1833. 1 31 



CHAPTER 11. 



RIO DE janf:iro. 



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

 tion — Slavery — Botofogfo Bay — Terrestrial Planariae — 

 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 unsym- 

 metrical Web. 



April Afth to July c^th, 1832. — A few days 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 ^th. — 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 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 cultivated 

 country, we entered a forest, which in the grandeur of all 

 its parts could not be exceeded. We arrived by midday 

 at Ithacaia ; this small village is situated on a plain, and 

 round the central house are the huts of the negroes. 

 These, from their regular form and position, reminded 

 me of the drawings of the Hottentot habitations in 

 Southern Africa. As the moon rose early, we determined 

 to start the same evening for our sleeping-place at the 

 Lagoa Marlca. As it was growing dark we passed under 

 one of the massive, bare, and steep hills of granite which 

 are so common in this country. This spot is notorlou.9 

 from having been, for a long tmie, the residence of some 

 runaway slaves, who, by cultivating a little ground near 

 the top contrived to eke out a subsistence. At lengtli 

 they were discovered, and a party of soldiers being sent, 

 the whole were seized, with the exception of one old woman, 



