DOWN THE AMAZONS. 353 
with us some little souvenirs, such as beads, trinkets 
knives, &c. We were received as old friends, and made 
welcome to all the house would afford ; but, though as 
clean as ever, it looked poorer than on our former visit. 
I saw neither dried fish nor mandioca nor farinha, and 
the woman told me that she found it very hard to sup- 
port her large family, now that the husband and father 
was away. 
The quantity of detached grass, shrubs, &c. carried 
past the vessel, as we lie here at anchor, is amazing, 
floating gardens, sometimes half an acre in extent. Some 
of these green rafts are inhabited ; water-birds go sailing 
by upon them, and large animals are occasionally carried 
down the river in this way. The commander told me that, 
on one occasion, when an English vessel was lying at 
anchor in the Parana, one of these grassy gardens was 
seen coming clown the river with two deer upon it. The 
current brought it directly against the ship, and the captain 
had only to receive on board the guests who arrived thus 
unexpectedly to demand his hospitality. In the same river 
another floating island brought with it a less agreeable 
inhabitant : a large tiger had possessed himself of it and 
was sailing majestically with the current, passing so near 
the shores that he was distinctly seen from the banks ; 
and people went out in montarias to get a nearer view 
of him, though keeping always at a respectful distance. 
The most conspicuous of the plants thus detached from 
the shore are the Canarana (a kind of wild cane), a variety 
of aquatic Aroides, Pistia among the number, Ecornia, 
and a quantity of graceful floating Marsileaceae. 
January \Wi. To-day we have been on a hunt after 
the Victoria regia. We have made constant efforts to 
