132 CENTRAL AMERICA. 



entrance, the animal would find itself a pri- 

 soner ; the said door's falling to be announced 

 by the ringing of a small bell, lent by me for 

 the occasion, and which was to arouse us all. 



The poor cock began to crow, as usual in 

 warm climates, at midnight, and ten minutes 

 had hardly elapsed before the bell was heard, 

 and we all got up and ran towards the trap 

 to behold the prisoner, but, on arriving at the 

 cage, it was empty ; the door had fallen, the 

 bell had rung, but was then silent, and the 

 only noise heard was the scream of the poor 

 cock as he was carried away into the woods. 



The next morning the trap was altered, 

 the slides of the door taken more care with, 

 the spring better set, and, towards nightfall, 

 another cock was tied up to the further end 

 of the cage. About midnight the cock crew, 

 and a short time after the bell rang, and con- 

 tinued to do so very violently, giving pretty 

 good assurance that the cage was tenanted by 

 something more than a cock. Running out 

 with our split pine torches, the cage was soon 

 found to be occupied by a very large speci- 

 men of the tiger-cat kind. When the lights 

 came near him, he dashed at the bearers of 

 them with great fury, shaking and trying to 

 break down the bars, but they were too 



t 



