276 ANIMISM AND FOLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS (eth. ANN. SO 



them notice of his approach (CI, i, 311). Children are discouraijed 

 from picking up certain feathers, as these tend to weaken memory, 

 and the handlmg of the f eatliers of a scissor-tail hawk, called by the 

 Atorais chaouneh, conduces to insanity (Da, 250). 



2S3A. The A"igut-owl and his Bat Brothers-in-law (W) 



Boku-boku, the Night-owl , married the bats' sister, and often took his brothers with 

 him at niglit to rob peoples' houses. One night they came across a house where the 

 people were drying fish on a babracote: just to frighten them, they all sang out, boku! 

 hoku! bokuf — this made the occupants run out into tht; bush, and so gave the bats 

 their opportunity for stealing the fish. The trio played the same trick at many a 

 settlement, until one daj- the owl told them he had to travel about for a while, and 

 that during his absence they must behave themselves, and stay indoors at night, iW 

 othei-wise trouble would be sure to happen. But no sooner had Boku-boku turned 

 his back, than the bats, unable to resist temptation, continued their evil courses. 

 They got to a place one night where the fish were being dried, but having no owl with 

 them on this occasion, they could not shout bokuf boku! boku! as loudly as they 

 did before; hence, the people not being so frightened now, ran away only a little 

 distance, just far enough to be able to watch everything and to see that it was only the 

 bats who were stealing their food. But the bats, remaining midisturbed, thought 

 they could now do what they liked with impmiity, and hence returned again upon 

 the following evening, when the jjeople remained just as they were, some seated, 

 some lying in their hammocks. The bats still thought of course that nothing bad 

 could happen them, and were laughing chi! chi! chi! for very joy. But the house- 

 master took out his bow ana arrow, the latter tipped with a knob of wax, with which 

 he shot one of them on the rump, stunning it.i The other bat, escaping into the 

 forest, met Boku-boku, who had just returned from his travels, and to whom he nar- 

 rated the circumstances of his brother's untimely death. Nothing daunted, the two 

 returned to hunt that night, and on this occasion the noise of their voices, now that it 

 included the owl's, created such a stir that the folk ran as before into the bush, while 

 Boku-boku and his brotlier-in-law stole the Csh. But Ijang on the babracote was 

 the dead bat, which they took home with them, and there they soundly smacked 

 him on the spot where he had been struck -^vith the arrow: this brought him round, the 

 fire not having withered him up beyond recovery, and he laughed chi! chi! chi! on 

 awakening. And althougli Boku-boku was prevented accompanying them the 

 following evening, the two bats insisted on repeating their nocturnal e.xcursion: as 

 before, the folk were not frightened, and again one of Uie bats got shot in his posterior. 

 Next night, the surviving bat returned with Boku-boku, and they found as before upon, 

 the babracote, the body of their relative: this they took away with them, but on this 

 occasion, when they smacked the corpse, it never woke — it had been dried too much 

 over the fire. The surviving bat however continues to take his revenge u pon people 

 and sucks' them and their fowls, as well as doing other damage, while the presence of 

 Boku-boku, his brother-in-law, invariably means mischief: when heard at night, 

 some one is surely about to sicken and die. 



224. There are two bees which indicate the arrival of a stranger. 

 One of these insects (honorari) comes in ihe morning early, and in 

 the afternoon late, while the other (wariro) lives in the ground; 

 when either of these buzzes iVrawaks are convinced that people are 

 about to visit them. The modudu is another bee that flies round 



1 On the upper Aiary the children's toy arrows are tipped w ith a button ol black wax (KG, i, 10&-7). 



