HINTERLAND NOTES 4.8I 



FISH AND CRUSTACEANS 



I have seen two of the three kinds of crabs, named to 

 me bjr the Indians, as being found here. They tell of two 

 shrimps, and of forty-eight different fishes. Fish migrate 

 from the Essequibo to the Upper Rapo-nunni, to spawn. 



The lukanani is said to carry its eggs in its mouth, and 

 the female to transfer them to the male, when she desires 

 to feed. The warapaima makes a bed at the bottom of a 

 deep hole. This fish grows to an immense size, sometimes 

 scaling over a hundred-weight. It may be seen rolling its 

 back at the surface of the water; and the noise of its splash, 

 when it returns from a high leap into the air, may be heard 

 half a mile off, upon a still night. The Indians do not like 

 the flesh. I have seen them catch one and leave it untouched, 

 although we have, at the time, been without any other flesh 

 for our evening meal. Owing to carelessness on the part of 

 those who have taken Indian names before they have learnt 

 the language, this fish has come to be called the arapaima — 

 Arapaima gigans is the name in full. When the freshets come 

 down, the striped tiger-fish may be detected waling the sur- 

 face, as it dashes up the shallows. (Pseudoplaty stoma fas- 

 ciatiim) . A common fish is the arawona, which has an almost 

 vertical mouth opening at the top. It feeds upon the hard, 

 green fruit, of a tree, which is plentiful near the water. The 

 Indians place some of the fruit in baskets, at the surface of 

 the water, and, as the fish rise to feed, they shoot them with 

 bow and arrow. I have seen Indians dash in amongst ara- 

 wona, drive them over the shallows, towards the bank, and 

 pick them up in their arms. Perai and their four cousins 

 abound, some marked with red and others with gold. They 

 are ravenous fish, and attack any wounded thing which falls 

 into the water. They will attack persons swimming. The 

 electric-eel, or numb-fish (Electrophorus electricus), I have 

 seen swimming near the bank, at the Bell-rocks. 



