Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-25
IN A TROPIO FOREST
A Naturalist Describes His First Days En-
ploration Under Palms.
A Birds Nest Five Feet Lone-what
. Hunter Should Wear Amid
TOrrfd Heats.

beiIs surely you can do the same with the
rest of the world. This was the tenor of
my reflections as took my morning bath
in the sea and prepared for my first foray
into the tropic forest that stretched, I'M
known and unexplored, behind the bay
where had pitched my camp.
My hut was my own handiwOrk, built
from the waste material lavishly scattered
on the strand. The costume 1 wore was
the result Of months Of experience in hot
climates, and perhaps my readers would
ike TO know Of what 1T consisted. First,
then, on my head a helmet shaped hat.
Drought from India by the coolies of Trini-
DAD; the favorite headgear of all explorers
IN not countries. because it is at the same
time l1ght in weight and impervioas to the
rays OF the sun. 1t is made of the famous
pnpyi US pith, cream colored outside and
iined with green within for the protection
of the eyes
MY coat was Of dun-colored duck, and
hung loosely over trousers Of the same ma
terlal, poth were full Of pockets Of course
stuffed with cartridges loaded with differ
ent sizes Of shot. Ny coarse cotton shirt
was open at the throat; over my stout
shoes wore strong canvas !eegings, to
protect my shins from the rocks and razor
grasses; and over my sh builder was slung
willow fish basket, which is better than
bag. being stifr enough to keep its con-
tents from being crushed.
After l had penetrated little way into
this vast cathedral of trees Of which the
great trunks were the pillars, with groined
arches supporting a roof of verdure / came
10 lofty palm, different from the cocoas
WIN straight stem shooting up 10 the
helght or more than hundred feet. 1t
was an Oreodoxa. 1 had seen many palms
OF this species before but never one with
such strange terminal appendages There
may nave been thirty or forty long leaves
with long, purse-lke nest at the Tip of
every leaf. There they swung far .ar
above my head, at such a height as TO be
inaccessible. OF course ] was possessed
with desire to get a specimen or two but
now to reach them was the question At
last. loaded my gun with two charges of
DUCK snof. and sent one Of them crashing
through the tree top. 1t brought down "A
shower Of leaflets without disiodgiug The
coveted bird nest; but d second shot, NOR.
carefully aimed brought one of them
whIri1nE to the ground where ] could ex-
anime il at my leisure.
found il to be over 5ivc feet i'm length
woven of tough grasses and palm fihers
ana llned with soft leaves. A long opening
In the throat of this golrG-sha pel dwell
ing gave ingress TO the builder and Dos
SCISSOR. Through this the bird desccnds 10
the bed of leaves at the bottom where she
makes a slit in the tough wall. through
winch she thruSts her beak: ami there she
SITS calmly viewing the outside world. She
Is not 10 be caught mapping and at the
slightest sign of danger scrambl.s nm The
INSIDE OF the nest and flies off in a twink
ing. III seemed to me that a more perfect
bird dwelling was never constructed. and
surely never did man or bird enjoy more
oeIlghtfui surroundings than its owner
Inc long grasses that compose the nest
hie dt'acheu 10 the extreme tip of ;he
palm branch ard woven around the mid
rip' mus great strength is combined with
elasticity. Above this delicatclv suspenjed
structure the palm leaf spreads protecting
~, shielding ii from sun and rain while
every breath of wind gently rocks IT, With
Il Shnf
beautiful eggs. with markings like those
or our own crow black bird bat even
more curious aid complicated. The lining
OF the nest was so elastic that none of the
eggs was broken: and the young birds IL
those eggs had been allowed to hatch would
have been rocked in an aerial cradle. lar
out q reach of predatory beasts-.-vcn of
the monkeys. which destroy every kind of
nest ana egg they can get their hands on
The architects of this wonderful home in
the palm tops belong to "A family familiar
10 most OF us who live in the north-that of
the Baltimore orioIe. or Golden Rob;,,-'-
whose nest. on a small scale is a 1upli-
cate OF this pendent habita tion. In fact
the great Llnnaeus who mad the pleasure
OF hrst naming the bird. called it the
crested Or:ole:' but the French natural
list, Culver, objected to his cIassiG.ati,.,
and renamed il the Yellox l'assiuue-"Cas-
H ..N icteros derived from the Latin
cassiS. helmet on account Of its paint
ed crest and from a Creek word referring.
TO its color.
1t Is sometimes Gale! tho .Yollow-tail"
hecause that apr"ndage is bright yellow
II Is about eighteen inches in length with
brown body and bright yellow beai. and
silshtiH resembles the great black biri IF
.lhe south known the Boat-tail Grakle
90 much Tor tn" cassique:. who lew aboIt
herNousiy overhead. eXpoStulatiny With me
IN BIRD language for so ruthlesslv Stacking
lnelr homes. Ii was too bad | could hot
nut ADMIT: but i; was a sacrifice 10 The
rause OF science; perhaps they might have
been reconciied if they Gould have under-
stood.
Across my path. as ! moved away from
me PAIN Tree. ran a strange wood rat over
sixteen inches IN length. with a pouch in
tach cheek, stuffed full of cacao seeds.
from which chocolate is made 4 knew
from TINS that there must be will chocolate
trees somewhere near. and resolved to looI,
Tor them later on. 1t is always a,iytSa hi.
10 take notice of every little Circumstance
when in the forest; il sometimes leads to
important discoveries. This incident led "A
week or two later. 10 my finding grove
or cacao trees from which I procured
seeds enough 10 supply me with chocolate
for months.