82 INTRODUCTION. 



racters, anatomy and physiology, — ^the Indian, the 

 son of one of Nature's most magnificent provinces, 

 has from his childhood been a close observer of all 

 the objects of nature by which he is surrounded; 

 and his knowledge of the inhabitants of the numer- 

 ous rivers of his country is perhaps the more perfect, 

 since, in a great measure, his precarious subsistence 

 depends upon his success in fishing. 



In 1835, an expedition to Guiana for extending 

 our geographical knowledge, and that of the pro- 

 ductions which were indigenous to a fertile soil and 

 congenial climate, was resolved upon by the Geogra- 

 phical Society of London, and when having received 

 the sanction and assistance of Her Majesty's govern- 

 ment, the command of the exploring expedition was 

 confided to me, it was natural that a branch of 

 science which is invested with the highest interest, 

 whether we view it in an economical or in a scien- 

 tific point, should receive a great share of my atten- 

 tion. But with the exception of my Indian friends 

 and Dr. Fleming's Philosophy of Natural History, 

 I had nothing to guide me in my researches, the 

 scientific Ichthyologist may therefore be disap- 

 pointed in my remarks ; and I was so well aware 

 of this defect, that on my return to Europe, I 

 yielded only to the persuasion of my kind friend 

 Sir William Jardine to give my information in its 

 present form to the public. 



In the course of these expeditions in the interior 

 of Guiana, and which occupied me from 1835 to 

 1839, every means were taken, not only to ascer- 



