47 



loses itself in a shoaL The position of Macanao, 

 and that which I have assigned to the east 

 point of the island of Coche, differ only four 

 seconds in time from the results obtained by 

 Mr. Fidalgo. 



There being little wind, the captain preferred 

 standing off and on till day break. He was 

 afraid to enter the port of Cumana during the 

 night ; and this prudence seemed necessary, on 

 account of an unfortunate accident, which had 

 lately taken place on this coast. A packet that 

 had anchored during the night, without lighting 

 her poop-lanterns, was taken for an enemy's 

 ship, and was fired on from the batteries of Cu- 

 mana. The captain of the packet had his leg 

 shot off, and died a few days after at that port. 



We passed a part of the night on deck. The 

 Guayqueria pilot conversed with us on the ani- 

 mals and plants of his country. We learnt with 

 great satisfaction, that a few leagues from the 

 coast was a mountainous region inhabited by 

 the Spaniards, in which the cold was very much 

 felt ; and that in the plains there were two spe- 

 cies of crocodiles, very different from each 

 other*, boas, electric eels^f-, and several kinds of 

 tigers. Though the words bava, cachicamo, and 

 temblador, were entirely unknown to us, we ea- 

 sily guessed, from his simple description of their 



* Crocodilus acutus, and c. bava. 

 f Gjmnotus electricus, temblador. 



