in North-eastern Brazil. 325 



prove a very rich station for a botanist, judging from what I 

 saw of its flora during my rambles after birds or insects. 



Garanhuns is the principal town of a considerable district, 

 and every Saturday a fair takes place there, which is largely 

 attended by the '' Matutos" or peasants of the country round. 

 I was told this fair would be a capital chance of obtaining 

 animals and birds from the country people who come in to 

 attend it ; and I therefore decided to stay a couple of days to 

 witness it, rather than going on to S. Bento, in the Sertoes, 

 about 35 miles north of Garanhuns, and returning thence by 

 a diff'erent route to Macuca, as I had originally intended. 

 However, the fair, though it certainly gave me an excellent 

 chance of seeing '' the natives " (and, perhaps I should add, of 

 their seeing me), produced nothing, or next to nothing, in the 

 way of " bichos'"' a most convenient term used in Brazil for 

 denominating all and any animals from an elephant to a 

 blackbeetle. I managed, however, to pick up a live " Ema " 

 {Rhea macrorhyncha) , of which more anon, at Garanhuns, as 

 well as a lot of Tinamus, sundry Hawks, Guans, and other 

 live birds, so that when I left I had a regular caravan of 

 living animals, which necessitated my taking on an extra horse 

 or two and man for their safe conveyance to Palmares. I 

 finally left Garanhuns on September 19th, and returning by 

 the same way as I came, stopped en route a night at Macuca 

 and two days at Cluipapa, and reached Recife September 24th. 

 A few days were spent in packing up and settling things 

 generally ; and on September 29th I left, with my live ani- 

 mals, which had now increased to about 35 in number, in the 

 Royal Mail Steamer ' Neva/ and arrived at Southampton 

 October 15th. 



Before concluding this account of my trip, I ought to 

 return my best thanks to the numerous gentlemen in Brazil 

 who did all in their power to help me, and especially to my 

 friends Mr. Wells Hood of Cabo, who most kindly procured 

 me numerous valuable introductions, to Messrs. W. Elliott 

 and C. A. Craven of Recife, to Mr. Curling of Parahyba, as 

 well as to Messrs. Weaver, Watt, Abel, and the other engi- 

 neers of the " Prolongamento,'' and to Dr. Lima of Ga- 

 ranhuns. 



SER. IV. VOL. V. 2 A 



