Guiana. 
Amphibie. 
“Tapira. 
Sea cow. 
Alligator. 
Laubba. 
Pipa. 
Papaw. 
Aboma. 
544 
the doméstic hog of Africa or Europe in a wild state ; 
and the only species indigenous in Guiana, is the pic- 
caree, or pe a hog, which is about 3 feet in length, 
without either tusks or tail, and is particularly remark- 
able, from having on its back, above the hind legs, a ca- 
vity about an inch deep, filled with a white fetid fluid, 
which, ynless cut out as soon as the animal is killed, 
infects the whole flesh, so as render it unfit for being 
used as food. They are found in large herds in the 
drier and mountainous of the country ; and their 
flesh is greatly admired by the natives. There isa great 
variety of lizards, mt nich the most arenes = er 
guana, about three feet in length, and generally foun 
among the shrubs and fruit trees, Its eggs, which 
are deposited in the sand, are reckoned excellent food 3 
and its flesh particularly is esteemed a great delicacy, 
resembling in taste that of a chicken. ; 
The amphibious animals aré very abundant in Gui- 
ana; of which we can only slightly notice the tapira, 
resembling the hippopotamus, but not lenge than an 
ass, with the head of a horse, and a considerable pro- 
longation of the upper lip, excessively thick skin, brist~ 
ly mane, and short tail, feeds on grass and aquatic 
herbs, and its flesh is accounted superior to the finest 
ox beef, but it is rarely procured, as the animal is ex-. 
tremely shy, and plunges into the water upon the least 
alarm ; the manatee, or sea cow, about 16 feet or more 
in length, with a head like that of a hog, nostrils like 
an ox, breasts like those of a woman, and a tail like 
that, of the whale, seldom quits the water entirely, and 
its flesh, which is very fat, tastes much like veal; the 
alligator, or cayman, found sometimes 20 feet in length, 
but generally harmless, and even in water seldom at- 
tacking a man, as long as he keeps himself in motion ; 
the laubba, which seems to be the same with what 
others call the paca, or spotted cavey, or aquatic hare, 
is peculiar to this part of the world, about the size of a 
sucking pig or large cat, with the head of a pug dog, 
extremely fat, and resembles the finest pork, feeds on 
herbs and grain, takes refuge in the water when pur- 
sued, swimming a long time at a short distance from 
the surface, so that it is often shot under water with ar- 
rows; the pipa, a kind of toad or frog, sometimes as 
large as an ordinary duck, a creature of a hideous ap- 
pearance, covered with a brown shrivelled skin, and 
chiefly remarkable for the uncommon loudness of its 
voice ; but still more for the peculiar manner of its pro- 
pagation, the young being hatched in watery cells on 
‘the back of the female, or, according to others, placed 
there by the assistance of the male after they have be- 
come tadpoles, and continuing to nestle there till the 
second transformation is completed,  ” 
There are many snakes in Guiana, of which the best 
known are the rattle-snake, whip-snake, and dipsas ; 
the papaw, or ammodytes, a harmless and beautiful 
creature, from three to five feet in length, which is re- 
vered by the natives as a sacred object ; the oroocookoo, 
supposed to be the same with the small laboia, the bite 
of which has been known to prove fatal in a few mi- 
nutes ; and the aboma, an amphibious animal, delight- 
ing in low marshy places, found upwards of 20 feet in 
length, and said, when fully grown, to be from 30 to 
40 feet long, and from 3 to 4 in circumference at the 
thickest part of the body. Its bite is not considered as 
venomous, and it is a sluggish unwieldy creature, but 
seizes its prey by surprize, and devours deer, hogs, or 
even the tyger withont difficulty, entangling and crush- 
ing them in its grasp, besmearing them with saliva, and 
swallowing their bodies entire. 
5 
GUIANA. 
_ green sparro 
The birds most commonly found in Guiana are the vul- 
ture, eagle, ow], falcon, butcher bird ; parrots of various ™ 
kinds ; and beautiful mackaws, some of which are Bits 
about the size of acapon, toucan, pelican, wood-pecker, 
w, tiger bird, a kind of heron of a reddish 
colour, spotted with black ; flamingo found in flocks on 
the banks of rivers, and so tame as frequently to mix 
with the poultry on the plantations ; agame, or trum- 
peter, a kind of turkey pace eg so 4 
often domesticated ; sun-bird, resembling the English 
partridge, and sometimes kept in the houses to 
the ants ; peacock-pheasant, or powese, resembling in . 
size and flavour an English turkey ; kishee-kishee, about Kishes- 
the size of a sparrow, adorned with most beautiful kishee. — 
plumage, and sometimes brought by the Indians from A; 
the interior of the country; the mocking bird; which 
hangs its nest, (about 14 inches in length, and 8 in cir- 
cumference,) at the extremity of the twigs of the re- 
motest branches, as a security from the monkies ; and Humm 
the humming bird, which is found here in nume bird. 
ber and variety: the most common of these, of a 
and crimson colour, is not bigger than a large 3 
and the smallest, of a black and colour, with a 
golden tuft on its head, nearly a third less than the last 
mentioned, sometimes weighs little more than 50 grains. 
There are bats of a large size, some of which have been Bats. _ 
found to measure thirty-two inches between the tips 
of the extended wings, and which are known to open 
the veins in the feet of persons asleep, and to suck the 
blood till they are satisfied. 
The fish caught on the coast are far from being de- Fish. 
licate, as the water is extremely muddy for several 
leagues from the shore. The most remarkable of the 
salt water fish is the low-low, about six inches in length, 
and three in circumference ; and the largest of the fresa 
water fish is the barroketa, about three feet long, and 
two in circumference, resembling a salmon, white, fat, 
and delicate. The eee another fresh water fish, about 
18 inches long, and of a flat form, has a large mouth 
armed with long sharp teeth, and is said to attack per- y 
sons when bathing in the rivers. The frog fish is one Frog fis 
of the greatest curiosities in Guiana, and is said to pass , 
by regular gradations, through the form of a frog, a 
frog fish, and lastly’a fish, but is affirmed by Stedman 
to proceed rather in the opposite direction, from a fish 
to a frog, and to be probably nothing: else than a kind 
of tadpole, which grows toa large size before under- 
going its usual transformation; in the fish state, it is 
about eight or ten inches long, without scales, and ex- 
ceedingly fat and delicate. e galvanic ee] is very 
common in the rivers of this country, generally about 
three feet in length, and 12 inehes in circ ; 5 
though sometimes found ofa much larger size ; it comes 
frequently to the surface of the water, as if to inhale the 
air, and its flesh is esteemed delicate food by the na- 
tives. Multitudes of crabs are found in the bottoms of 
the muddy streams; and a large land crab, much used 
as food by the natives, abounds on the banks of the 
sea, at the mouth of the rivers. : 
Insects abound in Guiana in vast numbers, owing to In 
the continued warmth of the climate, which both favours 
their production, and prolongs their existence ; and 
continually flying in the faces, or crawling about the 
bodies of the-inhabitants, are the most-intolerable pest 
of the country, especially to new settlers from Europe. 
Musquitoes are inconceivably numerous See te the 
rainy season, particularly on the coast, and on the banks 
of rivers ; and are said to prevail most in-places, which 
are in a state of progress from a wild to a completely 
