NOTES ON PERAI 365 



away, many agitate the surface in search of food or play. 

 The Indian always walks into the water with care and quiet. 

 He is careful to make as little disturbance as possible until, 

 deep water reached, he launches out to swim. 



Flesh is not the only food of the perai. Dough made 

 from rice or cassava and used by the natives to catch more 

 gentle fry, is an article of relish. Pieces of bread, fruit and 

 seeds have all been found in their stomachs. In one locality, 

 on the Essequibo River, there is a large citrate factory, which 

 daily uses many sacks of limes. When the oil is extracted 

 and the juice squeezed out, the skins are thrown into a refuse 

 heap and carted to the river edge. Each day, for more than 

 a year, they have been dumped into the river at the same spot, 

 where the water is shallow. But a large heap never accu- 

 mulates there. Soon after the splash of the first basketful, 

 thousands of fish gather from all directions and actually 

 churn the water in mad struggles to get at the refuse. The 

 seeds seem to be the main attraction, for they are the first 

 to disappear ; and then the pulp follows more slowly. Final- 

 ly the rinds, empty, lightened of their load, drift away with 

 the current. 



Among the swarming fish dart the perai, for they, too, 

 love the seeds and the pulp. They travel a clear path, for 

 no fish cares or dares to face these marauders. If several 

 "cartabacs" are wrangling over an inviting morsel, they drop 

 it quickly without any hesitation, and the water pirate fin- 

 ishes the meal alone, and in peace; or perhaps, attacked by 

 another of his kindred, he in turn drops it in the swift battle 

 that ensues, and the stolen titbit is appropriated by a third. 

 And so it goes until the limes are exhausted, and the first 

 scatter to await another day. 



Perai are welcome articles of food to the natives, but 

 to the white man their flesh is rather soft, and has a slight 

 muddy taste, while there is a great abundance of bone. Nev- 

 ertheless, when desirous for a change from our flesh diet, one 

 of us would take a rod and go down to the banks of the river 



