A YOUNG NATURALIST. 269 



six turtles were apparently asleep. In spite of all our exertions, 

 the creatures reached the stream. L'Encuerado discovered two 

 little heaps of sand, one of which was still unfinished, and con- 

 tained twenty eggs about as big as chestnuts, and covered with 

 a whitish skin. A little farther on, Lucien caught a small red 

 turtle, the size of a crown-piece. On hearing from I'Encuerado 

 that it would live several days without eating, he made up 

 his mind to take it home with him, and gave it the name of 

 " Eougette." 



Gringalet began growling ; a deer had just shown its graceful 

 form among the branches. We all concealed ourselves as well as 

 we could, and when the beautiful animal came down to the water, 

 Sumichrast shot it dead. I left I'Encuerado to help the sports- 

 man in skinning our prize, and went on with Lucien. The 

 stream gradually became wider, and we suddenly found ourselves 

 fronting an immense flooded plain, above which flocks of wild 

 ducks were circling. 



I sat down on the ground in order to admire the lake and its 

 banks edged with royal palm trees, the foliage of which, though 

 dark at the base, is a beautiful green at the summit. The 

 appearance of a water-eagle, with its grayish-white head, dis- 

 turbed the aquatic fowls ; as if by enchantment some of them 

 hid among the rushes, but the bird of prey passed over without 

 taking any notice of such game, which he doubtless considered 

 unworthy of him. A tantalus settled down at about twenty 

 paces from us, and plunged into the stream and remained 

 motionless. 



" papa ! what a curious bird ! it looks as if it had a bald 

 head." 



" You are quite right, it is the bird that the Indians call 



galambao." 



" It 's almost as tall as I am ! " 



" Don't you see that it is mounted upon long legs like stilts V 

 replied I, laughing. " It is a relation of the stork." 



" This is the first bird of that kind we have met with." 



" These long-legged birds, or waders as they are called, are 

 scarcely ever found except in marshes, or on the banks of large 



