112 Through the Brazilian Wilderness 



finfoot, a bird with feet like a grebe and bill and tail 

 like those of a darter, but, like so many South American 

 birds, with no close affiliations among other species. The 

 exceedingly rich bird fauna of South America contains 

 many species which seem to be survivals from a very 

 remote geologic past, whose kinsfolk have perished under 

 the changed conditions of recent ages ; and in the case of 

 many, like the hoatzin and screamer, their like is not 

 known elsewhere. Herons of many species swarmed in 

 this neighborhood. The handsomest, was the richly col- 

 ored tiger bittern. Two other species were so unlike 

 ordinary herons that I did not recognize them as herons 

 at all until Cherrie told me what they were. One had a 

 dark body, a white-speckled or ocellated neck, and a bill 

 almost like that of an ibis. The other looked white, 

 but was really mauve-colored, with black on the head. 

 When perched on a tree it stood like an ibis; and in- 

 stead of the measured wing-beats characteristic of a her- 

 on's flight, it flew with a quick, vigorous flapping of 

 the wings. There were queer mammals, too, as well as 

 birds. In the fields Miller trapped mice of a kind en- 

 tirely new. 



Next morning the sky was leaden, and a drenching 

 rain fell as we began our descent of the river. The rainy 

 season had fairly begun. For our good fortune we werfe 

 still where we had the cabins aboard the boat, and the 

 ranch-house, in which to dry our clothes and soggy shoes; 

 but in the intensely humid atmosphere, hot and steam- 

 ing, they stayed wet a long time, and were still moist 

 when we put them on again. Before we left the house 

 where we had been treated with such courteous hospital- 



