326 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



be the nests of some giant bird. Invariably a little shelter 

 or wigwam stood in the centre of each field, or in several 

 instances it had been built in the branches of a stunted 

 tree. These are the Quechuas' guard-houses; they are 

 occupied by a watchman day and night so long as crops are 

 in the field, and thieves have but slight chance, indeed, of 

 escaping his vigilant eyes. 



It was less than half a day's ride from the Usiamayo to 

 Mizque, a town of small size, the capital of the Province of 

 Mizque. The cactus-forest belt of central Bolivia has its 

 beginning in this region, although it does not reach its maxi- 

 mum development until some distance farther south. A 

 part of the surrounding country, however, is fertile and 

 provides pasturage for horses and cattle, and areas of some 

 extent are also cultivated; this is particularly true of the 

 land near the small stream bearing the same name as the 

 town and province. A great deal of the acreage is planted 

 in peppers, for which there is a good demand throughout 

 the country, and which fetch a high price. The seeds are 

 sown in small, sunken squares or "pans," where the plants 

 remain until several inches high. They are then trans- 

 planted to the fields. I saw numbers of Indians weeding 

 in the plantations, and when they neglected their work or 

 accidentally pulled up a few of the precious plants together 

 with the grass, their employers did not hesitate to cuff or 

 kick them. When the peppers are ripe they are dried and 

 done up into bales of about fifty pounds each; the natives 

 are very fond of them and eat quantities just as we eat an 

 apple or other fruit. 



The fauna of the Mizque region is typical of the arid 

 highlands; but many species of birds belonging to a differ- 

 ent zone were met with for the first time in Bolivia. I 

 immediately recognized the white anis (guiras) that were 

 so common near Asuncion, and there was also a species of 

 puff-bird, or bucco, and a little finch of a deep-red color 

 (Coryphospingus) . The number of doves in the open fields 

 was astonishing; they fed on weed-seeds, and wheo dis* 



