"Do not come near, Tata Sumichrast," cried the Indian; "these beasts die very hard, and I still bear the marks of their claws on my skin. Let me just tickle him up with the point of my _machete_." "You need not have been afraid," said Sumichrast; "its ugliness is no proof that it is vicious. It will not attack human beings, and only makes use of its strength to defend itself. It is of the order Edentala, and akin to the armadilloes." "Does it eat any thing but ants?" asked Lucien. [Illustration: "The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with spoonbills."] "Ants and other insects. It climbs trees, and its bushy tail distinguishes it from its brothers, the little ant-eater (_M. dydactyla_), which seldom visits the ground, and eats more insects than ants, and the tamandua (_Tamandua tetradactyla_)." "But how many ants does it take to satisfy it?" "Thousands; and it would die of hunger if it had to take them one by one; but, thanks to the length of its tongue, it is enabled to pick up hundreds at a time." "What a very peculiar meal!" "Didn't you know that some Indians are ant-eaters? In the _Terre-Froide_, for instance, dishes are made of red ants' eggs, and there is one species which secretes a sweet liquid, of which children are very fond." On the shore of the lake a fresh surprise awaited us. The bank to the right was covered with cranes, and that to the left with spoonbills, with delicate pink plumage, one of which Lucien shot. "Oh, what beautiful birds!" said he. "What a curious beak!" he further exclaimed, examining his victim, which Gringalet had just brought him. "Yes, that is why this bird is called a spoonbill." "Is it good to eat?" "It is rather tough; but when any one is hungry--" Sumichrast put his finger to his lips to enjoin silence; two smaller waders made their appearance and settled close to us. "Now, Master Sunbeam," said Sumichrast, "fire at the bird to the left, while I aim at the one to the right. Those are egrets, and your sister will like some of their beautiful feathers to put in her hat. Now, then--one, two--fire!" The two shots sounded almost at the same moment, and the birds fell over on to the ground. This double report put to flight all the spoonbills and cranes, and the lake was soon perfectly deserted. We now took the road leading to the "Palm-tree Villa," and l'Encuerado went on before us to take up his fishing-lines. The heat became perfectly overpowering, and Sumichrast fell asleep. About half-past three, I went off with Lucien towards that portion of the forest close by the stream, with the intention of collecting insects. First one object, and then another tempted us into the interior, till the oblique rays of the sun admonished us to turn back. But imagine my dismay when, by neglect not to notch the tree-trunks as I passed them, I discovered I did not know in what direction our camp lay. "Are we lost?" asked the boy, in an anxious tone.