According to the negroes, the Phyllostoma is the only kind which
attacks man. Those which I caught crawling over me were Dysopes,
and I am inclined to think many different kinds of bats have this
propensity.
One day I was occupied searching for insects in the bark of a
fallen tree, when I saw a large cat-like animal advancing towards
the spot. It came within a dozen yards before perceiving me. I
had no weapon with me but an old chisel, and was getting ready to
defend myself if it should make a spring, when it turned around
hastily and trotted off. I did not obtain a very distinct view of
it, but I could see its colour was that of the Puma, or American
Lion, although it was rather too small for that species. The Puma
is not a common animal in the Amazons forests. I did not see
altogether more than a dozen skins, in the possession of the
natives. The fur is of a fawn colour. On account of its hue
resembling that of a deer common in the forests, the natives call
it the Sassu-arana, [The old zoologist Marcgrave called the Puma
the Cuguacuarana, probably (the c's being soft) a misspelling of
Sassu-arana; hence, the name Cougouar employed by French
zoologists, and copied in most works on natural history.
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