14 PARA. Chap. I. 



Gallegos,* the proprietors of the water-carts, are gathered 

 about, jabbering continually, and taking their morning 

 drams in dirty wine-shops at the street corners. 



Along these beautiful roads we found much to interest 

 us during the first few days. Suburbs of towns, and 

 open, sunny, cultivated places in Brazil, are tenanted by 

 species of animals and plants which are mostly different 

 from those of the dense primeval forests. I will, there- 

 fore, give an account of what we observed of the animal 

 world during our explorations in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of Para. 



The number and beauty of the birds and insects did 

 not at first equal our expectations. The majority of 

 the birds we saw were small and obscurely coloured ; 

 they were indeed similar, in general appearance, to such 

 as are met with in country places in England. Occa- 

 sionally a flock of small parroquets, green, with a patch 

 of yellow on the forehead, would come at early morning 

 to the trees near the Estrada. They would feed quietly, 

 sometimes chattering in subdued tones, but setting 

 up a harsh scream, and flying off, on being disturbed. 

 Humming-birds we did not see at this time, although 

 I afterwards found them by hundreds when certain 

 trees were in flower. Vultures we only saw at a 

 distance, sweeping round at a great height, over the 

 public slaughter-houses. Several flycatchers, finches, 

 ant-thrushes, a tribe of plainly-coloured birds, inter- 

 mediate in structure between flycatchers and thrushes, 

 some of which startle the new-comer by their extra- 



* Natives of Galicia, in Spain, who follow this occupation in Lisbon 

 and Oporto, as well as at Paid. 



