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•confluence with the Rio Negro. The craft takes a week to cover 

 the eighty or ninety miles, but at Porto Amazonas there is a small 

 branch of the Parana railway connecting with Ponta Grossa ; however, 

 the thoughts of a week with such inhabitants as we had already 

 sampled made us decide on facing the monotonous seven hours' 

 railway journey back through the forest country to Fernandes 

 Pinheiro. 



The railway does not traverse a level mile, and is built in a series 

 ■of curves the whole way. It has been constructed as cheaply as 

 possible, and there are places where one is doubtful if the train will 

 keep on the metals. It creaks and groans round the sharp curves, 

 and about once in an hour you stop at a small station. These little 

 stations are in the midst of fresh emigrant communities. Many of 

 the houses or huts look just like a large bo.\ with a corrugated iron 

 top. The hurry to erect these shelters has been so great that fre- 

 quently one sees various lengths of timber projecting from the side 

 of a dwelling, the builder not even taking the trouble to saw off the 

 projecting ends. The stoppages at these settlements in the midst of 

 the forest were always interesting, except when the driver or guard of 

 the train met an old acquaintance, and then we had to wait until they 

 were ready, because they do not study punctuality — at least on the 

 down journey. Returning to Ponta Grossa there is more atten- 

 tion paid, because the manager of the company almost invariably 

 meets the train. In fact all Ponta Grossa turns out to meet the train. 

 It is one of the things that relieve the monotony of their lives. 



We arrived back at Fernandes Pinheiro, and were thankful to get 

 back to a little less wild existence, where there was good, and even 

 exciting, collecting almost outside the door. We actually found an 

 even better collecting ground than before — a sort of field all over- 

 grown with white Ageratiim, where Syntoinidic were exceedingly 

 ■numerous in the early morning. There can be no doubt that the 

 members of this interesting family feed chiefly, if not exclusively, in 

 the early hours of the morning, almost before the mist is dissipated by 

 the rising sun. Uj) till the very last minute at Fernandes we were 

 busy with Lepidoptera and orchids. 



On April 12th I parted company with my good friend, Mr. Jones, 

 who was to follow me home by a later mail, and I came on to Ponta 

 Grossa en route for Castro, with a break of another couple of days at 

 this quiet but beautiful place. Sao Paulo and Santos were reached on 

 the 15th, and Guaruja was again sought. I did not find the collecting 

 so good as two months previously, but Mr. Jones, who followed a fort- 

 night later, found even more things about than when we were collect- 

 ing here together at the end of February. There can be no possible 

 doubt that Guaruja is a most wonderful locality for a naturalist. I 

 have yet to tell you that during the whole trip we enjoyed magnificent 

 weather, wiih but three wet days, and that for general interest and 

 enjoyment, quite apart from the absorbing entomology, we found our 

 ■South Brazilian trip the consummation of one's desire. 



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