The amphibious animals are very abundant in Guiana ; of which we can only slightly notice the tapira. resembling the hippopotamus, but not larger than an ass, with the head of a horse, andA considerable prolongation of the upper lip, excessively thick skin, bristly mane, and short. tail, feeds on grass and aquatic herbs, and its flesh is accounted superior to the finest ox bcel,but it is rarely procured, as the animal is extremely shy, and plunges into the water upon the least alarm ; the manatee, or sea cow, about 16 feet or more in length, with a head like that of a hog, nostrils like an ox, breasts like those of a woman, and a tail like that of a whale, seldom quits the water entirely, and its flesh, which is very fat, tastes much like veal; the alligator, or cayman, found sometimes 20 feet in length, but generally harmless, and even in water seldom attacking a man, as long as he keeps himself in motion ; the laubba, which seems to be the same with what others call the paca, or spotted cavey, or aquatic hare, is peculiar to this part of the world, about the size of a sucking pig or large cat, with the head of a pug dog, extremely fat, and resembles the finest pork, feeds on herbs and grain, takes refuge in the water when pursued, swimming a long time at a short dis tance from the surface, so that it is often shot under water with arrows ; the pipa, a kind of toad or frog, sometimes as large as an ordinary duck, a creature of a hideous appear ance, covered with a brown shrivelled skin, and chiefly re markable for the uncommon loudness of its voice ; but still more for the peculiar manner of its propagation, the young being hatched in watery cells on the back of the female, or, according to others, placed there by the assistance of the male after they have become tadpoles, and continuing to nestle there till the second transformation is completed.
There are many snakes in G uiana, of which the best known are the rattle-snake, whip-snake and dipsas; the papaw, or ammodytes, a harmless and beautiful creature, from three to five feet in length, which is revered by the natives as a sa cred object; the oroocookoo, supposed to be the same with the small laboia, the bite of which has been known to prove fatal in a few minutes ; and the aboma, an amphibious ani mal, delighting in low marshy places, found upwards of 20 feet in length, and said when fully grown to be from 30 to 40 feet long, and from S to 4 in circumference at the thick est part of the body. Its bite is not considered as veno mous, and it is a sluggish unwieldy creature, but seizes its prey by_surprise, and devours deer, hogs, or even the ty• ger, without difficulty, entangling and crushing them in its grasp, besmearing them with saliva, and swallowing their bodies entire.
The birds most commonly found in Guiana are, the vul ture, eagle, owl, falcon, butcher bird ; parrots of various kinds ; large and beautiful mackaws, some of which are about the size of a capon, toucan, pelican, wood-pecker, green sparrow, tiger bird, a kind of heron of a reddish co lour, spotted with black ; flamingo, found in flocks on the banks of rivers, and so tame as frequently to mix with the poultry on the plantations ; agame, or trumpeter, a kind of turkey peculiar to the country, and often domesticated ; sun-bird, resembling the English partridge, and sometimes kept in the houses to destroy the ants ; peacock-pheasant, or powese, resembling in size and flavour an English tur key ; kishee-kishee, about the size of a sparrow, adorned with most beautiful plumage, and sometimes brought by the Indians from the interior of the country ; the mocking bird, which hangs its nest, (about 14 inches in length, and 8 in circumference,) at the extremity of the twigs of the remotest branches, as a security from the monkics; and the humming bird, which is found here in great number and variety : the most common of these, of a green and rrimson colour, is not bigger than a large cherry, and the smallest, of a black and green colour, with a golden tuft on its head, nearly a third less than the last mentioned, some times weighs little more than 50 grains. There are bats
of a large size, some of which have been found to measure thirty-two inches between the tips of the extended wings, and which are known to open the veins in the feet of persons asleep, and to suck the blood till they are satisfied.
The fish caught on the coast are far from being delicate, as the water is extremely muddy for several leagues from the shore. The most remarkable of the salt water fish is the low-low, about six inches in length, and three in cir cumference ; and the largest of the fresh water fish is the barroketa, about three feet long, and two in circumference, resembling a salmon, white, fat, and delicate. The peri, another fresh water fish, about 18 inches long, and of a flat form, has a large mouth armed with long sharp teeth, and is said to attack persons when bathing in the rivers. The frog fish is one of the greatest curiosities in Guiana, and is said to pass by regular gradations, through the form of a frog, a frog fish, and lastly a fish, but is affirmed by Stedman to proceed rather in the opposite direction, from a fish to a frog, and to be probably nothing else than a kind of tadpole, which grows to a large size before undergoing its usual transformation ; in the fish state, it is about eight or ten inches long, without scales, and exceedingly fat and delicate. The galvanic eel is very common in the rivers of this country, generally about three feet in length, and 12 inches in circumference, though sometimes found of a much larger size ; it comes frequently to the surface of the water, as if to inhale the air, and its flesh is esteemed deli cate food by the natives. Multitudes of crabs are found in bottoms of the muddy streams ; and a large land crab, much used as food by the natives, abounds on the banks of the sea, at the mouth of the rivers.