California. But you, young
reader, have already had a full account of the vultures of America--the
condor among the rest--therefore we shall not repeat what was said by
the vaquero about this interesting bird.

On the way to the place where the snares were to be set, they passed a
lagoon, or marshy lake, in which were many kinds of birds peculiar to
these high regions. Out on the open water they saw a wild goose of a
very beautiful species. It is called the "Huachua" goose. Its plumage is
of a snowy whiteness, all except the wings, which are bright green and
violet, while the beak, legs, and feet, are scarlet. They also saw two
species of ibis wading about in the marsh, and a gigantic water-hen
almost as big as a turkey. This last is of a dark grey colour, with a
red beak, at the base of which is a large yellow knob of the shape of a
bean. On this account it is called by the Indians "bean nose."

Upon the plain, near the border of the marsh, they noticed a beautiful
plover, having plumage marked very much like that of the "huachua"
goose, with green wings shining in the sun like polished metal. Another
curious bird also sat upon the plain, or flew around their heads. This
was a bird of prey of the species of jerfalcons (_Polyborus_). The
vaquero called it the "Huarahua." He told Leon it preyed only on
carrion, and never killed its own food; that it was very harmless and
tame--which was evidently true, as, shortly after, one of them seated
upon a stone allowed the Indian to approach and knock it over with a
stick! Such a silly bird Leon had never seen.

The vaquero was quite a naturalist in his way--that is, he knew all the
animals of the Puna, and their habits, just as you will sometimes find a
gamekeeper in our own country, or often a shepherd or farm-servant. He
pointed out a rock-woodpecker, which he called a "pito" (_Colaptes
rupicola_), that was fluttering about and flying from rock to rock. Like
the cliff-parrots we have already mentioned, this rock-woodpecker was a
curious phenomenon, for, as their very name implies, the woodpeckers are
all tree-dwelling birds, yet here was one of the genus living among
rocks where not a tree was to be seen, and scarcely a plant, except the
thorny cactuses and magueys, with which succulent vegetables the
woodpecker has nothing to do. The "pito" is a small, brown, speckled
bird, with yellow belly, and there were great numbers of them flying
about.

But the bird which most fixe