THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 



sails. We glided all day through channels 

 between islands with long white sandy- 

 beaches, over which, now and then, aquatic 

 and wading birds were seen running. The 

 forest was low, and had a harsh, dry" aspect. 

 Several palm-trees grew here which we had 

 not before seen. On low bushes, near the 

 water, pretty red-headed tanagers (tauagra 

 gularis) were numerous, flitting about and 

 chirping like sparrows. About half past 

 four P.M. we brought to at the mouth of a 

 creek or channel, where theie was a great 

 extent of sandy beach. The sand had been 

 blown by the wind into ridges and undula- 

 tions, and over the moister paits large flocks 

 of sandpipers \vere running about. Alexan- 

 dro and I had a long ramble over the rolling 

 plain, which came as an agreeable change 

 after the monotonous forest scenery amid 

 which we had been so long travelling. He 

 pointed out to me the tracks of a huge jaguar 

 on the sand. We found here, also, our first 

 turtle's nest, and obtained 120 eggs from it, 

 which were laid at a depth of nearly two feet 

 from the surface, the mother first excavating 

 a hole, and afterward covering it up with 

 sand. The place is discoverable only by fol- 

 lowing the tracks of the turtle from the 

 Water. I saw here an alligator for the first 

 time, which reared its head and shoulders 

 above the water just after I had taken a bath 

 near the spot. The night was calm and 

 cloudless, and we employed the hours before 

 bedtime in angling by moonlight. 



On the lOtu we leached a small settlement 

 called Patos, consisting of about a dozen 

 houses, and built on a high rocky bank, on 

 the eastern shore. The rock is the same 

 nodular conglomerate which is found at so 

 many places, from the sea-coast to a distance 

 of COO miles up the Amazons. Mr. Leavens 

 made a last attempt here to engage men to 

 accompany us to the Araguaya ; but it was 

 in vain : not a soul could be induced by any 

 amount of wages to go oil such an expe- 

 dition. The reports as to the existence of 

 cellar were very vague. All said that the 

 tree was plentiful somewhere, but no one 

 could fix on the precise locality. I believe 

 that the cedar grows, like all other forest 

 trees, in a scattered way, and not in masses 

 anywhere. The fact of its being the princi- 

 pal tree observed floating down with the cur- 

 icntof the Amazons, is to be explained by 

 its wood being much lighter than that of the 

 majority of trees. When the banks are 

 washed away by currents, trees of all species 

 fall into the river ; but the heavier ones, 

 which are the most numerous, sink, and the 

 lighter, such as the cedar, alone float down 

 lo the sea. 



Mr. Leavens was told that there were 

 cedar trees at Trocara, on the opposite side 

 of the river, near some fine rounded hills 

 covered with forest, visible from Palos ; so 

 there we went. We found here several fam- 

 ilies encamped in a delightful spot. The 

 shore sloped gradually down to the water, 

 and was shaded by a few wide spreading 

 trees. There was no underwood. A 



number of hammocks were seen slung be- 

 tween the tree-trunks, and the litter of a nu- 

 merous household lay scattered about. 

 Women, old and young, some of the latter 

 very good-looking, and a large number or 

 children, beside pet animals, enlivened the? 

 encampment. They were all half-breeds, 

 simple, well-disposed people, and explained 

 to us that they were inhabitants of Cameta, 

 who had come thus far. eighty miles, to spend 

 the summer months. The only motive they 

 could give for coming was, " that it was so 

 hot in the town in the veraO (summer), an I 

 they were all so fond of fresh fish." Thus 

 these simple folks think nothing of leaf ing- 

 home and business to come on a three 

 months' picnic. It is the annual custom of" 

 this class of people, throughout the province, 

 to spend a few months of the fine season in 

 the wilder parts of the country. They carry 

 with them all the farinha they can set ape to- 

 gether, this being the only article of food 

 necessary to provide. The men hunt and fisli 

 for the day's wants, and sometimes collect a 

 little india-rubber, sarsaparilla, or copaiba, 

 oil, to sell to traders on their return ; tho 

 women assist in paddling the canoes, do ther 

 cooking, and sometimes fish with rod and 

 line. The weather is enjoyable the whole? 

 time, and so days and weeks pass happily- 

 away. 



One of the men volunteered to walk with: 

 us into the forest, and show us a few cedar- 

 trees. We passed through a mile or two of" 

 spiny thickets, and at length came upon the. 

 banks of the rivulet Trocara, which flows 

 over a stony bed, and, about a mile above its, 

 mouth, falls over a ledge of rocks, thus form- 

 ing a very pretty cascade. In the neighbor- 

 hood we found a number of specimens of a 

 curious laud-sheil. a large flat Helix, with a. 

 labyrinthine mouth (Anastoma). We learned 

 afterward that it was a species which had 

 been discovered a few years previously by 

 Dr. Gardner, the botanist, on the upper part 

 of the Tocantins. 



We saw here, for the first time, the splen- 

 ded hyaointhine macaw (Macrocercus hya- 

 cinthiuus, Lath., the Ararunaof the natives),, 

 one of the finest and rarest species of ther 

 Parrot family. It only occurs in tho interior 

 of Brazi), from 16 S. lat. to the southern 

 border of the Amazons valley. It is Lhree= 

 feet long from the beak to the tip of the tail, 

 and is entirely of a soft hyacinthine blua 

 color, except round the eyes, where tlu skin 

 is naked and white. It flies in pairs, ami 

 feeds on the hard nuts of several palms, but- 

 especially of the Mucuja (Acrocomia lasiospa- 

 tha). These nuts, which are so hard as lo be. 

 dirticult to break with a heavy hammer, are 

 crushed to a pulp by the powerful beak wf 

 this macaw. 



Being- unable to obtain men, Mr. Leaven* 

 now gave up his project of ascending the: 

 river as far as the Araguaya. He assented 

 to our request, however, to ascend to the cat- 

 aracts near Arroyos. We started therefore; 

 from Patos with a more definite aim before: 

 us than we had hitherto had. The river be.- 



