FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB. 155 



cry of terror to the word " P'erre." The little animal wcs 

 closely tied and deposited in a strcng haviesack, when, finding l.e 

 was not being ill-treated, he soon subsided into silence. 1 1 or 

 fellow, he did not long survive his adventure. He was incar- 

 cerated in a wire cage, from whence a month or six weeks later he 

 escaped, but he had been taken too far from his native haunts 

 and after wandering about a little while, he voluntarily ran back 

 to the prison he had learned to know as his home. There the 

 dogs caught him and tore his poor little body to pieces. The 

 agouti secured we resumed our wanderings and were shown many 

 objects of interest. Amongst them the Mamuse liane* which the 

 thrifty planter splits into three and then weaves into cacao 

 baskets. A fragrant scent of vanilla led us to spend some time 

 looking for the plant, but without success, although the smell per- 

 vaded a considerable area. We noted a wild guava treef the 

 fruit of which is said to be delicious and is much prized by woods- 

 men detained in the forest after they have consumed their 

 provisions. We also saw several Taparons or Cannon ball trees. 

 Three or four more agouti were raised by the dogs but only one 

 was secured — shot by Mr. Can*. Some fine cedarsj were 

 pointed out tr> us ; also a Guatecaire,§ from the cones of which 

 the Indians make their [upe-bowls — rather small and inconvenient 

 ones to the European smoker's way of thinking. As we walked 

 along Arthur Carr called out that he could '• see a Mat in a Jigger 

 Wood tree. "|| The jigger wood is a tree which apparently grows 

 up and down at the same time. Of course, most trees send down 

 their roots into the earth and grow upwards simultaneously. 

 But the jigger wood gives ocular demonstration of how this is 

 done — the roots springing by hundreds some little way above the 

 earth's surface and shooting down directly into it, raising the 

 heavy trunk as they do so a considerable distance, much in the 

 fashion of the mangroves. The tree is sometimes called Bois 

 negresse and looks as if it was a vegetable stilt walker or a 

 gigantic broom. But there was a mat in the. jigger wood. A 

 mat I may remark is a large species of ground lizard, sometimes 

 reaching three feet in length and stout and strong in proportion ; 

 he is a handsome fellow wearing a gay coat of black and yellow 

 coloured mail, and is the possessor of a good strong set of teeth. 

 He has been dubbed by scientists Tujnnambis niyrojmnctatus. 

 His flesh is said to be very good eating and not unlike 

 chicken in colour and flavour. Our mat had run away 



*Carludovica plumierii 



^Eugenia sp. 



\Cenrda odorata. 



§Lccythis idatimon. 



\\Bravaisia floribun^a. 



