18 RIO DE JANEIRO. [CHAP. it. 



CHAPTER II. 



l!io tie Janeiro Excursion north of Cape Frio Great Evaporation 

 Slavery Botofogo Bay Terrestrial Planarise Clouds on the Corcovado 

 Heavy Rain Musical Frogs Phosphorescent Insects Elater, spring- 

 ing 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. 



EIO DE JANEIRO. 



April ith to July 5th, 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 8th. Our party amounted to seven. The first stage was 

 rery 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 sonic 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, re- 

 minded 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 Marica. 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 

 notorious from having been, for a long time, the residence of some 



