other water creatures.

The Potamians, which are found in vast numbers in the larger rivers,
grow to a great size,--some weighing seventy pounds. They feed much as
the last described. They swim with ease, both on the surface and at
mid-water. The upper part of the body is generally brown or grey, with
regular dotted spots; while the under parts are pale white, rosy, and
bluish. When they seize their food, they dart out their heads and long
necks with the rapidity of arrows, and bite sharply with their trenchant
beaks, not letting go till they have taken the piece out. The females
are said to be far more numerous than the males; indeed, Father Gumilla,
describing the turtles of the Orinoco, states what might be doubted,--
that "in each nest of eggs there is one, larger than the rest, from
which the male is hatched. All the others are females." The eggs are
spherical; their shell solid, but membraneous or slightly calcareous.

A further description of them will be given when the mode in which they
are captured is described. The species, however, deserves particular
notice.

THE CHELYS MATAMATA.

Grotesque, and unlike what we fancy a reality,--such as those creatures
which the wild imagination of the painters of bygone days delighted in
producing,--is the curious matamata (Chelys matamata), found along the
banks of the Amazon, as well as in Guiana. It is covered with armour on
the back, neck, and head. On its head it wears what looks like a
curiously-shaped helmet, with a long tube in front, which serves as a
snout; while its feet are webbed, and armed with sharp claws at the end
of its thick, powerful legs. From the chin hang down two fringe-like
membranes, and the throat and neck are similarly ornamented. It is
often three feet long; and, from its formidable appearance, it might
easily make a stranger eager to get out of its way. This helmet
consists of two membraneous prolongations of the skin, which project on
either side from its broad and flattened head. A long, flexible, double
tube forms its snout. The shield on the back is marked with three
distinct ridges, or keels, along it, and is broader before than behind.
It has a stumpy, pointed tail.

This curious monster, concealing itself among the reeds on the bank,
lies in wait for its prey, darting forward its long neck, and seizing
with its sharp beak any passing fish, reptile, or water-fowl; or, should
they not come near enough, it swims at a g