JUNGLE LIFE AT AREMU. 305 



Just before I reached the clearing I flushed two labbas 

 or pacas {Coelogenys paca) which ran squealing almost from 

 under my feet. These are rodents, looking like giant 

 Guinea-pigs about two feet in length, with brown fur spotted 

 with white. Their flesh is the most delicate of all the "bush 

 meat." 



Mr. Howell followed my tracks later in the afternoon and 

 brought home a Tamandua, or Lesser Anteater (Tamandua 

 tdradactyla) , which he shot in a tree. This creature is rather 

 sloth like in color and in development of its claws, but its 

 tail is prehensile, and nothing more unlike could be 

 imagined than the heads of the two animals, that of the 

 sloth short, round and blunt; the anteater's long, slim and 

 pointed. 



March 29th. — We had an excellent illustration tliis morning 

 of how easily one can get a totally wrong idea of the animal 

 and bird life of a tropical forest. Nine of us started out along 

 a faint trail used by black "pork-knockers," which, after sev- 

 eral miles of twisting and turning, led to an outcropping of 

 gold, known as "England," all on Mr. Wilshire's concession. 

 Throughout the whole tramp, although we lagged behind, 

 we noted not a single bird or animal of interest save for 

 a scattering of Toucans and Parrots. Every living creature 

 fled before us or remained hidden. One might thus tramp 

 across a continent and report the tropics to be barren of life, 

 except in the tree-tops. Not only this, but the few birds 

 which flew over or were otherwise seen momentarily were 

 without exception brilliantly colored, and this would help to 

 sustain the wide-spread impression that tropical birds are 

 invariably of bright plumage, which is very untrue. There 

 are really more dull-colored than brilliant birds in the 

 tropics. 



At last I slip aside, let my companions go on, and make a 

 detour to the left of the trail. Here in the heart of the jungle 



