200 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



to hang like a pall over the people, and this may be readily 

 accounted for when one recalls the tragic history of their 

 country. Many of the women were in deep mourning. 

 One authority estimated that the proportion of women to 

 men was eleven to one, although this is probably an exag- 

 geration. 



One of the most interesting places in Asuncion is the 

 market. Paraguayan lace is offered for sale in quantities. 

 It is made in intricate and dainty designs, and many of the 

 pieces consist of numerous small "wheels" or squares that 

 are made separately and then united to form collars, hand- 

 kerchiefs, or covers. One is astonished at the quantity of 

 fruit displayed; oranges are brought from the surrounding 

 country in cars and barges, and shovelled, like coal, into 

 piles or carts. Some of them are of large size, delicate tex- 

 ture, and excellent flavor. The choicest of these are ex- 

 ported and may be purchased in Buenos Aires at rather 

 high prices. 



After spending a few days at Asuncion we were invited 

 to the home of one Professor Fiebrig, who lives at Trinidad, 

 a few miles from the city. Professor Fiebrig is a scientist 

 of more than local note, an instructor in the University of 

 Paraguay, and curator of the museum. While journeying 

 to his place we entered into conversation with two Para- 

 guayans, apparently men of the upper class, who were trav- 

 elling in the same car. When they learned our identity they 

 shook their heads in a pitying and condescending manner. 

 "How sad," said one of them; "you North Americans do 

 nothing but pursue the almighty dollar. Now, in Paraguay 

 we live for art, literature, and science." We had visited 

 the natural history museum in Asuncion a few days before, 

 and had taken note of the bullet-holes in the walls, the 

 rents made in the stuffed animals by bayonet thrusts, and 

 other marks decidedly not of an artistic or scientific nature. 



Our first zoological work was done in the country near 

 Trinidad. All about were tracts of land of considerable 

 size, covered with low forest, patches of brush country, 



