MR. weir's journal. 571 



afternoon packed up and prepared to start for tlie westward. 

 Perlmp5 my next stage ^Y^11 be Perisicalja, but cannot tell well 

 until I see the place. 



Dec. 23rd, — Started early this morning on the road for Perisi- 

 caba." About three leagues from Itu we ^vere interrupted by a 

 tremendous storm of thunder and rain, and were obliged to take 



refuge in the first place of shelter we came to, w^hich happened to 

 be a small roadside venda. Tlie rain has continued all the after- 

 noon, and we are obliged to remain at the venda for the night. 



Dec. 2ith.- — Another day of thunder and rain. The roads are 

 knee-deep with water, and \\6 are forced to remain iu our 

 miserable place of shelter, 



Dec. 25th. — The weather this morning being a little better, we 

 started early. The day turned out bad, with tliunder and heavy 

 showers of rain. We made about five leagues to-day, and have 

 taken up our quarters again at a venda on the roadside. 



Dec. 2ijth, — -Continued our journey, and arrived in the village 

 of Perisicaba in the afternoon. The road, which for the first two 

 days after we left Itu lay through a succession of small campos 

 and woods, the latter always skirthig the small streams tributaries 

 to the Tiete, entered to-day a more densely wooded ti'ack, 

 being the forest which borders the Eio Perisicaba, This is a 

 large river, nearly as large as the Tiete. The village stands on 

 its south-eastern bank, from which there is a wooden bridge to 

 the other side. The river here is very broad, but not very deep. 

 About 500 yards above the bridge there is a Salto or fall of 15 

 or 20 feet, the rock over which the w^ater falls being the same red 

 granite as that at Itu. 



The greater part of the land around this place being cleared, I 

 shall not remain here, but push on at once for the westward, espe- 

 cially as there is a range of bills visible from the village at about 

 six or seven leagues distance in that direction. These are the 

 only hills I have seen since leavitig the Serra on the coast, with 

 the exception of tlie range at Jundiahy. In these hills it is 

 possible that I may meet with something worth while. I shall, 

 therefore, make my head-quarters somewhere near them for a 

 short time, until I have looked over part of them and seen what 

 there is to be got there. 



Dec. 27th. — A very wet morning: did not start. In the after- 

 noou, the weather being something better, I went out to the Salto. 

 The Cattleya No. 191 (O. Loddujemf) occurs here also on the 

 rocks at the fall ; and growing on the river-side I found No. 135, 



