The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-25
,urface-it was evident that the contest was

suriace-it was evident that the contest was
over. One OF In, salmon at last founders
ON the suria;e--dead; and the victor, it
may be conjectured, exhaustedly bore off
his prize. The men, who had the curiosity
to watch the tight as proof Of their story,
conveyed the dead salmon to the nearest
dwelling. The victor had torn of the
flesh along the back, from head 10 tail, to
the very bone In the movement Of sal
mOn-spawning, the males have often been
seen chasing each other; but such fray as
this has not been witnessed by the oldest
fisher or poacher ON the Findhorn"
Mr.. Gardner, in his recently published
"Travels in Brazil" furnishes some adj
dlional information respecting the habits
and character Of the electric eel:-''ln the
Rio de Palma, says he, Gas in all the riv-
ers within the province of Goyaz, the Gym
notm eIeetricus is exceedingly common.
They are Of all sizes, from foot to six feet
IN length, and ale frequently caught on the
lines which are Sc, for fishes; they arc some
times eaten, but not generally, although
their flesh is said to be very good. Horses
rs well as men, by coming in contact with
them in the water, are not mfrequently
thrown down oy tie shock which they i'm
part: they are called by the inhabitants
Irenietreme. In rainy weather, those who
fish in these Iivers often receive shock,
which is communicated along the moisture
upon the rod and line, when one Of them
happens TO seize the hook. saw one in
state Of captivity, about six feet long,
which was 50 tame, that ii would allow any
one to put his hand upon it, and even slide
for It's whole length through the fingers; but
if iritaled in the smallest degree, by pinch
ing it a little, it instantly communicated a
smart shock.
The same authority confirms the early
accounts respecting the prodigous swallow
ing capacity OF the boa constrctor-accounts
which certain naturalisls, whose researches
never extended beyond the galleries of a
museum, are in the habit of treating with
rldicule and unbelie' The boa" says he,
SIS not uncommon throughout the whole
province OF Goyaz, particularly by the wood
ed margins OF axes, marshes, and streams.
Sometimes they attain the enormous length
of forty feet; the largest ever saw was at
this place, but it Mas not alive. Some
weeks before on arrival at Sapc, the favor.
lie riding horse Of Senior Las oeira, which
had been put ont TO pasture not far from the
house, could not be found, although strict
search was mace for it all over the fazienda.
Shortly after this, one Of his vaqueiros, in
going through wood by the side OF small
nver, saw an enormous boa suspended in the
fork of tree which hung over the water
1t was dead, but had evidently been noated
down alive by recent food and being in
an inert state, il had not been able TO extri-
cate itself from the fork before the waters
fell. ID was dragged out to the open coun-
Try by two horses, ard was found to mea-
sure thirty seven feet II length. On open
ing It, the bones Of horse, IN a somewhat
broken condition, anG the flesh in halfdi-
ges'ed state, Were found within it, the bones
of the head being miniured. From these
| circumstances, il was concluded that the boa
had devoured the horse entire. In all kind;
OF snakes the capacity for swallowing is
/ prodigiOus. have often seen one not
4 thicker than my thumb swallow a frog as
large as my fist and once killed rattle
snake, about four feet long, and of no great
| thickness, which had swallowed not less
than three large frogs, one of which swelled
out It's sides TO near twice the thickness of
the other parts. | have also seen a very
slender snake that frequenis the roofs of
houses, swallow an entire bat three times
its own thickness. If such be the case
with these smaller kinds, It is not TO be
wondered at that one thirty-seven feet long
should be able 10 swallow a horse, particu-
larry when it is known that, previously to
doing 50, it breaks the bones of the animal
by coiling itself round ii, and afterwards
lubrlcates it with shiny matter which it
has the power Of secretng in its mouth"
Much has been said and written both for
and against the ingenuity and initiative
faculties of monkeys-these accounts, how
ever, generally referring to the animals in a
state of dOmesticaton and training. We
have little recorded of their natural state
beyond their chatterng irolicksomeness,
their shyness, their affection for their Young
or their occasionally peting some obtrrsive
traveller with rotten twigs or palm,nuts from
ti.e branches overhead. The following ca
tract from the same traveller not only adds
; 10 oar knowledge on tbs score, but exhibits
the monkey Tribe as capable Of employing
implements, II we may 50 speak, for the
attainment of a certain end:-"The moist
and marshy campos produce various kinds
of palm-trees, which bear large clusters of
small nuts, greatly resembling miniature
cocoa-nuts. When ripe. these are covered
externally with fbrous oily substance,
which has a swedish taste, and constitutes
the favorite food of the little ringtailed
monkeys, which are no less fond of the in
ternal part Of the nut, which contains a
kernel similar TO that of the cocoa. In
several parts OF the interior. had been told
that, TO get at this kernel, the shell being
too hard to break with their teeth, the mon
keys carry the NUS to a rocky place, and
there break them with a stone; and | even
met with persons who assured ME that they
had watched them in such places, and actu-
ally seen thea engaged in this operation.
This account ! always considered to be
fabulous till | arrived at Sape. In an ex.
cursion we made over the Sierra, where it is
composed of nearly bare, rugged lime stone
peaks, in several almost inaccessible places,
we came upon large heaps Of the broken
shells Of nuts, generally on bare, open