MISSION OP COLLECTOR TO BRAZIL. 41 



The creeper. No. 5 {Adenocalymma^ sp.), I also saw here plenti- 

 fully, but could only find one specimen of its large yellow flowers. 

 June 23r<Z. — Finding that the charges at the hotel were enor 

 raously high, I have removed to-day to a sort of boarding-house, 

 kept by a Portuguese at Brandao, a place about 3 miles from Os 

 Mendes. At Brandao, one of the longest of the railway tunnels 

 is being driven through the solid granite, of which this Serra, and 



indeed all the mountains around, are composed. 



June 2ith. — Found a few more Cattleyas to-day with leaves 

 considerably longer than those of the plants, but this may be the 

 result of the more humid locality in which I found them. They 

 always grow on the largest trees, and are very difficult to get at. 

 On a part of one of the hills, which has been cleared of most of 

 the large trees, grow the two creepers, Nos. 9 {Tetastoma^ sp.) 

 and 10 {Doxantha reticulata^ Miers), the former with light blue, 

 and the latter with cream-coloured, flowers; but although the 

 plants are plentiful, I could only find single specimens of the 

 flowers of each. There are a great many Bignoniaceous creepers 

 in the woods here, but most of them appear to be shy bloomera, 

 as they have neither fruit nor flowers upon them at present, 

 nor any remains of either. This is not the case however with 

 the B. venusta, which is common on the barest parts of these 

 hills, and is loaded with its beautiful orange flowers, so heavily 

 indeed that many of the shrubs over which it has crept are bent 

 to the ground by their weight. 



Jtine 2^th. — Having procured a mule I started this morning 

 to deliver the letter of introduction to Sr. Leao. Brandao being 

 situated in the highest part of the road over the Serra, and 

 Sr. Leao's coffee plantations being situated much lower down 

 near the river Parahyba, my way there was chiefly down hill, 

 leading for many miles along the banks of a small stream and 

 through extensive plantations of coffee, for the banks of the 

 Parahyba are famed for the produce of this staple of Brazil. On 

 arriving at Sr. Leao's residence I found that he was out at some 

 distance on another part of his estate, where I went and found 

 him. Presenting my letter I was kindly received; he told me he 

 was sorry that he was obliged to go out to-morrow, and would not 

 be home for a day or two, but that if I would return two days 

 later he would be glad to show me over his estate, where be 

 thought I might find something new. On the way to his house 

 he told me that there is a great panic at present among the coffee 

 planters, caused by the appearance of great numbers of an insect 



