228 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



leaving only a few bubbles and a blood-stained patch 

 where he had disappeared. In a few moments these 

 fleeting traces of his existence had melted away and no 

 vestige remained of the''- bloody scene in which we had 

 taken part. The men cut long poles and paddled slowly 

 up and down trying to locate the carcase, but after manj- 

 unsuccessful attempts they decided to sit on the rocks at 

 the edge of the pool and await the floating of the body, 

 which they said would take place in an hour or two. 

 The dead tapir came to|the surface at some distance from 

 the spot where it had sunk, so it must have drifted with 

 the current. The men lost no time in cutting the meat 

 up, and we then continued paddling up stream with 

 Ameha in view almost all the time. At night we 

 encamped at some abandoned Indian huts similar to 

 those we had used so frequently during our journey, but 

 these having been constructed hastily were already falling 

 to pieces. We were now so near to Ameha that we could 

 plainly distinguish the details of the cliffs and the bare 

 streaks along them showing where the water falls during 

 the rainy season. "With one exception, and that a mere 

 thread of silver, the watercourses were all dry at the 

 time of our arrival. 



For several days I had had occasion to notice how 

 abundant a certain kind of iguana is all over this region. 

 These reptiles appear to live mostly on the branches of 

 leafy trees overhanging the river. In colour they are so 

 much like the foliage in which they conceal themselves 

 that, were it not for their habit of leaping into the water 

 just in front of the boats, we would, in nine cases out 

 of ten, have passed by them without suspecting their 

 existence. When they dive they do not rise to the 

 surface, but return under water to the shore and hide in 



