314 Mr. W. A. Forbes on Eleven Weeks 



consequently there was no getting on shore. Thus I had 

 to console myself by watching from the ship the numerous 

 Egyptian Vultures {Neojihron percnojiterus) flying about the 

 town, and was also gratified by seeing, for the first time, one or 

 two Frigate-birds [Fregata aquila) soaring high in the air. As 

 I again saw several of these birds (all in immature plumage) 

 on my voyage home in October at the same place, I have 

 little doubt that Fregata breeds somewhere in the Cape-Verd 

 group, very likely on the '' Bird Rock " that lies at the mouth 

 of the harbour of St. Vincent. After leaving these islands 

 no birds appeared for some days, save a solitary black-and- 

 white Petrel (? Fregetta grallaria) seen in the distance ; its 

 flight, 1 noticed, was very different fropa that of the Procel- 

 laria ! Passing Fernando Noronha on the evening of July 10, a 

 Noddy [Anous, sp.*) flew on board and was caught by a sailor. 



Numerous flying-fish and Physalia, the usual accompani- 

 ments of an intertropical voyage, helped to break the mono- 

 tony of the sea, till Pernambuco was reached on July 12. 



Pernambuco or, as I shall henceforth call it, Recife (the 

 latter word meaning a reef, from the celebrated sandstone reef, 

 described by Darwin and others, which forms its harbour) lies 

 low, being built on a sort of delta of two small rivers, the 

 Capibaribe and the Beberibe, which here flow into the sea. 

 A little to the north of Recife is the old town of Olinda, 

 situated on a hill of perhaps 200 feet or so above the sea, 

 and commanding an extensive view of the flat and marshy 

 country to the south which immediately surrounds Recife. 

 Looking inland from this, the ground is seen to rise gradually, 

 and then becomes more or less forest-covered, these low hills 

 running to the south and west, and continuing into the hilly 

 country which runs thence, more or less parallel with the 

 coast, both north and southwards. 



Recife itself, now probably the second city of the Brazilian 

 Empire, with a population of about 90,000 souls, consists of 

 three towns, connected witheach other by excellent iron bridges. 

 That with the port is Recife proper ; the other two are called 



* I will not venture to ascribe any speciiic name to this bird, seeing 

 the difficulty that attaches to its correct determination. 



