Young Bikds Hold on With Theik Beaks. 
creek, iucliidiug beuds on the patli, amounts to about 50 miles. My 
brother took this track from Berbice to Demerara in on his journey 
up the latter.* 
1.015. About 1 miles above Seba, on the right biink, the Arissaraboo 
opens into the Demerara: the water of this stream is whitish. The 
direction we took continued a southerly one. The landscai)e view of our 
surroundings gained a great deal by the varying luxuriantly-timbered 
hills which, often reaching to the banks, gradually sloped down towards 
them, or else rose in tiers as in an amphitheatre : it continued to become 
still more surprising through the great multiplicity of greens in the dense 
foliage, and the alternation of innumerable blossoms, fruits and beri-ies. 
On the left biink a hill of this description bore the name Tiger Hill. 
Thousands of small birds of the genera FPimjilla, Tamgrina^ and 
Euphone enlivened the trees on the banks as they flew from twig to twig 
and tree to tree, twittering away as they searched for food, when my 
attention was again forcibly drawn to a small group of pretty little Midas 
monkeys, wantonly funny as they skipped from bough to bough, and 
watched us from their Bellevue with their clever eyes as soon as we got 
in sight. On the banks we noticed plenty of ''Fin-foot" birds, Podod 
surinamensis Linn. We usually saw them sitting in the shade on 
bushes overhanging the water, or else swimming in it. If the bird is 
chased it flies from out of the water and settles again in the thick bush 
of the waterside : I have seldom seen it diving, which was only the case 
when it was wounded. Its note is peculiar. The Indians maintain that 
when danger threatens, the young hold on with their beaks under the 
wings of their pai-ents. Prince von Neuwied has made the same observa- 
tions. Above Tiger Hill the stream again comes from ttie west for a short 
stretch, and there where its course again runs from the south, the first 
rapids appear: they are called Kaikutschi.f They are situate about 85 
miles in a straight line from Georgetown in 5° 37' lat. N. and make a 
break in the hitherto smooth water-level. The tide exerts its influence 
up to here.t Above these yet insignificant rapids the small Kaikutschi- 
kabra creek, from which the rapids take their name, joins the Demerara 
on its left bnnk. Kaikutschi is, as already mentioned, the Indian name 
of Champsa vnlVijrom Natt., Avhich abound in this creek in large numbers. 
1.016. Tavo miles above Kaikutschi lies the almost abandoned timber- 
yard Vauxhall. It is the last European settlement on the Demerara. 
Above the mouth of the small stream Ararapa, which opens onto 
the right bank, the land rises on both sides of the river: on the left it 
reaches a heiglit of 200 feet ih the Serribarra Hills with its culminating 
point in Itabou Hill, and on the right, one of 180 feet. The depth of 
the Demerara close to the mouth of the Camacabra and Hooboo amounted 
to 9 feet. Above the Camacabra a second path branches off to the Berbice, 
which is reached by means of the Ituni Creek. § 
*. See R. H. Schomburgk : ReiseTi in Ouiana und am Orinoko p. 279. 
+_ jjilte Waterton, Schombnr<jk evldentlv travelled im the Demerara River when it 
was in flood. There are two rapids (at Malali) below Kaikutschi-kabra not noticeable in 
flood-time. (V.R.) 
t — onlv in very dry weather. (V.R.) 
§,— and which is still used (V.R.) 
* 
