dead a few feet away, at the instant his 
Indian guide, by his elbow, gave a cry of 
terror, when a big jaguar raised up and 
roared in his face—so intent had this 
beast been in following the peccary’s 
trail. But it sprang away in a line with 
the guide, so a shot could not be safely 
fired. ; 
However, this adventure provided us 
with fresh meat and a good museum 
specimen (see page 178). That night An- 
derson, whose bed was on the floor be- 
tween our cots, became restless, the usual 
indication that the daily supply of ticks 
had not been removed before retiring; 
but when he held up several objects and 
wanted to know if they were young tur- 
tles, his knowledge of entomology was 
enlarged on being told that they were a 
very large species of tick from the pec- 
cary he had skinned on the floor of the 
boat some hours before. 
PAT CAVES 
Many years ago large limestone caves 
were discovered near the upper Chagres 
and in these lived numerous bats, rang- 
ing in size from a small species to the 
huge so-called vampire, with a wing- 
spread exceeding two feet (see page 185). 
Formerly it was impossible to visit this 
vicinity other than by an uncertain trail 
through the ever-intruding jungle; but 
as the main stream and tributaries deep- 
ened with the back waters from the lake, 
the caves could be reached in a few hours 
by launch. Under the guidance of a 
former canal employee, an_ erstwhile 
trapper and market hunter, we made a 
trip on March 1. 
After going up the broad, inundated 
valley of the Chagres some miles, we en- 
tered a branch called the Chilibrillo— 
narrow, deep, and tortuous, with no per- 
ceptible current. As the boat glided 
smoothly in the straight courses and 
swerved violently at numerous turns, the 
overhanging shrubbery and the flooded 
palm trees marking the bed of a stream 
formerly unnavigable for any kind of 
craft, we realized more fully how the 
new lake had opened up these canal-like 
avenues of travel into the very heart of 
the jungle (see page 183). 
After a run of five or six miles a cur- 
rent became noticeable, and in a few min- 
utes we came to a transverse ledge of 
rock with a slight flow of water rippling 
FLASHLIGHT 
RESCUED FROM 
(SEE PAGE 
OF A NOCTURNAL MONKEY 
A FLOODED FOREST 
171) 
over it, indicating the end of the trip by 
boat. While walking up the nearly dry 
bed of the stream, it was plain that many 
animals had sought the higher ground as 
a refuge, for trails to the scattered pools 
came in all directions, bearing the fresh 
imprint of tapir, deer, peccary, agouti, 
and the occasional claw -marks of the 
jaguar and ocelot, while the frequent 
roaring of the black howler showed this 
big tenant of the tree-tops was also abun- 
dant. The grotesque toucans vied with 
the noisy parrots, while the calling of the 
parrakeets and the peculiar chorus-like 
calls of the chachalaca produced an im- 
pression that must ever be associated 
with jungle memories. Turning to the 
right and going up a creek bottom, we 
soon came in sight of the low entrance to 
the caves, encircled with ferns, vines, and 
flowering plants (see page 184). 
Lighting the lantern and stooping low, 
we entered a corridor leading to a series 
of interconnecting rooms with high ceil- 
ings and dark and grimy walls, relieved 
here and there by light-colored  stalac- 
tites, the tapering ends dripping with 
limestone waters. In the central room, 
both on the walls and ceiling, were great 
clusters of bats segregated by species 
and, as later examination showed, ac- 
cording to sex. 
A ZEALOUS GUIDE 
One big bunch, some 10 feet square 
and containing hundreds of small bats, 
was found on an end wall only 6 feet 
from the ground and particularly well 
situated for a flashlight picture. Our 
local guide, filled with the enthusiasm of 
the occasion, unbuckled his leather belt, 
and before his action was anticipated be- 
gan lashing them, so that in a moment 
175 
