At last we came upon oak vegetation; and, still farther down, tropical plants. Various birds enlivened our journey by their song, while numbers of brilliant-colored insects hummed cheerfully round us. In less than an hour we had passed from autumn to spring, after having had a glimpse of winter. The creepers very soon obliged us to cut a passage with our machetes; but what was our joy upon perceiving, at the bottom of the ravine, a stream bordered with angelica and water-cress!
Thanks to the abundance of materials, our hut was quickly constructed. While l'Encuerado was getting dinner ready, I went to examine the half-rotten trunk of a tree which was lying on the ground. A multitude of insects, of an elegant shape and of a metallic-blue color, fled at my approach; they belonged to the numerous Carabus family, the flesh-eating Coleopteræ, which are found both in Europe and in America.
"Why don't they fly away, instead of running or tumbling over on the ground?" asked Lucien.
"Because they are but little used to flying, and are very quick at walking," I answered.
"Oh papa! the one I have caught has wetted my fingers, and it feels as if it had burned me."
"You are right; but you needn't be afraid; it will not hurt you. Many of the Carabus family, when they are caught, try to defend themselves by throwing out a corrosive liquid; others make a report, accompanied by smoke, which has given them their name of bombardier."
"What do they find to eat under the bark, in which they must lead a very gloomy life?"
"Larvæ and caterpillars; they are, therefore, more useful than injurious."
"To what order of insects do they belong?"
"To the Coleoptera order, because they have four wings, the largest of which, called elytra, are more or less hard, and justify their name[I] by encasing the two other wings, which are membranous and folded crosswise. The cock-chafer, you know, is one of this order."