184 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [April, 



country it flows through appears to be a flat sandy tract, 

 covered with a low scrubby vegetation, very like that of the 

 river Cobati, up which I ascended to the Serra to obtain the 

 cocks of the rock. 



It was night when we reached Marda, and we were nearly 

 passing the village without seeing it. We went to the " casa 

 de nacJLo," rather a better kind of shed than usual, and, making 

 a good fire, passed a comfortable night. The next morning I 

 called on Senhor Carlos Bueno (Charles Good), the dandy 

 Indian Commissario, and did a little business with him. I 

 bought a lot of Indian baskets, gravatanas, quivers, and ururf 

 or curari poison, and in return gave him some fish-hooks and 

 calico, and, having breakfasted with him, went on to Tomo. 



Senhor Antonio Dias was not there, having gone to Sao Carlos, 

 so I determined to wait a few days for his return, as he had 

 promised to send men with me to Guia. I took up my abode 

 with Senhor Domingos, who was busy superintending the 

 completion of the large vessel before mentioned, in order to 

 get it launched with the high water, which was now within a 

 foot or two of its bottom. I amused myself walking about the 

 campo with my gun, and succeeded in shooting one of the 

 beautiful little black-headed parrots, which have the most 

 brillant green plumage, crimson under-wings, and yellow 

 cheeks ; they are only found in these districts, and are rather 

 difficult to obtain. I also got some curious fish to figure, 

 in particular two large species of Gymnotus, of the group which 

 are not electric. 



The Indians had a festa while I was here. They made 

 abundance of " shirac," and kept up their dancing for thirty 

 hours. The principal peculiarity of it was that they mixed up 

 their civilised dress and their Indian decorations in a most 

 extraordinary manner. They all wore clean trousers and white 

 or striped shirts ; but they had also feather-plumes, bead neck- 

 laces, and painted faces, which made altogether a rather queer 

 mixture. They also carried their hammocks like scarfs over 

 their shoulders, and had generally hollow cylinders in their 

 hands, used to beat upon the ground in time to the dancing. 

 Others had lances, bows, and wands, ornamented with feathers, 

 producing as they danced in the moonlight a singular and 

 wild appearance. 



Senhor Antonio Dias delayed his return, and rather a scene 



