404 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



We always made an incision all along the under-side, from 

 the neck to the end of the tail, and then loosened the skin 

 from the tail end with a knife. This would leave enough 

 of the body exposed for a good hand-hold; after this, one 

 took hold of the body, and the other of the skin; then a 

 real tug-of-war ensued as the skin very slowly peeled off. 

 Sometimes it was necessary to throw a hitch around a tree 

 in order to get a better grip on the body. After the skin 

 was removed, it was scraped and tacked out on the wall 

 and left for a few days to dry; it could then be rolled up 

 and packed for shipment. 



The skins tan beautifully, and make very desirable 

 decorations for the mantel for den or library. 



Other days we spent hunting tiger-cats, deer, jack-rab- 

 bits, rheas (South American ostriches), and others of the 

 animals which were so abundant. 



Early morning was the best time for cats. They could 

 then be found in the open paths stalking cavies, with which 

 the country swarmed, or tinamou. They are prettily 

 spotted, and somewhat larger than a house-cat. Upon 

 being seen they pause for a moment to gaze at the intruder, 

 and then vanish into the bushes in a single bound. Small 

 deer with spike-horns are not rare but are hard to get. They 

 hide in the thick cover and can usually hear a person com- 

 ing far enough away to disappear from the neighborhood 

 without being seen. Rheas travel about in bands but are 

 wary; it is almost impossible to approach them on foot, 

 and they soon learn to regard a man on horseback with 

 suspicion. The natives kill large numbers with rifle and 

 bolas; they eat the flesh and sell the feathers. Three years 

 ago I saw sixty tons of rhea feathers in a single warehouse 

 in Buenos Aires, all of which had been taken from killed 

 birds and were destined to be used in making feather 

 dusters. However, the bird is still abundant. Many large 

 flocks are kept on cattle-ranches. The eggs, the contents 

 of which are equal to a dozen hen's eggs, are sold in the 

 markets during the laying season. 



