126 
We Give a Grand Dinner-Party. 
ont of ten or twelve that I have often wounded at one shot, only one or 
two at most would be found, when I got to the place where they had been 
knocked over. On the very day after our arrival at tlie Cotinga I shot 
one off a tree with a rifle. Tlu' bullet had torn open the whole belly so 
that the guts extruded and yet the bird, di-agging its intestines along, 
succeeded in getting away : it was only when the entrails had caught in 
the underwood, and so hindered its further progress, that one of the 
Indians succeeded in finding it some I'OO paces distant fi-om the spot 
where it Imd fallen. The young leave their nest long before they are able 
to fly, and hop from twig to twig in the company of the parent !)irds and 
with equal adroitness. Jf danger threatens, the old birds make a loud 
cry, but still consisting of two notes, when the yonugsters will ])romptly 
spring from off the bushes or trees, hurry to the grouml, aud disappear in 
the grass. The Indians distinguish Imt two s])ecies: rin/iroKfra and 
C. Ani ai*e called r'unuba ( Arawak), Owowi (Macusi), llonwi ( Waydsi- 
ana), Ouih ( AA'ai iaii ), while (\ major is known as ^^'oworiula ( .Maeiisi i. 
and Cosac (Warrau). Every morning we found the saudbauk burrowed 
all over with crickets ( Gri/llofdl pa o.ri/dacti/lo) an iunnmeralde numbei' 
of which must have taken up their quarters there. I iiave ne ver noticed 
so many <tf (hese creatures as on the sandbanks of the T'otinga. The 
hard solid clayey ground in tlie proximity, might Avell l)e the reason for 
these creatures choosing the looser soil. 
309. The state of the heavens had proved fairly favourable for my 
hrotlier who retui'ued from Sao Joaquim after a tlnee days' absence and 
told us that in return for the friendly reception affordi^l him he hnd 
invited the whole elite of the Fort to nndday dinner on the day after 
the mori'ow and that the invitation had been accepted. 
310. rre]iarations were quickly put in hand, for not only liad we to 
provide a dinner worthy of the occasion l>ut also to find lodging foy the 
Indies, it having been arranged for the party to return early the following 
morning. A shady spot having been cleared with axe and shovel, the 
largest of our tents >\as pitched for the women and decorated outside 
with the English and Pr-ussian flags. The seats of onr boats served as 
tables and benches. These ]>reliminaries over, we had to arrange as 
magnificent a dinner as possible. We made every effor-t to avoid 
supplying our guests with game from the savannah or with fish from the 
Takutu. "We wanted to give them sometliins: to talk aliont for months 
aftevAvards, a wish that was rendered possilde on account of our hnviu-i; 
received with the last load of provisions, some salted and boiled delicacies 
]mt up in her-metically sealed tin boxes which, as a point of honour, we 
only sacrificed, like the contents of our wine-cellar-, on occ!isi(!Us like 
these: better to dr-ink paiwar-r-i than let fall the slightest suspicion on this 
particular dny that the contents of the wooden cellar Avere none loo 
]dentiful. The memor-able morning dawnrd. Adams had already drawn 
un the menu liy early sunrise: it consisted of mutton soup, pickled 
salmon, gi een i")eas and car-rots with Itacon and tur-tle fioaks, as well as 
small English pickles: madeir-a. port, champairne and T?hine wine. 
311. Towards midday the senti-ies we had posted bronght in the 
news lhal the caravan had reached the opposite shore, r.nd N\'ei-e alreadv 
getting off tlieir tired horses to jnake their loilette ;;ud change their 
