374 EXPLANATORY INDEX. 



" I am. told that if you cut the stem off at certain seasons, 

 you may see the young leaf actually move upwards from within, 

 and grow before your eyes ; and that each stem of plantain 

 will bear from thirty to sixty pounds of rich food during the 

 year of its short life." 



Another plantain (Musa paradisaica) bears large fruits 

 which require to be cooked, while the fruit of the banana is 

 eaten raw. 



BELL-BIRD. See " Campanero." 



BETE-ROUGE. This horrible little pest much resembles our 

 harvest bug in colour, size and habits. It is a minute species 

 of tick belonging to the genus Leptus, and causes the most 

 violent irritation when it attacks a human being. As its 

 principal haunts are in grassy spots, the feet are generally 

 exposed to its onslaught, but it will make its way between 

 the collar and neck, or on the wrists, and, being so small, 

 scarcely larger than the dot of the letter i, it is seldom 

 discovered until the mischief is done. 



Indeed there seems to be no mode of evading it, Mr. C. 

 B. Brown mentions that he once thought that he had found a 

 new species of Maam, both sides of the head being marked 

 with a scarlet patch. But, on examining the bird closer, he 

 found that the scarlet patches were nothing but clusters of 

 the Bete-rouge. 



BISA MONKEY (Brachyurus satanas.) 



Sometimes this monkey is called the Bearded Saki, or 

 Cuxio. The male is a much deeper black than the female. 

 It seems to be more solitary in its habits than the generality 

 of its tribe, and to live rather in pairs than companies. It 

 seems fearful of wetting its beard, and, when it drinks, scoops 

 up the water in the hollow of its hand. 



The name is sometimes spelled Beeshu. 



BLOW-GUN. Sometimes called Pucuna. The beautifully 

 perfect specimen given to me by Waterton is exactly eleven 

 feet in length, and is yet so light that it is only a little 

 more than a pound and a half in weight. For the various 



