168 



it is asserted, introduced into the skin of a par- 

 rot, in places where the feathers have been 

 plucked out, occasions the growth of frizzled 

 feathers of a yellow or red colour. The Indians 

 showed us on the way what is no doubt very 

 curious in that country, traces of cart wheels in 

 the rock. They spoke, as of an unknown ani- 

 mal, of those beasts with large horns, which, 

 at the time of the expedition to the boundaries, 

 drew the boats through the valley of Keri from 

 the Rio Toparo to the Rio Cameji, to avoid the 

 cataracts, and spare the trouble of unloading 

 the merchandize. I believe those poor inhabi- 

 tants of Maypures would now be as much as- 

 tonished at the sight of an ox of the Spanish 

 breed, as the Romans were at the sight of the 

 Lucanian oxen, as they called the elephants of 

 the army of Pyrrhus. 



By a running canal through the valley of 

 Keri, joining the little rivers Cameji and Toparo, 

 the passage of boats through the raudales 

 might be rendered superfluous. On this simple 

 idea was founded the project, the first sketch of 

 which I submitted to the Spanish government 

 by means of the captain-general of Caraccas, 

 Mr. de Guevara-Vasconzelos. The cataract of 

 Maypures furnishes, by the nature of the sur- 

 rounding soil, facilities which would be sought 

 in vain at Atures. The canal would be two 

 thousand eight hundred and fifty, or one thou- 



