104 HEADWATERS OF THE PARAGUAY 



the capybaras sought refuge in flight through the tangled 

 marsh. They ran well. Kermit and Fiala went after 

 one on foot, fuU-speed, for a mile and a half, with two 

 hounds which then bayed it — literally bayed it, for the 

 capybara fought with the courage of a gigantic wood- 

 chuck. If the pack overtook a capybara, they, of course, 

 speedily finished it ; but a single dog of our not very 

 valorous outfit was not able to overmatch its shriU- 

 squeaking opponent. 



Near the ranch-house, about forty-feet up in a big 

 tree, was a jabiru's nest containing young jabirus. The 

 young birds exercised themselves by walking solemnly 

 round the edge of the nest and opening and shutting 

 their wings. Their heads and necks were down-covered, 

 instead of being naked like those of their parents. Fiala 

 wished to take a moving-picture of them while thus 

 engaged, and so, after arranging his machine, he asked 

 Harper to rouse the young birds by throwing a stick up 

 to the nest. He did so, whereupon one young jabiru 

 hastily opened its wings in the desired fashion, at the 

 same time seizing the stick in its biU ! It dropped it 

 at once, wdth an air of comic disappointment, when it 

 found that the stick was not edible. 



There were many strange birds round about. Toucans 

 were not uncommon. I have never seen any other bird 

 take such grotesque and comic attitudes as the toucan. 

 This day I saw one standing in the top of a tree with 

 the big bOl pointing straight into the air and the tail 

 also cocked perpendicularly. The toucan is a born 

 comedian. On the river and in the ponds we saw the 

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

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

 birds, with no close affihations among other species. 

 The exceedingly rich bird fauna of South America 



