Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-11-05
SWAMPS OF THE ORINOCO.
Inhabited by Ferocious Beasts,
Reptiles and Unknown Species
of Birds.

Nowhere else have I ever seen the ami.
NAL life so fully provided for offense and
defense as in the Orinoco swamps, says
the Alumni Journal of the New York
College of Pharmacy. This statement
applies to every class of the animal king
dom, but with special force to its smaller
members. The tigers and tiger cats, not
wlthstanding that they were frequent WIS.,
itors to the camp, entering the tent, and
even during the last few nights of my
stay the house itself, will endeavor to
escape from man on most occasions. but
the heas, jiggers, golofas, goropatas
and mosquitoes know neither fear nor
rest i'll the region where we spent the
most Of our time.
the abundance of serpents as seen when
they are disturbed by the inundation of
their meadows. The forests are equally
full of them. We would encounter them
in the pathway; they climbed upon the
trees and bushes, especially those over
hanging the water; they were constant
visitors to the camp, entering the tent
or house, and then even lived in numbers
in the palm leaf thatch. Nine coral
snakes were removed in replacing the
roof of the house next adjoining ours.
An erroneous idea exists as to the
harmlessness Of the alligator, and it is
strange that this should have been large
ly promoted by writer's on natural his
tory. Not only are these creatures large
and numerous about the delta. but they
are very ferocious, and, especially dur
ing the Matching season, they are not
slow in attacking man. Even the small
est members of the lizard family are in
some cases reported yenomous. and GER
tainly do not lack the disposition to at
tack human beings, as was ascertained
by personal observation. No one is, of
course, surprised to find ferocity among
the reptilia, but it does appear strange
to see the birds, armed with sharp and
powerful spikes upon the wings and
even with horns upon the head. AL
though the latter may not be used for Of
Tense, the former certainly are, and con-
stitute very formida BILE weapons. Birds
of prey are exceedingly numerous in
this region, and have good reason for
being well armed, for the objects of
their attention are in many, IT not most,
cases. fitted for making desperate re-
sistance.
Although these visible evidences of war
fare are so conspicuous about the Lower
Orinoco, it is beyond the reach of our
ordinary observation, within the various
waters of this strange region, that the
most desperate conflicts are Waged.
Surely nothing can exceed in interest the
combination of provisions for rapid and
changing movement and of offensive and
defensive armament possessed by the ami
mails of the streams and pools. The
marriott, the principal food fish there
found, has a pair of tusks like those of
the wild boar, some two inches in length,
sharp and powerful. and these are supple
mented by set Of powerful molars for
heavy grinding The scissors fish, has
a cutting under edge to its pectoral fin,
which closes down by succession of
notches, each holding the cutter at the
point reached by each successive muscu-
lar contraction. The waters swarm with
electric cells, though these are not nearly
so dangerous as are generally believed.
The caribfsh, or piranhau, with inter
locking triangular teeth, massive head
and jaws, and a ferocity which for vigor
and persistence is equaled only by that
of the bulldog in the entire animal king
dom, swarms in most of the pools, and
renders death practically certain to any
one obliged to make his way by swim
ming for any considerable distance in a
pool where they abound.