MAJOR SEMPLE LISLE, 235 



clined, had I not, for many reafons, thought my 

 prefence in Britain abfolutely neceffary. 



About the 20th of September we prepared to 

 go on board fome coafting veffels for Rio de 

 Janeiro I- Enfign Minchin, his Lady, the Purfer^ 

 and myfelf, embarked in one veflel, and EnfigQ 

 Prater, Mr. Drummond, the foldiers' wives, 

 and the reft of our company on board four 

 others. The General made me feveral valuable 

 prefents at my departure, and belides filled our 

 Hiip with abundance of all kinds of provifions 

 for the palTage. 



The wind proving unfavourable we remained 

 three weeks at the mouth of the harbour, where 

 we amufcd ourfelves with fhooting. We found 

 vaft numbers of a kind of plover, called by the 

 Portuguefe ^ero-^ero, from their cry ; par- 

 tridges are by no means plentiful, but there are 

 abundance of fnipes, ftorks, fea parrots, &c. 

 The great number of vultures that abound here 

 are a real bleffing to the inhabitants, who kill 

 every year vaft quantities of wild cattle for the 

 fake of the fkins ; the carcafes which they leave 

 in the woods would, by their putrefadlion, occa- 

 lion peftilence, did not they find a ready fepul- 

 chre in the rapacious maws of thefe voracious 

 birds. 



They take thefe cattle in a very fingular 

 manner. One of their methods is by means of 



a 



