THE AMAZON DISTRICT. 
467 
Guaviare or the Amazon, appearing to be confined to the 
black-water streams. I obtained ten distinct kinds of 
river tortoises, or Chelydida, and there are also two or 
three kinds of land -tortoises inhabiting the adjacent 
district. 
As might be expected in the greatest river in the 
world, there is a corresponding abundance and variety of 
fish. They supply the Indians with the greater part of 
their animal food, and are at all times more plentiful, 
and easier to be obtained, than birds or game from the 
forest. 
During my residence on the Rio Negro I carefully 
figured and described every species I met with ; and at 
the time I left, fresh ones were every day occurring. The 
soft-finned fishes are much the most numerous, and com- 
prise some of the best kinds for food. Of the Siluridce 
I obtained fifty-one species, of Serrasahno twenty-four, 
of CJialceas twenty-six, of Gymnotus ten, and of spinous- 
finned fishes {AcantJiopteryyia) forty-two. Of all kinds 
of fishes I found two hundred and five species in the 
Rio Negro alone, and these, I am sure, are but a small 
portion of what exist there. Being a black-water river, 
most of its fishes are different from those found in the 
Amazon. In fact, in every small river, and in different 
parts of the same river, distinct kinds are found. The 
greater part of those which inhabit the Upper Rio Negro 
are not found near its mouth, where there are many 
other kinds equally unknown in the clearer, darker, and 
probably colder waters of its higher branches. From 
the number of new fishes constantly found in every 
fresh locality and in every fisherman’s basket, we may 
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