THE TROPICAL ZONE. 257 



One chief characteristic of the interior of Brazil we have 

 not once mentioned, those singular forests, called Catin- 

 gas, which shed their leaves in summer; but with these 

 (though common in this province), and with the nature 

 of the country near the Rio San Francisco, we must defer 

 making acquaintance till we traverse that part of Brazil 

 which lies in the Equatorial Zone. Though in the course 

 of our long excursion we have nearly reached the great 

 river, the northern limit of this Tropical Zone warns us 

 to advance no further, and with regret we say adieu to 

 the country in its neighbourhood at which we had just 

 arrived, which, though a flat and thinly-wooded tract, 

 attracts us by the beauty of the bushes which cover it; 

 such as different kinds of Mimosa and Acacia, Bauhinia, 

 Casalpinia, etc., besides an immense number of Lemon -trees 

 loaded with fruit, which, though not indigenous, have be- 

 come quite naturalized in Brazil. 



We must not forget however that other lands lying in 

 the Tropical Zone still remain to be visited before we can 

 form a correct notion of its general character; if all we 

 hear is true, there are sights in store for us in the African 

 portion of this zone, which form a sad contrast to the rich 

 luxuriance which characterizes so large a portion of Brazil, 



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