The Zoologist — April, 1870. 2095 



wrote, but birds are exceedingly scarce. The beauty of the virgin 

 forest exceeds all power of imagination ; the trees are one mass of 

 flowers of every tint, and their perfume overpowering : the scene is 

 truly enchanting. There are, however, some items per contra; 

 storms, for instance, which come on very suddenly ; and when this 

 lakes place at night, the eflfect is grand beyond description ; the 

 lightning is more vivid than any I ever before witnessed, and lights up 

 the hills for miles round, rendering every object visible with unearthly 

 distinctness. The thunder shakes the very ground, while the rain 

 pours down in torrents ; the wind tears up large trees by the roots, 

 valleys are turned into swamps from the streams, which rush down 

 the hill-sides ; in fact, in a few hours the whole aspect of the country 

 is changed. Another per contra consists of the snakes, which are 

 very numerous, and most of them exceedingly deadly : since we have 

 been here we have seen some very bad cases of snake-bites. Monkeys 

 are numerous, and their agile movements very amusing to watch ; 

 a far different thing watching them here in their native woods from 

 what it is to see them in the Zoological Gardens at home ! The other 

 day we had a striking instance of the uncertainty of life in these parts ; 

 a fine strong " nigger " taken ill at noon and dead before sunset. The 

 funeral ceremonies interested us much. The friends of the deceased 

 placed a lighted candle in his hand, counted their beads, and held 

 over him a bunch of flowers made in the shape of a cross (showing 

 that they had some knowledge of Christianity) ; at midnight all the 

 " niggers " met and sung a sort of chant over the corpse ; the chanting 

 awoke me, and at times the sounds from their simple and uninstructed 

 voices were melodious and pathetic. We got up at half-past four the 

 next morning to see the burial ; the body was slung on a pole and 

 carried by two "nigger" bearers, to the burial-ground — a very 

 primitive-looking place, and greatly neglected : only one grave seemed 

 to be at all respected, — the grave of a very favourite " nigger " we 

 were told, — and this was surrounded with rough stakes : the grave was 

 dry, and the body taken out of its winding-sheet, when we were 

 surprised to see that it had on a pair of black trousers as an emblem 

 of his colour, and a beautifully white shirt as an emblem of his 

 immortal soul — so they told us : earth was sprinkled upon the corpse, 

 and the ceremony was concluded : no prayers were said, but yet the 

 whole was solemn and affecting. This negro was one belonging to 

 Major Copote (of whom I have spoken in former letters) : the Major is 

 one of the kindest slave-masters in Minas Geraes, and is a thorough 



