﻿INTRODUCTION. 
  331 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  striking 
  account 
  illustrating 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  egg 
  destruction 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  oil 
  

   by 
  the 
  natives 
  on 
  the 
  River 
  Amazons, 
  from 
  the 
  intensely 
  interesting 
  work 
  by 
  H. 
  W. 
  Bates 
  

   (1863, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  270): 
  "By 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  17th, 
  some 
  400 
  persons 
  were 
  assembled 
  on 
  the 
  

   borders 
  of 
  the 
  sandbank 
  ; 
  each 
  family 
  having 
  erected 
  a 
  rude 
  temporary 
  shed 
  of 
  poles 
  and 
  palm 
  

   leaves 
  to 
  protect 
  themselves 
  from 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  rain. 
  Large 
  copper 
  kettles 
  to 
  prepare 
  the 
  oil, 
  

   and 
  hundreds 
  of 
  red 
  earthenware 
  jars, 
  were 
  scattered 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  sand. 
  

  

  "The 
  excavation 
  of 
  the 
  taboleiro, 
  collecting 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  purifying 
  the 
  oil, 
  occupied 
  four 
  

   days. 
  All 
  was 
  done 
  on 
  a 
  system 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  Portuguese 
  governors, 
  probably 
  more 
  

   than 
  a 
  century 
  ago. 
  The 
  commandante 
  first 
  took 
  down 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  masters 
  of 
  house- 
  

   holds, 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  each 
  intended 
  to 
  employ 
  in 
  digging; 
  he 
  then 
  exacted 
  a 
  

   payment 
  of 
  140 
  reis 
  (about 
  fourpence) 
  a 
  head, 
  towards 
  defraying 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  sentinels. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  were 
  then 
  allowed 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  taboleiro. 
  They 
  ranged 
  themselves 
  round 
  the 
  circle, 
  

   each 
  person 
  armed 
  with 
  a 
  paddle, 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  spade, 
  and 
  then 
  all 
  began 
  simultaneously 
  to 
  

   dig 
  on 
  a 
  signal 
  being 
  given 
  — 
  the 
  roll 
  of 
  drums 
  — 
  by 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  commandante. 
  It 
  was 
  an 
  

   animating 
  sight 
  to 
  behold 
  the 
  wide 
  circle 
  of 
  rival 
  diggers 
  throwing 
  up 
  clouds 
  of 
  sand 
  in 
  their 
  

   energetic 
  labours, 
  and 
  working 
  gradually 
  towards 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  ring. 
  A 
  little 
  rest 
  was 
  

   taken 
  during 
  the 
  great 
  heat 
  of 
  mid-day, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  huts 
  

   in 
  baskets. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  day, 
  the 
  taboleiro 
  was 
  exhausted: 
  large 
  mounds 
  of 
  

   eggs, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  four 
  to 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  were 
  then 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  each 
  hut, 
  the 
  produce 
  

   of 
  the 
  labours 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  

  

  "In 
  the 
  hurry 
  of 
  digging 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  deeper 
  nests 
  are 
  passed 
  over; 
  to 
  find 
  these 
  out 
  the 
  

   people 
  go 
  about 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  long 
  steel 
  or 
  wooden 
  probe, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  being 
  

   discoverable 
  by 
  the 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  spit 
  enters 
  the 
  sand. 
  \Mien 
  no 
  more 
  eggs 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   found, 
  the 
  mashing 
  process 
  begins. 
  The 
  egg, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  here 
  mentioned, 
  has 
  a 
  flexible 
  or 
  leathery 
  

   shell; 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  round, 
  and 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  hen's 
  egg. 
  The 
  whole 
  heap 
  is 
  thrown 
  

   into 
  an 
  empty 
  canoe 
  and 
  mashed 
  with 
  wooden 
  prongs; 
  but 
  sometimes 
  naked 
  Indians 
  and 
  

   children 
  jump 
  into 
  the 
  mass 
  and 
  tread 
  it 
  down, 
  besmearing 
  themselves 
  with 
  yolk 
  and 
  making 
  

   about 
  as 
  filthy 
  a 
  scene 
  as 
  can 
  well 
  be 
  imagined. 
  This 
  being 
  finished, 
  water 
  is 
  poured 
  into 
  the 
  

   canoe, 
  and 
  the 
  fatty 
  mess 
  then 
  left 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  to 
  be 
  heated 
  by 
  the 
  sun, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  oil 
  

   separates 
  and 
  rises 
  to 
  the 
  surface. 
  The 
  floating 
  oil 
  is 
  afterwards 
  skimmed 
  off 
  with 
  long 
  spoons, 
  

   made 
  by 
  tying 
  large 
  mussel-shells 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  rods, 
  and 
  purified 
  over 
  the 
  fire 
  in 
  copper 
  kettles. 
  

  

  "The 
  destruction 
  of 
  turtle 
  eggs 
  every 
  year 
  by 
  these 
  proceedings 
  is 
  enormous. 
  At 
  least 
  

   6000 
  jars, 
  holding 
  each 
  three 
  gallons 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  are 
  exported 
  annually 
  from 
  the 
  Upper 
  Amazons 
  

   and 
  the 
  Madeira 
  to 
  Para, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  lighting, 
  frying 
  fish, 
  and 
  other 
  purposes. 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  fairly 
  estimated 
  that 
  2000 
  more 
  jars-full 
  are 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  vil- 
  

   lages 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  Now, 
  it 
  takes 
  at 
  least 
  twelve 
  baskets-full 
  of 
  eggs, 
  or 
  about 
  6000, 
  by 
  the 
  

   wasteful 
  process 
  followed, 
  to 
  make 
  one 
  jar 
  of 
  oil. 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  annually 
  destroyed 
  

  

  