large and black ; the feet furnished with five toes, with sharp long claws ;
the tail prehensile'; the whole bf theSize o f a gray squirrel. It is * a' nocturnal
animal, climbs with the greatest ease, and was very tao|è.' A mulatto
belonging to Mr. Limes related that the Indians who sold* this animal,
had mentioned that they" obtained this crabo-dago in a véry curious man*
h e r : whilst they were hunting they heard a screaming in the air, and observing
a vulture, thfey’ shot it, and when'the vulture camê down they
found flS#ö@ae^re^fir^ in its claws ? bu t this unfortunate animal was soon
after killed by a dög, otherwise I should have kept it for a while at my
house, ih order to Observe the manner o f its living. 1 received some
months after from Dr. Debez, a dead animal, which was much in appearance
like the abové mentioned crabo-dago, but Was .of a dark brown
colour, and the size o f a large ca t; its body long, but its legs short in proportion.
An Indian tbwhom I shewed'thïs animal, called it an Ahyera.
Another spebiëS of crabo-dago is also called at Surinam sometimes by
the same name of Coati-mondi, as it is called in the Brazils, or’Quaci-quaci.
Those at Surinam are o f the.size o f a cat; the head is very slender, the nose
and upper lip in the form of that of a musk shrew, though not so pointed,
and very pliant; its ears are.short and roundish; its tail long, and ringed
with different Shades of a brown colour ; its legs are short, and the paws
in the shape of those o f a bear. The colour of the animalis oTaJRghtbiSyM>
and o f a glossy appearance; it climbs up the trees very nimbly, and
searches fbr its food during the night, which seems chiefly to*consist of
birds and other small animals : but it will also eat fruit. The quad when
caught young becomes very tame, and likes to play with those with whom
it is familiar.
Another animal is called at Surinam a Water-dog, but by the description
which has been given to Me o f it,' it seems to be an otter.
The Surinam Fox, o f which I have, sêen a young one which was not
bigger than a terrier puppy of about two months old;, ‘It was of a light
brown yellowish colour; its tail was .very bushy, and the whole shape
o f the animal resembled much an European fox.
The Opossum, also called Woód-rat, which has created the opinion
in many, that the people at Surinam eat rats, whilst these two species
o f animals differ very Much, in particular as the former have no gnawing
A P P E N D IX .
or cutting teeth in front. It seems there are many variations o f the opos-
sum at Surinam i those which I have seen’ in the colony are of three kinds.
The Black-eared- Opossum was about six inches long, but seemed not
tö' have attoMed itsffellt'growth; the head was in proportion rather large,
and'v e r y ^oblong; its' eyes Small: the- ears large* Standing upright, 'and
partly pöinteo^:ö©^furr.ed, bubMP a> blach edlour, and glossy';- the tail
long and prehensile*, and not hairy ; the ^et havfe :five toes,-with sharp
clawsj' éxCept on the large toe on the hind feet, which is round : the-colour
offtbe whole animal is of a yellowish gray.
The Brown coloured Opossum, which Captain Stedman speaks of in
the following terms, “ Madam .Merian mentions one kind of them (opossum),
which in time of danger carries its young ones upon its back, but
this animal, -I óbirfÊSSj FMévé# heard of at Surinam, and am persuaded
of its nró^eiriétegce'.-" G a p t. S te d m a n 's J V a t: r M iv e M f lS ttó tk m n i M è L ^ t ip a ^
149, s e c o n d e d iti o n . But a Dutch lady who lived in the saMe street with
me, sent me one o f this species o f opossum, which was about the size of
arfc-Eurbpean. squirrel; the colóor Of a dark brown above*,and white beneath
; its head was small in proportion to the first mentioned species ; the
ears; erect and pointed, o f a fleshy colour; the taik very loflg,- and without
fur. When this animal was sent me it was tied by the body to; a branch,
but its five5 ydang ones were left at liberty; they were eitritogtjnpbnthe *
back of the old one, and their prehensile tails twirled round hers: the
whole heap looked like- so many earth worms.
The smallest species o f opossum I saw was at a medi'calgentleman’s-,
belonging to thg navy: it was not above the size o f a ypuUg squirrel a few
days old; its colour of a dark iron gray; over the.eyeé it had: two white
spots, the ears* tip of thé noséy and the prehensile tail, were: of a reddish'
colour; it was’ a very tame little animal, -and -frequently carried by^ its
master in his bosom. SifiK
, Amongst the animals with cutting teeth, or Glires,.the squirrels are the
most pleasing at Surinam: one I saw at Mr. Limes’is was not full grown-;
it was about.half, the size of an.European squirrel,Its-ear®and- tail not sb
bushy, and the; colour of a grayish.red: this: little animal was|extreM'ely
lively. It is said thepè éfe also MacJsHsquirrils in the co lodH i§
No animals are- more mischievous than rats, which were perhaps not
K k
K