chap , againft ,hi^ feert», ,hf . ^ s . ^pa^lgd ju fe tp kpep his
XiV- -abtWR tj^e:-
/unh.#noe
was p ick e ib ^ b y ^ a ^ ^ j n g %ww.
the canoe..for .th.pir tipij^l^^putr him on-fetore at Panama;--
ribQ> - He. kepfc fig nM iK i^ g ^ y e f i^S^MPSaisM F'frtff
mouth?, amibei^g. 'Jl$i?®?&^^rfr8Pa
jn ^ ^ w r - o a ^ h i ^ e ^ ^ e r ^ . bfing. tak,en for;ptthfeF(|bf-
refefingfo.Jet upj|§ xg^etY^;
four hundred failles; but, fortunately, was reprieved b y
th.oinj^ePjQipn ofan. ^ g lilfe n^ercjian,t of, the .narnq oF
Gprdon,. who was, nay particular,|q^nd,panel->• k-new gfe
negro.. Thus,did fh^jgppr..fellow efmperdmwning^ bM;
being flpgged^either oFw^inh he would have undergone, ,
foonpi- -than. difcl^fe jvhat he -^pd^nhea&efqtstnfiflii«;
ma/era^-^Qnpc-j^ oF
equal fidelity and, fortitudeF
IIav|ng lately mentioned the mode of catching fifty by-
means of a projecting paleing, it will probaWy nqt.be djfT-
agreeable to-the reader. to haYe^no,ape9,unt 'jjjfeiJgfrti?.
cularly as on many d j^ je n t occafions it helped me to a-,
comfortable dinner. It confifts limply of a kind of fquare-
enclofure, that juts out into the river, lurrounded by; long
palifadoes of the manicole-tree, tied very dofetqgether by.
neHes. In this fence- is a large door,, which, is leftopen,
with the flood, and Ihut at high water, to prevent, the, en-
clofed filh from efcaping j ^dfby this Ample contrivance
the negroes, and Indians .frequency natch very lafge
i . 4 quantities.
quantities, Amongft thofe taken lately, were the logo-
logo and matuary. The firil^is a fpecies of eel, and is
fometimes two feet-long,. and yery. thick; dark blue on
the back and,Tides, but whitilh on the belly: it is extremely
fat, .and yery good eating. The other is a fmall
fweet filh without fcafes; but one thing very remarkable
i§, that in Surinam moll filhes, the moment they are out
of the watet, begin tp make a noife, not unlike the grunting
Of a fmall pig.: and that fifh have hearing (after
many doubts and difputes) has-jof late been clearly de-
monftrated by the moll able inquirers into the biftory of
nature*.
- Having on the 23d dined at the ellate Knoppemonho, I
will alfe mention two birds, which attracted my particular
attention. The pne on .account of the^vgry great peculiarity
of its. neft; it is called in this country
as fuppofed to feed much on the ripe bananas. * Whether
this is the mock-bird pf Dr, Bancroft, I know .not, but in
feme particulars it approaches his dgfeription..
Thefe; birds Jshat I fpeak of had taken pofteflion of a
large tree near the water-fide, which the negroes told me
th^y had frequented undillurh@d for many years; they
were at lealt ahpve two hundred in number, about the
fize .of Englilh thrulhes, feme were a finning black,
with the tails and part of the wings of a bright crimfon;
the others were alfo black, hut their tails and wings -of a
fine yellow colour. The firft I was informed were the
*-'See the accoiirit 'given to the Members of .the Royd Sodety* by John Huntery
Efq; F.R.S,
Vol. I, 3 B'4 males,