WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 121 



a grasshopper beyond all doubt, and nothing more 

 remained to be done but to wait in patience till it 

 had settled, in order that you might run no risk 

 of breaking its legs in attempting to lay hold of it 

 while it was fluttering — it still kept fluttering ; and 

 having quietly approached it, intending to make 

 sure of it — behold, the head of a large rattle- 

 snake appeared in the grass close by: an instan- 

 taneous spring backwards prevented fatal conse- 

 quences. What had been taken for a grasshopper 

 was, in fact, the elevated rattle of the snake in the 

 act of announcing that he was quite prepared, 

 though unwilling, to make a sure and deadly 

 spring. He shortly after passed slowly from un- 

 der the orange- tree to the neighbouring wood on 

 the side of a hill : as he moved over a place bare 

 of grass and weeds, he appeared to be about eight 

 feet long; it was he who had engaged the atten- 

 tion of the birds, and made them heedless of dan- 

 ger from another quarter : they flew away on his 

 retiring; one alone left his little life in the air, 

 destined to become a specimen, mute and motion- 

 less, for the inspection of the curious in a far 

 distant clime. 



It was now the rainy season; the birds were 

 moulting; fifty-eight specimens of the hand- 

 somest of them in the neighbourhood of Pernam- 

 buco had been collected; and it was time to 

 proceed elsewhere. The conveyance to the in- 

 terior was by horses; and this mode, together 

 with the heavy rains, would expose preserved 

 specimens to almost certain damage. The jour- 

 ney to Maranham by land would take at least 

 forty days. The route was not wild enough to 



