268 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 



parting, our Indian hostess presented me with a wioker- 

 basket of fresh eggs and some abacatys, or alligator pears 

 as we call them.* We reached the house just in time for 

 a ten o'clock breakfast, which assembled all the different 

 parties once more from their various occupations, whether 

 of work or play. The sportsmen returned from the forest, 

 bringing a goodly supply of toucans, papagaios, and parro- 

 quets, with a variety of other birds, and the fisherman 

 brought in new treasures for Mr. Agassiz. 



October 29th. Yesterday, after breakfast, I retreated to 

 the room where we had passed the night, hoping to find 

 time and quiet for writing letters and completing my jour- 

 nal. But I found it already occupied by the old Senhora 

 and her guests, who were lounging in the hammocks or 

 squatting on the floor and smoking their pipes. The 

 house is indeed full to overflowing, as the whole party as- 

 sembled for the ball are to stay during the President's 

 v'sit. But in this way of living it is an easy matter to 

 accommodate any number of people, for if they cannot all 

 be received under the roof, they can hang their hammocks 

 under the trees outside. As I went to mv room last even- 



v 



ing, I stopped to look at a pretty picture of an Indian 

 mother with her two little children asleep on either arm, 

 all in one hammock, in the open air. My Indian friends 

 were too much interested in my occupations to allow of 

 my continuing them uninterruptedly. They were delight- 

 ed with my books (I happened to have " The Naturalist 

 on the Amazons ' with me, in which I showed them some 

 pictures of Amazonian scenery and insects), and asked me 

 many questions about my country, my voyage, and my 

 travels here. In return they gave me much information 



* The fruit of the Persea gratissima. 



