THE COCK OF THE ROCK. 



(^ HE Cock-of-the-Rock lives in 

 ^ Guiana. Its nest is found 



oj among the rocks. T. K 



~^ Salmon says: " I once went 

 to see the breeding place of the Cock- 

 of-the-Rock ; and a darker or wilder 

 place I have never been in. Follow- 

 ing up a mountain stream the 

 gorge became gradually more en- 

 closed and more rocky, till I arrived 

 at the mouth of a cave with high rock 

 on each side, and overshadowed by 

 high trees, into which the sun never 

 penetrated. All was wet and dark, 

 and the only sound heard was the 

 rushing of the water over the rocks. 

 We had hardly become accustomed to 

 the gloom when a nest was found, a 

 dark bird stealing away from what 

 seemed to be a lump of mud upon the 

 face of the rock. This was a nest 

 of the Cock-of-the-Rock, containing 

 two eggs ; it was built upon a pro- 

 jecting piece, the body being made 

 of mud or clay, then a few sticks, 

 and on the top lined with green moss. 

 It was about five feet from the water. 

 I did not see the male bird, and, indeed, 

 I have rarely ever seen the male and 

 female • birds together, though I have 

 seen both sexes in separate flocks.'' 

 The eggs are described as pale buff 

 with various sized spots of shades from 

 red-brown to pale lilac. 



It is a solitary and wary bird, 

 feeding before sunrise and after sunset 

 and hiding through the day in sombre 

 ravines. 



Robert Schomburgh decribes its 

 dance as follows: 



" While traversing the mountains 

 of Western Guiana we fell in with a 

 pack of these splendid birds, which 



gave me the opportunity of being an 

 eye witness of their dancing, an ac- 

 complishment which I had hitherto 

 regarded as a fable. We cautiously 

 approached their ballet ground and 

 place of meeting, which lay some little 

 distance from the road. The stage, if 

 we may so call it, measured from four 

 to five feet in diameter ; every blade of 

 grass had been removed and the ground 

 was as smooth as if leveled by human 

 hands. On this space we saw one of 

 the birds dance and jump about, while 

 the others evidently played the part of 

 admiring spectators At one moment 

 it expanded its wmgs, threw its head 

 in the air, or spread out its tail like a 

 peacock scratching the ground with 

 its foot ; all this took place with a sort 

 of hopping gait, until tired, when on 

 emitting a peculiar note, its place was 

 immediately filled by another per- 

 former. In this manner the different 

 birds went through their terpsichorean 

 exercises, each retiring to its place 

 among the spectators, who had settled 

 on the low bushes near the theatre of 

 operations. We counted ten males 

 and two females in the flock. The 

 noise of a breaking stick unfortunately 

 raised an alarm, when the whole com- 

 pany of dancers immediately flew off." 

 " The Indians, who place great value 

 on their skins, eagerly seek out their 

 playing grounds, and armed with 

 their blow-tubes and poisoned arrows, 

 lie in wait for the dances. The hunter 

 does not attempt to use his weapon 

 until the company is quite engrossed 

 in the performance, when the birds 

 become so pre-occupied with their 

 amusement that four or five are often 

 killed before the survivors detect the 

 danger and decamp." 



