A GOLD MINE IN THE WILDERNESS. 179 



sides, and under parts. Both birds alternated in carrying 

 the nesting material and in arranging it, remaining silent 

 as long as we watched them. The nesting stub was about 

 six inches in diameter and the hole thirty feet above the 

 ground. 



These birds lack the bright hues of most of their relatives, 

 but have the family trait of possessing some queer trick of 

 plumage. While the first flight feather of the wing is perfectly 

 normal, measuring about three and a half inches in length, the 

 second is a mere parody of a feather, tapering to a point and 

 reaching a length of less than two inches. Only the true 

 lover of birds will realize what an effort it took to tear our- 

 selves away from this pair of birds, whose eggs and young 

 appear to be as yet undescribcd. 



Two Marail Guans" and aTrumpeter^'^ were interesting in- 

 mates of the hen-yard and made no effort to escape, although 

 they were full-winged and had the run of the clearing. The 

 Trumpeter went to roost each night at 5.30 as punctually as 

 if he had a watch under his wing. He slept standing on one 

 leg, resting on the first joints of his front toes, his head 

 drawn back behind his wing. 



Often on our walks we would come across an Indian hut, 

 so hidden away in the depths of the dense forest that its 

 discovery was merely a matter of chance. Most of these 

 huts consisted simply of four poles covered by the rudest 

 sort of a palm-thatched roof. The house furnishing vi'as as 

 primitive as the house itself — a hammock for each member 

 of the family; varying in size in proportion to that of their 

 owners, like the chairs of the historic nursery characters — 

 the "Three Bears." One or two calabashes or guords, 

 several hand-woven baskets of cassava bread, some strips of 

 dried fish and a smoky fire completed the picture. 



The entire domestic life of these Indian establishments 

 went on perfectly openly and quite una&'ected by our curious 



