294 T.IMEHRI. 
powis, the size of a large turkey ; the maroodie, which 
almost any morning may be found roosting in the trees 
above the traveller's camp-fire, the odour of the smoke 
forming a powerful attraction ; the warracabra, or trum- 
peter, which if taken young will become domesticated 
and follow one about and manifest even greater fidelity 
and attachment than a dog; the maam, the duraquara, 
and others too numerous to mention. Wild ducks are 
extremely plentiful in some places, and in connection 
with them a novel element of sport, sometimes crops up. 
I have seen when a duck was winged and dropped 
in the water, a dozen hungry alligators rush in an instant 
to the surface, and engage in an exciting chase after the 
wounded bird, and all the alertness of the sportsman 
sometimes failed to prevent them carrying off the booty 
before his eyes. 
The tapir, the deer, the wild hog, the labba, the acouri, 
and many other varieties of ground game abound all over 
the interior and furnish welcome supplies of fresh food, 
while in some parts jaguars, or tigers as they are locally 
called, are particularly numerous. These sometimes 
grow to a considerable size, and are really formidable 
creatures, occasionally playing havoc on cattle farms. 
As a rule they are shy of man, although on one 
occasion on the Potaro, I had much satisfaction in 
dealing out prompt retributive justice to a daring indi- 
vidual which snatched up a favourite dog almost at my 
feet. At another time while walking through the forest 
in advance of my men, one of whom was occasionally 
emitting a blast from a horn which he carried, a large 
jaguar, suddenly aroused by the terrific sound, dashed 
precipitately amongst them, scattering them like chaff in 
