FROM PARA TO MANAOS. 157 

tlement mentioned above. It consists only of the house of 
a Brazilian merchant,* who lives here with his family, having 
no neighbors except the inhabitants of a few Indian houses 
in the forest immediately about. One wonders at first what 
should induce a man to isolate himself in this solitude. 
But the India-rubber trade is very productive here. The 
Indians tap the trees as we tap our sugar-maples, and 
give the produce in exchange for various articles of their 
own domestic consumption. Our day at Tajapuru was a 
very successful one in a scientific point of view, and the 
collections were again increased by a number of new 
species. Much as has been said of the number and va- 
riety of fishes in the Amazons, the fauna seems far richer 
than it has been reported. For those of my readers who 
care to follow the scientific progress of the expedition as 
well as the thread of personal adventure, I add here a 
letter on the subject, written a day or two later by Mr. 
Agassiz to Mr. Pimenta Bueno, in Para, the generous 
friend to whom he owes in a great degree the facilities 
he enjoys in this voyage. 
22 Aout, au matin: entre Tajapuru et Gurupa. 
MON CHER AMI : La join-ne'e d'hier a ete des plus 
instructives, surtout pour les poissons " do Mato." Nous 
avons obtenu quinze especes en tout. Sur ce nombre il y 
en a dix nouvelles, quatre qui se trouvent aussi au Para et 
line deja decrite par moi dans le voyage de Spix et Mar- 
tins ; mais ce qu'il y a de plus interessant, c'est la preuve 
que fournissent ces especes, a les prendre dans leur totalitd, 
que 1' ensemble des poissons qui habitant les eaux a 1'ouest 
* Senhor Sepeda, a most hospitable and courteous gentleman, to whom we 
were indebted then and afterwards for much kindness, and also for valuable 
collections put up during our journey to the Upper Amazons. 
