Chap. III. SEASONS. 223 



and thoroughly enjoying themselves. The inhabitants 

 pray always for a " vasante grande," or great ebb. 



From the middle of October to the beginning of 

 January, the second wet season prevails. The rise is 

 sometimes not more than about fifteen feet, but it is, 

 in some years, much more considerable, laying the large 

 sand islands under water before the turtle eggs are 

 hatched. In one year, whilst I resided at Ega, this 

 second annual inundation reached to within ten feet 

 of the highest water point as marked by the stains on 

 the trunks of trees by the river side. 



The second dry season comes on in January, and 

 lasts throughout February. The river sinks sometimes 

 to the extent of a few feet only, but one year (1856) I 

 saw it ebb to within about five feet of its lowest point 

 in September. This is called the summer of the 

 Umari, " Verao do Umari," after the fruit of this 

 name already described, which ripens at this season. 

 When the fall is great, this is the best time to catch 

 turtles. In the year above mentioned, nearly all the 

 residents who had a canoe, and could work a paddle, 

 went out after them in the month of February, and about 

 2000 were caught in the course of a few days. It appears 

 that they had been arrested in their migration towards 

 the interior pools of the forest by the sudden drying 

 up of the water-courses, and so had become easy prey. 



Thus the Ega year is divided into four seasons ; two 

 of dry weather and falling waters, and two of the 

 reverse. Besides this variety, there is, in the month of 

 May, a short season of very cold weather, a most sur- 

 prising circumstance in this otherwise uniformly swel- 



