INDIAN TEIBES OP BRAZIL. 373 



beneath the chest, and wrapping the end of a little poisoned arrow with 

 silk cotton to make it tit the bore of the gtin, and filling his lungs lie 

 blew the arrow into the top of a tall tree standing in the edge of the 

 forest near by. (Plate 6.) Then, taking his blow gun and how- ami 

 arrows on his shoulders, he bent down and silently crept through the 

 forest, looking carefully on even side, and then catching sight of the 

 game dropped the blow gain and. sorting out three arrow-.. „| l( ,t them 

 rapidly into the bushes. Going where the arrows struck, he made 

 marks on the ground with the tips of his fingers to represent the 

 tracks of the wounded game; and following these a short distance he 

 stooped over and spread his hands before him, palms down, to show- 

 where the game lay, dead. Senor Joao asked Schau Assuc to show 

 us how the different birds and beasts sang, and lie gave us the notes 

 of the parrots and toucans, then the cries of the tapirs, peccaries, and 

 monkeys, all with wonderful likeness to life. Then he made t ln- 

 strange, rattling roar of the jaguar so vividly that it made one's flesh 

 creep. They make use of this art of imitating the notes of the ani- 

 mals in their hunting. Our Indians, the Ilypurinas, had tilled their 

 baskets with the ripe corn, apparently without taking the trouble to 

 ask leave, and^ taking a young Jamamadi with us to carry part of our 

 load to the river, we set out on our return. 



As near as 1 could learn, the Jamamadi are now reduced to two or 

 three small settlements like the one we visited, all on the Marmorea 

 Miri, which is their ancient seat. The}- appear to have first come in 

 contact with the rubber gatherers and civilization about thirty years 

 ago, but in this time have become greatly reduced in numbers. Though 

 having many customs like those of the neighboring tribes, they differ 

 from them in language, in using the blow gun, in the form of their 

 dwellings and their canoes, in the character of their headdress and 

 other ornaments, and doubtless in many other ways which a longer 

 stay would have made manifest. 



On reaching the river and again embarking in Pedro Bom's bark 

 boat a heavy rain storm overtook us, lasting until we had nearly 

 reached the station of San Joao. 



This station is rich in india rubber, there being rubber paths for •">" 

 men already opened, with room for 50 more. Bui Senor Joao had 

 but 15 or 20 men in his employ and little chance for getting more, as 

 the station is 50 miles from even the rude settlements of the Purus 

 below. The location also seemed to be unhealthy, as some of his peo- 

 ple were suffering with fever. I left what quinine 1 had for those 

 with fever, and some white soap for a poor fellow whose legs were 

 covered with ulcers caused by the bites of mosquitoes and sand flies. 



On our way down the Marmorea from San Joao we visited a malocca 

 of the Hypurinas. This was -2 or ;i miles from the river. The «>w ners 

 were away down the river on a hunting expedition, except Pedro Bom, 

 who had gone up the river where we had found him. 



