302 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



cicada high up on the trunk of a tree. Wishing to identify 

 it and lacking other means of getting it, I backed away 

 some distance and brought it down with a 22 calibre shot 

 cartridge. It is a remarkable country indeed where one goes 

 gunning for bugs! And not only this, but I only winged my 

 game! one pellet of lead breaking the main vein of the right 

 wing, bringing the insect to the ground where it buzzed and 

 flopped about until I caught and chloroformed it. 



It was a beautiful species almost three inches in length 

 with transparent wings marbled with wavy black markings, 

 and with the thorax and abdomen ornamented with tufts of 

 golden and brown hair (Cicada grossa). 



Keeping to the left through the open underbrush I inter- 

 sected another wood road, then swung around and at last 

 entered the clearing from the southeast. Hearing a rustling 

 I suspected another tortoise, and was about to pass on when 

 I saw leaves and twigs flying into the air behind a log. 

 Creeping from tree to tree I saw that the commotion was 

 made by a trio of Ant-thrushes or, as I prefer to call them, 

 Antbirds. They took the leaves and leaf mould in their 

 beaks and threw them over their backs, all three working 

 side by side, covering a width of about two feet. They were 

 Woodcock Antbirds,"^ reminding one, in the general tone of 

 coloration of the upper parts, of that bird. The chin and 

 throat were black bordered with white which extended up 

 the sides of the neck and forward over the eyes. The tail 

 was short and often held erect over the back, while the strong 

 legs and feet proclaimed them terrestrial rather than arboreal. 

 When flying or excited, a row of white spots flashed out from 

 all the wing feathers save the first two primaries, but when 

 the wings were closed only buft' markings were visible. Now 

 and then two of the birds would spy some morsel of food at 

 the same instant and a tussel would ensue. With angry scold- 

 ing cries the two contestants would strike at each other with 



