Information respecting Zoological Travellers. 28? 



running with rapidity over the sand-bank, although apparently 

 little calculated for it, doubled its track with much cunning, and 

 seeing its attempts frustrated by the wily and light-footed Indians, 

 rushed anew into the water. The dormant savage nature of the 

 Indians once roused, no barrier can be set to it. I had been left in 

 the canoe an unwilling spectator. Much as I found myself amused 

 in the commencement of the hunt, now that their united endeavours 

 to slay fell upon a solitary individual whose intrepidity and cunning 

 had as yet frustrated the execution of their murderous design, it 

 awakened pity. But their blood was up ; orders as well as entreaties 

 proved in vain ; and perhaps annoyed at the escape of the others, 

 they appeared determined to sacrifice this one to their vengeance 

 for ill success. Its tenacity of life was astounding ; it had received 

 several wounds with a cutlass, and succeeded nevertheless for some 

 time in evading the mortal blow, until, chased anew upon the 

 sandbank, it was transfixed by a pointed pole and despatched. It mea- 

 sured about five and a half feet in length, including the tail, which 

 was seventeen inches and a half. The fur was of a dark mouse-co- 

 lour on the belly and nearly black on the back ; the head of a mouse- 

 colour, and on the breast was a large cream-coloured spot ; the snout 

 short, whiskers strong, teeth large and powerful, feet short and 

 webbed, tail flattened. Its upper coat of hair was rather coarse, but 

 under it was a coat of the finest fur of a lighter colour. This was 

 the only adult specimen which fell into my hands during my jour- 

 neys in Guiana, and the want of a fuller or systematic description 

 must be ascribed, partly to the state of suffering in which I then 

 was, and partly to the smallness of the canoe to which I was re- 

 stricted, and which prevented me from taking with me anything but 

 the most indispensable articles, to the exclusion of any materials for 

 making the necessary use of its capture. It is nevertheless my opi- 

 nion that the larger species is identical with Lutra brasiliensis of Ray 

 and Geofl'roy, or Linnseus's Mustela lutris brasiliensis, Buff'on's Sari- 

 covienne de la Guyane. 



I estimate the length of the smaller kind at about four feet, of 

 which the tail is thirteen to fourteen inches. They are of a light 

 mouse-colour, rather reddish on the belly, with the white spot on 

 the breast. In their habits, appearance, and mode of living, they 

 exactly resemble the larger species, and are found in the same situa- 

 tions ; but while that species is seldom found in societies, and ge- 

 nerally only in pairs, the smaller is decidedly gregarious. I have 

 never succeeded in procuring an adult specimen of the latter for ex- 

 amination. Their head appears broader than in the former species. 



