CHAPTER 



Rio de Janeiro — Excursion north of Cape Frio — Great 

 Evaporation — Slavery — Botofogo Bay — Terrestrial 

 Planarise — Clouds on the Corcovado — Heavy Rain — 

 Musical Frogs — Phosphorescent Insects — Elater, 

 springing powers of — Blue Haze — Noise made by a Butterfly — Entomology- 

 Ants — Wasp killing a Spider — -Parasitical Spider — Artifices of an Epeira- 

 Gregarious Spider— Spider with an unsymmetrical Web. 



RIO DE JANEIRO 



April 4th to July z^th, 1832. — A few daj's after our arrival 

 I became acquainted with an Englishman who was going to 

 visit his estate, situated, rather more than a hundred miles 

 from the capital, to the northward of Cape Frio. I gladly 

 accepted his kind offer of allowing me to accompany him. 



April 8 til. — Our party amounted to seven. The first stage 

 was very interesting. The day was powerfully hot, and as we 

 passed through the woods, everj-thing was motionless, excepting 

 the large and brilliant butterflies, which lazily fluttered about. 

 The view seen when crossing the hills behind Praia Grande was 

 most beautiful ; the colours were intense, and the prevailing tint 

 a dark blue ; the sky and the calm waters of the bay vied with 

 each other in splendour. After passing through some cul- 

 tivated countr}-, we entered a foi^est v.'hich in the grandeur of 

 all its parts could not be exceeded. We arrived by midday at 



