28 RIO DE JANEIRO. [chap. ii. 



a few dogs, and then patiently waiting to fire at any animal 

 which might appear. "We were accompanied by the son of a 

 neighbouring farmer a good specimen of a wild Brazilian 

 youth. He was dressed in a tattered old shirt and trousers, and 

 had his head uncovered : he carried an old-fashioned gun and a 

 large knife. The habit of carrying the knife is universal ; and 

 in traversing a thick wood it is almost necessary, on account of 

 the creeping plants. The frequent occurrence of murder may 

 be partly attributed to this habit. The Brazilians are so dex- 

 terous with the knife, that they can throw it to some distance 

 with precision, and with sufficient force to cause a fatal wound. 

 I have seen a number of little boys practising this art as a game 

 of play, and from their skill in hitting an upright stick, they 

 promised well for more earnest attempts. My companion, the 

 day before, had shot two large bearded monkeys. These ani- 

 mals have prehensile tails, the extremity of which, even after 

 death, can support the whole weight of the body . One of them 

 thus remained fast to a branch, and it was necessary to cut down 

 a large tree to procure it. This was soon effected, and down 

 came tree and monkey with an awful crash. Our day's sport, 

 besides the monkey, was confined to sundry small green parrots 

 and a few toucans. I profited, however, by my acquaintance 

 with the Portuguese padre, for on another occasion he gave me 

 a fine specimen of the Yagouaroundi cat. 



Every one has heard of the beauty of the scenery near Boto- 

 fogo. The house in which I lived was seated close beneath the 

 well-known mountain of the Corcovado. It has been remarked, 

 with much truth, that abruptly conical hills are characteristic of 

 the formation which Humboldt designates as gneiss-granite. 

 Kothing can be more striking than the effect of these huge 

 rounded masses of naked rock rising out of the most luxuriant 

 vegetation. 



I was often interested by watching the clouds, which, rolling 

 in from seaward, formed a bank just beneath the highest point 

 of the Corcovado. This mountain, like most others, when thus 

 partly veiled, appeared to rise to a far prouder elevation than its 

 real height of 2300 feet. Mr. Daniell has observed, in his me- 

 teorological essays, that a cloud sometimes appears fixed on a 

 mountain summit, while the wind continues to blow over it. 



