frond – the usual name for a palm leaf (or that of a fern)
you could do worse than go and investigate – you might just as well go and investigate
the time off – here a leave of absence
to get into one's stride – literally, to begin walking with long and measured steps; figuratively, to be carried away in some process (e. g. of talking)
semi-inebriated – half-drunk, half-intoxicated (a bookish word)
to sport - here to wear or exhibit, especially in great quantities
Durrell means that the wagon-driver's moustache was allowed to grow without any hindrance, as plants are in a nature reserve.
blancmange (Fr.) - a sweet jelly-like dessert made of a starchy substance and milk, sugar and almond
mucha agua (Sp.) - much water
in next to no time – very quickly, almost instantly
to play a fish – to let a fish tire itself out while hooked by tugging at the line
que pasa? (Sp.) - what has happened?
nafta no hay (Sp.) - there's no fuel
our nether regions – the lower part of our bodies (nether - jocular for lower, under, as in nether garments)
in his shirt-tails – without trousers, in his shirt only (this humorous expression is a cross between the two idiomatic phrases: in one's shirt-sleeves 'without a coat' and in one's tails 'in full dress, in a dress-coat')
to roar into life – to come to life with a roar (an engine roars when being started up)
water hazard – here an obstacle in the form of a river (the term comes from golf, where the word hazard means 'any obstruction in playing a stroke, including bunkers, traps, ponds, roadways, etc')
apron – here a shield made of some hard material and placed below a dam or across a river-bed to protect it from damage by water
purchase – here a mechanical advantage, a fast hold
to nose – here to push or move with the nose or front forward
to stall – of an engine, to stop working (from overload, etc.)
Fairy Godmother – a good fairy from fairy tales, who appears quite unexpectedly at the very moment she is badly wanted and helps her god-child out of trouble (e. g. in the tale of Cinderella). Being a fairy she can appear in different disguise, hence the authors description ("heavily disguised…").
took in our predicament in a glance – understood at once our awkward situation (in a glance = at a glance)
An ironical reference to the Duke of Wellington's (1769- 1852) military preparations before the battle of Waterloo (1815), where his army defeated Napoleon
to quarter – here to pass over an area of ground in every direction in search of game (the word is usually applied to hunting-dogs)
bibulous – addicted to alcoholic liquor, to drinking; in this roundabout way the author describes invitations to differ-ent drinking-parties
jardin zoologico (Sp.) - a zoological garden, a zoo
the well of the house – a shaft in a building or between buildings, open to the sky for light and air; airshaft
yellow-naped macaw [me'ko:] – a large, bright-colored, harsh-voiced parrot of Central and South America
Brazilian rabbit – a burrowing rodent of the hare family, smaller than most hares and having soft fur, long ears, and a bobbed tail (the rodents are characterized by constantly growing incisors, or cutting teeth, adapted for gnawing or nibbling; on this group of mammals see also p. 119)
agouti – a rodent of the guinea-pig family, the size of a rabbit; orange-rumped – having an orange-colored rump, i.e. posterior (including the buttocks)
nervous breakdown – a state of extreme depression
patio ['paetiou] (Sp.) - a courtyard or inner area open to the sky, common in Spanish and South-American architecture
accoutrement – personal outfit or equipment; when used in the plural, the word generally means military outfit
to relieve – here to make less monotonous, to brighten
canary-yellow – a light yellow color, like that of a canary bird, a small yellow song bird, native to the Canary Islands, Madeira and Azores
to take kindly to something – to get easily accustomed to something
capybara – the largest of now existing rodents, a tailless, partially web-footed animal that lives in and around lakes and streams in South America
unlikely – here not likely to be met with in this family
The author has in mind the well-known reconstruction of an ancient horse skeleton. The ancient horse had five toes; four of them were in time reduced and disappeared.
a hump-behind – a behind with a hump on it (a word formed by analogy with hump-back)
ague – here fit of shivering
nightcap (colloq.) - an alcoholic drink taken just before going to bed
at the crack of dawn – at break of day, very early in the morning
to fan out – to spread out in several directions (in fan-shape), a word usually applied to the movement of troops after a breakthrough
seriema – a crested Brazilian and Argentinean
bird of the crane family, with gray and amber coloring and long legs and neck
coatimundi [,kouti'mundi] (or coati) – a small, flesh-eating mammal of Central and South America, resembling a raccoon (see the next note), but with a long flexible snout
raccoon – a small, tree-climbing, flesh-eating mammal of North America, active largely at night and characterized by long, yellow-black fur, black masklike markings around the eyes, and a long, black-ringed tail
M. I. 5 – in England, the section of Military Intelligence which deals with matters of State security
ocelot ['ousilot] – a large wild cat of North and South America, with yellow or gray hide marked with black spots
to date – up to that time
council rubbish dump – the place in a city where rubbish is deposited (the word council here means 'local administrative body of a city, town or district')
flotsam and jetsam – worthless things, rubbish, trash (originally, flotsam was a term of naval law, meaning wreckage found floating on the sea, while jetsam meant goods thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress)
the point of no return – a poetical paraphrase for death
character rendering – here personal remarks, personalities
fifty-fifty – equal, even
marquee [ma:'ki:] – a big tent with open sides, especially one used for outdoor entertainments
professional – here a professional actor, one belonging to the theatrical profession, often called colloquially the profession (especially among actors)