Zoology of the Amazon. 295 



CHAPTEE XX. 



Life within the Great River. —Fishes. — Alligators. — Turtles. — Porpoises 

 and Manatis. 



The Amazon is a crowded aquarium, holding represent- 

 atives of every zoological class — infusoria, hydras, fresh- 

 water shells (chiefly Ampullaria, Melania, and Unios), 

 aquatic beetles (belonging mostly to new genera), fishes, 

 reptiles, water birds, and cetaceans. The abundance and 

 variety of fishes are extraordinary ; so also are the spe- 

 cies. This great river is a peculiar ichthyic province, and 

 each part has its characteristics. According to Agassiz, 

 the whole river, as well as its tributaries, is brohen up 

 into numerous distinct fauna.* The pirarucii, or "red- 

 fish" (the Sudis gigas of science), is at once the largest, 

 most common, and most useful fish. The Peruvian In- 

 dians call it payshi. It is a powerful fish, often measur- 

 ing eight feet in length and five in girth, clad in an orna- 

 mental coat-of -mail, its large scales being margined with 

 bright red. It ranges from Peru to Para. It is usually 

 taken by the arrow or spear. Salted and dried, the meat 

 will keep for a year, and forms, with farina, the staple food 

 on the Amazon. The hard, rough tor.gue is used as a grat- 

 er. Other fishes most frequently seen are the prettily- 

 spotted catfish, Pescada, Piranha, Acara, which carries its 

 young in its mouth, and a long, slender needle-fish. There 

 are ganoids in the river, but no sturgeons proper. Pick- 

 erel, perch, and trout are also wanting. The sting-ray rep- 



* We await the Professor's examination of his "more than 80,000 speci- 

 mens" before we give the number of new species. 



