ne attached to the head
itself so that the hunter can handle the struggling animal or fish by
means of it and of the shaft of the arrow. The whole contrivance is
a marvel of ingenuity in meeting the conditions the Amazon hunter is
called on to face. When the arrow struck this particular _pirarucu_,
at close range, he made straight for the shore, hauling the canoe
and its contents after him at considerable speed. We got tangled
among the low branches and fought the fish in considerable danger
of being overturned--and I should not at all care to be capsized on
Lake Innocence.

Finally, we got our prize ashore. I sent the Indian to headquarters,
telling him to go, as fast as he could and bring assistance so that
we could get the fish home. I myself mounted guard over the carcass
to see that neither the turkey buzzards nor the carnivorous mammals
should destroy it. If we had left it alone for even a short time,
we would have found, on our return, little to remind us of its
existence. The Indian returned shortly with two men. They stuck a
pole through the great gills of the _pirarucu_ and in this fashion
carried it to the settlement.

These waters contain great quantities of another and smaller fish known
as the _piranha_, scientifically termed _Serraselmus piraya_. This
is quite as much dreaded by the natives as the alligator, or even as
the shark along the coast. Its ferocity seems to know no bounds. It
will attack other fish and bite large pieces out of their fins and
tails. Although it is not much larger than the herring it can make
fatal attacks on man when in large numbers.

Mr. C.B. Brown in his work on Guiana gives the following account of
this fish:

The _piranhas_ in the Corentins were so abundant and were so ferocious
that at times it was dangerous to go into the water to a greater depth
than the knees. Even then small bodies of these hungry creatures would
swim in and make a dash close to our legs, and then retreat to a short
distance. They actually bit the steering paddles as they were drawn
through the water astern of the boat. A tapir which I shot as it swam
across the water had his nose bitten off by them whilst we were towing
it to the shore. The men used to catch some of them for the sport
of it, and in taking the hook from the mouth produced a wound from
which the blood ran freely. On throwing them back into the water in
this injured condition, they were immediately set upon and devoured
by their com