Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-27
HUNTING THE GUACHARO BIRD.
PeriIOus Sport in Which the Hunters
Had Narrow Escape.
William T. Hornaday in Frank Leslie's Popular
Monthly

Monthly.
We stood in an immense rocky dome,
about seventy feet in height, and a hum
bred and fifty wide at its widest part Its
floor was covered with bed of dry and
spongy brown guano of pungent odor,
strongly suggestive of the Peruvian pro-
duct. No fewer than 200 guacharo birds
were wheeling and circling in the top of
the cavern close to the roof, or fitting
noiselessly, like huge brown bats, within
ten feet Of our heads Although they were
thoroughly alarmed, not one of the foolish
creatures few out by the passage, whittier
all might have escaped In two minutes
had they only known it. The cave liter
ally swarmed with them, and their peculiar
grating cries blended into perfect tempest
over head. Outside, the surf doomed up
against the rocks, filling the cave with re-
verberations. Inside the swells came roll
ing through the passage and smashing
loudly up the pebbly beach, while to all
this the guacharo birds joined their cease
less din, drowning our own voices so COM
pletely we could be heard only by shout
ing in each others ears.
At first the darkness was so complete we
were utterly unable to shoot any of the
birds. In sheer heiplessness we began to
search for nests and eggs to occupy the
time while our eyes were becoming ac-
We soon found nests a-plenty, on a huge
mass of fallen rock, which on one side of
the cavern formed a series of lodges thirty
feet high. On climbing up We found the
rocks covered to a depth of several inches
with loose guano. on which the nests lay
like so many brown cheeses, from seven to
nine inches in diameter, and three to six
inches high They are composed chiefly
of undigested fruit skins and seeds. We
found between seventy and eighty nests
and the number Of eggs in each varied
from one to four.
By the time we had collected a satisfac-
adjusted themselves to the place that we
could dimly see the birds that still cir
cled about In the top of the dome. With
the first shot. the cavern roared like peal
of thunder, but no bird fell. 1t was like
shooting at midnight in a forest. Many a
shot we fired in vain. and friend Basanta
shouted out his fear. that the heavy and
continued reverberations would bring down
rocks upon
At last We found a way to bring down
birds. The reflected light from the water
in the passage threw a broad though feeble
beam across the cave, and against the OPP
birds flew across this beam. We could see
them well enough to aim. and our guns be-
gan to bring them down.
The next moment, so it seemed to US.
Basanta came running up from the waters
edge, and shouted in our ears:
1.-The sea Is rising. men! We must get
out Of this quick, or We'll get caught
We stood not upon the order of our
going. Dead birds. nests and eggs and
guns were hurriedly deposited in the boat
and three of US took our places The ne
groes foated the boat, and waded beside
it until Basanta shouted Now, them!
when they leaped in and pulled hard for
daylight.
Half way out big roller met us, lifted
the boat with vicious jerk, banged its
bow against the rocky roof of the tunnel,
and filled it nearly half full of water before
1t passed on. Another like 1t would surely
swamp us. No wonder the negroes pulled
hard and quick, and yelled.
AS we cleared the mouth of the passage
our rudder gently kissed the outer edge of
a murderous looking rock we had safely
passed over, but which had been instantly
laid bare by the on-rushing wave. The
water that raced and foamed off its rag
ged top fairly Missed with baffied rage;
and on both sides of us, less than an oars
length away, lay other rocks like that.
When we reached deep water we lay on
our oars. bailed out the water. and counted
our trophies. We had eighteen adult birds,
three youngs one, three nests and twenty
eggs.
Both before and since that time I have
been boating in several bad places, but
never in another which was so thoroughly
dangerous as that. 1t was a great day:
and in whaleboat management Basanta
and his two boatmen were genuine artists