AMONG THE YURACARE INDIANS 309 



nails. The pupils of the eyes are elliptical, like a cat's; 

 when annoyed it uttered a hoarse scream, a sound occasion- 

 ally heard at night, but which we did not heretofore recog- 

 nize. 



After the brush had been removed for the distance of a 

 hundred yards or more from the edge of the clearing, the 

 Indians began to cut down the trees; some of these were 

 of enormous size, especially the ceibas; one that I measured 

 was twenty-five feet through the base, coimting the sup- 

 porting, bracket-like roots, and fifteen men hacked at it 

 at the same time. When the tree fell they set up a wild 

 cheering and took great dehght in watching this monarch 

 of the forest tumble to the ground. 



Three days of each week were devoted to himting and 

 fishing. Usually the Indians went many miles away, in 

 small parties, returning promptly at the expiration of their 

 time. The children rarely accompanied them, and then 

 only after having obtained special permission from the 

 priest. Upon their return they brought baskets of fish 

 and meat — enough to last them xmtil their next journey 

 into the wilds. Nearly all fish and game were taken with 

 bow and arrow. To secure the former they selected a 

 small creek up the shallow water of which huge shoals of 

 fish went to feed, and then shot them. After a sufficient 

 supply had been obtained they erected a framework of 

 sticks, built a fire under it and slowly roasted and smoked 

 them; later they were packed in baskets between layers of 

 green leaves and taken home. They also brought numbers 

 of freshly killed animals for our examination, for in keeping 

 with his promise Padre Fulgencio had announced from the 

 pulpit that all creatures taken by them were to be shown 

 to us first, and we were permitted to select any that were 

 of scientific value. In this manner a number of animals 

 new to us were added to the collection. 



The curl-breasted toucan (Beauhamaisid) is one of those 

 birds of the Amazonian basin which is seldom seen by trav- 

 ellers, or even naturalists, who make every effort to learn 



