166 THE UPPER AMAZONS. Chap. III. 



which, salted, forms the staple food of all classes in 

 most parts of the Lower Amazons country. It darted 

 past with great speed close to the surface of the water, 

 exhibiting its ornamental coat of mail, the extremely 

 large, broad scales being margined with bright red. One 

 of the Indians seized a harpoon and, jumping into the 

 montaria, w T as after it in a moment. He killed it at 

 the distance of a few yards, as it was plunging amongst 

 the entangled beds of grass. The fish was a nearly 

 full-grown one, measuring eight feet in length and 

 five in girth, and supplied us all with two plentiful 

 meals. The best parts only were cooked, the rest being 

 thrown most improvidently to the vultures. The 

 Indian name Pirarucu, or Anatto fish (from Pira, 

 fish ; and urucu, anatto or red), is in allusion to the 

 red colour of the borders of its scales, and is a sample 

 of the figurative style of nomenclature of the Tupi 

 nation. 



Notwithstanding the hard fare, the confinement of 

 the canoe, the trying weather, — frequent and drenching 

 rains with gleams of fiery sunshine, — and the woful 

 desolation of the river scenery, I enjoyed the voyage on 

 the whole. We were not much troubled by mosquitoes, 

 and therefore passed the nights very pleasantly, sleeping 

 on deck wrapped in blankets or old sails. When the 

 rains drove us below we were less comfortable, as there 

 was only just room in the small cabin for three of us to 

 lie close together, and the confined air was stifling. I 

 became inured to the Piums in the course of the first 

 week ; all the exposed parts of my body, by that time, 

 being so closely covered with black punctures that the 



