New-York tribune., 1905-08-13
One Has Done 1t Gives Advice to lhose VINO
Nav Contemplate Such Holiday.

creatures which tell such wonderful secrets OF
the long ago? Mammoth's teeth and tusks
catch your eye as you ride through the desert
region in Western Mexico.
or think of the insects You will find most
wonderful leaf butterflies which mimic the
dead bits OF vegetation in color. form. flight and
mode OF alighting. Others make noises as their
brilliant forms fash past. Here. the daddy-long-
legs mimic moss the dragon-fies are like spots
OF sunlight and most strange OF all are the leaf
carrying ants Pile your orange peels in one
place and the little creatures will be grateful
and afford you no end of amusement Besides
they will then never bother your stock or pro-
visions. especially II you hang the trunk tray
from the branch OF a tree. Here and there a
tree will he seen, lined from base 10 summit
with the tunnel5 Of other sTe les of ants. Taran-
tulas and scorpions will sometimes appear at
the low levels. but NNill seldom or never be
troublesome. If they are. a few drops Of am
monia makes all we'll
Are you. as we. bird lovers? l made a
booBful Of notes in course Of my stay. and yet
did no hard work a strong pair OF glasses. and
one could be happy for years in one place
There are no English sparrows. In their stead.
I'm the cities are dainty Audubon warblers and
purple house fnches. Around your camp Mex
lean black hawks and tiny green Texas king
fishers build their nests. FOrked tailed hum
mingbirds and gnatcatchers haunt the sweet
acacia blossoms. and a dozen species of brilliant
fiycatchers. from the tiny beardless to the great
pitangua tyrant. scream and chase their insect
prey or some Of them occasionally take TO
berry picking or TO fishing.
Great green macaws pass overhead two and
two; fiocks OF paroquets and Amazon parrots
dash back and forth all day, and the beautiful
laughing falcons vail and call like the ghosts of
departed souls
one never knows when he is on the eve of
new or rare discovery Mexican whippoorwills
drank at the waters edge near our tent before
beginning their nights hunt for moths. one
evening another species came and called in
long low monotone subdued. soothing rhythm.
It the Ridgway whippoorwill, and the sec
ond individual ever discovered.
The mOamots are the Jewels in these canyons
long tailed beauties. in green and rufous and
black. They pull the webs from their two
longest tailfeathers. leaving two symmetrical
rackets at the tips-a most remarkable instance
Of Recommendation. And the gorgeous tro-
gons. in iridescent green, and most evanescent
tints Of yellow and rose
The wonderful soaring Of the vultures and the
Caracara eagles ceases never for an instant dur
ing daylight.
And the songs, Did we read that the
tropics have bur poor songsters? The person
who wrote that had never heard a Manhattan
canyon wren utter its silvery dropping song IN
the freshness and GOODNESS of early morning
from some moist cavern high in the "barranca
cliff Or the most wonderful of all the incOm-
para BILE strain Of the solitaire Eel jilgero from
the depths of some dark orchid hung gorge. 1t
is the sweetest song in the world, moving TO
awe even the hardheaded Mexicans. bub-
bling tangle OF silver tones rising rising, in
old hfc hraaf n
in reverence-so truly is it the spirit Of these
age-oId mountains and gorges.
The vermilion fiycatchers, the orioles and tan
ayers the thousands upon thousands Of wild
geese and ducks and other water birds, must
be left unnoticed. Even the strange boat-billed
herons and tropical cotingas can here be only
named.
The great iguana lizards, three and four feet
in length are hideous and abundant. They re-
mind one of some primeval monster but let not
their black scaly forms deceive you; their flesh
is more tender and white than that Of a chicken,
one OF the greatest of delicies. But do not pick
one up by the tail He VIII shake loose and run
into his hole leaving you with foot OF tailend
in your hand II discommodes him little. for
he will soon grow another almost as good as the
first Armadillos too, are good eating. IL young
and the LITTLE Mexicans. for a few ''centavos."
enjoy digging out these armored but harmless
creatures from their burrows.
At night the furry creatures steal forth and
roam through jungle and thicket. The quaint
little catlike bassaris will come and visit your
pile OF refuse food. with It's marvel Of tall
ringed black and white nearly as large its
entire body. Ghosts Of gray foxes steal silently
past in the pale moonlight, and the beautiful
Mexican deer come in groups of three or four TO
drink and look in establishment al -Four white
tent ANY one can live on Yenison.
Sometimes, when late at night you sit
ting watching the fame breaths Of the vol
can" a mufied roar, softened by the veil OF dis
tance comes from some wild. unexplored bar
ranca"-a jaguar is calling few miles away
in the lower country you may great alli-
gators in the streams. and boas twining among
the trees. There tapirs snort through the rank
grass and peccaries and COATS feed on higher
land There too one is within the range OF
monkeys.
Are you attracted by the mysteries which
hang about races of men past and gone? Any
day you may stumble across old ruins. or tombs,
or quaint little stone idols. And far back in
the mountains ere no American sehorita has
ever before pcneti ated. old men come to your
camp courteous and respectful. with potatoes
Cas large as marbles or eggs or milk for sale.
Your Spanish will sometimes not help YOU here
for many OF these kindly people speak the al
most dead language Of the ancient Indian
tribes and live their lives : simply as complete
isolation can make them
To buy pack train. saddles and riding ami
! mails is expensive. DO not do H. Hire them for
/ several days. Ride until you find good water
/ camp. Dismiss your guide with orders TO re-
/ turn once week with mail and a pack of or
/ anges and lemons.
| When you enter the country every dollar Of
/