THE ANACONDA 



311 



species which has a round instead of a bean-shaped 

 waxen excrescence on the beak (Crax globicera) is the 

 prevaiUng kind. These birds in their natural state never 

 descend from the tops of the loftiest trees, where they 

 live in small flocks and build their nests. The Mitu 

 tuberosa lays two rough-shelled, white eggs ; it is fully 

 as large a bird as the common turkey, but the flesh when 

 cooked is drier and not so well flavoured. It is difficult 

 to find the reason why these superb birds have not been 

 reduced to domestication by the Indians, seeing that 

 they so readily become tame. The obstacle offered by 

 their not breeding in confinement, which is probably 

 owing to their arboreal habits, might perhaps be over- 

 come by repeated experiment ; but for this the Indians 

 probably had not sufficient patience or intelligence. The 

 reason cannot lie in their insensibility to the value of such 

 birds, for the common turkey, which has been introduced 

 into the country, is much prized by them. 



We had an unwelcome visitor whilst at anchor in the 

 port of Joao Malagueita. I was awoke a little after mid- 

 night as I lay in my little cabin by a heavy blow struck 

 at the sides of the canoe close to my head, which was suc- 

 ceeded by the sound of a weighty body plunging in the 

 water. I got up ; but all was again quiet, except the 

 cackle of fowls in our hen-coop, which hung over the sides 

 of the vessel about three feet from the cabin door. I 

 could find no explanation of the circumstance, and, my 

 men being all ashore, I turned in again and slept till 

 morning. I then found my poultry loose about the canoe, 

 and a large rent in the bottom of the hen-coop, which was 

 about two feet from the surface of the water : a couple 

 of fowls were missing. Senhor Antonio said the depre- 

 dator was a Sucuruju (the Indian name for the Anaconda, 

 or great water serpen t^Eunectes murinus), which had for 

 months past been haunting this part of the river, and had 

 carried off many ducks and fowls from the ports of various 

 houses. I was inclined to doubt the fact of a serpent 

 striking at its prey from the water, and thought an 

 alligator more likely to be the culprit, although we had 

 not yet met with alligators in the river. Some days 

 afterwards the young men belonging to the different 

 sitios agreed together to go in search of the serpent. They 

 began in a systematic manner, forming two parties each 

 embarked in three or four canoes, and starting from points 



