OF THE AMAZON. 
485 
of their food, and they often pass days without eating 
anything else, especially when the men are engaged in 
clearing the forest. Eor the greater part of the year 
however the men go daily to fish, and at these times 
they have a good supply of this their favourite food. 
Meat and game they only eat occasionally ; they prefer 
jabutis, or land-tortoises, monheys, inambus {Tinamus 
sp.), toucans, and the smaller species of wild pig {Dico- 
tyles torquatus). But they will not eat the large wild 
pig {B, lahiatus), the anta {Tajnnm Americanus^, or the 
white-rumped mutun {Craw ylobicera?). They consume 
great quantities of peppers (species of Capsicum), pre- 
ferring the small red ones, which are of excessive pun- 
gency : when they have no fish, they boil several pounds 
of these peppers in a little water, and dip their bread 
isto the fiery soup thus formed. 
The poisonous juice expressed from the mandiocca 
root, when fermented and boiled in various ways, forms 
sauces and peculiarly flavoured drinks, of which they are 
very fond. In making their bread they have a peculi- 
arity, not noticed among the neighbouring tribes, of ex- 
tracting pure tapioca from the mandiocca, and, by mix- 
ing this with the ordinary pulp, forming a very superior 
cake. 
They use plantains extensively, eating them as a fruit, 
and making a mingau, or gruel, by boiling and beating 
them up into a pulp, which is a very agreeable food. 
Erom the fruits of the Baccaba, Patawa, and Assai palms 
{CEnocarpus Baccaba, CE. Batawa, and Euterpe oleracea 
and allied species), they produce wholesome and nourish-' 
ing drinks. 
