RORAIMA. 321 
sharp claws of his forefeet that it was impossible to 
capture him. Then he tried to escape, but as he was 
not very nimble he could not succed in getting away. 
As I could not catch hold of him with my hands on 
account of his dangerous claws, I took my large gauze 
butterfly net and succeeded in shovelling him into it. 
Folded in this, without his offering the least resistance, 
I carried him into my hut and soon incorporated him 
with my menagerie. 
On my arrival home I found the Arekuna chief and 
several of his people awaiting me. He had brought a 
good supply of cassava bread and bananas, as well as a 
pair of new sandals, for which I gave him presents. 
The night was like the preceding, very cool, and the 
thermometer, which had stood at 80 degrees during the 
day, now fell to 64 degrees, so I had to sleep in my ham- 
mock with two coats and trowsers as well as a blanket. 
This chill was especially felt by those live animals I 
had brought from the hot plains, of which there died from 
the coldness of the night in the course of the two weeks 
we spent here, a large water-hog (Hydrochceeris Capy- 
bara) a nasua (N. socialis) and the ant-eater I have just 
mentioned. 
Early next morning the Arekuna chief again visited 
me bringing a gully-gut (Galictis barbara) and the very 
rare black striped Nasua vitatta of which this was the 
only specimen I ever saw. 
The Galiétis barbara was in the highest degree wild 
and untameable, and in a moment after [ had put him in 
a cage made of strong staves half driven into the ground 
had broken through and taken to flight. He was, however, 
soon caught again by an Indian, but in spite of stronger 
