40 JOURNAL OF THE TRINIDAD 



prehensile tails from the arms of trees at giddy heights, playing 

 the while, elfish tricks upon each other, accompanied by many a 

 queer grimace and frolicsome antic. The clanging clamour of the 

 toucan* and busy tap-tapping of the woodpeckers! were to be 

 heard all round, while birds of every kind sang anthems of 

 thankfulness to the Great Creator for having bestowed on them 

 the Gift of Life. Here, where we stand, looking forth upon well- 

 cultivated cocoa, kola and plantain, roamed by day bands of fierce 

 little quenks,J grunting and digging up suculent roots and 

 rubbing their hairy backs and flanks against the trees, ever and 

 anon disturbing the gentle, great-eyed Gouazoupita deer§ with its 

 timid fawn from the covert which it had chosen wherein to ruminate 

 upon the memories of the preceding evening's raid on the sugar- 

 cane or corn patches of the small holder living on the verge of 

 the forest, and driving them away to more secluded retreats. 

 The timid agouti|| with nervous step stole under the forest trees 

 and picked up his living with now and again a joyous frisk and 

 curious antic, for the agouti, though surrounded by many foes, is 

 in a quiet way a merry little fellow, especially when gun and 

 hound are far away. His great cousin, the lappe or paca,H in 

 glossy spotted coat, foraged here and roamed about at will, ready 

 to take to flight at a second's notice and seek the refuge of the 

 friendly but sluggish stream which meanders between its deep 

 banks only a stone's throw off. Then when night fell and the 

 great fire beetles** flitted through the trees and the "moping owl 

 did to the moon complain," strange uncouth forms stole out of 

 hollow trees, nooks and crannies in boughs and branches, or 

 burrows in the earth. Thematapel,ft with his long preternatu rally 

 solemn nose, small ears, rough fawn-coloured coat, with his pre- 

 hensile tail curled round some stick or branch as a point d'appui, 

 with his enormously powerful claws began tearing up rotting 

 wood and inserting into the orifices so made his worm-like tongue, 

 drawing in, each time he retracted it, scores of the white ants or 

 termites which constitute his summum bonum. Near him too one 

 might have seen sundry unrecognizable shapes, busy scratching 

 and rooting, which if they would have allowed us to have taken 

 a closer look we should have found to be armadillos, \\ or, to use 

 the creole name, tatous, busy with earth-worms and other crea- 



* Ramphastos vitellinus, Licht. 



t Dendrornis susurrans, Jard. 



j Dicotyles tajacu, L. — Collared Peccary, 



§ Cariacus nemorivagus. 



|| Dasyprocta aguti, L. 



II Ccelogenys paca, L. 



** Elateridae. 



ft Tamandua tetradactyla. 



\\ Tatusia novemcincta, L. 



