82- 
VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS. 
Chap. IL 
salt pirarucu "for the love of God." They are not 
quite so badly off in the dry season. The shallow 
lakes and bays then contain plenty of fish, and the 
boys and women go out at night to spear them by 
torchlight ; the torches being made of thin strips of 
green bark from the leaf-stalks of palms, tied in bun- 
dles. Many excellent kinds of fish are thus obtained ; 
amongst them the Pescada, whose white and flaky 
flesh, when boiled, has the appearance and flavour of 
cod-fish ; and the Tucunare (Cichla temensis), a hand- 
some species, with a large prettily-coloured, eye-like 
spot on its tail. Many small Salmonidse are also met 
with, and a kind of sole, called Aramassa, which moves 
along the clear sandy bottom of the bay. At these 
times a species of sting-ray is common on the sloping 
beach, and bathers are frequently stung most severely 
by it. The weapon of this fish is a strong blade with 
jagged edges, about three inches long, growing from the 
side of the long fleshy tail. I once saw a woman 
wounded by it whilst bathing ; she shrieked frightfully, 
and was obliged to be carried to her hammock, where 
she lay for a week in great pain; I have known 
strong men to be lamed for many months by the 
sting. 
There was a mode of taking fish here which I had 
not before seen employed, but found afterwards to be 
very common on the Tapajos. This is by using a poison- 
ous liana called Timbo (PauUinia pinnata). It will act 
only in the still waters of creeks and pools. A few rods, 
a yard in length, are mashed and soaked in the water, 
which quickly becomes discoloured with the milky de- 
