7*o 



KIEUH0FF*3 BUAZIt. 



baflvet, crying out to him, Sit up, fit up, you nafly toad. Neither did this parrot 

 leave off calling and crying, till the dog came to fit up before the bafket. It was after- 

 wards prefented to the Queen of Sweden. 



There is among the reft a certain fmall bird, no bigger than a joint of a finger, which, 

 notwithftanding this, makes a great noife, and is catched with the hands whilft it is 

 fitting among the flowers, from whence it draws its nourifhment. As often as you turn 

 this bird, the feathers reprefent a different colour, which makes the Brazilian women 

 faften them with golden wires to their ears, as we do our ear-rings. The birds here are 

 never deftitute of food, which diey always meet with either among the flowers or fruits 

 of the trees, which are never fpoiled here during the winter feafon. 



The rivers and lakes of Brazil, as well as the^ neighbouring fea, furniflies them with 

 great ftore of all forts of fifii, which are accounted fo wholefome here, that they are 

 even allowed for thofe tliat are troubled with agues. The fl:anding waters near the 

 fea-fide, which fometimes are quite dried up, produce abundance of craw-fifli, tor- 



.-toifes, flirimps, crabs< oyfters, and divers others of this kind, which are all very good 

 food. 



Th^re are abundance of fifli in Brazil common to the fea and rivers, efpecially dur- 



; ing the rainy feafon ; when a great quantity of the river- water being conveyed into the 

 fea, the fweetnefs of the water allures the fifli into the rivers, where, meeting with 



. abundance of green weeds (the produft of the bottom of the rivers), they never return 

 to the fea. 



Among the river fifli, the chiefeft are, the Duja, Prajuba, and Akara-Puku ; the lad 

 of which refembles the beft and largeft of our perches. 



Brazil produces alfo various kinds of infects, fome of which are of four fingers* 

 length, and an inch thick. They have likewife filk-worms. called by the Braziiians 

 Ifokukus, and their filk, Ifokurenimbo. There are alfo divers forts of fire-flies, which 

 are likewife found in the Eaft Indies, where we fliall give you a farther account of them. 



'-Befides thefe, there are many forts of other flies, hornets, wafps, and bees 5 fome of 

 which produce honey, fome none at all. 



Among other kinds of fpiders there is one of a prodigious bignefs, which is always 

 •found either in dunghills, or in the concavities of hollow trees : they call it Nhandu- 

 guaka. I'hefe creatures weave cobwebs like other fpiders ; the fl^in is rough and black, 

 •provided with fliarp and long teeth. This creature, if provoked, wounds with its poi- 

 fonous fl:ing, which is fo fmall as fcarce to be vifible, and raifes a blueifli tumour, 

 which is very painful, and, if care be not taken in time, occafions an inflammation, 

 attended with fuch dangerous fymptoms, as prove afterwards incurable. 



Near Rio St. Francifco are vail numbers of a certain fmall infed: not unlike our 

 crickets ; I have been very curious to get fight of this creature, to fatisfy myfelf as to 



. its fliape and refembiance to others of this kind ; but though it makes a very flirill 

 noife, which refembles that of our crickets, I was never able to fee any of them ; for 



.as foon as you approach they defift, fo that you are at a lofs which way to look. They 

 fmg fometimes for a quarter of an hour without intermifl!ion. In the ifland of Java, in 



'the Eafl: Indies, it is commonly heard in the months of February and June. At laft I 

 had the good fortune to get one of thefe creatures into my hands, by means of a cer- 

 tain Chinefe woman, after I had often been in fearch of it, both within and without the 



.city of Batavia. The Javanefe fet two of thefe little creatures a fighting together, and 



llay money on both fides, as we do at a cock-match. 



- There are alfo abundance of ravenous wild beafl:s in Brazil, fuch as tigers, leopards, 



J&c. The tigers are extremely favage here 5 they fall upon beads, and fometimes upon 



13 men. 



