The Fresh-Water Hyena. 
251* 
intense pain produced by this burning lye prevented them opening tlieir 
eyes, now bathed in tears, and gazing upon the dreaded watch-towers. It 
was impossible to refrain from laughing on noting the earnestness with 
which the older ones rubbed this juice into the novices still subject to 
the spirits’ powers, and the grimaces and contortions caused by it. The 
sufferers were allowed to wash them out only after the fateful spot was 
passed. The Indian regards every out-ofl the-way-shaped stony mass 
likewise as the residence of an evil spirit and it is only with the greatest 
anxiety that such situations are traversed. As we never adopted these 
precautionary measures but continued to direct our vision on these 
wonders of Nature, they naturally expected nothing else than our imme- 
diate annihilation. Even in the far distance we saw both giants rising 
above the densely matted tops of the trees. 
754. We passed the mouth of the little stream Akaiwanna whence 
a well trodden path leads to the Demerara, which is said to be reached 
in six hours from here. Beyond the Cornuti range the base of which on 
its southern slope is watered by the Murawa that falls into the Essequibo 
opposite the Curibiru Falls, the hitherto compressed river bed gradually 
widens until at the 100-yard wide mouth of the Siparuni or Ked river, 
which empties into the main stream from the south west, it almost re- 
sembles a lake encircled with thick forests, an illusion that is still more 
promoted by the almost unnoticeable current. Having searched in vain 
around the Essequibo bank for a suitable spot to rest at, we journeyed 
some way up into the bed of the Siparuni, a river that has received its 
name from the brownish-red colour of its water: its banks were thickly 
covered with the most beautiful timber. The Burro burro joins it some 
6 miles above its junction with the Essequibo, situate 4° 47' lat. N. 
From here the Brazilians claim as Imperial territory the whole of the 
western bank of the Essequibo as well as the southern bank of the 
Siparuni. It did not take us long to find a convenient camp, and as the 
continuous filliping and splashing of the water promised a fairly rich 
supper, the fishing lines were immediatetly got ready and thrown out, 
but still quicker hauled in, because almost at the very same moment these 
touched the water, the fish took the bait. Naturally the catch consisted for 
the most part only of several species of voracious Pirai ( Pygocentrus 
niger, piraya and Pygopristis fumarius Müll and Troscli.) and the Sc era- 
solmo aureus Spix. They are the greediest predatory fish to be found in 
sweet water, and could therefore rightfully be called its hyenas: for the 
rest, they are found in almost all the waters of Guiana. Alexander von 
Humboldt has already reported liow dangerous these fish are to bathers 
for which reason the Indians always have a very good look at the water 
beforehand to see whether it is harbouring any. The Pygocentrus niger 
are about the size of a carp and armed with a real rake of the sharpest 
teeth : they are accustomed to collect in large swarms at certain spots, 
and then imperil everything that comes within reach, even fish that are 
ten times larger than themselves. If they attack a larger fish they first 
of all bite off the tail fin and thereby rob it of its chief organ of locomo- 
tion, while the remainder fall upon it like harpies, pull off the flesh and 
