FROM PARA TO MAXAOS. 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 Tajapurii et Gurupa. 



MON CHER AMI : La journee 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 

 une deja decrite par moi dans le voyage de Spix et Mar- 

 tius ; mais ce qu'il y a de plus interessant, c'est la preuve 

 que fournissent ces especes, a les prendre dans leur totalite, 

 que 1' ensemble des poissons qui habitent les eaux a Touest 



* 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. 



