126 TlMEHRI. 



of small tadpoles, apparently of two or three species, 

 were to be seen, some just emerging from the egg mem- 

 branes, while others were somewhat advanced in 

 development ; and in some of the pools, eggs alone were 

 found in great clusters at the bottom. These deep little 

 pools were certainly safe places for the early develop- 

 ment of the little creatures, whose existence in the 

 river, would be extremely precarious owing to the enor- 

 mous number of fishes that must prey upon them. 



Here too, between the rocks in the sheltered nooks, 

 some most curious long-legged spiders were to be found, 

 with red and extremely small bodies, which were but 

 little swellings at the meeting point of the very long 

 and thin legs, the third pair of which was of a bright red 

 colour. Their normal number of limbs was seldom pre- 

 sent ; and it was surprising how quickly they dropped 

 them if held, and made off with but two or three on 

 each side. Without either a fine net or a killing bottle, 

 it was almost impossible to procure a specimen undam- 

 aged as to its limbs. A most curious habit of the 

 spiders was noticed when their webs were touched, for 

 then they rotated their bodies with such a rapid motion 

 that it was almost impossible to distinguish more than a 

 rapidly shaken web. 



At the last of the series of cataracts, a splendid male 

 pacu was shot by the captain, and this, with the female 

 obtained at Tumatamari, made up a pair of very fine 

 skins for the collection, while its delicious flesh was a 

 most agreeable change from the tinned foods. In the 

 males, the anal fin is shorter, and the width of the body 

 less than in the females ; and the anterior part of the 

 body is marked with black and brilliant red spots. When 



