VIZCACHA-HUNTING AND GIANT SNAKES 409 



A few minutes later we could make out another animal 

 some little distance away, so the judge went after it; he 

 crept up cautiously, pausing at frequent intervals; then 

 there was a bright flash, followed by a loud report, and 

 we all rushed forward to pick up the first vizcacha. His 

 disappointment was great when he found that he had 

 "potted" a nice little cactus stump. 



It was not long before we saw another of the animals. 

 It being my turn, I began to stalk, profiting by past experi- 

 ence. The creature was outlined clearly, and frequently 

 it sat up to look about; then the white breast showed dis- 

 tinctly. When the vizcacha sat up, I stopped; when it 

 dropped down on all fours, I crept on. At forty yards I 

 took the shot, and this time luck was with us. When we 

 reached the spot the animal was tumbling about, and the 

 judge yelled not to touch it, as they can inflict serious 

 wounds with their sharp teeth and claws. At this stage of 

 the game the secretario came in for his share of the work; 

 he followed the dancing form in its erratic course, and finally 

 dealt it a blow on the neck with the blunt side of the 

 machete, killing it. It was a splendid specimen, weighing a 

 trifle over eighteen pounds, as we later discovered. It dif- 

 fered from the species found in the high mountains in hav- 

 ing a shorter tail and coarse fur, besides being much larger; 

 the appearance of the former had always brought to my 

 mind a combination of a squirrel and a rabbit ; this creature 

 was, well, simply a vizcacha; there is nothing else like it. 

 The color is slaty-blue on the back and white under- 

 neath. 



After that the animals began to appear on all sides as 

 the village was very large and there were numerous mounds; 

 it was therefore a comparatively easy matter to secure the 

 half-dozen we wanted, although I am compelled to admit 

 that each of us shot at least one more stump before the 

 evening was over. If not killed by the first shot, the crea- 

 tures frequently tumble into their burrows and are lost. 

 The males leave the hiding-places first, and after spending 



