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Observations on the Caymans or Alligators of Guiana *. By 

 John Hancock, M. D. Communicated by the Author. 



JLn reviewing the Indian vocabulary, I find three of the croco- 

 dile kind mentioned, as follows : — 



Ist, ThePoupouof the Caribs, i. e. the Cayman or common 



great alligator. 

 9,d, The Akari of the Caribs, Kykoty of the Arowaks, or 



common alligator. 

 3d, The Teriteriou of the Caribs, the largest of all. The 

 Makusies and Akawais call it Atokary. The Porocotos 

 call it Tiratirema. 

 I may here give the names of the crocodiles of Guiana in 

 several Indian dialects, viz. 



Carib. Akawai. Macosi. Attoria. 



The Common Poupou. Arara. Caratu. Wahdu. 



Great Cayman Akaari. Takaari, Yakaara. Attori. 



The Alligator Teri-teri-ou. Atohari. Teri-teri, or Attohari. 



Duri-duri. 



Porocotos. Akawakos. Warrow. 



Aroweima. Cayman. Niaribuca-ya. 



Areewa, Kaikooti. Niaribuca. 

 Tiratireema 



The reader will observe that the Attoris give the name of 

 their own nation to the alligator. — This is a most extraordinary 

 language, if so it can be called. The above names in Attoria 

 are only approximations to their strange sounds, which are ut- 

 tered as it were entirely from the glottis, not moving the lips, 

 with a clack of the tongue, however, which it is impossible to 

 imitate, much less to convey on paper. They throw back the 

 head in speaking, shewing that the utterance is difficult even to 

 themselves ; and it almost gives one pain to hear them talk. 

 They inhabit about the southern branches of the Essequibo, 



• It is curious to observe, that the term cayman means, in Spanish, 

 cunning, subtle, sly ; in Arowak, fierce, ferocious ; but the name, I pre- 

 sume, must be entirely of Indian orifrin. 



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