330 THE LOWER AMAZONS. CnAr. YII. 



and these new words are very often retained. I have 

 noticed this during long voyages made with Indian crews. 

 When such alterations occur amongst a family or horde, 

 which often live many years without communication 

 with the rest of their tribe, the local corruption of lan- 

 guage becomes perpetuated. Single hordes belonging 

 to the same tribe and inhabiting the banks of the same 

 river thus become, in the course of many years' isolation, 

 unintelligible to other hordes, as happens with the 

 Collinas on the Jurtia. I think it, therefore, very pro- 

 bable that the disposition to invent new words and new 

 modes of pronunciation, added to the small population 

 and habits of isolation of hordes and tribes, are the 

 causes of the wonderful diversity of languages in South 

 America. 



There is one curious custom of the Muras which 

 requires noticing before concluding this digression ; this 

 is the practice of snufP-taking Y/iih peculiar ceremonies. 

 The snuff is called Parica, and is a highly stimulating 

 powder, made from the seeds of a species of Inga, belong- 

 ing to the Leguminous order of plants. The seeds are 

 dried in the sun, pounded in wooden mortars, and kept 

 in bamboo tubes. When they are ripe, and the snuff- 

 making season sets in, they have a fuddling-bout, lasting 

 many days, which the Brazilians call a Quarentena, and 

 which forms a kind of festival of a semi-religious cha- 

 racter. They begin by drinking large quantities of 

 caysuma and cashiri, fermented drinks made of various 

 fruits and mandioca, but they prefer casha9a, or rum, 

 when they can get it. In a short time they drink 

 themselves into a soddened semi-intoxicated state, and 



