The tapir, which resembles a monstrous pig, is the largest. The puma, the jag'-u-ar, and the tiger-cat are the most ferocious. Like the lion, they belong to the cat family.
Armadillos, wild dogs, deer, sloths, ant-eaters, and opossums abound. The tree tops are alive with gayly-feathered birds, and noisy with screaming parrots and chattering monkeys.
Through the dense shade you hear the curious notes of the campanéro (cam-pa-nay'-ro) or tolling-bell bird, sounding like the strokes of a hammer on an anvil.
Sailors, on the waters of the Amazon, often surprise the alligator sunning himself on the banks, and perhaps see also the boa-constrictor, thirty or forty feet long, coiled around the body of some unfortunate animal and crushing it to death.
The scarlet flamingo, the heron, and spoonbill dart their beaks into the water to catch their prey. Humming-birds, dressed in every color of the rainbow, flit through the air.
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| Peruvian gentleman and some South American animals. | |
Ascending the Andes one may find other strange animals. In the high cold plains near the line of perpetual snow is the home of the llama (lah'-mah), often called the American camel. The natives tame it and use it as a beast of burden.
The hair of the alpaca is used in making a kind of cloth also called alpaca. The flesh is used for food.
The condor, a bird of prey larger than an eagle, lives among the peaks of the Andes. The rhea, or South American ostrich, roams in flocks over the hot pampas of the La Plata.
3. Occupations.—The leading occupations are agriculture, cattle raising, and mining.
Brazil, Argentina, and Chile are the chief agricultural regions. The Llanos of Venezuela and the Pampas of Argentina and Uruguay are the great cattle-raising districts.
HOMES AND PEOPLE.
In the first picture on the opposite page we have a city home in South America. The people of warm countries are fond of living out of doors, and so the lawns are often more attractive than the inside of the house. They are made beautiful with vines, flowers, and shade trees. The family spend the hot part of the day among these cool and pleasant surroundings. Notice that there are no chimneys on any of the houses in the pictures and that the roofs are made of tiles baked from red clay. In what part of South America do you think it would be too warm for fires? Point out these regions on the relief map.
The country home on the left-hand side of the page is like the city home in some ways. It is more rudely built and has no windows. How does the lawn differ from the first one? The Indian boy at the top of the page has a heavy bundle strapped to his back. He looks like a pack-peddler; indeed, he is one. Such peddlers are as common in South America as horses and wagons are in our country. Bread, milk, fruit, water, poultry, meat, and every sort of merchandise are carried about on the backs of men, women, and donkeys to be sold. A traveler in South America has his trunk carried on the back of an Indian. The mothers carry their babies on their backs and other things on their heads at the same time.
In the center of the page is a view of a courtyard of a Spanish-American hotel at La Paz. Notice that all the buildings are low, being only one or two stories in height. What reason can you give for this?
In South American countries a light shawl, or mantilla, is often used to cover the head and shoulders. The two ladies shown in the picture are dressed in this way.
In the lower left-hand corner of the picture is a farmer on horseback. In what part of South America does he live? His farm is no doubt a very large one, and he has to ride over it to oversee his work. The blanket that he wears about his shoulders is called a poncho. The poncho is merely a square piece of cloth with a hole in the middle, through which the head is thrust. It then falls loosely about the shoulders.
The cattle man in the opposite corner reminds us of the cow-boy that we read about on page 36. He is dressed a little differently, but he has a lasso hung on his saddle. He does not have so much use for it as the cow-boy, because in Argentina the cattle are kept in large fields fenced with wire. The wire is bought in the United States.
Between the farmer and the cattle man is a picture of an Indian woman. In what part of South America does she live? How is she dressed? How is the tent made in which she lives? The Indians of this part of South America are very brave and warlike and fought for many years against the Spanish settlers who came to live in their country.
