther south to Aguilares, a village similar 

 to San Pablo and Acheral. Persimmons and tangerines 

 were in season, and at each station women came to the car- 

 windows offering great bunches of the fruit for sale. The 

 former were most attractive while on the trees; they were 

 as large as a hen's egg, of a deep-red color, and were evenly 

 distributed among the dense, green foliage. The flavor of 

 both was excellent. 



Within an hour after reaching Aguilares we had been 

 invited to visit the estate of a wealthy rice-grower named 

 Da Costa, and soon after we were on our way, his son taking 

 us there in a carriage while the luggage went in a cart. At 

 the ranch we found a large, rather dilapidated house oc- 

 cupied by the family of the caretaker. On one side were 

 great rice-fields; on the other, totora marshes, pastures, 

 and woods. The place was most attractive, and the people 

 altogether delightful, so that we spent over two weeks busily 

 engrossed in the abundant work at hand. 



The marshes covered many acres and were filled with 

 cattails except for a few narrow lanes of open water. Coypu 



