“What beauties!” murmured Sam.
“Ready, all of you,” came from the professor. “Take aim. Fire!”
The word was not yet out of his mouth when the birds became alarmed and started to rise. But at the volley two dropped into the water dead while two others fluttered helplessly among the trees. The professor and Mark ran after the latter and after some trouble put them to death and brought them in. In the meantime those in the pool were also secured.
“These birds are crested curassows, or hoccos,” said the professor. “Some of them are the color of those we have shot but the majority are black. They are very numerous in Venezuela, Guiana, and Brazil, and a great many people keep them as we do tame turkeys, and the meat is very much the same.”
“Hurrah for the turkey meat!” exclaimed Frank. “That will be a change from our fish diet.”
With the curassows slung over their backs they proceeded on their way, around the pool and up the mountain torrent, to where there was a small stretch of table-land. From this point they could obtain a clear view of the surrounding country for many miles.
“There is the Orinoco,” said Mark, pointing to the stream as it glistened in the sunlight. “But the hill is between us and our camp.”
On the table-land they brought down a score of birds, including a trogon, a beautiful creature of black, green and gold, with long, sweeping tail; a pair of birds of the sparrow-hawk variety; and several humming-birds.
“These humming-birds are called the ruby and topaz,” said Professor Strong. “They are hunted down by the thousands each year and are used in the decoration, principally, of ladies’ hats.”
“They are certainly pretty,” said Sam. “But what a shame to slaughter them in such a wholesale fashion.”