Chap. I. PAKA IN 1848. 33 



swarming or exodus of the winged males and females of 

 the Saliba ant takes place in January and February, 

 that is, at the commencement of the rainy season. They 

 come out in the evening in vast numbers, causing quite 

 a commotion in the streets and lanes. They are of 

 very large size, the female measuring no less than 



Satiba Ant. — Female. 



two-and-a-quarter inches in expanse of wing ; the 

 male is not much more than half this size. They are 

 so eagerly preyed upon by insectivorous animals that 

 on the morning after their flight not an individual is 

 to be seen, a few impregnated females alone escaping 

 the slaughter to found new colonies. 



At the time of our arrival, Para had not quite 

 recovered from the effects of a series of revolutions, 

 brought about by the hatred which existed between the 

 native Brazilians and the Portuguese ; the former, in 

 the end, calling to their aid the Indian and mixed 

 coloured population. The number of inhabitants of 

 the city had decreased, in consequence of these disorders, 

 from 24,500 in 1819, to 15,000 in 1848. Although the 



