it, has been taken from a specimen in the museum at Kew gardens. The mysteries connected with this trumpet are evidently founded on an old tradition from prehistoric Indian ancestors. _Jurupari_ means “demon”; and with several Indian tribes on the Amazon customs and ceremonies still prevail in honour of Jurupari. The Caroados, an Indian tribe in Brazil, have a war trumpet which closely resembles the _juruparis_. With this people it is the custom for the chief to give on his war trumpet the signal for battle, and to continue blowing as long as he wishes the battle to last. The trumpet is made of wood, and its sound is described by travellers as very deep but rather pleasant. The sound is easily produced, and its continuance does not require much exertion; but a peculiar vibration of the lips is necessary which requires practice. Another trumpet, the _turé_, is common with many Indian tribes on the Amazon who use it chiefly in war. It is made of a long and thick bamboo, and there is a split reed in the mouthpiece. It therefore partakes rather of the character of an oboe or clarinet. Its tone is described as loud and harsh. The _turé_ is especially used by the sentinels of predatory hordes, who, mounted on a lofty tree, give the signal of attack to their comrades. Again, the aborigines in Mexico had a curious contrivance of this kind, the _acocotl_, now more usually called _clarin_. The former word is its old Indian name, and the latter appears to have been first given to the instrument by the Spaniards. The _acocotl_ consists of a very thin tube from eight to ten feet in length, and generally not quite straight but with some irregular curves. This tube, which is often not thicker than a couple of inches in diameter, terminates at one end in a sort of bell, and has at the other end a small mouthpiece resembling in shape that of a clarinet. The tube is made of the dry stalk of a plant which is common in Mexico, and which likewise the Indians call _acocotl_. The most singular characteristic of the instrument is that the performer does not blow into it, but inhales the air through it; or rather, he produces the sound by sucking the mouthpiece. It is said to require strong lungs to perform on the _acocotl_ effectively according to Indian notions of taste. [Illustration] The _botuto_, which Gumilla saw used by some tribes near the river Orinoco (of which we engrave two examples), was evidently an ancient Indian contrivance, but appears to have fallen almost into oblivion during the last two centuries. It was made of baked clay and was commonly from three to four feet long: but some trumpets of this kind were of enormous size. The _botuto_ with two bellies was usually made thicker than that with three bellies and emitted a deeper sound, which is described as having been really terrific. These trumpets were used on occasions of mourning and funeral dances. Alexander von Humboldt saw the _botuto_ among some Indian tribes near the river Orinoco.