ON THE AMAZON. 327 
his footsteps to and from ihe water, and in the channel near the canoe, 
were distinctly traceable. I heard something in the night puffing near ° 
the canoe, and lay listening to it, fancying it to be one of the men. 
We had bathed the preceding day in the very spot where he took 
the water. 
An hour’s pushing brought us to the commencement of a Jong reach 
to N. by W., the view terminating in low serras, three ridges of which 
were distinguishable. The morning had been very foggy, and we had now 
smartish rain for an hour and a half, coming from the serras. Beyond 
this reach the river makes a long turn to W.N.W. On the right bank 
appear above water a few rocks of dark-coloured sandstone. Through- 
out the voyage our ears had been saluted night and morning by the 
horrid cry of guaríbas, which I can compare to nothing but the 
screaming of some hundreds of pigs about to undergo the last penalty 
of the law. Sometimes they were so near that their howl was quite 
deafening, and yet we had never had the satisfaction of seeing one. 
This morning our curiosity was gratified by the sight of a whole troop 
of them, scampering aivay from the margin of the river, through the 
tree-tops. We heard, also, several times, another monkey, the coata, 
and got a good view of one, a big black fellow, with a red face. 
Amongst the birds, the most noisy, and perhaps the most numerous, 
were the parrots, which flew over us in flocks, about sunrise and sun- 
set; but there was also a small pigeon, which descended the river very 
early in a morning, and ascended it about dark, flying very low, in 
flocks of not more than from twenty to fifty, but following each 
other in very quick succession, two or three flocks passing every - 
minute. 
After a short curve in an easterly direction, the river now turns 
N.W. by N., and makes a short reach; then, with a considerable 
curve, it veers to N.N.E. On entering this long reach, the high Serra 
de Camaü appears, bearing nearly due north. In front of this serra, 
we were told, lay the cachoeiras. 
December 25,—Last night was gloomy throughout, with occasional 
drops of rain. Our quarters were once more a sandbank, on which the 
men were successful in finding good store of turtles’ eggs, and in inter- 
cepting not a few young turtles. I was much disgusted by their filling 
a panella with the latter—a reptile rather smaller than common toads 
. in England, and of very similar aspect,—seiting them on the fire, all 
2G2 
