of an Orchid Hunter. 189 



called "the Shag'," the snake-necked diver, and two 

 kinds of small ducks, which to say are represented by 

 hundreds would give but a poor idea of the cloud 

 they make as they rise in the air. Although most 

 of them are migratory, and few of them breed in this 

 part, yet they are remarkably tame, having nothing to 

 disturb them but an occasional passing canoe, and 

 they remain stationary long enough for anyone to 

 get a good sight of them, and even a photograph. 

 Amongst the many varieties, the bird which seemed 

 to me the most curious as well as the most strik- 

 ingly beautiful is what is known as the Roseate 

 Spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja). It is about the size 

 of a small goose, and it finds its food in the soft 

 mud and sand, by digging up grubs and worms 

 with its odd-shaped bill. The feathers are of a 

 lovely rose-pink colour, deepening into scarlet in 

 the tail, and a band of the same colour runs across 

 the wings. The peculiar satin -like texture greatly 

 adds to their beauty. I succeeded in obtaining some 

 five hundred specimens of birds of many species in 

 this locality. 



On account of the flatness of the land, orchids are 

 somewhat scarce around the shores of the lakes ; the 

 most conspicuous of any note is the Epidendrum 

 atropnrp7irc7im a /bum, and as it flowers here, clinging 

 to the bare trunks of the trees, it is a glorious sight. 



