CiiAP. II. NATIVE CANOES. 75 



We made many excursions down the Iritiri, and 

 saw much of these creeks ; besides, our second visit 

 to the mills was by water. The Magoary is a mag- 

 nificent channel ; the different branches form quite 

 a labyi'inth, and the land is everywhere of little 

 elevation. All these smaller rivers, throughout the 

 Para estuary, are of the nature of creeks. The land 

 is so level, that the short local rivers have no sources 

 and downward currents like rivers as we generally un- 

 derstand them. They serve the purpose of draining the 

 land, but instead of having a constant current one way, 

 they have a regular ebb and flow with the tide. The 

 natives call them, in the Tupi language, Igarapes, 

 or canoe-j)aths. The igarapes and furos or channels, 

 which are infinite in number in this great river 

 delta, are characteristic of the country. The land 

 is every^vhere covered with impenetrable forests ; the 

 houses and villages are all on the waterside, and nearly 

 all communication is by water. This semi-aquatic life 

 of the people is one of the most interesting features of 

 the country. For short excursions, and for fishing in 

 still waters, a small boat, called montaria, is universally 

 used. It is made of five planks ; a broad one for the 

 bottom, bent into the proper shape by the action of 

 heat, two narrow ones for the sides, and two small tri- 

 angular pieces for stem and stern. It has no rudder ; 

 the paddle serves for both steering and propelling. 

 The montaria takes here the place of the horse, mule, or 

 camel of other reg^ions. Besides one or more montarias, 

 almost every family has a larger canoe, called Igaritd 

 This is fitted with two masts, a rudder, and keel, and has 



