FOOD PRODUCTS OF THE SEA-rFISHES. 345 



diflFerent kinds of fish can be bought in the markets of 

 Rio, many of which come from the Amazon. 



Those most valued are piranhas and pirarucus ( Vastrh 

 cuverii). They are the largest, but there are numerous 

 smaller varieties. The Indians catch the latter with 

 hooks and lines, or shoot them with arrows. But the 

 larger fish are speared with a kind of trident. 



In the summer months the people come by hundreds 

 to the lakes and channels to fish for the great pirarucu, or 

 red fish, and to prepare it much as codfish is prepared by 

 the northern fishermen. Some of these fish are seven or 

 eight feet in length. They are first dressed and cut into 

 wide thin slices. These are well rubbed with salt and 

 hung on poles to dry in the sun. The slices are taken 

 under cover every night and carried out again in the 

 morning. The stranger does not at once relish this dried 

 fish, yet it is the standard flesh food of aU the poorer 

 classes throughout a large part of Brazil, especially the 

 provinces of Para and Amazonas. 



The piranhas are much prized and are easily caught, 

 for they are greedy to bite at almost anything, from a bit 

 of salt meat to a bather's toe. 



The Tupi word piranha is a contraction oipira sainha, 

 meaning " toothed fish." The same word is used by the 

 Indians to describe a pair of scissors. There are several 

 species of these savage piranhas, some being more than 

 two feet long. They make nothing of biting an ounce 

 or so of flesh from a man's leg. 



Fish are abundant in the rivers of the Argentine Con- 

 federation, and of a large size, such as the dorado 

 {Coryphcena suereii, Cuv. and Val.), surubi (Tetraodon 

 lineatus), and pacou. The catch is plentiful, especially 

 in the Parana and Vermejo, but the fish of the Uruguay 

 river are the most delicate. 



No fishing is carried on on the shores of the ocean, 

 notwithstanding that excellent fish are to be found, as 

 also oysters, lobsters, and other Crustacea. About 550 

 tons of salted fish are imported into Buenos Ayres 

 annually, besides the fish locally caught. 



