SOUTH AMERICA. 187 



feet to walk, but to stretch a membrane, which IRD 



Ul 1 1 JOURNEY. 



enables mm to go up into an element, where no ~ 

 other quadruped is seen. The armadillo has only 

 here arid there a straggling hair, and has neither 

 fur, nor wool, nor bristles, but in lieu of them 

 has received a movable shell, on which are scales 

 very much like those of fishes. The tortoise is 

 oviparous, entirely without any appearance of 

 hair, and is obliged to accommodate itself to a 

 shell which is quite hard and inflexible, and in 

 no point of view whatever, obedient to the will 

 or pleasure of the bearer. The egg of the tor- 

 toise has a very hard shell, while that of the turtle 

 is quite soft. 



In some parts of these forests I saw the Vanilla The vs- 



. i i T i nilla. 



growing luxuriantly. It creeps up the trees to 

 the height of thirty or forty feet. I found it 

 difficult to get a ripe pod, as the monkies are very 

 fond of it, and generally took care to get there 

 before me. The pod hangs from the tree in the 

 shape of a little scabbard. Vayna is the Spanish 

 for a scabbard, and Vanilla for a little scabbard. 

 Hence the name. 



In Mibiri creek there was a Cayman of the shoots a 

 small species, measuring about five feet in length ; Mibiri 

 I saw it in the same place for months, but could 

 never get a shot at it ; for the moment I thought 

 I was sure of it, it dived under the water before 

 I could pull the trigger. At last I got an Indian 

 with his bow and arrow ; he stood up in the canoe 



