86 A JAGUAR-HUNT ON THE TAQUARY 



had accidentally dug up armadillos with a steam- 

 shovel. 



There were big ant-hills, some of them of huge 

 dimensions, scattered through the country. Sometimes 

 they were built against the stems of trees. We did 

 not here come across any of the poisonous or biting 

 ants, which, when sufficiently numerous, render certain 

 districts uninhabitable. They are ordinarily not very 

 numerous. Those of them that march in large bodies 

 kill nestling birds, and at once destroy any big animal 

 unable to get out of their way. It has been suggested 

 that nestlings in their nests are in some way immune 

 j&om the attack of these ants. The experiments of our 

 naturahsts tended to show that this was not the case. 

 They plundered any nest they came across and could 

 get at. 



Once we saw a small herd of peccaries, one a sow 

 followed by three httle pigs — they are said to have only 

 two young, but we saw three, although, of course, it is 

 possible one belonged to another sow. The herd 

 galloped into a mass of thorny cover the hounds could 

 not penetrate ; and when they were in safety we heard 

 them utter, from the depths of the jungle, a curious 

 moaning sound. 



On one ride we passed a clump of palms which were 

 fairly ablaze with bird colour. There were magnificent 

 hyacinth macaws ; green parrots with red splashes ; 

 toucans with varied plumage, black, white, red, yellow ; 

 green jacmars ; flaming orioles and both blue and dark 

 red tanagers. It was an extraordinary collection. AU 

 were noisy. Perhaps there was a snake that had drawn 

 them by its presence ; but we could find no snake. 

 The assembly dispersed as we rode up ; the huge blue 

 macaws departed in pairs, uttering their hoarse " ar- 



