LIFE IN ENTRE RIOS, MINAS GERAES. 173 



and ready for making into the calabashes which are so 

 universally used. The cotton plants I mention are a 

 second crop, as the first crop is picked, and the snow-white 

 down is now being spun in every hut in the town. 



Amongst butterflies I saw many Papilios, besides the 

 pretty green Colcenis Dido, which I have seen commonly 

 even in the streets of Rio de Janiero and several Hespe- 

 ridce, etc., also many birds. The valley of the Cayuaba is 

 covered with dense jungle ; the stream is only some six 

 feet wide, very tortuous, and bordered by masses of bam- 

 boos ; while many trunks fallen across the stream form fine 

 natural bridges for crossing through a paradise of moss, 

 maidenhair, tree-ferns, and other beautiful plants, trees, 

 and shrubs. In this valley I was able to capture four fine 

 specimens of a butterfly, Callicore Eluina, which Hewitson 

 describes as the most lovely species of that enchanting 

 genus. 



Carrapatos were beginning to appear with the cessation 

 of the rains, and the bushes in some parts were covered by 

 myriads of little creatures just hatched. They are very 

 small, similar to harvest-bugs, and as irritating ; for of 

 course, as usual, they attacked me fearfully. The men 

 called them " carrapatinhos miudinhos zinhos," or sort of 

 minute carrapatos. 



It is now definitely arranged that we all leave this 

 place for Rio de Janeiro on the 2/th, the chief having gone 

 down on the nth, and we are looking forward with the 

 greatest pleasure to exchanging the vegetating in a small 

 village for life in the capital. You may imagine how tired 

 we are, after some four months and a half of a very 

 monotonous existence, which maybe summed up as follows: 

 walking up the village to the office at 8 or 8.30, returning 



