ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO 137 



ing the bird a comical, bearded appearance; a third spe- 

 cies had a vivid scarlet crest. The males only are brightly 

 colored; the females are green. 



There were signs of peccaries in abundance, but the con- 

 stant shooting had frightened them away; so after inspect- 

 ing an ancient Indian tomb consisting of a pile of carefully 

 placed stones, overgrown with creepers, we started for 

 home. Instead of retracing our steps over the many miles 

 we had come, we followed a narrow gorge which we knew 

 must lead to the Rio Sucio. Progress was slow and diffi- 

 cult, for the brook descended in a series of falls, and the 

 rocks were covered with moss and were slippery; however, 

 having started via this route, it was impossible to retrace 

 our steps. 



There was little of interest along the course of the treach- 

 erous little stream; but we discovered nests of a barred 

 black-and-white wren (Thryophilus) swinging gayly above 

 the water. The basket-shaped structures had been placed 

 in the wildest, darkest spots, and each contained a single 

 young bird, dozing peacefully in the entrance opening, lulled 

 to sleep, no doubt, by the semigloom and the sound of 

 rushing water. 



As we picked our way along slowly and painfully, fre- 

 quently wading through water three feet deep, a dark, 

 shadowy form lunged from the blackness of a cavern among 

 the boulders and clung for an instant to the cuff of my 

 hunting-coat; then it dropped to the ground, and slowly 

 disappeared among the rocks. My companion, who was a 

 few feet in advance, had just turned to make some comment, 

 and it was not until his frantic shriek brought me back to 

 earth that I fully realized what had occurred. A bush- 

 master, apparently four or five feet long had become exas- 

 perated at our close proximity, and aimed a deadly thrust 

 at the disturber of its diurnal slumber. This habit of the 

 snake is well known; by nature it is sluggish; one person 

 may pass close by without arousing its anger, while to a 

 second individual, immediately following, it will show re- 



