332 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



laying from two to ten or more eggs, which in the words of the 

 describers are white, dirty-white, or green! 



I questioned Francis at various times and could never 

 get him to vary his answers. He said that the Trumpeter 

 nested in the hollow of a tree and laid three, four or five 

 white eggs. 



On another occasion I questioned the Indian who hunted 

 for Mr. Nicholson at Matope and he said the Warracabra 

 builds a nest of leaves well up in a tree and lays five white 



eggs. 



While waiting for the Trumpeters we heard the strange 

 Bare-headed Cotinga"' or Calf-bird. The note has been 

 compared to the lowing of a cow, but to me it seemed much 

 more musical, resembling the humming of a goblet when 

 one's moistened finger is rubbed around the rim. The 

 bird is yellowish brown with a bare head and keeps to the 

 tops of the trees. It is not shy however and can easily be 

 approached and watched with the glass. 



The most interesting discovery I made to-day was the 

 elaborate courtship and challenge performance of the Crested 

 Curassow.* In a low bit of valley with thick underbrush 

 we put up a deer which dashed off before we could catch 

 more than a glimpse of it. It was followed by two agoutis, 

 one of which we gathered in for dinner. The note of alarm 

 of these rodents is a loud nasal WaaaaJi! Then Francis 

 clutched my arm and by listening intently I could just hear a 

 faint low mumbling. It might have been a bumble bee a few 

 feet away, but the Indian pointed to the east and said " Pow- 

 ies — Warracabras! Me go shootum labba." Wliich very 

 plainly meant that there were Curassows and Trumpeters 

 near me and that he would leave me to stalk and studv them, 

 while he went to secure a toothsome paca for dinner. 



I cached my gun, in fact everything but my glasses, and 

 began creeping as silently as possible down the course of 



