Smyrna times., 1870-03-16
Frightful Fishes.

An important source of anxiety to the pearl
divers in South American rivers is the multi
tude of dangerous fish struggling in the water,
such as the ray-fsh, whose tail is furnished
with a sting three inches long, with which it
lntllcts a very painful wound electric ee!s,
whose touch alone will paraiyze in an instant
the muscles of the strongest man; the payara,
shaped somewhat like a sabre, and equally
dangerous. The lower jaw of this last is fur
nished with formidable pair of fangs, not un-
like those of the rattlesnake; with these it in
fcts as smooth cash as if cut with a razor,
and, finally, the caribe, whose ravenOus and
blOodthirsty prOpcnSities have caused it to be
likened to the cannibal tribe OF Indians, once
the terror OF those regions, but now scattered
over the towns and villages along the course OF
the OrlnOcO. Each time the nets were hauled
on shore, half a-ScOre or more OF these little
pests were to be seen jumping in the crowd,
their jaws wide open, tearing whatever came
in their way, especially the meshes Of the nets,
which they soon render useless Their sharp
! triangular teeth, arranged III the same manner
| as those OF the shark, are 50 strong that neith-
| er copper, steel, nortwlne can withstand them.
! The sight OF any red substance, blood especial
| ly, seems to rouse their sangunary appetite
and as they usually 90 in swarms, it is extreme
! y dangerous for man or beast to enter the
water with even a scratch upon their bodies
Horses wounded with the spur are particularly
exposed to their attacks and so rapid is the
work of destruction, that unless immediate as
| siStance is rendered, the fish soon penetrates
the abdomen OF the ANNA, and speedily redu
ces 1t to skeleton hence, doubtless their ap
pellatlOn of mOndOnguc There
are other varieties Of caribe III the rivers of tn,
Lianos, but none so bold and bood-thirsty a
this glutton OF the waters. SO abundant i
this species in some rivers of the Apure, tina
it is common saying among Llaneros -"Ther
is more caribc than water Every feat 0
this miniature cannibal denotes the ferocit
and sanguinary nature of its tastes The pierc
ing eye, surrounded by bloody-looking ring
Is expressive of its cruel and blood thirsty dis
position. Its under jaw. lined with a thic
caltllaginOus membrane, which adds greatly t
its strength, protrudcs considerably beyond tn
upper, giving, as does this formation of Jaw t
all animals possessing it, likewise an expressio
OF terocity. Large spots Of brilliant orang
hue cover a great portion of its body, especia
ly the belly, fins and tail. Toward the back
7 IS of blush ash color, with a slight tint
| olive-green, the intermediate spaces being of
/ pearly white, while the gillcoverS are tinge
} with red. The inhabitants, being often con
| PEELED to swim across streams infested wit
them, entertain more tear OF these little cle
II lures than of that world-renOwncd monster, Il
i crocodile. This last, although tormidab
Il antagonist in the water can be easily avoide
) and even conquered i'll single combat by dariI
: men, while the former, from their dimnuti
e size and greater numbers, can do more mischi
h in short time than legion OF crocodiles
r. Ramon Idez' TrdreiS.