All the rest of the lake is a varied expanse of black pitch bubbles, short grass, clumps of fern and sedge, with occasional isolated palms. Flowers of many kinds and colors spring from the heart of the raw pitch itself. Jacanas[23] rise before us with loud cries and flashing wings of gold. One may walk over the lake at will, morning and evening, but in the heat of midday, in many places, one’s shoes sink quickly unless one keeps constantly on the move. White is not a very common color in nature, and yet here, in striking contrast with the inky blackness of the pitch, most of the birds show large patches of this color. In the distance are always to be seen Snowy Egrets[33] and immature Blue Herons[34]—spots of purest white, while near at hand, absurdly tame, a big hawk forever soars slowly about or perches on some great frond of a tall palm. It is a White-headed Chimachima Hawk[56] with plumage of white, save for back, wings, and tail. [Illustration: FIG. 33. THE HOME OF THE AMAZON PARROT IN THE MIDDLE OF PITCH LAKE.] The two most abundant small birds are chiefly white in color. Both are Flycatchers, one with white head and neck—White-headed Marsh Flycatcher[98]—perching in the reeds and making fierce sallies after passing insects, while even more beautiful and conspicuous are the little terrestrial Flycatchers—White-shouldered Ground Flycatchers[97] or “Cotton Birds”—which scurry along the ground over pitch and fallen logs. Their tails continually wag from side to side, and they come within a few feet of us, uttering low inquiring notes: _pit! pit!_ They too are clad in white, except for back, nape, wings, and tail. [Illustration: AMAZON PARROT AT ENTRANCE OF NEST. FIG. 34. FIFTEEN FEET AWAY. FIG. 35. TEN FEET AWAY.] We follow one about, watching it through the ground-glass of the camera, when we blunder into a thicket of dry, crackling twigs. A sudden rustling sound draws our attention, and we look up and find ourselves within a few feet of a dry palm stub. Around the roughened stringy bark peers a green head with wide, yellow eyes, and we stiffen into immobility. The position is anything but comfortable; thorns are scratching us, flies are tickling our faces, but we dare not move. After five minutes, which seem hours, the big Yellow-fronted Amazon Parrot[64] withdraws, and we hear a scuttling within the stub. Silently and with the greatest caution we step backward, and after a rest we arrange our plan of attack. [Illustration: FIG. 36. AMAZON PARROT ABOUT TO TAKE FLIGHT.] These birds usually nest in hollows in the tops of the tallest, most inaccessible trees, and this is a golden opportunity—one in a lifetime—for a photograph of a Parrot at home. [Illustration: FIG. 37. EGGS AND YOUNG OF AMAZON PARROT IN THE NEST.]