one of them. Each of these marks consists in part
of a jet-black ring, with other different colored rings inside of it,
which make the whole figure like an eye.

"You remember a fellow who was called Argus in mythology, who had a
hundred eyes, of which only two were ever asleep at the same time. This
bird gets his name from him; though the story is that Mercury killed
him, and Venus transferred his eyes to the tail of the peacock."

"Thanks for the lecture, Louis," said Scott when he had finished his
description. "It was certainly a part of our plan in coming to Borneo to
study natural history; and we are doing so instead of shooting all the
time."

Just at this moment Felix, who had wandered from the fore cabin to the
waist, discharged his fowling-piece. The Milesian was as good a shot as
Louis, for both of them had been trained in the same shooting-gallery in
New York. All hands rushed to the rail to ascertain what the hunter had
brought down. On the bank of the river they discovered a creature about
two feet long, lying on its back, and struggling in its death-throes.

Lane leaped ashore, and soon laid the animal on the gunwale of the boat
by the side of the argus. It was a queer-looking creature about the
head, and no one on board except Achang had ever seen one like it. For
the length of the head, the muzzle was very broad, hardly less than
three inches. It was covered with a soft and rather long fur on its
body, dark brown in color.

"What do you call my game, Mr. Naturalist?" demanded Felix, addressing
Louis, who was looking the animal over.

"_Cynogale Bennetti_," replied the young naturalist very gravely.

"Faix, that's jist what I thought he was whin Oi foired at him," added
Felix. "Sin O, gal! But what had Ben Netty to do wid it? Or was Netty
the name of the gal?"

"I gave you the scientific name because this creature has no plain
English name, though the natives here call it the _mampalon_," added
Louis.

"That's what we call it; but I forgot the name," said Achang.

"He is one of the otter family; and Mr. Hornaday, whose book I hope you
will all read when you return to the ship, thought it might be called
the otter-cat. I wish we could have taken him alive, for it would have
made a very nice specimen to set up in the cabin of the
Guardian-Mother."

"I should like to knock over the big orang-outang you want, Louis, my
darling," continued Felix. "There comes a covered sampan up the river,"
he ad