The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-09-27
1S MONTHS
IN AMAZON WILDS
go MlIIer'S Explorations For
Natural History Museum.
he GOT 1900 SPECIMENS.

the Cock of the Rock, Rare Bird.
Hunt Took Him Into Unexplored
1000 Mile Jungle at Amazon Source.
After eighteen months spent in the
ungles of Colombia, during which he
made explorations in the country sur
Founding the headwaters of the ANA
kon, where no white men had ever been
before, Leo L. Miller has brought his
specimens to the American Museum of
Natural History. which was RESPONSE
BILE for the expedition. Its principal OBJ
feet was to obtain specimens of the
nests and eggs of the cock of the rock,
h rare bird, Of which few stuffed
specimens exist in the museum.
No nests or eggs Of this bird how
ever, had ever been seen, and the nest
ling and feeding habits were unknown
in spite Of the fact that many expedi-
lions have attempted to get specimens.
Mr.. Miller brought back six nests, sew
eral old birds, several young birds and
q number of eggs. He discovered that
the nests are made Of mud and roots
and attached to cliffs, that the parents
feed on berries and that the cream col
ored eggs, notified with brown spots,
are about half the size Of hens egg.
He worked. however, from February,
1911, to June 1912, before he discov-
cred any Of these things. Then one day
in the midst Of a rapidly flowing
stream, attached to the side of a bowl
der, he spied a nest over which hoy
cred one of the birds in question, with
reddish orange plumaCe. In the nest
was young bird. On either side of
the bowlder was waterfall, and below
the bowlder was n whirlpool Yet the
nest had to be obtained
With the aid of the Indians who
were with him Miller managed to
make a raft, On this they ventured
into the stream. Fortunately they had
taken the precaution to attach the raft
to strand Of grapevine, because they
We're no sooner in the whirlpool than
they capsized They managed to
reach land again by means Of the
grapevine.
Attempts to Get Nest
In a second attempt to get the nest
tree was cut down 1t was hoped
by Mr.. Miller that the tree would fall
across the bowlder and so make a
natural bridge by which one of the !
Indians could cross and get the nest.
This. however, 1t failed to do.
The third attempt succeeded. Mr.
Miller and two Of his Indians waded
into the stream up to their necks
and waited with Outstretched hands
while the third Indian from the shore
poked the nest off the bowlder with a
long stick The nest fell into the
river, and as 1t fell one of the Indians
dived into the whirlpool after 1t and
caught it In his teeth, as he was forced
to use his hands and arms to swim
with.
These adventures and further ones
in which this bird participated took
place along the Rio Naranjos. The
other nests were found plastered ON
cliffs, and entailed some dangerous
climbing. Miller says that he might
have foregone the first nest If he had
known that he would discover others.
AS a matter of fact, however, he
brought back as many nests as he
could, as absolutely none had been dis
covered before.
In his search for these nests he went
to the headwaters of the Amazon in the
Caqueta district This Is one Of the
least known parts Of the world, alb
solutely uneXplOred. 1t Is q thick
jungle 1000 miles from the coast and
5000 feet above the sea level. From
the tops Of the trees there is one level
Of dense green as far as the eye can
reach. 1t extends, In fact, a large
part of the 1000 miles
other Specimens.
These nests and birds are not the
only part Of the collection which Mr.
Miller has obtained. He has brought
back 2,300 specimens Of birds and ami
mails, including ant eaters, deer, agouti
and eight kinds of monkeys. The
agout is a spotted rodent which often
weighs as much as fifty pounds. Pre-
vious explorers have brought to the
museum 5000 specimens from Colon
bia, but Mr.. Miller thinks many of his
specimens are entirely new varieties.
"The country is very rough, and a
jungle Is always difficult to explore"
said Mr.. Miller. ''Then there were
jaguars and poisonous reptiles to fear
In one part Of the country boa con
strictors abound. But they are not
dangerous. They will harm no one
unless molested. They feed on the
water rodents, some of which weigh
as much as ninety pounds l saw boa
constructors which were at least TWEEN
ty feet in length.
'"The people Of the country are most
ly half breeds, with negro, Indian and
Spanish blood. There are very few
pure Spaniards, and, In fact, very few
Of the inhabitants have any Spanish
blood.