ADVENTURES
OF
A YOUNG NATURALIST.
BY
LUCIEN BIART.
EDITED AND ADAPTED BY
PARKER GILLMORE,
AUTHOR OF "ALL ROUND THE WORLD," "GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE," "ACCESSIBLE
FIELD SPORTS," ETC.
_WITH ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS._
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
1871.
PREFACE.
There is no country on the face of the earth that possesses greater
interest in the eyes of the scientific or travelled than Mexico, the
scene where the adventures so graphically and clearly narrated in this
volume transpired: nor is this partiality to be wondered at when we
recall to memory what a lavish hand Nature has subtended to her.
Although several of our most celebrated naturalists have climbed its
lofty volcanic mountains, explored its lagoons and giant rivers, and
traversed its immense forests, still, from the vast extent of that
country and variety of climate--caused by difference of elevation--much
yet remains to be done ere the public become thoroughly conversant with
its arboreal and zoological productions.
The elephant, hippopotamus, lion, and tiger, the largest and most
formidable of the terrestrial mammals of the Old World, are not here to
be found; but their places are well supplied by the swamp-loving tapir,
the voracious alligator, the stealthy puma, and the blood-thirsty
jaguar, all well worthy of the sportsman's rifle, or of the
snake-visioned native warrior's weapons--for the power of destruction in
these animals during life is great, while after death they either
furnish valuable skins or wholesome food. Moreover, here the wolf awakes
the reverberating echoes of the forest with its dismal howl; the
raccoon, opossum, and squirrel pass their lives in sportive gambols; the
wild and the ocellated turkeys strut about, pompous in manner, as if
conscious of their handsome plumage, while the timid deer and
shaggy-coated bison roam over prairies or through woodland glades, as
yet unacquainted with the report of the white man's destructive
fire-arms.
Can it, therefore, be surprising that our little hero should have craved
to be permitted to have a sight of this new land, so rich in the
prospect of adventure? How he behaved himself throughout the numerous
ordeals to which he was submitted, suffice it for me to say that his
conduct was worthy of the representative of any nationality, and such as
was calculated to make all parents proud of their offspring; for whether
suffering from thirst or hunger, being persecuted by noxious insects,
straying in the woods, even when within reach of the fiercest carnivora
or in the presence of the deadliest reptiles, he never for a moment
hesitated in performing his seniors' instructions, lost his courage, or,
better still, an opportunity of improving his mind.
That the young English reader may benefit as much by the perusal of this
work as Master Lucien, otherwise "Sunbeam," did by his journey through
the Cordilleras of Mexico, and that they may enjoy the information
herein imparted upon the wonderful works of the Creator, is the sincere
wish of
THE EDITOR.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION Page 13
CHAPTER I.
Who we are.--Gringalet.--Sunrise.--The
Sugar-cane.--A Halt. 20
CHAPTER II.
Sugar.--Gringalet in the Molasses
Tank.--L'Encuerado's obstinate Idea.--An Indian
Supper. 34
CHAPTER III.
Waking up in the Morning.--The pigmy World of
Lilliput.--L'Encuerado and the Bottles.--Massacre
of Thistles.--The Charcoal-burning Indians. 46
CHAPTER IV.
A difficult Ascent.--The Goat.--The Indian
Girls.--The Tobacco-plant.--The
Bull-fight.--Game.--Lucien's Gun.--Our Entry into
the Wilderness. 61
CHAPTER V.
The great Forest.--Crows.--The first Bivouac.--The
Squirrel-hunt.--Our young Guide.--The Chant in the
Desert. 76
CHAPTER VI.
Coffee.--Turpentine.--Couroucous.--Pine-needles.--Three
Volcanoes in sight at once.--The Carabus
Family.--Scorpions.--Salamanders.--A midnight
Disturbance. 89
CHAPTER VII.
The Cats'-eyes Pomade.--Armadillo.--Lucien and the
cruel Fern.--The fallen Mountain.--The
Woodpecker.--The Basilisk.--L'Encuerado's fresh
Idea. 104
CHAPTER VIII.
A Vulture's Feast.--Dragon's Blood.--A Coral
Serpent.--The Owl.--Mexican Moles.--Toucans.--The
Scolopacidae.--L'Encuerado turned Tailor.--Sunset. 119
CHAPTER IX.
The South Wind.--The Hurricane.--A fearful
Night.--The uprooted Giant.--The
Sarsaparilla-plant.--Gringalet discovers a
Spring.--Our Bivouac. 135
CHAPTER X.
The Rabbit.--Wild Potatoes.--A difficult Path.--An
extinct Crater.--Hoar-frost.--The Torrent.--The
Fawn.--The Tettigones.--Dragon-flies. 148
CHAPTER XI.
A blue Lizard.--The Guava-tree.--A Cataract.--Nest
of yellow Serpents.--A vegetable Helmet.--The
Kingfisher.--Hunting Water-fleas.--The Tadpole.--A
Collection of Water-bugs. 164
CHAPTER XII.
A Relation of Gringalet.--Our four-footed
Guide.--A Review of our Party.--The
Alligator-tortoise.--The Pheasants.--The
Magnolia.--The Nutmeg-tree.--The Blue-plant.--The
Caterpillar. 182
CHAPTER XIII.
The Sensitive-plant.--Gringalet and the
Porcupine.--The Mexican Chameleon.--The Kite and
the Falcon.--An amphisbaena Snake.--A Council of
Turkeys. 196
CHAPTER XIV.
The Meteor.--God Almighty's Lanterns.--The
Skunk.--The Jalap plant.--An aerial Journey.--The
Orchids.--Bivouac in the Mouth of a
Cave.--Gringalet and the Beetles.--A White Ants'
Nest. 211
CHAPTER XV.
Our Substitutes for Lamps.--First Glance into the
Cave.--The Elaterides.--The Gothic
Hall.--Stalagmites and Stalactites.--A
Chichiquimec Cemetery.--The "Tree of St.
Ignatius."--The Opossum and its little ones. 235
CHAPTER XVI.
The Earth-nuts.--A Wild-cat's Feast.--Another
exploring Expedition to the Cave.--The
Bats.--Excavations in a Tomb. 255
CHAPTER XVII.
A forced March.--Wild-ducks.--Vegetable Soap.--An
unwelcome Guest. 269
CHAPTER XVIII.
Wild Dahlias.--A painful Misadventure.--The
Euphorbia Plants.--The Washer Raccoon.--Surprised
by a Torrent.--L'Encuerado turned Hat-maker.--New
Method for driving out Evil Spirits.--The Anhinga. 282
CHAPTER XIX.
The Black Iguana.--Another Country.--Reminiscences
of Childhood.--The Mirage.--A Fire in the Plain. 299
CHAPTER XX.
The Morning and Night Dew.--The
Terre-Froide.--Water-spouts and Whirlwinds.--The
Barbary Fig-trees.--The Cactus-plants.--The
Viznaga.--Our Hopes disappointed.--Don Benito
Coyotepec. 310
CHAPTER XXI.
Black Skins and white Skins.--We have to turn
Carpenters.--L'Encuerado chanting and
preaching.--The Palm-leaves.--Vegetable Butter
Tree. 326
CHAPTER XXII.
Mexican Oak-apples.--A Stream lost in an
Abyss.--The Wild Nasturtium.--Sportsmen deceived
by Children.--The Grave-digging Beetles.--The
Cochineal Insect.--Mexican Wine.--Good-bye to our
Indian Hosts. 339
CHAPTER XXIII.
Again on the Road.--The Bird-catching Spider.--The
Marten and the Skunk.--The Flying Squirrel.--The
Otter-hunt.--L'Encuerado wounded. 353
CHAPTER XXIV.
A laborious Task.--Wild Lime-trees.--Pigeons.--The
West India Cherry.--The Earwig.--Snakes and
Serpents.--First Glance at the Terre-Chaude. 367
CHAPTER XXV.
A Ground-squirrel.--A Mouse's Nest.--Humming-birds
and their young ones.--The Locust-tree.--Mexican
Wolves and their Retreat. 375
CHAPTER XXVI.
The Path through the Forest.--A forced March.--The
Bromelaceae.--Mosquitoes.--The Water-plant.--The
Promised Land.--A Band of Monkeys. 387
CHAPTER XXVII.
L'Encuerado and the Parrots.--Gringalet meets a
Friend.--The Cougar, or American Lion.--A
Stream.--Our "Palm-tree Villa."--Turtles'
Eggs.--The Tantalus.--Herons and Flamingoes. 400
CHAPTER XXVIII.
A Grove of Logwood trees.--Ants at their
Work.--Parasitic Insects.--The Great
Ant-eater.--Spoonbills and Herons.--Lost in the
Forest. 415
CHAPTER XXIX.
A nocturnal Visitor.--The Fall of a Tree.--A
fearful Night.--The Monkeys.--Master Job.--All
right at last. 428
CHAPTER XXX.
We build a Raft.--The Horned Serpent.--Good-bye to
"Palm-tree Villa."--Mosquitoes and
Horse-flies.--The Rattlesnake.--An Ocelot. 438
CHAPTER XXXI.
The Hunters hunted.--Escape from Peccaries.--A
Jaguar-hunt.--An Ibis.--The Caymans.--The Wild
Bulls. 446
CHAPTER XXXII.
The King of the Vultures.--The Ticks.--L'Encuerado
frightened by a Demon.--The Tapirs.--Good-bye to
the Stream.--The Puma's Prey.--A miserable
Night.--Our Departure.--The Savannah.--Lucien
carried in a Litter.--Hunger and Thirst.--We
abandon our Baggage and Pets in Despair. 464
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Thirst.--L'Encuerado's Return.--The Description of
his Journey.--Janet, Verdet, and
Rougette.--Hunting wild Horses.--Our last
Adventure.--The Return. 483
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FRONTISPIECE.
We were just then passing through a plantation PAGE 28
At last, lagging a little, our party reached the
foot of the mountains 44
The basket and its bearer chased one another down the hill 50
Almost immediately the foliage was pushed aside 56
On hearing the uproar two Indian women came running towards
us 65
Behind us opened a dark, narrow ravine, with perpendicular
sides 74
We now entered one of those glades 82
It was really a capital dinner 101
The dog began to howl desperately 114
A flock of vultures attracted our attention 121
Lucien loudly called out to me 126
Sumichrast halted near three gigantic stones 146
A labyrinth of rocks brought us out in front of a stony
rampart more than a hundred feet in height 152