shapes, pieces of the lean part roasted OH a 

 spit and moistened only with vinegar make 

 an agreeable change. The smaller kind of 

 turtle, the tracaja, which makes its appear- 

 ance in the main river, and lays its eggs a 

 month earlier than the large species, is of less 

 utility to the inhabitants, although its flesh 

 is superior, on account of the difficulty of 

 keeping it alive ; it survives captivity but a 

 very few days, although placed in the same 

 ponds in which the large turtle keeps well 

 for two or three years. 



Those who cannot hunt and fish for them- 

 selves, and whose stomachs refuse turtle, are 

 in a poor way at Ega. Fish, including many 

 kinds of large and delicious salmon idae, is 

 abundant in the fine season ; but each family 

 fishes only for itself, and has no surplus for 

 sale. An Indian fisherman remains out just 

 long enough to draw what he thinks suffi- 

 cient for a couple of days' consumption. 

 Vacca marina is a great resource in the wet 

 it is caught by harpooning, which 



THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 787 



l)ag, and pincushion. To make the imitation the fat form another palatable dish. Largi 

 complete, he had borrowed the frame of an sausages are made of the thick-coated storn- 

 old pair of spectacles, and went about with ach, which is filled with minced meat and 

 it straddled over his nose. The jaguar now boiled. The quarters cooked in a kettle of 

 tind then made a raid among the crowd of Tucupi source form another variety of food, 

 boys who were dressed as deer, goats, and go When surfeited with turtle in all other 

 i u rth. The maskers kept generally together, 

 .moving from house to house, and the per- 

 formances were directed by an old musician, 

 who sang the orders and explained to the 

 spectators what was going forward in a kind 

 of recitative, accompanying himself ou a wire 

 ..guitar. The mixture of Portuguese and In- 

 dian customs is partly owing to the European 

 immigrants in these part* having been un- 

 educated men, who, instead of introducing 

 European civilization, have descended almost 

 to the level of the Indians, and adopted some 

 of their practices. The performances take 

 place in the evening, and occupy five or six 

 iiours ; bonfires are lighted along the grassy 

 streets, and the families of the better class 

 are seated at their doors, enjoying the wild 

 but good-humored fun. 



We lived at Ega, during most part of the 

 year, on turtle. The great fresh- water turtle 

 of the Amazons grows on the upper river to 

 an immense size, a full-grown one measuring 



nearly three feet in length by two in breadth, season _, w o , 



nnd is a lead for the strongest Indian. Every requires much skill, or by strong nets made 

 house has a little pond, called a curral (pen), ef very thick hammock twine, and placed 

 in the back-yard to hold a stock of the ani across the narrow inlets. Very few Euro- 

 mals through the season of dearth the wet peans are able to eat the meat of this animal, 

 months; those who have a number of In- Although there is a large quantity of cattle 

 dians in their employ send them out for a in the neighborhood of the town, and pasture 

 month when the waters are low to collect a is abundant all the year round, beef can be 

 stock, and those who have not, purchase had only when a beast is killed by accident, 

 their supply ; with some difficulty, however, The most frequent cause of death is poison- 

 .as they are rarely offered for sale. The price ing by drinking raw ucupi, the juice of the 

 of turtles, like that of all other articles of mandioca root. Bowls of this are placed on 

 food, has risen greatly with the introduction the ground in the sheds where the women 

 of steam vessels. V\ hen I arrived in 1850, a prepare farinha ; it is generally done care- 

 middle-sized one could be bought pretty lessly, but sometimes intentionally, through 

 readily for ninepence ; but when I left in spite, when stray oxen devastate the planta- 

 1859 they were with difficulty obtained at tions of the poorer people. The juice is almost 

 eight and nine shillings each. The abun- certain to be drunk if cattle stray near the 

 dance of turtles, or rather the facility with place, and death is the certain result. The 

 which thev can be found and caught, vanes owners kill a beast which shows symptoms of 

 with the amount of annual subsidence of the having been poisoned, and retail, the beef in 

 waters. When the river sinks less than the the town. Although every one knows it 

 average, they are scarce ; but when more, cannot be wholesome, such is the scarcity of 

 they can be caught in plenty, the bays and meat and the uncontrollable desire to eat 

 shallow lagoons in the forest having then beef, that it is eagerly bought, at least by 

 only a small depth of water. The flesh is those residents who come from other prov- 

 very tender, palatable, and wholesome ; but inces where beef is the staple article of 

 it is Tcery cloying ; every one ends, sooner or food. Game of a* kinds is scarce in the for- 

 later, by becoming thoroughly surfeited. I est near the town, except in the months of 

 became so sick of turtle in the course of two June and July, when immense numbers of a 

 years that I could not bear the smell of it large and handsome bird, Cuvier's toucan 

 although at the same time nothing else was (Ramphastos Cuvieri)make their appearance, 

 to be had, and I was suffering actual hunger. They come in well-fed condition, and are 

 The native women cook it in various ways, shot in such quantities that every family has 

 The entrails are chopped up and made into the strange treat of stewed and roasted tou- 

 a delicious soup called sarapatel, which is cans daily for many weeks. Curassow birds 

 generally boiled in the concave upper shell are plentiful on the banks of the Solimoens, 

 of the animal used as a kettle. The tender but to get a brace or two requires the sacri- 

 flesh of the breast is partiaUy minced with lice of several days for the trip. A tapir, of 

 fariuha, and the breast shell then roasted which the meat is most delicious and nour- 

 over the lire, making a very pleasant dish, ishing, is sometimes killed by a fortunate 

 Steaks cut from the breast and cooked with kunter. I have still a livelv recollection of 



