Demarara, Dec.
I have lately had an opportunity of repeating my visit to the eccentric
Bercheych. Having slept on my way at Mr. Graham’s, I rode from thence in
the morning to take my breakfast tête-à-tête, with this solitary yet
social and intelligent recluse. Although unexpected, he instantly
addressed me by name, and received me in the most friendly manner,
telling me that he was mindful of his promise, and that some Indians
were at work upon the model of a house and furniture, which he had
offered to procure for me.
A most ample breakfast was quickly set before us, served with great
neatness and order. I was delighted, as formerly, with his conversation
and remarks, and was particularly gratified with the account he gave me
of that singular animal the great Ant-eater, which he had had frequent
opportunities of seeing both dead and alive, his people having shot
several of the species. The weight of this peculiar quadruped is
commonly from 150 lb. to 200 lb. He has a very small head, covered with
hair as soft as velvet; his tail is immensely large and flat, and beset
with long hair, which is stiffer than the bristles of a hog. His feet
are armed with long claws, forming very strong offensive weapons, By
means of his claws, and his tail, he is able to defend himself against
even the tiger; and in some instances he has been known to conquer that
fierce and powerful animal. When attacked, he fights with his claws,
protecting his head by wrapping it up in his broad tail of bristles,
which the tiger cannot penetrate. He has a tongue of uncommon length,
which is moistened with saliva of a saccharine flavour. As the name
implies, ants are his food, and his mode of procuring it is by thrusting
his deceitful tongue into a nest of these insects, when, allured by the
taste of the saliva, they settle upon it in great numbers, and the
animal, by drawing it in, swallows up whole hosts of them at once. The
high relish, no doubt, excites an increased secretion, and with his
tongue again sweetly baited, he entraps new victims, repeating the
slaughter until his appetite is satiated with the myriads of slain.
Walking lately with one of the gentlemen of the hospital department,
down to the bottom of a coffee estate, which leads into the woods, our
attention was arrested by the singular appearance of multitudes of the
trees at the entrance of the forest; many of which had pensile bodies,
like common cabbage-nets, stuffed with straw, hanging from the
extremities of their lofty branches; and others, huge black masses,
conveying the idea of large animals, adhering to their trunks. Upon
approaching nearer to them we discovered that the former were the nests
of birds; the latter, of ants!
The bird-nests were the fabrication of a species here termed the
mocking-bird, but unlike that of imitative note so named in the Northern
States of this continent. Both the construction and situation of these
nests are peculiarly ingenious. They are not built upon, nor within any
part of the tree, but are fastened to the outermost twigs of the
remotest branches, as if tied to them with strings; and it is extremely
difficult to imagine how, in this pensile form, the building of them can
be effected; for it might seem, from the manner in which they are
suspended, that they must have been first constructed, then carried up
whole, and hung upon the twigs which support them. They are deep and
cylindrical like long nets or purses, from which figure, together with
the ready flexibility of the tender branches which bear them, they are
in no danger of being overturned by the breeze, nor of having their
eggs, or young, tossed out by sudden gusts of wind. The appearance of
them, as they hang waving in the air, is very remarkable: some of the
trees are so thickly covered with them that, at a short distance, it is
difficult to distinguish which are most numerous, these nests or the
leaves. The situation of them is admirably chosen for the purpose of
protection against the various species of monkies, which infest the
woods; none of these marauders being able to support themselves upon the
slender twigs from which the nests are suspended. Buffon would tell us
that an unerring instinct had taught these birds thus to shelter their
eggs, and their young: Darwin would attribute it to reason and
experience. But the fact of the younger birds selecting the same
situation, and constructing their nests, even the first season, with as
great dexterity as their parents, seems to offer an insurmountable
objection to the opinion which refers it to a reasoning faculty. Nothing
of progressive advancement is displayed, all is perfection from the
beginning, and experience begets no superiority; for it is not seen that
either age or repetition affords the usual advantages of improved
intellect—the youngest bird being equally ingenious, and equally perfect
in his architecture as the oldest.
The ant-nests are immense masses of black earth, built upon the trunks
of the trees; many of them so high, and of such extraordinary bulk, as
to render it matter of surprise, how even the combined industry of these
minute insects could have carried up, and worked together such
prodigious accumulations. One of the nests very much resembled a large
black bear clinging round the tree; nor was it till we came near enough
to examine it closely that we could believe it to be the masonry—the
dwelling-house and castle of these diminutive artists.
I thrust the end of my cane into several of the nests, breaking through
the outer walls of the mansions; when instantly hosts of ants issued
forth from the openings. Upon breaking-down a part of one of these
buildings to examine it more particularly, I found that although the
exterior surface was smooth and uniform, the interior was formed into
cells somewhat of a regular figure, and very much resembling the
honey-comb of bees.
We find that these nests are converted to an useful purpose, being given
as food to little chickens. Frequently the trees, upon which they are
built, are cut down for the sole purpose of obtaining them. The mode of
using them is by breaking off a portion of the cellular earth, from the
great mass, and sticking it upon a pole, or otherwise placing it over
the lattice-work of the pen in which the hen and her brood are confined,
in order that the young ants may fall out of their cells to the ground;
where they are instantly devoured by the chickens.
On the day after my breakfast visit at the cottage, hermit Bercheych, as
he is often called, came, in great state, to dine with us at the
barracks. He was paddled down the creek in his large canoe, by six fine
slaves, and it was pleasing to observe what profound attention and
respect were borne this old gentleman by his negroes, who comported
themselves with a degree of regularity and decorum worthy the best
ordered domestics of Europe.
Our party was small, and we sat down to dinner in the presence of a
group of naked Indians, who that day made us a visit from the woods. It
was not in our power, even with our best assiduities, to make a
sufficient return for the many marks of hospitality we had met with at
the hermitage, but our guest expressed himself happy, and was lively and
entertaining as ever. The few hours we had of his society passed very
pleasantly, and we regretted extremely that the tide, and the approach
of evening took him from us early after dinner.
Absorbed with the civilities due to the accomplished and methodical
Bercheych, we were less regardful of our strangers from the woods than
usual; but we have lately been visited by another party of the bucks, to
whom we earnestly devoted our attentions, during the short time they
remained among us. We made it a settled experiment to endeavour to rouse
them from that fixed apathy and indifference which forms so striking a
feature of their character. By signs we attempted to lead them into a
sort of conversation. We gave them rum to drink; brought out bows and
arrows to shoot with; played the German flute to them; beat the drum,
and piped the fife—but all in vain! Nothing of mirth or vivacity was
excited. Rum possessed the only charm: of this both the men and women
drank glass after glass as quickly as it was given them.
Cynics have said that the gift of speech is a blessing seldom denied to
the ladies; but we remarked that these naked wood-nymphs were peculiarly
taciturn. They seemed even more tranquil and incurious than the men.
They sat two upon a chair, the whole time, with their backs towards us,
and were not inspired, by any thing that occurred, to move a single
feature or a muscle; nor were the men much more animated: one of them,
who appeared to be very old, had in his hand a piece of a large and
coarse reed, nearly two feet long, with two or three holes cut in it,
like a flute. With this we did prevail upon him to blow a few harsh and
simple notes; and these he seemed to consider very superior to all the
varied sounds of the German flute, which was played to him by one of the
officers; for, he refused to accept the flute in exchange for his reed.
After trying various other means to rouse them, we caused the drum and
fife to be played, unexpectedly, below the window, where they were
sitting. This seemed to strike the ear, and they for a moment appeared
to listen, but nothing of impulse was betrayed—nothing of vivacity
overspread their features: nor did an individual of them so far forget
his gravity as to rise from his seat to look out at the window.