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IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA
IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA
The cock-of-the-rock at home. IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA SIX YEARS OF EXPLORATION IN COLOMBIA, VENEZUELA, BRITISH GUIANA, PERU, BOLIVIA, ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY, AND BRAZIL BY LEO E. MILLER OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY WITH OVER 70 ILLUSTRATIONS AND A MAP NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS 1919 Copyright, 1917, 1918, by CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS Published October, 1918 TO MY WIFE L. E. M....
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PREFACE
PREFACE
I have frequently wondered how many of the large number of people who visit natural-history museums have any conception of the appearance and actions, in their wilderness homes, of the creatures they see, and of the experiences of the field-naturalists who visit the little-known places of the earth in search of them. My experience as a field-naturalist consists of nearly six years of almost continuous exploration in South America, and embraces practically all of the republics of that continent.
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CHAPTER I BUENAVENTURA TO CALI, AND THE CAUCA VALLEY
CHAPTER I BUENAVENTURA TO CALI, AND THE CAUCA VALLEY
The voyage from Panama to Buenaventura, the more northern of Colombia’s two Pacific seaports, requires but two days’ time. Owing to numerous reefs and rocks that render navigation perilous along the coast of northwestern South America, it is necessary for ships to sail far out into the Pacific. Banks of low-hanging fog, encountered at frequent intervals, add further to the skipper’s difficulties. The captain of the Quito followed a simple plan for finding port. It was his custom to steam in a so
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CHAPTER II POPAYÁN AND THE CERRO MUNCHIQUE
CHAPTER II POPAYÁN AND THE CERRO MUNCHIQUE
After spending a few weeks in and about the Cauca Valley, Richardson and I started southward, while the two other members of the expedition began the homeward journey. I had looked forward very eagerly to my visit to southern Colombia because I knew that the country, towns, and even the people were different from those we had seen heretofore. But, above all, because ahead of us lay a vast region little known zoologically, and we hoped to penetrate into at least the mountain fastnesses west of Po
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CHAPTER III THE ANDES SOUTHWEST OF POPAYÁN; CRUISE OF THE CALDAS
CHAPTER III THE ANDES SOUTHWEST OF POPAYÁN; CRUISE OF THE CALDAS
After our return to Popayán we spent a few days wrapping and packing the large collection of birds and mammals that had been secured on the Cerro Munchique; and, during the odd moments when this work became arduous, we sought information about the mountains south of the place we had just visited. Eventually our quest took us to the governor’s palace, where we had the good fortune to meet the executive of the province of Cauca, Doctor Alfredo Garcés. The first thing that attracted our attention w
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CHAPTER IV CARTAGO TO THE PARAMOS OF RUIZ AND SANTA ISABEL
CHAPTER IV CARTAGO TO THE PARAMOS OF RUIZ AND SANTA ISABEL
Dawn revealed the fact that Cartago was not materially different from Cali. It was not so large, however, and the temperature was much higher. Upon our arrival the preceding night we had finally succeeded in arousing a sleepy landlord, who admitted us to a dusty, bare room in the Hotel Colombia. We had learned long before this time that the word “hotel” usually meant a roof only over one’s head and perhaps food, so we at no time travelled out of sight of our baggage, with which we could make our
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CHAPTER V THE CHOCÓ COUNTRY ON THE WESTERN COAST OF COLOMBIA
CHAPTER V THE CHOCÓ COUNTRY ON THE WESTERN COAST OF COLOMBIA
Upon returning to Cartago from our expedition to the bleak paramo of Santa Isabel, we began preparations for a visit to the notorious Chocó, which lies along the western coast and within the San Juan River watershed. This section of the country presents the other extreme in climatic conditions. It has been rarely visited by naturalists on account of its inaccessibility; and the few who have succeeded in forcing their way within its inhospitable borders have found it impossible to remain any leng
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CHAPTER VI IN QUEST OF THE COCK-OF-THE-ROCK
CHAPTER VI IN QUEST OF THE COCK-OF-THE-ROCK
On my fourth visit to Popayán we had to remain in the city the greater part of a week, arranging for the continuation of our journey across the Central Andes to the headwaters of the Magdalena. Hereafter we were to travel on foot, partly due to the fact that some of the trails were impassable, both to riding and pack animals, and partly to enable us to be in a position better to study the wild life of the region we traversed. I was accompanied on this particular expedition by Doctor Allen and Mr
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CHAPTER VII CROSSING THE EASTERN ANDES INTO THE CAQUETÁ
CHAPTER VII CROSSING THE EASTERN ANDES INTO THE CAQUETÁ
Of the many little-known places in South America, the least known lie eastward of the eastern base of the Andes. One such region is the Caquetá of Colombia. We had been considering the feasibility of undertaking a trip into this country, but the departure for home of my companion, Doctor Allen, and Mr. Lloyd, from San Agustin, left me alone in the field, and I doubted the advisability of taking the journey without their assistance. From all the information I could gather, the crossing of the Eas
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CHAPTER VIII ACROSS THE ANTIOQUIAN GOLD-FIELDS TO PUERTO VALDIVIA ON THE LOWER CAUCA
CHAPTER VIII ACROSS THE ANTIOQUIAN GOLD-FIELDS TO PUERTO VALDIVIA ON THE LOWER CAUCA
Puerto Berrio is not the most attractive spot in Colombia, but it is nevertheless of a great deal of importance. All steamers plying on the Lower Magdalena stop at that port, the up-going ones after a six days’ voyage from Barranquilla to discharge freight for Medellin, and those bound down-stream to take aboard gold and other products of the Antioquian highlands. The arrival of the steamer always causes a great deal of confusion. Debarking passengers are required to look after their own luggage
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CHAPTER IX ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO—COLLECTING ON THE RIO SUCIO
CHAPTER IX ASCENT OF THE PARAMILLO—COLLECTING ON THE RIO SUCIO
The return to Medellin from Puerto Valdivia occupied five days. We again went to our former headquarters, the “Gran Hotel,” and spent a few busy days packing the large collections brought from the Lower Cauca. Then we began to gather provisions and cargo mules for a second expedition. Upon leaving Medellin we started northwestward, having in view an ascent of the Paramillo, a lofty spur of the Andes, jutting out of the Western Range slightly below latitude 7° south. This region, so far as I am a
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CHAPTER X FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES ON THE ORINOCO
CHAPTER X FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES ON THE ORINOCO
It seemed as if the declining sun had set the quivering world aflame; all day long the Delta , well remembered but unbeloved by voyagers on the Master River, had struggled on against the yellow flood toward her goal two hundred and forty miles above the Parian Gulf. Not a ripple stirred the placid water which glided ever onward, and no breeze stirred the heavy, dark vegetation that lined the river’s bank. It had been one of those days which only the traveller to tropical lands can adequately pic
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CHAPTER XI THE MAQUIRITARES’ LAND AND THE UPPER ORINOCO
CHAPTER XI THE MAQUIRITARES’ LAND AND THE UPPER ORINOCO
San Fernando, on the Atabapo, consists of about fifty adobe huts of the usual type, and at the time of our arrival was all but deserted. Almost the entire population had gone up-river to the scattered rubber-camps, as this was the season for collecting the valuable latex. The town is situated on the Atabapo, where this river and the Guaviare unite, and its elevation above sea-level is three hundred and seventy feet. The mean temperature is about 80° F., although in the sun the mercury ascends to
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CHAPTER XII LIFE IN THE GUIANA WILDS
CHAPTER XII LIFE IN THE GUIANA WILDS
A naturalist might spend many years in Venezuela and still exhaust but a very small fraction of the possibilities offered to the field-observer—so vast are the resources of that zoological wonderland. Exigencies beyond our control, however, recalled us to Trinidad, and after a brief rest we turned our eyes toward British Guiana. The distance between the island and the low Guiana mainland is not great; it required just two days of uneventful sailing for the Sarstoon of the Quebec Line to plough t
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CHAPTER XIII FIRST WEEKS WITH THE ROOSEVELT SOUTH AMERICAN EXPEDITION
CHAPTER XIII FIRST WEEKS WITH THE ROOSEVELT SOUTH AMERICAN EXPEDITION
The S. S. Van Dyck of the Lamport and Holt Line, with Colonel Roosevelt and his party on board, arrived at Barbados on the morning of October 10, and late that afternoon pointed her nose southward toward Bahia. The plans of the expedition, with which I was immediately made acquainted, called for a rather short and not too difficult trip up the Paraguay River and down the Tapajos, having for its prime object the study of the fauna and collection of zoological specimens in the region traversed; bu
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CHAPTER XIV HUNTING EXCURSIONS ALONG THE UPPER PARAGUAY
CHAPTER XIV HUNTING EXCURSIONS ALONG THE UPPER PARAGUAY
Corumbá is a very hot, dusty town built on a high, rocky elevation on the west bank of the Paraguay. The settlement bears the unenviable reputation of being the rendezvous for fugitives from justice from many climates, but we saw nothing of the lawlessness and disorder said to prevail, and the treatment we received was all that could be desired. The heat at midday was great, but frequently a breeze came up at night. Rows of low, spreading mimosa-trees lined some of the streets and cast a welcome
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CHAPTER XV A FORTY DAYS’ RIDE THROUGH WILDEST MATTO GROSSO
CHAPTER XV A FORTY DAYS’ RIDE THROUGH WILDEST MATTO GROSSO
Tapirapoan presented a scene of festive gayety upon the arrival of the expedition. The large, open square around which clustered the low, mud-walled huts was decorated with lines of pennants, while the American and Brazilian flags fluttered from tall poles in the centre. Flag raising and lowering were always impressive ceremonies; everybody lined up and stood at attention while the banners were elevated or taken down, as the case might be, to the strains of martial music. However, if Tapirapoan
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CHAPTER XVI THE DESCENT OF THE RIO GY-PARANÁ
CHAPTER XVI THE DESCENT OF THE RIO GY-PARANÁ
While we were on the Paraguay River it was decided that upon reaching the Rio da Duvida the expedition should be divided into two sections, as a large party always decreases the chances of success in an unexplored region. Colonel Roosevelt suggested that Cherrie and I draw lots, or to settle the matter in any way we chose as to which one should accompany him. After due consideration it seemed to me that, as Cherrie was the older and more experienced man, he was justly entitled to accompany the c
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CHAPTER XVII DOWN THE COAST OF PERU—LAKE TITICACA AND LA PAZ—THROUGH THE ANCIENT INCAN EMPIRE TO COCHABAMBA
CHAPTER XVII DOWN THE COAST OF PERU—LAKE TITICACA AND LA PAZ—THROUGH THE ANCIENT INCAN EMPIRE TO COCHABAMBA
The coast of Peru looked decidedly uninviting as day after day the S. S. Palena of the Chilean Line nosed her way southward through the placid water of the Pacific. The high, rocky shore stretched on interminably, it seemed; no graceful palm or speck of green of any kind gladdened the eye; there were only the barren cliffs, against which the swell dashed itself into snowy spray and, above them, slopes of hot brown sand. This was in sharp contrast with the low Ecuadorian shore-line; that was bad
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CHAPTER XVIII CROSSING THE BOLIVIAN HIGHLANDS FROM COCHABAMBA TO THE CHAPARÉ
CHAPTER XVIII CROSSING THE BOLIVIAN HIGHLANDS FROM COCHABAMBA TO THE CHAPARÉ
Cochabamba is one of the more important cities of Bolivia. In size it ranks next to La Paz, although it is not nearly so modern, and in point of activity it is far in advance of Sucre. The population is about thirty-five thousand. The plain upon which the city is built was at one time the bottom of a lake, which fact is indicated by its ancient name of Oropeza, a Quechua word meaning “plain of the lake.” On account of its high elevation, which is approximately eight thousand five hundred feet ab
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CHAPTER XIX AMONG THE YURACARÉ INDIANS OF THE RIO CHIMORÉ
CHAPTER XIX AMONG THE YURACARÉ INDIANS OF THE RIO CHIMORÉ
True to his promise, Padre Fulgencio sent the Indians to Todos Santos, and on the morning of August 2 we packed into canoes such of our equipment as was necessary for the trip and started across the brown water of the Chaparé. On the other side of the river there was no clearing; the trees grew down to the water’s edge, and the moment the canoes were left behind we plunged into the perpetual gloom of the forest. An indistinct trail led into the heart of the jungle. The Indians adjusted our belon
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CHAPTER XX THE CACTUS FORESTS OF CENTRAL BOLIVIA—COCHABAMBA TO SAMAIPATA
CHAPTER XX THE CACTUS FORESTS OF CENTRAL BOLIVIA—COCHABAMBA TO SAMAIPATA
The journey from Cochabamba to Sucre presents difficulties, no matter which of the two available routes is selected. It is possible to take a pack-train to the beginning of the railroad at Cala Cala and proceed by train to Potosi, thence by cart or pack-train (or by motor-car in the dry season) to Sucre; but we preferred to go the whole way by pack-train, following the roundabout Santa Cruz trail, as this would enable us to see the country and also to stop at any time we chose to investigate the
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CHAPTER XXI A MULE-BACK JOURNEY ON THE SANTA CRUZ TRAIL TO SUCRE
CHAPTER XXI A MULE-BACK JOURNEY ON THE SANTA CRUZ TRAIL TO SUCRE
Samaipata is in no particular different from the towns through which we had passed during the previous two weeks. Perhaps provisions were somewhat more abundant, and a small number of mules and sheep grazed in the nearby pastures; but the general distress and dejection were very much the same, and never failed to give one the impression that the settlements were tottering on the brink of obliteration. Everywhere we heard tales of woe about the prevalence of malarial fever during a part of the ye
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CHAPTER XXII SUCRE, THE RIO PILCOMAYO, AND THE UPLAND DESERT TO THE ARGENTINE FRONTIER
CHAPTER XXII SUCRE, THE RIO PILCOMAYO, AND THE UPLAND DESERT TO THE ARGENTINE FRONTIER
The inhabitants of Sucre insist that their city is still the capital of the country, and that the removal of the government to La Paz is temporary only, owing to the greater accessibility of the latter place. They are confident that with the completion of the railroad from Potosi the old régime will return, and with it the gayety and activities that such an event occasions. This, however, does not seem probable. The city is built on a plateau over nine thousand feet up, on the site of an ancient
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CHAPTER XXIII BIRD-NESTING IN NORTHWESTERN ARGENTINA
CHAPTER XXIII BIRD-NESTING IN NORTHWESTERN ARGENTINA
La Quiaca is similar in size and appearance to Villazón. There are a number of stores or trading-posts where miners from the surrounding mountains secure their outfits and provisions. It is also the terminus of the railroad from the south. One may go by rail directly to Buenos Aires. The settlement stands on a level, wind-swept plateau, and the weather was very cold. The neighboring peaks of the Andes are rich in mines, and multitudes of llamas and mules come down the steep trails each day, lade
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CHAPTER XXIV THE CHACO, SUGAR-PLANTATIONS AND RICE MARSHES—A SEARCH FOR A RARE BIRD
CHAPTER XXIV THE CHACO, SUGAR-PLANTATIONS AND RICE MARSHES—A SEARCH FOR A RARE BIRD
The train for the Chaco left Perico at 9 P. M. It was composed largely of second-class coaches crowded with immigrants, mostly Italians bound for various parts of the great land that is being rapidly thrown open to colonization. There was, however, also a compartment-car in which we had taken the precaution of making a reservation some time in advance. The darkness prevented our seeing the landscape through which we passed, but on our return we noted that there was little change from that around
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CHAPTER XXV VIZCACHA-HUNTING IN AN ARGENTINE DESERT—GIANT SNAKES
CHAPTER XXV VIZCACHA-HUNTING IN AN ARGENTINE DESERT—GIANT SNAKES
Our stay in Tucuman lasted but a few days. During this time our Quechua boy, who had been with us constantly since our first arrival in Cochabamba, spent most of his time at the zoological park. The lions, the tigers, even the camels did not interest him greatly; but the elephant! It was impossible that there could be any such animal. He spent hour after hour seated on the ground silently contemplating the great creature. I wondered what his people would say to him when he returned to them and a
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CHAPTER XXVI THE LAKE REGION OF WESTERN ARGENTINA—THE HEART OF THE WINE COUNTRY
CHAPTER XXVI THE LAKE REGION OF WESTERN ARGENTINA—THE HEART OF THE WINE COUNTRY
Inhabitants of the vine-growing districts of Argentina claim that their country produces more wine than California; and, judging by appearances as we entered the Province of San Juan, there seemed to be abundant evidence to support the belief that the yield of grapes is enormous. The soil is sandy and the seepage of snow-water from the mountains is ample to make up for the lack of rainfall. Many of the vineyards are of great extent. Grapes of numerous varieties are grown, and for size and flavor
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