s. Inside this case the creature can live secure from its enemies
while feeding and growing. We afterwards found several of the same
description. Another sort had made itself a bag of leaves open at both
ends, the inside being lined with a thick web. It put us in mind of the
caddis worms which we had seen in ponds in England.

We took care when going on always to keep in sight of each other.
Arthur and I were together, and Duppo a little ahead. "Hark!" exclaimed
Arthur, "some one is singing in the distance." I listened, and felt
sure that some native, who had climbed up a tree not far off to get
fruit, was amusing himself by singing. John and Duppo stopped also,
attracted by the same sounds. We looked about in every direction, but
could see no one. Now the tones changed somewhat, and became more like
those of a flageolet, very sweet, and we expected to hear it break into
a curious native air, when presently it stopped, and instead of the
flute-like notes, some clicking, unmusical sounds like the piping of a
barrel-organ out of wind and tune reached our ears. Not till then had
we supposed that the songster was a bird. Again it struck up in exactly
the same way as before. Though we all four looked about in the
direction whence the notes came, the mysterious songster could not be
discovered. Duppo was evidently telling us a long story about it, but
what he said we could not comprehend. I afterwards found that the bird
is called by the Portuguese the realejo, or organ-bird (_Cyphorhinus
cantans_). It is the chief songster of the Amazonian forests. The
natives hold it in great respect, and Duppo seemed very unwilling to go
on while the bird continued its notes.

At length we reached the village, and were received in a friendly way by
our young guide's mother. Oria also seemed very glad to see us, and the
little fat child whom Arthur called Diogenes, because he had first seen
him seated in a tub, put out his hands to welcome us, in no way alarmed
at what must have appeared to him our extraordinary appearance. Our
hostess appeared somewhat anxious, and she had good cause to be so, for
no news had been received of the war-party. Duppo explained what we had
come for. She replied that she was afraid all the canoes had been
carried off, though it was possible a small one might have been
overlooked further up the stream, and, if such were the case, she would
do her best to persuade the owner to sell it to us.