74 Miscellaneous. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Journey to Explore the Province of Para. 



Messrs. Wallace and Bates, two enterprising and deserving young 

 men, left this country last April on an expedition to South America 

 to explore some of the vast and unexamined regions of the province 

 of Para, said to be so rich and varied in its productions of natural 

 history. They have already forwarded two beautiful parcels of in- 

 sects of all orders, containing about 7000 specimens in very fine con- 

 dition, and a vast number of novelties, besides other very rare spe- 

 cies, some of which were known only to the entomological world by 

 the beautiful figures in Cramer and Stoll, and a few shells and bird- 

 skins. The last parcel is the result of their journey up the river 

 Tocantins. The following passage is an extract from their letter to 

 Mr. S. Stevens, dated Para, Oct. 23, to whom the consignments have 

 been forwarded, and who has the disposal of them (see Advertise- 

 ment on cover). 



" If any one is curious about our trip up the Tocantins, you may 

 inform them that we ascended to about the 4th parallel of S. lat. 

 near the Rio Tabocas, having reached Arroya, the last abode of ci- 

 vilized people, and passed a little beyond to view the rapids called 

 Guaribas. We hired one of the heavy iron boats with two sails for 

 the voyage, with a crew of four Indians and a black cook. We had 

 the usual difficulties of travellers in this country in the desertion of 

 our crew, which delayed us six or seven days in going up ; the voy- 

 age took us three weeks to Guaribas and two weeks returning. We 

 reached a point about twenty miles below Arroya, beyond which a 

 large canoe cannot pass in the dry season, from the rapids, falls and 

 whirlpools which here commence and obstruct the navigation of this 

 magnificent river more or less to its source ; here we were obliged to 

 leave our vessel and continue in an open boat, in which w^e were 

 exposed for two days, amply repaid however by the beauty of the 

 scenery, the river (here a mile wide) being studded with rocky and 

 sandy islets of all sizes, and richly clad with vegetation ; the shores 

 high and undulating, covered with a dense but picturesque forest ; 

 the waters dark and clear as crystal ; and the excitement in shooting 

 fearful rapids, &c. acted as a necessary stimulant under the heat of 

 an equatorial sun, and thermometer 95° in the shade. Our collec- 

 tions were chiefly made lower down the river. During the five weeks 

 of our journey we had no rain till the last two days. The weather 

 here is as dehghtful as ever ; the mornings invariably fine, and a 

 shower in the afternoon every third or fourth day, which cools and 

 refreshes everything delightfully. The heat is never oppressive ; the 

 nights always cool ; there can certainly be no climate in the world 

 superior to this, and few equal. Since sending our last collection, we 

 have had further experience of the rarity of insects in this country. 

 The Lepidoptera are numerous in species, but not in individuals ; 

 the Coleoptera are exceedingly scarce, and other orders are gene- 



