Sao Paulo 309 



which King John foresaw might occur, rather than have 

 the government fall into strange hands, Pedro had bet- 

 ter assume the reins of control himself, and keep the 

 sovereignty of Brazil in the family. It remained in the 

 hands of the house of Braganza until the middle of 

 November, 1889, when the Emperor, Dom Pedro II., 

 was forced to abdicate, and the republic was declared. 

 From the large salon in which the collection of 

 historical paintings is preserved, we went to the various 

 rooms in which the mineralogical, botanical, zoological, 

 ethnological, and archeological collections are arranged. 

 I was particularly interested in the collection of nests 

 of ants, bees, and wasps, which Dr. von Ihering has 

 assembled. These "homes made without hands' are 

 very curious, and display a wonderful diversity in form 

 and interior arrangement. The intelligence manifested 

 by the tiny architects of these structures is most 

 extraordinary. The great assemblage of insects, shells, 

 fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals deserved for its 

 inspection much more time than we had at our com- 

 mand. We could at best only take a general view of 

 the treasures gathered in the halls of the institution, 

 pausing here and there before those things which were 

 especially interesting, asking questions, and receiving 

 answers. We were impressed with the fact brought out 

 in our conversation with Dr. von Ihering that many 

 forms of wild life are rapidly disappearing. The mon- 

 keys are fast becoming extinct. Species which a few 

 years ago were quite common have vanished from the 

 territories in which they abounded. The same thing 

 is true of a number of the other mammalia, and is also 

 true of the birds. Conversation turned upon the Golden 

 Plover, which used in comparatively recent years to be 

 a common bird in the eastern portions of North Amer- 



