The creole negro of whom I have above spoken, was fond of shooting the larger kinds of game, such as antelopes, which are called in the country _veados_, and _pacas_ (_cavia paca_). This was done in the following manner. A platform of thick twigs was made among the branches of a tree, at the height of several feet from the ground, near to some one of those plants upon whose leaves or fruit these animals feed. At night two men placed themselves upon this platform, and when the footsteps of the animal were heard, one of the men would light a small taper prepared for the occasion, and the other, with his gun ready, looked round for the game. The animal was allowed to come as near as it seemed inclined to do unmolested, and was then fired at. The men immediately descended, and oftentimes did not attempt to find their prey until the morning; returning to the spot for the purpose. This is the usual manner of obtaining these animals. The _tatu verdadeiro_ or legitimate armadillo, was also sometimes caught by him. I requested him to obtain for me a _tamanduà_, which is a small species of ant-eater; he brought me one of which the body was about six inches in length, and the tail about twelve; and the hair of its skin was extremely soft; the animal was clinging closely to the bough of a tree, and its tail also was entwining the branch. My black friend, the shoemaker, told me that he had been ordered to eat the flesh of the _tamanduà_ after having had an eruptive complaint, and that it was very beneficial for persons who were recovering from the _bobas_ or yaws. He said that it had “a taste which was like unto the smell of the ants.” The sloth was to be seen here occasionally; also the _cotia_ (_cavia caudata_). The _porco da India_, the guinea-pig, I have only seen in a tame state. At Jaguaribe, the _capivara_ (_cavia capybara_) was often seen among the mangroves; the Indians sometimes eat it, but few of the negroes will. There is also another mangrove animal, which is called in that country _guachinim_; it feeds on crabs, and from what I could hear, has much resemblance to a cat, but the tail is much longer; however I never saw it. Neither did I see the _lontra_ or sea-otter, but the skins of this animal are much valued for saddle cloths, bearing a higher price even than the skin of the jaguar.