RUPICOLA. 295 



bush, which led .us to a somowhat open space, and, peering most 

 carefully through the bushes, we were fortunate enough to see 

 the ' dance ' of this bird. There were about twenty birds — male 

 and female — perched on the bushes surrounding the level ground 

 in the open space uttering their encouraging cries to a male, this 

 bird with lowered wings and outspread tail, which it moved up 

 and down, now and then scratching the ground, walking round 

 and round, and jumping into the air until apparently exhausted it 

 flew back to join those sitting on the bushes. This was imme- 

 diately followed by another that went through the same per- 

 formance. The females remained perched all the time uttering 

 their notes of encouragement. The bird appears to be very 

 delicate, as the slighest touch of a shot seems to kill it.'^ 



Scbomburgk states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 694) that he only met 

 with this gorgeous bird in two localities in British Guiana — viz., 

 on the rocky Canuku Mountains and on the Sand-stone rneks, 

 Awarimatta on Wenamu, a tributary of the Upper Cuyuni River. 

 They were in large numbers in both localities. It has been said 

 that it inhabits and breeds in the caves in these places, but this is 

 not correct as far as E. crocea is concerned. The only time he 

 saw it on the ground was when it was dancing. He never found 

 it nesting on trees — as R. peruviana does according to Tschudi — but 

 it builds its nests on the rock-walls like the Martins. It lives in 

 flocks and has a very unpleasant call. Its food appears to consist 

 of fruit only, if one may judge by the contents of the stomachs of 

 those examined. It does not live long in confinement, for though 

 he had often seen immature birds in cages, he had never seen one 

 in the orange plumage of the adult. He was of opinion, there- 

 fore, that they died at an early age. The nidification is not 

 restricted to any particular season of the year, as he had seen 

 immature birds in the possession of the natives during the months 

 of April and May and also of December. The full plumage of the 

 adult bird reaches its perfection in March. Its flesh, which is 

 good-flavoured, has a peculiar yellow-orange colour. 



The natives call it Kabanaru, and use its feathers for adorn- 

 ments. 



Brown (Canoe and Camp Life, p. 228) gives the following note 

 on this bird : — " Cocks of the Rock {Rvpicola cayanna) were 

 numerous in the surrounding thickets, where their sharp disagree- 

 able cry was frequently heard. They are so restless, jumping 



