Another species of land turtle is called the Arracaca by the Indians ;
it is o f a smaller size ; its upper shell is flat, of a dark blackish colour,,
and seems capable of a floe polish; the animal is of a black colour with
some light red spots, ft is said the taste is not good.
There are likewisein the:,Gjolony"three different species of Land Grabs;
the first is small and of a gray colour ; the next is large and white.; and the
largest of all is of a purple colour ; but as they do not differ in their shape
from those in Europe, I shall only mention, that being: so plentiful here,,
they serve as one of the principal articles of-food to the Indians and
negroes.
OF THE FISHES OF SURINAM.
T he salt water fish that are caught on the coast of Guiana, are less delicate
than those which are taken on the coasts of Europe, as the muddy
water which the large rivers carry into the sea extend more than thirty
miles.
A maritime animal which frequents the coast and1 the rivers, is the
Manati, or Sea Gowi This animal grows to the size of about fifteen feet in
length, and is o f a bulky circumference ; the head resembles that of a Hog,
but the muzzle is shorter ; the nostrils are large, its eyes^re véry small';
instead o f ears, it has auditory holes ; the mouth is large,' and thë'gums
are very hard, but without teeth; the tongue is short, as-is also its neck;
the body is covered with a dark gray very tough skin ; on the breast are
two paws like those of a sea turtle, with which the tnanati is said to stppbft
itself when feeding onmarine plants, and holds likewise their young brood
to their udder, which is placed on the chest.
Next to the manati is the Gray Munik, growing to the size of near three
feet in length ; it is much like the Salmon in its shape, but has larger scales
•and is thicker in the body ; its flesh is white and delicate ; there are plenty
o f them in the upper partof the large rivers in the colony.
The Yellow-back is often brought to market at Paramaribo, and attracts
the attention of new comers, as" this fish is of a saflVon colour on the upper
part, but the under is white ; it grows sometimes near three feet long, and
has adargehead with two very long whiskers ; the body is small in proportion^
without scales, rand the -taste but indifferent.
The Wara pper is»above a foot long, arid a fish of good taste. In the rainy
season it leaves; its swampy retreats with the inundation, and gets mto the
flooded parts df the forest, where it becomes very-fat, and is easily caught
amongst the trees, when the water begins to subside, p
The Old Wife is of the size of a perch, to which it bears a resemblance,
and is of an excellent taste. . j
The Lumpe is also much esteemed for its flavour. This fish is about a
foot and half long, has a very large head, and its body is marked with longitudinal
black stripes. There area number Of wholesome fishes in the
rivers the hOlbny, but they haveUöthiüg rëtaarkable in their form, and
their methods Of living are-entirely Unknown.
•The Peri, however, ileserves particular attention; it grows tb the size öf
about two feet,and is aofflattish shape, with alatge head, wide mouth below
the head, and rifly sharp teeth: it has a fin on each side of the belly,
a single fin on tlie back, and another at the end of the tail: the fish is
covered with shining thin scales o fib lu sish colour; it lives in flesh wkter,
is very rapacious, and its jaws are so strong that it will snap off the feet
of the duck arid:other water fowls as they are swimming; it is;even said
.that {Arsons; who have been bathing in the rivers,'without knowing the
nature of this fish, have had their toes, fingers; 8cq. bit off by .them; biit
the Indians do not dread the peri, fcr/iheyi:e*% iÖi^hsélyeU in. dofnstarit
motion whilst bathing, by which they frighten the fish off, and keèp it at
| a distance. 1 ^ : 4 '* .
• The Q,.ve.quee is about ten inches Ibhfe, with a large round-shaped h ead;
the whole fish is covered with hard scales of moveable rings, sliding one
Iver the other, life thosefo the tail of a crawfish; the colour is of W f h-
ish grey, and the fish is said to taste well. . •
The fish called the Four-ëyed Fish, is near a foot long, covered with a
brown skin ; the head has «ome rèsefnblance to that of a frog. This fish is
found in creeks, and thought by many to have reallyTour # e S ; but when
minutriy observed, it is clear thaUt has only twó ëyès, but under each is
ah addition like Impart of an eye, which most likely serves this animal
as a kind of reflecting mirror, by which it. can observe what passes under