AND AMONG THE BOTOCUDOS, 



285 



pulled out, to be worn as amulets, the superstition of this country 

 ascribing to them great virtue in the cure or prevention of various 

 diseases. The skin of this ounce was marked in a very beautiful 

 manner ; it measured above five feet in length without the tail, and 

 yet it was not one of the largest of the species. This, and the other 

 large animals of the feline tribe, the black tiger and the fa^uaranna, 

 or red ounce, (felis concolor, Linn.^ are not rare in all the woods on 

 the Belmonte ; but they are not much disturbed, because there are 

 no dogs in that part of the country fit for this kind of hunting. The 

 tracks of these voracious animals are found very commonly on all the 

 sandy banks of the river; and during the silence of the night, their 

 harsh, broken howl is frequently heard. 



Induced by the many tracks of wild animals, I resolved to stop the 

 following day at Timicui, and to have the neighbouring woods ex- 

 amined in all directions. The weather was very favourable, yet we 

 could not secure any quadrupeds, but only eatable birds, among 

 which were a Muscovy duck (anas moschata. Linn.), a, jacupemba, 

 or Brazilian turkey, an arara (maccaw), five capueiras ( perdLv 

 guianensis, Latham, or perdLv dentata, Temminck,) which afforded us 

 a good supper. My only remaining spaniel bitch was very useful in 

 hunting the partridges ; she soon found the covey, which flew away 

 in all directions, and settled on the trees, where a sportsman, who has 

 a good eye, easily discerns and shoots them. An opossum f gambA) 

 which, to escape my dog, ran up the trunk of a tree, was pulled down 

 by her, but on account of its disagreeable smell, she cautiously 

 seized it only with the points of her teeth, and shook it to death. 

 The maccaws, as well as other parrots, afforded us a strong broth ; 

 the flesh of the former is coarse, but nourishing, and not unlike 

 beef. 



When we returned from our hunting excursion in the dusk of the 

 evening, we saw a number of large bats hovering over the surface of 



