TV/ A' /./ :t/\'H > 



188 



This fish is very plentiful in the i .ma and Knuil, where It swims In large 



troops, ami is, accord in.: t.> mai iti|ilcasant neiclilmr. It i* a most vora- 



cious U-iii-, \\iih teeth nearly aa sharpl and a Imldnens little 



>hort ( that fish's weli-knou n atidacit\ . It i> >aid. arrnnliiu; that if oven BO large 



nn animal a- an .i\ hai>]>eiis t., p-r into one of their shiKiK it i- immediateh asttuiled, and 



ii no severely that it may siirciunl. under its injurii-s U-fnn it ran rnws u -.tt.-ani tliirty or 



fti-t in \\iilth. Ac-.-.,r->!iiu' to some authors, i.in- <if tin- Smtli AiniTican triUft are in tin- 



hal-it .f ]'la ini: th.-ir dfal in tin- Mroama, leu\ini.' tlit-m to tin- a: th- IMr.iya. which in 



u ill dear away tin- whole of the noft parts, and leave a clean >keleton reoil 

 th'-ir jH-ciiliar mode of 8e}niltiin>. Kvi-n living human N-ingx seem (< t-njny no iininunity from 

 this huiuM\ ti-h Lin to IN- lial'le to severe bites while !>athing. 



Be these st< i i< s lit.-r.illy tnif. or only exaggerations of reality, the jaws nnd t.--tli ( .f th 

 Pir.iya are perfectly capable of intlictinj; sm-h injuries a.s have Ui-n l>ri.-Hy described. Th- 



- 





are nearly flat, triangular, and with l^>s sharp as those of lancets and an- employed 

 by the Macoushi Indians to sharpen the i<>inN of those fearful wnnr.ili |K>ix)iie<l arrows so 

 well known to fame MHO- they were brought l>y Mr. \Vat-rton fn>ni (niiniia. A part of the 

 jaw containing five or six teetli is can-fully cleansed, a hole it bomd throndi the jaw.|>one, and 

 ing is passed through the hole and fastened to the edge of the ipiiver. The arrows are 

 lily >ltii|- ti-^1 by pUu-ini: the points between any two teeth and drauinir them ni]>idly 

 the edges. There are now before me seven 1 <>f these arrows, kindly ^'iven me by Mi 

 rton, and which liave been sharpene<l l>y this process. 



i-rin_' family is placed a very remarkable fish, called the LUMIXOUS SoOPEi 

 (Scbpelu* tMldiu*). 



Tm: ti-.li which is represented in the illu-.ti-.iti -n on page 285, may fairly take rank as 

 one of the oddities of the tinny race. 



Flat -headed, round -bodied, and strong-scaled, with projecting eyes of most remarkable 



