Letters, Announcements, ^c. 77 



river-banks. In all my wanderings I never stayed in a locality 

 so full of game combined with such a delicious climate ; cool, 

 bracing, and sunny, with generally a slight frost during the 

 night, it offers every inducement to the naturalist or sports- 

 man. 



Capybaras (called by the natives Capinchcs) abounded, and 

 combined with the foxes to make the nights hideous with their 

 yells, while their paths threaded the wooded banks in all di- 

 rections. Otters swam in the river; and a little rodent, of the 

 shape and size of a Guinea-pig, but coloured like a rat, rushed 

 in hundreds into the clumps of rushes on the approach of the 

 human footstep. 



There are two species of birds called Partridges by the natives : 

 the one, small, never in covej'^s but in myriads, reminded me in 

 their manners of the Quail of the Old World, being literally 

 flushed at every yard ; the other {Rhynchotus rufescens, Temm.), 

 as large as the English Pheasant, a magnificent fellow, flaps 

 heavily up from the long dead grass in the vicinity of swamps, 

 and, if not bagged, invariably seeks safety in impenetrable 

 morass. If, however, they can be headed away from the marsh 

 and are quickly followed up, they will not rise more than two or 

 three times; and in this way I have sometimes caught them 

 by hand. 



Spur-winged Lapwings ( Vanellus cayennensis, Gm.), always in 

 pairs, sit on the edge of the damp spots or pools, and, rising as 

 we approach, shriek Terek-Terek (their native name) as they 

 circle round our heads. Tliey are horribly annoying, as they 

 follow and alight in front and about one ; and after as it were 

 chuckling their name over, they spring up again yelling more 

 dismally than before. My companion always shot them — and 

 when remonstrated with, said he liked tbem in pies ; however 

 it certainly was a relief when they fell and the clamour ceased ; 

 and I am bound to confess that he did the eating part consci- 

 entiously. 



Several varieties of wild Duck, Snipe, and Waders abounded 

 in the marshes and streams, besides Coots and Water-hens. 

 Two species of Grebe were also very common on the St. Lucia 

 river. 



