160 THE TOCANTINS. Chap. IV. 



on decaying cacao fruits. The island was three or four 

 miles long and about a mile broad, and was situated in 

 the central part of the river. The view from Dona 

 Paulina's house was limited by the western row of islets, 

 this middle channel being about a mile broad ; not a 

 glimpse was obtainable of the main land on either side, 

 and each island was a mass of greenery, towering to a 

 great height, and seeming to repose on the surface of 

 the water. The house was in a very dilapidated con- 

 dition ; but Dona Paulina, who was a simple, good- 

 natured little woman, with her slaves, tried to make us 

 as comfortable as the circumstances permitted. At 

 night it rained heavily, and the water poured through 

 the broken tiles on to my hammock, so I was obliged to 

 get up and shift my quarters ; but this is a common 

 incident in Brazilian houses. 



The next day we crossed the river to the main land, 

 to the house of Dona Paulina's father, where we slept, 

 and on the following morning started to walk to Cameta 

 through the forest, a distance of nine miles. The road 

 was sometimes tolerably good, at others it was a mere 

 track, and twice we had to wade through swamps which 

 crossed the path. We started at six a.m., but did not 

 reach Cameta until nine at night. 



In the course of our walk I chanced to verify a fact 

 relating to the habits of a large hairy spider of the 

 genus Mygale, in a manner worth recording. The species 

 was M. avicularia, or one very closely allied to it ; the 

 individual was nearly two inches in length of body, but 

 the legs expanded seven inches, and the entire body and 

 legs were covered with coarse grey and reddish hairs. 



