364 TROPICAL WILD LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA 



menu, while the incautious beast that comes within their 

 reach, is a rare toothsome dessert. 



The Indians, morning after morning, find only heads 

 remaining in the gill nets, or, if they are fortunate, a few 

 partly mutilated fish. Fishermen, returning from a day's 

 sport, tell how there came a second strike, which nearly broke 

 the line, when their captives were almost to the surface. 

 They found, upon pulling in, most of the tail gone, a huge 

 portion taken out just below the dorsal fin, or, possibly only 

 the head of their catch left. 



The perai war not only upon other fish, but also upon 

 their own kind. This has been a rather disputed question. 

 Some authorities claim that they will never attack one an- 

 other; but many perai have the webbing nearly gone from 

 their tails and are otherwise scarred about the body. I have 

 caught many on the flesh and entrails of another. Where 

 food is plenty this may not occur, but it certainly is true on 

 the lower Mazaruni. If one, freshly killed, be gashed and 

 torn so that the blood flows, it will be set upon and devoured 

 as quickly as if it were a warm-blooded bird. If only wound- 

 ed, however, its sharp teeth and strong jaws protect it until 

 recovery or, worn out by the repeated sallies of others, until 

 it succumbs. 



The taint of blood in the water drives the perai blood- 

 crazy and they become at once raging savage demons, blindly 

 attacking anything, no matter what, from which comes the 

 flow of blood. Thus the person who wishes to pass through 

 infested waters does so at an increased risk if he has even so 

 much as a small wound that drips blood. He must move 

 quietly for loud splashing attracts, and they rush and strike 

 on an instant. 



The natives near Kalacoon, while they fear these 

 scourges, are not afraid to enter the water, and the children 

 play around the shores waist deep near places where the fish 

 abound. They seldom or never are assailed, for the fish seem 

 to avoid the bathing spots, though, perhaps a few yards 



