ÖHöALs OF Pacü Swim Upstream. ^83 
The species found iulaud grows to a leiigtli of from 12 to 16 ft., is much 
blackei', and now and then shows yelk)W spots : the snout is shorter and 
more compaet: the feet are also shorter and more powerful than in C; 
sclerops: it corresponds entiiiely Avith the black kaiman found by von 
Martins in the Amazon river, Champsa nigrcn Natt. The, coloured people 
and colonists call it the kaiman. 
661. Among fish that could still be added to my collections here I 
need only note the interesting Doms niger Val. and D. ^carimtus Val., 
the Loricaria plati/ura Müll. Trosch. and a small 2 ft. long.>S'w(fis gigas, 
that enabled me to forward to the Museum its skin, its skeleton, and a 
spirit-specimen : together with these I despatched a new species of 
E.rodo)t, E. paradoxus Müll. Trosch. 
662. Our camp at Wai-ipukari Inlet for some days before our de- 
parture displayed once more the lively and animated scenes that it had so 
often previously presented. All tlie neighbouring Indians, together with 
the wives and chihlren of tliose accompanying us, had gathered round to 
say goodhliye to my brother and Mr. Goodall whom they knew would 
never return. 
663. As the forerunner of the rainy season had already set in some 
time before and the rain liad fallen in torrents the last two* days, we 
jumped into our three c(UMals on •'^rd May after a hearty handshake, a 
custom that the Macusji had adopted from us, and with all, the crowd 
shouting ''Tombawai, Tombawai!" f Good-bye) made our way up the 
already swollen Rupununi. The mouth of the Awarrcuru was soon left 
behind. The western bank of the Rupununi in places consisted of thick 
forests while the eastern formed the edge of the savannah on which 
the grass, close to the bank, reached a height of 6 feet. In the far dis- 
tance, the savannah was bounded by small hills and dense forest-flats. 
The dark foliaged Canuku Range rose more to the southward. 
661. Our briskly undertaken journey soon met with a check that 
might have been attended with dangerous results : the largest boat ran up 
against a stump below water, and leaked so badly that it was only with 
the utmost effort that we managed to run it ashore before sinking. 
While the repairs wer-e going on we noticed regular shoals of the tasty 
Mijlefcfi Pacii swimming upstream, which a]>]>eared to confirm the state- 
ments of the Indians and coloured people of the lower Essequibo that 
during the rainy season when all the streams overflow, the fish l»etakes 
itself to the upper reaches of the^river, where it spawns in the still waters 
of the flooded savannah. These shoals proved welcome targets for our 
arrows. 
66.5. The damage was repaired in an hour's time and without fur- 
ther delay we continued our journey until evening, when we pitched our 
tents under some huge trees on the western bank. The work was 
hardly completed when a terrible storm broke — the worst that I had ever 
experienced in the tropics. It seemed as if all the flood-gates of heaven 
were opened to let out their contents at one and the same time. The 
howling of the wind and the rolling of the thunder was all smothered 
under the noise of tlie downpour. Our people who no longer sought 
shelter beneath the giant trees, took refuge under our tents^ which 
