407 



and fish on the banks of the river. The toucan 

 we had bought was very young ; yet it took 

 delight^ during the whole voyage, in teazing the 

 cusicusis, or nocturnal monkeys, which are sad 

 and passionate. I did not observe what has 

 been related in some works of natural history, 

 that the toucan is forced, from the structure of 

 it's beak, to swallow it's food by throwing it up 

 into the air. It raises it indeed with some diffi- 

 culty from the ground, but, having once seized 

 it with the point of it's enormous beak, it has 

 only to lift it up by throwing back it's head, 

 and hold it perpendicularly as long as it is in 

 the act of swallowing. This bird makes extraor- 

 dinary gestures when preparing to drink. The 

 monks say, that it makes the sign of the 

 cross upon the water jj and this popular be- 

 lief has obtained for the toucan, from the 

 Creoles, the singular name of diostede (God 

 grant it thee). 



Most of our animals were confined in small 

 willow cages ; others ran at full liberty all over 

 the boat. At the approach of rain, the macaws 

 sent forth frightful cries, the toucan wanted to 

 gain the shore to fish, and the little monkeys, 

 the titis, went in search of father Zea, to take 

 shelter in the large sleeves of his Franciscan 

 habit. These scenes were often repeated, and 

 made us forget the torment of the moschettoes. 

 At night, when we rested, we placed a leather 



