branner: the stone reefs of brazil. 155 



quartz sand ; some of the sand grains are as big as peas. No shells 

 were found over the surface save recent land shells. 



A hundred and fifty metres north of the terrace a small fragment of 

 soft sandstone, in texture very like the sand of the terrace, lies against 

 the schists of the hill at about the same elevation as the terrace. The 

 photograph of the terrace was made from this point (Plate 69). 



This Opaba terrace is the only one examined at Ilheos, but there are 

 other terraces in the vicinity at about the same elevation as this one, 

 and probably of the same age. These are mentioned here rather for the 

 purpose of putting them on record for future observers than as evidence 

 that can be trusted without further examination. 



About three kilometres north of Ilheos, on the beach at a place called 

 Yellosa, is a terrace apparently about the same heiglit as the Opaba ter- 

 race. The Vellosa terrace is a noticeable feature when seen from the 

 sea as one approaches Ilheos from the north. It appears to be about 

 half a kilometre long, is perfectly flat as seen from the front, and has 

 the drainage from behind it coming round its south end. It stands 

 across the mouth of an embayment and is covered with coco palms. 



A photograph was taken of this terrace from one of the rocky points a 

 kilometre to the south (see Plate 70). 



Southwest of the town of Ilheos, on the opposite side of the river, is 

 a hill shown on Mouchez' chart of this port. At the extreme northern 

 end of the hill there seems to be a remnant of a terrace, while half a 

 kilometre further south on the side of the same hill traces of the same 

 terrace are visible. I do not doubt but that if thej'^ were uncovered 

 these terraces might be traced a long Avay up and down the coast, but 

 the jungle-covered, uncultivated condition of most of the region makes it 

 impossible to get more than a mere glimpse of them here and there. 



Lcujoa de Itahype. — Spix and ]\Iartius mention what appear to be 

 elevated beaches in the vicinity of Ilheos.^ 



" Banks of sea-mussels appear not only on the mainland, but to greater 

 extent on the sea-coast. The shells belong to none but living marine 

 mollusks, as Ostrea edulis, species of Tellina and Fasciolaria. They are 

 usually only slightly altered. Often the cement or sea-sand so predom- 

 inates that this still constantly growing formation can be used as build- 

 ing material ; if, however, lime predominates, lime is burned from it. 

 . . . The presence of these mussel banks, as well as the coral distant so 

 many miles from the coast, and the entire formation of the land on this 



1 J. B. Spix u. C. F. P. von Martius, Reise in Brasilien. Vol. II., note on 

 p. 710. Miinchcn, 1828. 



