MARTIN RATTLER. 169

diameter, which were beautifully marked and spotted
with red. These fish were most delicately flavoured,
and Barney exerted his talents to the utmost in order
to do them justice. Martin also did his best to prove
himself a willing and efficient assistant, and cleaned
and washed the pirarucu steaks and the junks of alli-
gator-tail to admiration. In short, the exertions of
the two strangers in this way quite won the hearts of
the Negroes, and after dinner the Senhor Antonio had
quite recovered his good-humour,

While staying at this place Martin had an oppor-
tunity of seeing a great variety of the curious fish
with which the Amazon is stocked. These are so
numerous that sometimes, when sailing up stream with
a, fair wind, they were seen leaping all round the canoe
in shoals, so that it was only necessary to strike the
water with the paddles in order to kill a few.

The peixe boi, or cow-fish, is one of the most curious
of the inhabitants of the Amazon. It is about six
feet long, and no less than five feet in circumference
at its thickest part. It is a perfectly smooth and
what we may call dumpy fish, of a: leaden colour, with
a semicircular flat tail, and a large mouth with thick
fleshy lips, resembling those of a cow. There are stiff
bristles on the lips, and a few scattered hairs over the
body. It has two fins just behind the head, and