i68 



NARRATIVE OF AN 



CHAP, not to omit, which is very remarkable, viz, that one 

 morning I faw from my barge a monkey of this kind 

 come down to the water's edge, rinfing his mouth, and 

 appearing to clean his teeth with one of his fingers ; he 

 was firft difcovered by one of the flaves, who pointed him 

 out to my great amufement. 



Here I fliall end the fubje6l for the prefent, after add- 

 ing that the above animals are fociable? and that they 

 are very tenacious of life, as I have fliewn. It is almoil 

 fuperfluous to mention, that the ufual diftin61:ion between 

 what are called monkies and apes, confifts in this, that 

 the firft have all tails, of which the latter are divefted ; 

 but never having met with in Guiana any of the latter 

 defcription, I believe them more to be the inhabitants of 

 Afia and Africa, than of the part of the new world dif- 

 tinguiflied by the name of South America. The monkies 

 are often mifchievous near the plantations, where they 

 commit depredations on the fugar-canes, 8cc. yet of this 

 I but one time have been a witnefs. 



As I am fpeaking of the animals found in this part of 

 the country, I muft not omit the otters hej-e, called ta-- 

 vous^ which in the Cormoetibo Greek frequently attra(5t> 

 ed our attention by their difagreeable noife : as they are 

 amphibious, they live moftly on fifh ; they are about 

 three feet in length, grey-coloured, and all over fpotted 

 with white ; their legs are fhort, they are web-footed, 

 and armed with five claws ; the head is round, the nofe 

 befet with whifkers like a cat ; the eyes are fmall, and 



placed 



