MR. weir's journal. 561 



■J 



great plenty a very beautiful foliaged Bromeliaceous plant, the 

 leaves being covered with irregular-shaped transverse rnarks of 

 a bright reddish-brown colour. The species of this tribe of 

 plants are very numerous hero ; they grow thickly on the ground 

 in almost all situations, and they hang from the trees in tons and 

 in great variety, from the thread-like species', which festoons their 

 branches in such quantity that they bend beneath its weight, to 

 the lai^ge fleshy sorts of which a single plant would almost form 

 a load for a mule. The flower stems of some species are orna- 

 mented with bracts of a bright scarlet colour, and are often taken 

 for Orchids by travellers in Brazil. 



Oct, \Wi. — Returned to Mujii, Weather very unfavourable. 

 Path more than knee-deep in mud. 



Oct. IQth, — Collected a few more Cattleyas from trees over- 

 hanging the river by means of a canoe. In the afternoon I 

 returned to Santos taking with me the plants I had collected. 



Oct, 20th. — Planted my Cattleyas among some stones at the 

 foot of Mr. Hayden's garden-wall, who has promised to let them 

 remain there until I can send them home. With Mr. Back- 

 heusers help, I have hired two mules to convey myself and 

 baggage to St. Paul's, but the man cannot let me have them for 

 two days yet, as all his mules are now away on a trip to St. Paul's, 

 For the saddle mule I am to pay 15 dollars, for the cargo one 

 12 dollars. 



Oct. 21st. — Went over part of the range of hill at the back of 

 the village of Santos to-day, but met with nothing worthy of 

 mention. 



Oct. ^'ind. — Got my things ready for the journey to St. Pauls. 

 My portmanteau and waterproof sheets, with a couple of blankets, 

 formed one half of the mules cargo; a large hide trunk full of 

 paper, &c., was the other half. 



Oct, 23rd, — Started this morning for St, Pauls, the mule with 

 my cargo having been sent on last evening. I had to go alone. 

 The joad is in a horrible state ; many holes are so deep and full 

 of mud that if a mule falls into one of them there is little chance 

 of getting it out again ; indeed, it is no very uncommon thing to 



see the foot or the head of a mule sticking up above the surface 



in such places, all the rest of the body being burled in the 



mud. 



' The soil at the top of the Serra is of a deep black peaty colour ; 

 the water of the streams being tinged with brown, like all waters 

 that run through boggy land. It is covered in many places with 



