154 JOURNAL OP THE TRINIDAD 



After coffee we sallied forth with the purpose of capturing 

 agouti. We crossed the Mamural River and ascended a small 

 hill which is celebrated in the neighbourhood for the number 

 of mapepire which have been killed on it, but it was not our 

 good fortune to see one although we examined the ground very 

 carefully in the hope of finding this terrible viper, so aptly named 

 BushmasW by our fellow colonists in Demerara. A little further 

 on and our friends pointed out the foot marks or rather the 

 formidable claw marks of the Trinidad ant-eater, or matapel as 

 he is locally called. You are all acquainted with Dr. de Verteuil's 

 story illustrating the strength of this animal and Mr. Broadway 

 very recently saw a tough fight between ayoungone*and his dogs. 

 We not only saw the marks of the claws in the soft earth, but 

 also the work they were able to do in tearing up an old tree 

 trunk for the ant-eater had been feasting on woodlice. We were 

 also shown fresh traces of some other animals. The armadilloesf 

 had been grubbing vigorously during the night, but had retreated 

 to their holes with the dawn of day and we did not meet a single 

 belated reveller wending his way to his burrow. The dogs, who 

 had been roving about, now started off in full cry after an agouti. 

 Away they went until we could hardly hear their voices. Then 

 closer until the woods rang again with their noisy clamour and 

 we could hear them rushing through the bushes close to us. 

 Then farther off — and suddenly their note changed. The agouti 

 was declared to be in a hole. We ran towards the spot and soon 

 arrived at a Bois Mulatre} or wild Tamarind tree which had 

 been half blown down by the. wind. The tree was hollow right 

 up the centre rrad the agouti had entered at the root and got 

 high up into the trunk. Having carefully stopped up the entrance 

 — not without difficult)', for the dogs were franticly trying to 

 squeeze themselves into it — Mr Arthur Carr went up the tree 

 and passing a long slender stick through a hole where a branch 

 had once been, ascertained the position of the agouti — some five 

 feet higher up. The ready cutlass in skilful hands soon made 

 an aperture while the agouti could be heard chattering his teeth 

 at a prodigious rate. This note of fear, however, soon changed 

 to loud and piercing shrieks when the terrified rodent felt his 

 hind feet seized, and these were redoubled when he was slowly, 

 gently, but firmly, drawn out of his hiding place. P-e-e-e-e-e-r ! 

 P-e-e e-r ! ! Pierre ! Pierre ! ! screamed the agouti. " Listen ; he 

 is calling upon his patron saint," said Mr. Carr and 

 strange as it may seem Sfc. Peter is said to be the 

 especial guardian of the agouti from the close resemblance of his 



*Ta:nandua ictradactyla. 

 ■\Tatusia novemcincta, L. 

 ^Pentaddthra filamentosa. 



