Chap. V. ANT-EATER. I77 



its courage. Of tlie Jaguar they give a very different 

 account. 



The only species of monkey I met with at Caripi was 

 the same dark-coloured little Midas already mentioned 

 as found near Para. The great Ant-eater, Tamandua of 

 the natives (Myi'mecophaga jubata), was not uncommon 

 here. After the first few weeks of residence I ran short 

 of fresh provisions. The people of the neighbourhood 

 had sold me all the fowls they could spare ; I had not 

 yet learnt to eat the stale and stringy salt-fish which is 

 the staple food in these places, and for several days I 

 had lived on rice -porridge, roasted bananas, and farinha. 

 Florinda asked me whether I could eat Tamandua. 

 I told her almost an3rthing in the shape of flesh would 

 be acceptable, so the same day she went with an old 

 negro named Antonio and the dogs, and in the evening 

 brought one of the animals. The meat was stewed and 

 turned out very good, something like goose in flavour. 

 The people at Caripi would not touch a morsel, saying 

 it was not considered fit to eat in these parts ; I had 

 read, however, that it was an article of food in other 

 countries of South America. During the next two or 

 three weeks, when we were short of fresh meat, Antonio 

 was always ready, for a small reward, to get me a Taman- 

 dua. But one day he came to me in great distress mth 

 the news that his favourite dog, Atrevido, had been 

 caught in the grip of an ant-eater, and was killed. We 

 hastened to the place, and found the dog was not dead, 

 but severely torn by the claws of the animal, which 

 itself was mortally wounded, and was now relaxing its 

 gi'asp. 



VOL. I. X 



