232 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



marks deep therein. They are the pests of the waters, and it is 

 necessary to be exceedingly cautious about either swimming or 

 wading where they are found. If cattle are driven into, or of their 

 own accord enter, the water they are commonly not molested; but 

 if by chance some unusually big or ferocious specimen of these fear- 

 some fishes does bite an animal — taking off an ear, or perhaps a teat 

 from the udder of a cow — the blood brings up every member of the 

 ravenous throng which is anywhere near, and unless the attacked 

 animal can immediately make its escape from the water it is devoured 

 alive. Here on the Paraguay the natives hold them in much respect, 

 whereas the caymans are not feared at all. The only redeeming 

 feature about them is that they are themselves fairly good to eat, 

 although with too many bones. . . , 



"I happened to mention that one of our naturalists, Miller, had 

 been bitten by a piranha, and the man-eating fish at once became the 

 subject of conversation. Curiously enough, one of the Brazilian 

 taxidermists had also just been severely bitten by a piranha. 



"My new companions had story after story to tell of them. Only 

 three weeks previously a twelve-year-old boy, who had gone in swim- 

 ming near Corumba, was attacked, and literally devoured alive by 

 them. Colonel Rondon during his exploring trips had met with 

 more than one unpleasant experience in connection with them. He 

 had lost one of his toes by the bite of a piranha. He was about to bathe 

 and had chosen a shallow pool at the edge of the river, which he 

 carefully inspected until he was satisfied that none of the man-eating 

 fish was in it; yet as soon as he \nit his foot into the water one of them 

 attacked him and bit off a toe. 



"On another occasion while wading across a narrow stream one of 

 his party was attacked; the fish bit him on the thighs and buttocks, 

 and when he put down his hands tore them also; he was near the 

 bank and by a rush reached it and swung himself out of the water 

 by means of an overhanging limb of a tree; but he was terribly injured, 

 and it took six months before his wounds healed and he recovered. 



"An extraordinary incident occurred on another trip. The party 

 were without food and very hungry. On reaching a stream they 

 dynamited it, and waded in to seize the stunned fish as they floated 

 on the surface. One man, having his hands fuil, tried to hold one 

 fish by putting its head into his mouth; it was a piranha and seemingly 

 stunned, but in a moment it recovered and bit a big section out of 



