Washington sentinel., 1854-03-02
Natural Curioslties Of the Amazon.


The -FIsH.-0ne day the fisherman
brought us in a fine "peixe boi, or cow-fsh, a
species of mdnatus, which inhabits the Anna
zon, and is particularly abundant in the lakes
in this part of the river. 1t is female, about
six feet long, and near FIVE in circumference in
the thickest part. The body is perfectly smooth,
and without any projections or inequalities,
gradually changing into horizontal semi-cir-
cular fiat tail, with no appearance whatever of
hind limbs. There is no distinct neck. The
head is not very large, and is terminated by
large mouth and feshy lips, somewhat resem-
bling those of a COW. There are stiff bristles on
the lips, and few distinctly scattered hairs
over the body. Behind the head are two pow
erful oval fms and just beneath them are the
breasts from which, on pressure being applied,
flows stream of beautiful white milk. The
ears are minute holes, and the eyes very small.
The dung resembles that Of horse The
color is dusky lead with some pinkish-white
marbled blotches on the belly. The skin is
about an inch thick on the back, and quarter
of an inch on the belly. Beneath the skin is a
layer of fat Of q greater or less thickness, gen.
erally about On inch, which is boiled down to
make an oil used for light and for cooking.
The ntestines are very voluminous the heart
about the size of sheep's and the lungs about
two feet long, and six or seven inches wide,
very cellular and spongy, and can be blown out
like bladder The skull is large and solid,
with no front teeth; the vertebrse extend to
the very tip of the tail, but show no rudiments
of posterior limbs the fore limbs, on the contrary,
are very highly developed, the bones exactly cor.
responding to those of the human arm, having
even the FIVE fingers, with every joint distinct,
vet enclosed in stiff inhexible skin, where not
a joint can have any motion.
Tho ooxy-Gcb faadc IN GRO at tha h0rderS
of the rivers and lakes, and swims quickly with
the tail and paddles; and though the external
organs of sight and hearing are so imperfect,
these senses are said by hunters to be remar-
kably acute, and to render necessary all their
caution and skill to capture the animals. They
bring forth one, or rarely two, young ones;
which they clasp in their arms or paddles
while giving suck. They are harpooned, or
caught in q strong net, at the narrow entrance
of a lake or stream and are killed by driving
wooden plug with mallet up their nostrils.
Each yields from FIVE to twenty-five gallons Of
OIL The fish is very good, being something
between beef and pork, and this one furnished
MS with meals and was an agreeable change
from our fish diet.
The UMBRELLA BIRD.-The next morning
my hunter arrived, and Immediately went out
in his canoe among the islands, where the um
brella birds are found. In the evening, after
dark he returned, bringing one fine specimen.
This singular bird is about the size of a raven,
and is of a similar color, but its feathers have
more scaly appearance, from being margined
with different shade of glossy blue. 1t is
also allied to the crow in its structure, being
very similar to it in his feet and bill. On it's
head it bears crest, different from that of any
other bird. 1t is formed of feathers more than
two inches long, very thickly set, and with
hairy plumes, curving over the end. These
can be laid back so as to be hardly visible, or
can be erected and spread out on every side,
forming hemispherical, or rather hemi-
ellipsoidal dome, completely covering the head,
and even reaching beyond the point of the
beak; the individual feathers then stand out,
something like the down-bearing seeds OF the
dandelion. Besides this, there IS another orna-
mental appendage on the breast, formed by
| ieshy tubercle, as thick as quill, and an
inch and half long, which hangs down from
the neck, and is thickly covered with glossy
tassel. This also the bird can either press to
its breast so as to be scarcely visible, or can
swell out, so as almost to conceal the forepart
of its body In the female the crest and the
neck plume are less developed, and she is al
together a smaller and much less handsome
bird. It inhabts the flooded islands Of the
Rio Negro and the Solimoes, never appearing
on the main land. 1t feeds on fruits, and utters
a loud, hoarse cry, like some deep musical in
strument, whence its Indian name ueramim6e,
trumpet bird" The whole of the neck,
where the plume of feathers springs from, is
covered internally with thick coat of hard
muscular fat, very difficult to be cleaned away,
which, in preparing the skins, must be done, as
it would putrefy and cause the feathers to drop
of.-The Amazon and Rio Negro.