406 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



to hunt in this entire region, so we were highly elated with 

 our first shot. 



Many birds began to appear now; there were the long- 

 billed brown wood-hewers we had seen at Suncho Corral; 

 Argentine "road-runners" which perked their tails and 

 sped away into the thickets ; large brownish lenadores, sing- 

 ing on the edges of their huge nests; there were also wood- 

 peckers, hawks, cardinals, and doves. 



The judge suggested that we visit one of the reservoirs 

 as we might find ducks there, and calmly floating on the 

 very first one we came to was a small flock of shovellers; 

 they saw us just too late, and one was added to the bag 

 as they rose from the water. 



We now cut across a little field from which the corn had 

 been gathered, and here we were kept busy for some time 

 picking off the swift-winged tinamou as they rushed away 

 at our approach. I know of no bird which furnishes better 

 shooting or better eating, and the pity of it is that it does 

 not exist in our own country. After we had shot a number, 

 the judge suggested that we might try for a fox as they 

 would soon be prowling about, so he tied a string to the 

 foot of one of the freshly killed birds and the secretario 

 dragged it on the ground after him as he walked along. 

 Some time later we sat down to rest, and much to my sur- 

 prise a fox appeared on the trail of the bird; as he stopped 

 short, at sight of us, the judge bagged him, and he proved 

 to be the largest and the finest of the dozen or more we suc- 

 ceeded in getting during our entire stay. These foxes, which 

 are of a rich gray color, silver-tipped, spend a great part 

 of their time in dens in the vizcacha burrows, but seem to 

 feed principally on tinamou and other birds. 



Cavies without number ran about under the low bushes, 

 and uttered queer little squeaks as they became frightened 

 and dashed into the holes which honeycombed the ground; 

 but of the giant cavy we had not a glimpse until we entered 

 a dry, little gully; there we were just in time to see a flee- 

 ing, rabbit-like form, which was added to our assortment. 



