OCGASIONAL NOTES. 167 
which drew the attention of the Spaniards and then of 
RALEIGH to the country of “ El Dorado.” In speaking 
of the Corentyne river, Captain KEyMIs said the inhabi- 
tants got their moons by exchange, taking one fora large 
canoe, and “they do somewhat extraordinarily esteem of 
them because everywhere they are current money.” Mr. 
LLOYD has not seen any “ moons,” made of gold; those 
he collected were Brazilian silver coins beaten until 
they became much larger and thinner. 
Sa/t.—On the Pirara Savannah are depressions, from 
which in former times salt was colle€ted. A sample of the 
soil brought down by Mr. LLOYD is a black sandy humus 
of a saltish taste with small visible crystals ; he says this 
earth was washed and the water strained and evaporated 
in the well-known earthen pot. Now that salt is more 
easily procurable the Indians do not take the trouble to 
colleét the inferior produét. This is very interesting 
in conneétion with the old story of Lake Parima, the 
great salt sea as large as the Caspian, which tradition 
located in Guiana, and which may perhaps have existed 
ages ago. The faét that the tradition was so wide- 
spread seems to show that it is very old, and itis not 
impossible that there may have been such a salt lake 
where now the great savannah extends. 
Professor J. B. HARRISON, who has been kind enough 
to analyse a sample of the earth, states that it contains 
Chlorides of Sodium and Magnesium, and Sulphates of 
Calcium and Magnesium, and is similar in respect to its 
salts to the subsoils near the coast. 
Beenas—We have been making enquiries for some 
time past into the subjeét of ‘ beenas.’’ Those who 
have studied works on the Indians will remember that 
