ACROSS THE CONTINENT, WESTWARD TO COBAN. 97 
{del Norte ); and it was said that when he 
was drunk he could shoe a mule better than 
others could in their soberest moments. He 
had been drinking when we found him; 
but he gave us some information, 
took us to his den hard by, where 
his family consisted of a native wife 
and a black monkey, and gave 
Frank the skin of a quetzal (. Pha - 
romacrus mocino ). This skin was 
so beautiful that it put us on the search, 
and we found a senora who had a mod¬ 
erately large collection of these and other 
bird-skins, which are brought in by the 
Indios from the mountains of Alta 
Yerapaz. 
The quetzal (pronounced Jcezal) is 
the national emblem, and is decidedly 
a bird of freedom, as it never survives 
captivity, even when taken in earliest 
life. In ancient days none but the . 
royal family could wear the beau¬ 
tiful plumes. At present the In¬ 
dios bring the skins from the 
mountains in considerable num¬ 
bers, their value depending on 
the length of the tail-plumes, 
which sometimes exceeds three 
feet. As the female is very 
plain, without the beautiful tail 
of the male, she escapes the 
hunters, and consequently pre- 
7 
Quetzal. 
