SOUTH AMERICA. 



301 



" Tramite quo tendis, majoraque viribus aiides." Fourth 



JoURNEr. 



I grant that I have erred, but I will do so no more. In 



general I avoid politics ; they are too heavy for me, and 

 I am aware that they have caused the fall of many a 

 strong and able man ; they require the shoulders of Atlas 

 to support their weight. 



When I was in the rocky mountains of Macoushia, in Cocksof the 



Rock. 



the month of June, 1812, 1 saw four young Cocks of the 

 Rock in an Indian's hut; they had been taken out of the 

 nest that week. They were of a uniform dirty brown 

 colour, and by the position of the young feathers upon 

 the head, you might see that there would be a crest there 

 when the bird arrived at maturity. By seeing young ones 

 in the month of June, I immediately concluded that the 

 old Cock of the Rock would be in fnie plumage from the 

 end of November to the beginning of May ; and that the 

 naturalist, ivlio was in cjuest of specimens for his museum, 

 ought to arrange his plans in such a manner as to be able 

 to get into Macoushia during these months. However, 

 I find now, that no exact period can be fixed; for, in 

 December, 1824, an Indian, in the river Demerara, gave 

 me a young Cock of the Rock not a month old, and it 

 had just been brought from the Macoushi country. By 

 having a young specimen at this time of the year, it puts 

 it out of one's power to say at what precise time the old 

 birds are in full plumage. I took it on board a ship with 

 me for England, but it was so very susceptible of cold 



