o that it would live several days
without eating, he made up his mind to take it home with him, and gave
it the name of "Rougette."

Gringalet began growling; a deer had just shown its graceful form among
the branches. We all concealed ourselves as well as we could, and when
the beautiful animal came down to the water Sumichrast shot it dead. I
left l'Encuerado to help the sportsman in skinning our prize, and went
on with Lucien. The stream gradually became wider, and we suddenly found
ourselves fronting an immense flooded plain, above which flocks of wild
ducks were circling.

I sat down on the ground in order to admire the lake and its banks,
edged with royal palm-trees, the foliage of which, though dark at the
base, is a beautiful green at the summit. The appearance of a
water-eagle, with its grayish-white head, disturbed the aquatic fowls;
as if by enchantment, some of them hid among the rushes, but the bird of
prey passed over without taking any notice of such game, which it
doubtless considered unworthy of itself. A tantalus settled down at
about twenty paces from us, and plunged into the stream and remained
motionless.

"Oh papa! what a curious bird! it looks as if it had a bald head."

"You are quite right; it is the bird that the Indians call _galambao_."

"It's almost as tall as I am!"

"Don't you see that it is mounted upon long legs like stilts?" replied
I, laughing. "It is a relation of the stork."

"This is the first bird of that kind we have met with."

"These long-legged birds, or waders as they are called, are scarcely
ever found except in marshes, or on the banks of large rivers. They can
always be recognized by their legs, which are of an enormous length, and
devoid of feathers below the knee--a conformation which enables them to
capture their prey in shallow water."

"Is this tantalus going to fish?"

"I should imagine so, for birds of its order have no other means of
obtaining food."

"One might almost fancy that it was asleep, with its great bill drooping
down over its chest."

"Woe be to the fish that is of your opinion. There! did you remark its
sudden movement? It plunges its head down into the water like a flash of
lightning; and now you can see it holds its prey in its beak. Now it is
spreading its short black-edged wings in order to take flight, and
divide among its young brood the products of its labors. Do you see that
beautiful large bird with a tuft on its forehead? That is