Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Mark C. Orton, Linda McKeown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: WILLIAM BEEBE Author of Edge of the Jungle, Jungle Days, Gallapagos, World's End, The Arcturus Adventure, etc.] BY THE AUTHOR OF "JUNGLE DAYS," "THE LOG OF THE SUN," ETC. EDGE OF THE JUNGLE By WILLIAM BEEBE _Honorary Curator of Birds and Director of the Tropical Research Station of the New York Zoological Society._ GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK GARDEN CITY PUBLISHING CO., INC. COPYRIGHT, 1921 BY HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY * * * * * TO THE BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES, THE ANTS AND TREE-FROGS WHO HAVE TOLERATED ME IN THEIR JUNGLE ANTE-CHAMBERS I OFFER THIS VOLUME OF FRIENDLY WORDS * * * * * NOTE This second series of essays, following those in _Jungle Peace_, are republished by the kindness of the Editors of _The Atlantic Monthly_, _Harper's Magazine_ and _House and Garden_. With the exception of _A Tropic Garden_ which refers to the Botanical Gardens of Georgetown, all deal with the jungle immediately about the Tropical Research Station of the New York Zoological Society, situated at Kartabo, at the junction of the Cuyuni and Mazaruni Rivers, in British Guiana. For the accurate identification of the more important organisms mentioned, a brief appendix of scientific names has been prepared. * * * * * CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE LURE OF KARTABO 3 II A JUNGLE CLEARING 34 III THE HOME TOWN OF THE ARMY ANTS 58 IV A JUNGLE BEACH 90 V A BIT OF USELESSNESS 112 VI GUINEVERE THE MYSTERIOUS 123 VII A JUNGLE LABOR UNION 149 VIII THE ATTAS AT HOME 172 IX HAMMOCK NIGHTS 195 X A TROPIC GARDEN 230 XI THE BAY OF BUTTERFLIES 252 XII SEQUELS 274 APPENDIX OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES 295 INDEX 299 * * * * * EDGE OF THE JUNGLE "For the true scientific method is this: To trust no statements without verification, to test all things as rigorously as possible, to keep no secrets, to attempt no monopolies, to give out one's best modestly and plainly, serving no other end but knowledge." H. G. WELLS. I THE LURE OF KARTABO