482 EXPLANATORY INDEX. 



the room if possible. Even dogs yield to it unless they are 

 very courageous, for the Trumpeter attacks them after a very 

 peculiar fashion, jumping on its foe's back, and kicking and 

 pecking him until he is quite bewildered. 



It is usually a beautiful bird, especially in the breast, where 

 the black feathers are richly glossed with gold and purple 

 upon their edges. 



TuKTLE, Feesh-water. — Several reptiles are known by this 

 name. That to which "Waterton here refers is probably the 

 larger of the two [Podocnemis expansa), called Sachapana by 

 the natives. Its eggs are large, spherical, and with white 

 shells. The smaller species (Einys tracaxa), called by the 

 natives Taracai, lays soft oval eggs. The eggs of both 

 species are valued as food, and only the yolk is eaten. It is 

 allied to the well-known chicken tortoise of North America. 



V. 



Vampiee (Vampirus spectrum). — As to the Vampire bats 

 ^hich would not bite Waterton, who did his best to allure 

 them, and would insist on biting everybody else, who did not 

 wish to be bitten, C. Kingsley has the following remarks : — 



"Then we inspected a coolie's great toe, which had been 

 severely bitten by a Vampire in the night. 



" And here let me say that the popular disbelief of Vampire 

 stories is only owing to English ignorance, and disinclination 

 to believe any of the many quaint doings which John Bull 

 has not seen, because he does not care to see them. If he 

 comes to these parts, he must be careful not to leave his feet 

 or hands out of bed without mosquito curtains ; if he has 

 good horses, he ought not to leave them exposed at night 

 without wire-gauze round the stable shed — a plan which, to 

 my surprise, I never saw used in the West Indies. 



" Otherwise, he will be but too likely to find in the morning 

 a triangular bit cut out of his own flesh, or even worse, out of 



