LIFE IN ENTRE RIOS, MINAS GERAES. 151 



The express train, which stops at every station, leaves 

 Rio de Janeiro at 5 a.m., and should reach Paraopeba 

 station before 6 p.m. (This name is now changed to Chris- 

 tiano Ottoni.) Passengers for Pitanguy will there leave the 

 broad gauge (one and a half metres) Government Trunk 

 Line, and, getting into the narrow gauge (one metre) train, 

 will proceed to this place, arriving at 7.30 p.m. Christiano 

 Ottoni is in the midst of uninhabited forest land, and not 

 very agreeable to stop at. The journey to Pitanguy will 

 be resumed the next morning. Such is the proposal. When 

 will it be carried out ? 



In my brief description of Brumado I have only men- 

 tioned the main street, wherein many of the houses have 

 two stories. That street is on the ridge of the hill, which 

 slopes down on each side into pretty lateral valleys, thickly 

 dotted over with the huts of the poorer population of 

 all colours. A good deal of the land is under cultiva- 

 tion, and there is a network of paths and lanes amidst 

 most luxuriant bananas and other vegetation. It is a far 

 more interesting and picturesque part of the town than 

 the main street ; while in one spot is a first-rate hunting 

 ground for butterflies, especially Ithomia, Heliconius y An- 

 artia, Heterochroa, Colcenis, which are the most abundant, 

 though there are many others. I need hardly say I often 

 come back from the office by one of these side paths. 



March 3. We have had as hard work almost as in the 

 parliamentary season in England, (though we have never 

 worked after sunset, but that is quite enough for the tropics 

 when under pressure,) to complete and despatch the whole 

 work of the first section by the ist of March. The work 

 included plan and section, estimate and quantities, draw- 

 ings of permanent way, type bridges, and culverts, tables of 

 curves and straights, gradients and levels, culverts, etc. 



