144 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 
and from the base of this head was suspended an open 
white net of exquisitely delicate texture, falling to within 
about an inch of the ground ; a fairy web that looked fit 
for Queen Mab herself.* The week, so peaceful for me, has 
been one, if not of rest, at least of intense interest for Mr. 
Agassiz. The very day of his arrival, by the kindness 
of our host, his working-rooms were so arranged as to 
make an admirable laboratory, and, from the hour he 
entered them, specimens have poured in upon him from 
all quarters. His own party make but a small part of 
the scientific corps who have worked for and with him 
here. In Para alone he has already more than fifty new 
species of fresh-water fishes ; enough to reveal unexpected 
and novel relations in the finny world, and to give the basis 
of an improved classification. He is far from attributing 
this great success wholly to his own efforts. Ready as he 
is to work, he could not accomplish half that he does, except 
for the active good-will of those about him. Among the 
most valuable of these contributions is a collection made 
by Mr. Pimenta Bueno, of the so-called fishes of the forest. 
When the waters overflow after the rainy season and fill 
the forest for a considerable distance on either side, these 
fish hover over -the depressions and hollows, and as the 
waters subside are left in the pools and channels. They 
do not occur in the open river, but are always found in 
* This mushroom belongs to the genus Phallus, and seems to be an unde- 
scribcd species. I preserved it in alcohol, but was unable to have any draw- 
ing made from it before its beauty and freshness were quite gone. In the early 
morning, while the grass was still damp, we often found a peculiar snail, a spe- 
cies of Bulimus, creeping by the roadside. The form of the anterior part of 
the foot was unlike that of any species known thus far from this group. Such 
facts show the desirableness of making drawings from the soft parts of these 
animals as well as from their solid envelopes. L. A. 
