138 Idle Days in Patagonia. 



tumble over as if shot, dive down incontinently, 

 then reappearing, pause not to look about them, but 

 spring away with all that marvellous flutter and 

 splutter of which coots alone are capable ; the 

 wings beating rapidly, the long legs and lobed feet 

 sprawling behind or striking the surface, away they 

 scud, flying and tumbling over the water, spreading 

 needless alarm through flocks of pin-tails, shrill- 

 voiced widgeons, and stately black-necked swans, 

 but never pausing until the opposite shore of the 

 river is reached. 



Pleased with the success of my experiment, I quit 

 the precipice, to the great relief of the blue pigeons 

 and of the little hawks ; these last having viewed 

 my proceedings with great jealousy, for they have 

 already taken possession of a hole in the rock with 

 a view to nidification. 



Further on in my rambles I discover a nest of the 

 large black leaf-cutting ant (CEcodoma) found over 

 the entire South American continent and a leading 

 member of that social tribe of insects of which it 

 has been said that they rank intellectually next to 

 ourselves. Certainly this ant, in its actions, simu- 

 lates man's intellect very closely, and not in the 

 unpleasant manner of species having warrior castes 

 and slaves. The leaf-cutter is exclusively agricul- 

 tural in its habits, and constructs subterranean 

 galleries, in which it stores fresh leaves in amazing 

 quantities. The leaves are not eaten, but are cut 

 up into small pieces and arranged in beds : these 

 beds quickly become frosted over with a growth of 



