THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 



635 



Strange forms of vegetation drew our atten- 

 tion at almost every step. Among them were 

 the different kinds of Bromelia, or pine-apple 

 plants, with their long, rigid, sword -shaped 

 leaves, in some species jagged or toothed 

 ahmg their edges. Then there was the 

 bread-fruit-tree an importation, it is true ; 

 but remarkable for its large, glossy, dark- 

 green, strongly digitated foliage, and its in- 

 teresting history. Many other trees and 

 plants, curious in leaf, stem, or manner of 

 growth, grew on the borders of the thickets 

 ulong which lay our road ; they were all at- 

 tractive to new-comers, whose last country 

 ramble, of quite recent date, was over the 

 bleak moors of Derbyshire on a sleety morn- 

 ing in April. 



As we continued our walk the brief twi- 

 light commenced, and the sounds of multi- 

 farious life came from the vegetation around. 

 The whiiriug of cicadas ; the shrill stridula- 

 tion of a vast number and variety of field 

 crickets and grasshoppers, each species sound- 

 ing its peculiar note ; the plaintive hooting of 

 tree frogs all blended together in one con- 

 tinuous ringing sound the audible expression 

 of the teeming profusion of nature. As night 

 came on, many species of frogs and toads in 

 the marshy places joined in the chorus ; iheir 

 croaking and drumming, far louder than any- 

 thing I had before heard in the same line, 

 being added to the other noises, created an 

 almost deafening din. This uproar of life, I 

 afterward found, never wholly ceased, night 

 or day : in course of time I became, like 

 other residents, accustomed to it. It is, How- 

 ever, one of the peculiarities of a tropical 

 at least a Brazilian climate which is mosl 

 likely to surprise a stranger. After my re- 

 turn to England, the death-like stillness of 

 summer days in the country appeared to me 

 as strange as the ringing uproar did en my 

 first arrival at Para. The object of our visit 

 being accomplished, we returned to the city. 

 The fire-flies were then out in great numbers, 

 flitting about the sombre woods, and even 

 the frequented streets. We turned into our 

 hammocks, well pleased with what we hud 

 seen, and full of anticipation with regard 

 to the wealth of natural objects we had come 

 to explore. 



During the first few days we were em- 

 ployed in landing our baggage and arranging 

 our extensive apparatus. We then accepted 

 the invitation of the consignee of the vessel 

 t^> make use of his rocinha. or country-house 

 in the suburbs, until we finally decided on a 

 residence. Upon this we made our first 

 essay in housekeeping. We bought cotton 

 hammocks, the universal substitute for beds 

 in this country, cooking utensils, and 

 crockery, and engaged a free negro, named 

 Isidore, as cook and servant of all woik. 

 Our first walks were in the immediate sub- 

 urbs of Para. The city lies on a corner of 

 land formed by the junction of the river 

 Guama with the Para. As I have said be- 

 fore, the forest which covers the whole coun- 



try extends close up to the city streets ; In- 

 deed, the town is built on a tract of cleared 

 land, and is kept free from the jungle only 

 by the constant care of the Government. 

 The surface, though everywhere low, is 

 slightly undulating, so that areas of dry land 

 alternate throughout with areas of swampj* 

 ground, the vegetation and animal tenants of 

 the two being widely different. Our resi. 

 dence lay on the side of the city nearest the 

 Guama, on the borders of one of the low and 

 swampy areas which here extends over a por- 

 tion of the suburbs. The tract of land is in- 

 tersected hy well macadamized suburban 

 roads, the chief of which, Estrada das Mon- 

 gubeiras (the Monguba road), about a mile 

 long, is a magnificent avenue of silk-cotton- 

 trees (Bombax mouguba and B. ceiba), huge 

 trees whose trucks taper rapidly from the 

 ground upward, and whose flowers before 

 opening look like red balls studding the 

 branches. This fine read was constructed 

 under the governorship of the Count dos 

 Arcos, about the year 1812. At right angles 

 to it run a number of narrow green lanes, 

 and the whole district is drained by a system 

 of small canals or trenches through which, 

 the tide ebbs and flows, showing the lowness 

 of the site. Before I left the countiy, other 

 enlerprising presidents had foimed a number 

 of avenues lined with cocca-nut palms, 

 almond and other trees, in continuation off 

 the Moguba road, over the more elevated an<J 

 diier ground to the north-east of the city. 

 On the high ground the vegetation has an as- 

 pect quite different from that which it pre- 

 sents in the swampy parts. Indeed, with tho 

 exception of the palm-trees, the suburbs here 

 have an aspect like that of a village green at 

 home. The soil is sandy, and the open com- 

 mons are covered with a short grassy and 

 shrubby vegetation. Beyond this, the land 

 again descends to a marshy tract, where, at 

 lue bottom of the moist hollows, the public 

 wells are situated. Here all the linen of the 

 city is washed by hosts of noisy nc greases, 

 and here also the water-raits are filled 



niuted hogsheads on wheels, drawn by bul- 

 ;ks. In early morning, when the sun 

 some times ehines througlf a light mist, and 

 everything is dripping with inoi&luie, this 

 part of the city is full of life : vociferous 

 negroes and wrangling Galkgos, the pro- 

 pi Tetors of the water-carts, are gathered 

 about, jabbering continually, and taking their 

 morning drums in dirty \\ine-bhops at the 

 street cornel s. 



Along these beautiful roads we found much 

 to interest us during the fiist few days. Sub- 

 urbs of towns, and open, sunny, cultivated 

 places in Brazil, aie tenanted by species of 

 animals and plants \vhich are mostly differ- 

 ent from thofce of the dense primeval forests. 

 I will, therefore, give an account of what we 

 observed of the animal world, during our ex- 

 plorations in the immediate neighborhood of 

 Para. 



The number and beauty of the birds and 

 insects did not at fiist equal our expectation*. 



