LIFE IN TEFFE. 235 
All these are too clumsy to preserve in alcohol, especially 
when alcohol is so difficult to obtain and so expensive 
as it is here ; but Mr. Agassiz has had skeletons made 
of them, and will preserve the skins of the Peixe-bois 
for mounting. He obtained at the same time an entirely 
new genus of the Siluroid family. It is a fish weighing- 
some ten pounds, called here the Pacanimn, and of a bright 
canary color. 
The evening scene at the " Sitio ' ' was always very pretty. 
After dinner, when the customary " boa noite," the univer- 
sal greeting at the close of the day, had been exchanged, 
the palm-mats, spread over the platforms, had each their 
separate group, Indians or negroes, children, members of 
the family or guests, the central figure being usually that 
of Major Coutinho, who was considered to be especially 
successful in the making of coffee and who generally had 
a mat to himself, where he looked, as the blue flame of 
his alcohol lamp flickered in the wind, not unlike a ma- 
gician of old, brewing some potent spell. Little shallow 
cups, like open antique lamps, filled with oil and having 
a bit. of wick hanging over the edge, were placed about 
the floors, and served to light the interior of the porch, 
though after a glimmering and uncertain fashion. On 
Monday morning we left the " Sitio ' : and returned to 
Teffe, where Mr. Agassiz had the pleasure of receiving 
all his collections, both those he had sent on before him 
and those which accompanied us, in good condition. 
October $th. Alexandrina turns out to be a valuable 
addition to the household, not only from a domestic, but 
also from a scientific point of view. She has learned to 
prepare and clean skeletons of fish very nicely, and makes 
herself quite useful in the laboratory. Besides, she knows 
