A Guacharo Cave.



2 37



while here and there a little Sandpiper might be seen trotting

along the shore. Overhead, Vultures circled lazily in the sun¬

lit sky and far out, over the Venezuelan coast, a great Frigate

Bird hung almost motionless in the heavens.


When we finally reached the entrance of the Guacharo

cave, we were confronted with our first real difficulty. How

were we to enter the grotto ? The waves, moderate though they

were, sucked and gurgled ominously among the rocks that

choked the mouth, and to approach them meant considerable

danger to the already insecure boat. It was only after two or

three futile attempts that we were able to gain a landing and,

soaked to the skin, struggle on to the slippery barrier. To go

further, we now found it necessary to doff our garments and

enter the water. This swim, from the brilliant light of day into

the depths of an unknown cavern, was a weird experience that I

am never likely to forget. Hardly had we taken to the water

before the Diablotins became restless and commenced to utter a

curious “ cluttering ” sound, and one or two could be seen flutter¬

ing across the gloom. As we trespassed still further on their

seclusion, swimming through the narrow entrance, this cluttering

sound—impossible to describe on paper—gave way to harsh,

raucous screams, and the air soon became filled with shadowy

phantoms. Before long all the birds had taken wing and were

hovering in the green twilight of the vault—brown, flickering

forms, uttering wild cries that echoed weirdly in the hollow roof.

A faint, musty odour, emanating from the birds, mingled with the

natural sulphurous fumes of the chamber and further enhanced the

hellish effect of the situation. It was now easy to understand

why these strange creatures had been named “ Tittle Devils.”

No species could possibly have made a deeper impression upon

one’s imagination than these uncouth troglodytes, with their

fiendish cries, their ghostly flight and their faint evasive odour.


Fortunately the water was not very deep towards the ex¬

tremity of the cave, and we were presently able to feel the

ground under our feet. This gave us leisure to observe that the

upper ledges were festooned with numbers of massive, Swallow¬

like nests. Near these a few Diablotins would sometimes alight

Sitting squat, like Nightjars, and huddled against the wall, these



