146 
APPROACH TO THE COAST. 
of shifting sand cover this uninhabited land, and the name of 
Cubagua is scarcely found in our charts. 
Having reached these latitudes, we saw the high moun- 
tains of Cape Macanao, on the western side of the island of 
Margareta, which rose majestically on the horizon. If we 
might judge from the angles of altitude of the tops, taken 
at eighteen miles’ distance, they appeared to be about 500 or 
600 toises high. According to Berthoud’s time-keeper, the 
longitude of Cape Macanao is 66° 47' 5". I speak of the 
rocks at the extremity of the cape, and not that strip of 
very low land which stretches to the west, and loses itself 
in a shoal. The position of Macanao and that which I have 
assigned to the east point of the island of Coche, differ 
only four seconds in time, from the results obtained bv 
M. Tidalgo. 
There being little wind, the captain preferred standing off 
and on tiff daybreak. We passed a part of the night on 
deck. The Guayqueria pilot conversed with us respecting 
the animals and plants of his country. We learned with 
great satisfaction that there was a few leagues from the 
coast a mountainous region inhabited by the Spaniards in 
which the cold was sensibly felt ; and' that in the plains 
there were two species of crocodiles, very different from 
each other, besides, boas, electric eels, and’ several kinds of 
tigers. Though the words bam, cachicamo, and temblador, 
were entirely unknown to us, we easily guessed, from the 
pilot’s simple description of their manners and forms, the 
species which the creoles distinguished by these denomina- 
tions. 
