RIO DE JANEIRO. 23 



whence come the germs at such points? — the parent 

 bodies having been distributed by the winds and 

 waves over the immense ocean. But on no other 

 hypothesis can T understand their hnear grouping. 

 I may add that Scoresby remarks, that green water 

 abounding with pelagic animals is invariably found 

 in a certain part of the Arctic Sea. 



CHAPTER II. . ■' , / ' 



Rio de Janeiro— Excursion north of Cape Frio — Great Evapora- 

 tion— Slavery— Botofogo Bay — Terrestrial PlanarJK — Clouds 

 on the Corcovado — Heavy Rain — Musical Frogs — Phosphores- 

 cent Insects— Elater, springing powers of— Blue Haze— Noise 

 made by a Butterfly — Entomology — Ants — Wasp killing a Spi- 

 der — Parasitical Spider — Artifices of an Epeira— Gregarious 

 Spider— Spider with an unsymmetrical Web. 



RIO DE .TANEIRO. 



Ajjril itk to July 5th, 1832. — A few days after 

 our ai-rival I became acquainted with an English- 

 man 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 Sth. — Our party amounted to seven. The 

 first stage was very interesting. The day was 

 powerfully hot, and as we passed through the 

 woods, everything was motionless, excepting the 

 large and brilliant butterflies, which lazily fluttered 

 about. The view seen when crossing the hills be- 

 hind 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 cultivated country, we entered a forest, which 

 in the grandeur of all its parts could not be exceed- 



