The ANTA, which the Aborigines call _Tapira_, and _Tapijerete_, is
the largest of the Brazilian quadrupeds, and does not belong to any
known species, constituting of itself a distinct one in the history
of animals. It is the size of a small heifer, and very similar to a
hog in the figure of its body as well as in the shape of the ears,
which are proportioned to its size. The hair is short and sleek; the
legs are very thick and short; the hind feet have three hoofs and the
front feet four; the tail is of a tapering form, with little more than
three inches in length; the head is large and long; the eyes small;
the upper lip is a musculous appendage, which the animal extends four
inches beyond the lower one, or draws it in to the same length; the
mouth is furnished with eight pointed teeth in each jaw, ten grinders
in the lower, and fourteen in the upper. It pastures like a horse; and,
although heavy, has considerable velocity in its career. It is timid
and harmless, doing no injury even to the dog which pursues it. Being
amphibious, it swims and dives in an extraordinary manner, and proceeds
along the bottom of deep pools for a great distance, remaining for a
long time under water without respiring. Its flesh differs from that of
the ox only in taste and smell, and is eaten generally. It is of all
colours.
There are three sorts of MOUNTAIN BOARS; some are entirely black, some
have the under jaw white, others, of a small size and gray, are call
_Caitetus_: these become domesticated so as to accompany their master
through the streets, without ever leaving him. Their flesh is not of
such good flavour as that of the wild boar in Europe.
The CACHORO D’AGUA (Water Dog) is small and web-footed, its tail
is long and flat, and its hair exceedingly smooth and fine. It is
amphibious, and goes almost always in the water, where it is said to be
so ferocious that it kills ounces when they are swimming across rivers.
When caught, it may be domesticated; but it never ceases to utter
lamentations. It is only met with in the central rivers of the Brazil.
The CAO SILVESTRE, or _Cachorro do Matto_, (Wild Dog,) is small and
strong, of a dark or ash colour, with a keen scent. It is a constant
persecutor of the deer, and is said to be met with only in the southern
parts of the river Contas.
The CAPIBARA has the figure and size of a hog, short ears, the snout
and teeth of a hare, thin and coarse hair, and large membranes between
the hoofs. It always keeps near the water, is a great swimmer, and is
mischievous: few people eat its flesh.
There are three sorts of MOUNTAIN CATS. The gray ones are denominated
_mariscos_, the red and spotted ones _maracaias_. The latter are very
large, and not always harmless.
The CAXINGLE is much larger than a squirrel, with little hair upon the
tail, and of a gray colour; it seldom puts its feet upon the ground,
but leaps from one branch to another, and thus traverses immense woods;
is harmless, and lives upon fruits.
The COELHO, or Rabbit, differs only from that of Europe in having a
shorter tail, and is not very numerous.
The COTIA is two spans in length, with long legs, small ears, the
snout of a rabbit, hair strong and of a red colour, with scarcely any
appearance of a tail. After being domesticated it proceeds into the
fields, and returns again. Its flesh is dry and hard.
The CUICA is a species of amphibious rat, speckled with white and
black, having a tail without hair. It eats fish and such birds as it
can catch.
The CUIM is about the size of a leveret, has short feet, a long tail,
and the snout of a squirrel. It is entirely covered with hair, and with
prickles like pins, which defend it from other animals. It runs little,
and lives on the ground.
The GUARA has the figure of a wolf, and differs from it triflingly in
the marks of its skin. It is only met with in the central provinces
of Brazil, where it is not numerously seen nor so destructive as its
species in Europe. It is, however, a great enemy to young calves: in
some parts it is called a wolf; its skin and teeth are much esteemed.
The GUARACAO is a species of large and wild dog, which does not
confound or mix itself with any other of its kind.
The GUARAXAIM is also a species of dog, about the size of a cat, and
lives in subterraneous caverns, or burrows, which it forms expressly
for its habitation. Every thing that it meets with in the _campo_,
(field,) although not eatable, such as a hat or a handkerchief, it will
drag to the door of its dwelling.
The GUAXINIM is a species of fox, with a short and thick snout, feet
rather long and open, and the breast large or full. It abounds most in
the vicinity of the sea, and descends to the beach to procure crab-fish.
The HIRARA, in some provinces called _Papamel_, has the appearance
of a monkey seen at a distance. It is three spans in length, sharp
snouted, with short legs, and a long tail; of a dark colour, with an
ash coloured head; but it does not retain these colours in all the
provinces.
The IAGUANE is a species of small dog, marked with straight lines.
The JARATICACA, or _Cangamba_, as it is called in some provinces, and
which some consider of a species of pole-cat, resembles the _squash_ of
North America, and is remarkable, not only for its beautiful figure,
its white and black spots, and shaggy tail, but for its singular and
invincible power of defence, which it uses with facility against every
enemy. This animal, on being assaulted, and sometimes before, emits a
portion of urine so extraordinarily loathsome that the aggressor thinks
only of the mode of deliverance from it. The dogs rub their noses in
the earth, and men are earnestly desirous to free themselves from
their clothes, which retain the odious smell. Occasionally some are
killed before they use this defence, or unexpectedly before they see
their enemy, or at a distance when they do not anticipate the hunter.
A naturalist, who dissected the _Jaraticaca_, found near the urinal
vessel a small receptacle of water, totally distinct from that of
the bladder, and was persuaded that the fetid matter proceeded from
thence. The fat of this animal, applied externally, is a very powerful
emollient, and the flesh is said to have a good flavour when not
infected with the fetid water; the skin is used for pockets: it passes
for the civet-cat.
The LONTRA, or OTTER, is an amphibious animal, much larger than that
of Europe, equally voracious and gluttonous of fish. The hair is red,
short, and thick, and the skin esteemed.
The MOCO differs only from the Rabbit in having neither ears nor tail,
and is only met with where there are rocks, in the cavities of which
it forms its dwelling-place. It is easily domesticated, and then it
becomes daring, and will ill-treat and even make the dogs fly. It is a
mortal enemy to rats, even more destructive to them than the cat. It is
naturally extremely turbulent and treacherous, but without sagacity to
execute its evil designs, falling a prey to its own temerity. The life
of this animal is generally short.
There are numerous species of the MONKEY, distinguished only by the
size and colour of the hair. Those called by the Brazilians _Guaribas_
generally proceed in bands, and, for the most part, along the branches
of trees, where the whole body make a noise that is heard two miles
off. The _Sahuins_, some of which are the size of a rat, are handsome,
and esteemed for the white plumes or tufts that grow out of the ears.
Of those called _Barbados_, the male has a sort of cup, formed of bone,
in the throat, which produces a loud and hoarse sound. Amongst others
we may notice those that have no regular dwelling-places, and do not
put their feet in water. They pass rivers, forming a chain by holding
fast to each other, but if they should happen to fall into the water
they can swim like other quadrupeds. When they are on an excursion to
rob the corn fields of maize, one is always stationed as centinel, in a
proper place to discover the approach of the hunter. They have only one
at a birth, which they carry upon the back with them for some days.
The ONCA, or OUNCE, is a species of immense cat, of terrible aspect,
with a frightful yell, or roar. The largest is about twelve feet in
length.
There are five different kinds. Some of a dark colour, with small
brilliant jet black spots, denominated the _Tiger_; others spotted with
black and white, or yellow, displaying much symmetry, and are properly
called _Ounces, or Panthers_; a third, with very small speckles; a
fourth with larger spots, called _Canguçus_; others, of a reddish
colour, are the smallest, and are called _Sucuarannas_; the last only
attack young cattle and small animals, but the former kill a horse or
an ox in a moment. A bull grown to full maturity is the only quadruped
which resists and is not alarmed at this forocious animal.
The hunting of the _Ounce_ is less laborious but more dangerous than
that of the Anta. The Brazilians generally hunt it in large parties,
well armed with guns, lances, and pitchforks, always accompanied with
dogs, and the greater the number less dangerous is the chase. Although
this beast is much larger, possesses incomparably greater strength, and
is infinitely swifter than the dog, for which it has a mortal hatred,
on seeing one it always retires, as if having a presentiment of the
approach of the hunters. It does not proceed far till it climbs a tree,
or, if hard pressed, makes a terrible braying, and furiously attempts
to catch some of the dogs, and if one comes within reach of its paws
it has not much chance of escape. If the hunter does not take his aim
well, so as to kill the _Ounce_ upon the spot, it flies directly to the
place where the smoke came from, and his fate is inevitable, unless
his companions destroy it with their arms, or he is prepared with a
lance to despatch it when it makes the last spring. It seizes upon its
prey first with the paws and then with the teeth.
The PACA is a heavy creeping quadruped, little more than two spans
in length, without a tail, having small ears, the snout of a rabbit,
coarse strong hair, and is of a reddish colour, with small white spots
along the sides, and streaked with the same colour along the back.
It is the best game of the country, and is divested of its hair and
prepared for the table similarly to a sucking pig.
The PORCO-ESPIM, or _Porcupine_, is of the size of a cat, with a long
tail, and covered with long sharp-pointed quills, but its head has a
greater resemblance to that of a dog. It is most numerous near the
central rivers.
The PREGUICA, or _Sloth_, is a stout short quadruped; very lazy;
covered with long thick hair; having stout legs armed with large paws;
a small head, and round physiognomy, with some similarity to a monkey
without ears or tail, and climbs trees. It subsists upon leaves. Its
extreme slowness gives rise to its name. It is asserted in the Poem of
Caramura that it possesses this tardy propensity to such a degree that
in a few paces it consumes a whole day.[45]
The PREHA is of the size and colour of a leveret, with the snout more
rounded; the ears are very small and membranous, and it is without a
tail. It can swim small brooks and rivers, and is esteemed good eating,
particularly by the negroes.
The QUATI is very similar to a fox, at the first sight, chiefly in
the head, but its ears are shorter, rounder, and less hairy. Its
hair is also long, thick, and soft, like the fox, of which it has
the physiognomy. The legs are short and thick, the feet long, with
five toes, furnished with claws, with which it climbs trees and digs
up insects. The tail is long and round, gradually growing smaller to
the extremity, and varied with a succession of rings; the mouth is
long, becoming smaller towards the extremity, like that of a hog; the
mouth is large, with teeth similar to those of a dog; the under jaw is
almost an inch and a half shorter than the upper. This animal may be
so domesticated that it will accompany its master into the _campos_
like a little dog; but its natural restlessness requires it generally
to be confined. There are two sorts of this quadruped, differing only
in size. The small class always proceed in bands, and are called
_quati-monde_.
The ROPOZA, or _Fox_, is less than that of Europe, equally subtle, and
even more destructive in the damage it does to the cane plantations and
melons. Its skin is used only for housings.
Amongst the various races of RATS is the _Rato de Espinho_, (_the
Prickly Rat_,) which is large, white bellied, its upper part
ash-coloured, and its sides furnished with prickles. It is agreeable to
the sight, without smell, and its flesh is esteemed good.
The SAROHE, or _Gamba_, a species of the _Oppossum_, is as large as a
middle sized cat, with the form of a rat, of a disagreeable aspect and
nauseous smell; the legs are short; the feet and ears like a rat; its
hair is thin, long, and sleek; the tail long, becoming small towards
the end, and without hair. It has the head and snout of a pig, a
large mouth, with the teeth of a dog. This animal is one of the most
remarkable objects in Natural History in consequence of a second belly,
or womb, which it has below the upper or natural one, with an opening,
or mouth, at the fore part, within which it carries its young till they
arrive at an age to procure their own subsistence. Some say that this
quadruped engenders and brings forth its young like other animals,
and, after their birth puts them into this sack, where, in fact, they
can only obtain suck, the mother only having teats in the upper belly.
Others pretend that the young organize themselves by being attached to
the dugs, from whence, at maturity, they fall into the sack. It is,
however, certain that the young are found drawing nourishment from the
paps of the mother, by which they are suspended and cling firmly to
them, even when without hair and very small. They are great destroyers
of poultry, and passionately fond of cachaca, or rum, with which they
are easily caught, as they soon become intoxicated.
The SAVIA is like a leveret, with hair similar to that of a hare, and
a long tail; breeds in holes or pits; eats fruit; and is much esteemed
for its flesh. It is thought to be a species of the _caxingle_.
There are two breeds of TAMANDUHAS, or _Ant-Bears_, small and large.
The larger, called _Tamanduha-bandeira_, is of the bigness of a
middling sized hog, to which it assimilates in the body, having the
bristles of a wild boar, black and thick, with gray marks on each
side; the ears are round and extremely small; the snout very long and
tapering, having the appearance at its termination of that of a lamb;
its mouth is very small and without teeth; the tongue exceedingly long
and narrow, with which it catches the _Cupim-ant_, its only aliment;
the tail is long and shaggy, and curled back towards the neck from
whence its name is derived, (_bandeira_, flag or ensign;) it has
short and very thick legs with five toes on each foot, each toe being
furnished with a short and thick claw. It imprints a foot-mark like a
child’s, runs little, scarcely makes any exertion to escape from its
aggressor, and when irritated will advance against a man; but it is
only necessary to give it a blow upon the snout and it falls dead on
the ground. When it perceives itself attacked it lies on its back and
waits for the enemy, which on drawing near, it instantly fastens upon,
and will never leave its hold unless the tendons of its legs are cut.
_Ounces_ have been found dead with _Tamanduhas_, firmly fastened to
each other. For hunting this animal, the flesh of which is insipid but
medicinal in certain diseases, it is necessary to have a dog that will
trace its track, but, in order not to run any risk, it is necessary
that it should be timorous and cautious.
The TATU, or _Armadillo_, of which there are various sorts, differing
only in the size and the number of bands of shells which cover them,
is of a wonderful figure; the head and ears are similar to those of a
pig, the eyes small, the snout long and pointed, the mouth small, the
tail long, somewhat similar to the tail of a rat. The legs are short,
and the feet are furnished with large and strong claws, with which
they can burrow a hole in the ground, for their safety, almost in an
instant. This quadruped is covered with a coat of mail, which in its
conformation is one of the most extraordinary phenomena in Natural
History. The body is dressed in shells, disposed one over the other
as in the tail of a lobster, and forms a sort of housing cloth, that
conceals the belly; the whole uncovered with hair, and black. Some of
the kinds, when danger is near, can roll themselves up entirely in
the shell, like a hedge hog, but others not so completely. That kind
denominated _Tatuim_, or _Tatuette_, is small. The _Verdadeiro_ is
larger, and its flesh good,. The _Peba_ has a flat head. The _Canastra_
is of the size of a pig, and its flesh unwholesome. The BOLA, (or
_Ball_,) so called in the Brazil, in consequence of concealing all its
members under its shell, is of a whitish colour, and its flesh of good
flavour.
There are five sorts of DEER, _Galheiros_, which are large;
_Sucuaparas_, _do mato_ (of the woods;) _Catingueiros_[46] and
_Campeiros_.[47]
The amphibious monster, with the figure of a lizard, resembling the
crocodile in Africa and Asia, has, in the Brazil, the name of JACARE,
or _Aligator_, and is met with in all the lakes and rivers of tranquil
current.
The plains of Brazil abound with a great number of LAND TORTOISES,
which never enter the water; their flesh is of fine flavour, and the
liver is considered delicious.
Man has less to fear from wild beasts in the Brazil than from reptiles,
the species of which are various, and some exceedingly numerous and
generally venomous.
The SUCURIUBA are affirmed to grow to the extraordinary length of
forty feet, and are confined to lakes and pools of dead water, firmly
attaching its tail to a root, or the point of a stone at the bottom of
the water; it seizes all living animals that approach the margin, and
swallows the whole, as a snake in Europe would a mouse or any small
animal. It makes a hollow noise below the water, on hearing any sound
from without: the otter is its greatest enemy.
The SURUCUCU, or _Surroco_, seldom exceeds fifteen feet in length,
is of proportionable width, and usually met with in cool and shady
places. Its tail is armed with two spears, and its bite is cured with
difficulty. Its skin is marked with great symmetry, and is of an ash
colour, with brownish spots, and covered with scales.
In the beginning of 1819, a gentleman accompanied by six other persons
arrived one evening upon the margins of a lake, near the river Pardo,
in the province of St. Paulo, where they dismounted to take some
repose. They perceived at a short distance what they supposed to be the
trunk of a tree, which shortly afterwards began to move; the contents
of a gun was immediately discharged at it, and they then despatched
it with their knives. It was a SERPENT of the _surucucu_ species, and
the gentleman above mentioned assured me that it measured twenty-one
feet in length, and four in girth. He had a variety of articles besides
several pairs of boots made from its skin, in the city of St. Paulo,
one pair of which I brought with me to England. The torpid state which
this serpent at first exhibited, arose from its having recently gorged
a young bull.
The JIBOIA, which is scarcely distinguishable from the preceding
serpent in size or colour, has no spears to its tail, nor does it bite.
When it seizes any living creature it is always for the purpose of
eating it. It never attacks its prey without first winding its tail
round the trunk of a tree, in order that its prisoner may not drag it
away, and, after having fatigued it by its first attack, it then draws
itself so closely round the animal that it breaks its bones and kills
it.
The COBRA, of Cascavel, or _Rattle Snake_, is so called in consequence
of its tail terminating with some similitude to the husks of a species
of dried pulse. It has scarcely the thickness of a man’s leg, with
proportionable length. It never bites without beating three times with
its cascavel, or rattle, upon the ground, and its bite is almost always
fatal. It is said that the number of the divisions of the tail is equal
to the age in years of this snake. The snake _caninana_ is very long,
of a slender form, black and spotted with yellow. The _jararaca_ is
a species the most numerous, and its bite is fatal. That denominated
the _cauda-branca_ (white tail) is not more than a span in length,
and there is yet no known antidote against its venom. The living
creature that has the misfortune to be stung by it immediately becomes
convulsed, sweats blood, and expires in a short time. The _jararacucu_
is of a deep green colour, of considerable length, and slender. Its
bite is generally mortal.
The COBRA DE CORAL (_Coral Serpent_) is small, of slender form,
venomous, and beautified with rings of various colours.
DUAS CABECAS, (_Two Heads_,) so called because all its length is of the
same thickness. It is also venomous. It is said that the best antidote
for its bite is to eat the liver of the said snake.
The COBRA VERDE, or _Green Serpent_, is of little length, and very
small.
The PAPAPINTOS is a large gray snake, said to be harmless. It is seldom
met with but upon the margins or in the vicinity of lakes, where it
catches toads and rats.
There is another species of serpent, called by the Brazilians
CAMPO-LIMPA, (_Field Cleaner_,) in consequence of its cleaning the
fields of the smaller snakes. It is light coloured, with a yellowish
cast, ornamented with a variety of spots, and is about six feet long.
Almost all these species of snakes are said to be viviparous.
The Padre Manoel Ayres de Cazal says, that in the parish of Muritiba,
near Cachoeira, in the province of Bahia, a serpent was shown to him,
killed within an hour, as a curiosity, in consequence of being wholly
unknown to the people. It was scarcely a foot in length, but thick and
round, and smooth as an eel, to which its head assimilated. The tail
was short and pointed in a pyramidical form. It had four feet extremely
small, without any appearance of legs.
In the Brazil there are various species of SPIDERS, which furnish
excellent silk.
The CARANQUEJEIRA, so denominated in consequence of being of the size
of a moderate sized _caranguejo_, or crab-fish, is covered with long
hair, and is venomous.
The CIGARRA, or _Cricket_, has more of the species of beetle than the
locust.
The species of BUTTERFLIES are here very numerous, as I have before
observed. A collection of sixteen hundred different sorts has already
been made in the Brazil, and unquestionably there are an infinite
number yet for collection to occupy the industry of the naturalist.
The most beautiful are found in the vicinity of the tropic and the
temperate zone.
There are also a great variety of flies and phosphoric insects, which
illuminate the hedges at night by the brilliant lights they emit.
There are also a great diversity of ANTS. The most remarkable are
those of Mandioca, of Correiçao, and the Cupim. The first are of a
reddish colour, and a pest to agricultural productions, as well as
fruit trees, such as the orange, and others equal in size or larger.
It is necessary every day, in order to preserve the mandioca from the
destructive attacks of this insect, to lay something for them to eat,
in order that they may not devour the plantations at night or strip
the trees of their foliage. It is during the night alone that they
commit these depredations. They form spacious subterraneous cavities,
with many entrances and outlets, distant one from the other. When it
happens that they form this cavity below the foundation-wall of a
house sometimes it sinks, and, during the rainy season, most probably
falls to the ground. The Correiçao[48] Ant is small, and moves from
one district to another in innumerable legions, covering many roods
of territory in their march. No living insect can remain upon their
line of march: the smaller ones are killed, and the larger obliged to
fly. The Cupim is a small Ant, light coloured, and flat, subsisting
upon the flour or small particles of wood, with which, and a species
of glue that issues from its body, it constructs an arch or vault over
the road by which it travels, in order that it may not be seen by other
insects and birds which destroy it. It is very destructive to the
timbers of dwelling-houses, and builds its residence in the ceilings
of the same materials, in a round form full of little cells; sometimes
it constructs it upon the points of branches of trees, but the greater
number of Cupims erect them upon the ground, with earth, rendered solid
by the admixture of the said glue, the whole of the interior being
full of cells, saloons, and covered ways: their form is pyramidical,
some with many feet in height, and they resist for several winters
the tempests of rain that assail them; but the claws of the ant-bear
crumble them to dust in a moment, when their inhabitants are as quickly
devoured.
There are divers species of the BEE, but none of them can be compared
with the European bee in the utility and excellence of its honey.
That called _Urucu_ is the most numerous, and of a gray colour. Its
hive is of wood, and the door is an orifice by which one can pass
commodiously at a time, and where there is always one upon the watch,
with its head out, in order to impede the entrance of small insects.
This sentinel is subject to the inconvenience of drawing back upon the
entrance or going out of any one of the commonwealth. The _mumbuca_ is
of a blackish colour. The _mandassaia_ is black and short. These three
kinds are of the size of the European bee. The _tubim_ is smaller.
The _theuba_ is also small, and of a yellow cast. The _cupimeira_,
so denominated because it occupies the houses deserted by the Cupim
ant, makes good honey. The _tatahira_ and the _saranho_ are the only
species that are mordacious. The _getahi_ is of the size of a mosquito,
and manufactures a honey of a very liquid and delicious nature. The
_caruara_ is a little larger than the preceding. The _pregiuçoza_ is
of the size of the getahi, and produces an insipid honey. That named
_mosquitinho_ is very small and black, and lives on the ground. None
of these species form the honey-comb like those of Europe; the combs
are round, and the cells unequal, in the form of a bubble, without
regularity, and the wax is more or less glutinous, and never has the
whiteness of that of the old world. All the bee-hives, of whatever
species of bees they are, have few inhabitants, comparatively speaking.
There are also various casts of WASPS, or _Morimbondos_, as they
are called in the country. The _inxuy_ is delicate, and makes its
habitation generally of a round form, plain, and of an ash colour,
attached to a branch, or fastened to some plant; its combs are deep,
and introduced one into the other, the orifices or cells are full of a
yellow savoury honey, which ultimately becomes like refined sugar. The
_inxu_ is large, fabricates its combs according to the method of the
preceding, and fills them with most excellent honey.
If the Brazil cannot boast of so great a variety of quadrupeds as
some countries, perhaps no other region of the world equals it in the
innumerable species of birds which it possesses, more wonderful still
in the beauty of their plumage and variety of their song.