178 STEPPES AND DESERTS. 



( 30 ) p. 15. " Many other forms of animals" 



Whole herds of the Cervus mexicanus wander over 

 the Caraccas Steppes: the young stag is spotted, and 

 resembles in appearance the roe-deer of Europe. We saw 

 among them many entirely white, a singular circum- 

 stance in the torrid zone. The Cervus mexicanus is not 

 found at greater elevations on the mountain-slopes of the 

 Andes under the equator than from 700 to 800 toises 

 (4476 to 5115 Eng. feet); but a larger, and also often 

 white, stag, which I could hardly distinguish from the 

 European by any specific characters, is met with up to 

 2000 toises (12789 Eng. feet). The Cavia capybara, 

 called in the province of Caraccas ' ' chiguire," is an unfor- 

 tunate animal ; being pursued in the water by the crocodile, 

 and on the plain by the tiger or jaguar. It runs so badly 

 that we could often catch it with our hands. Its extremi- 

 ties are smoked for hams, but their taste is very disagreeable 

 from the smell of musk ; and on the Orinoco we willingly 

 ate monkey hams in preference. The beautifully marked 

 animals which have so disagreable an odour are the Yiverra 

 mapurito, Viverra zorilla, and Viverra vittata. 



( 31 ) p. 16." The Guaranis, and the fan-palm, 

 Mauritia" 



The small coast tribe or nation of the Guaranis, (called 

 in British Guiana the Warraws or Guaranos, and by the 

 Caribs U-ara-u), inhabit not only the marshy Delta and 



