224 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



de Souza. Escripto por seu Irmao Pero Lopes de Souza. Lisboa, 



^ 1839. 



This writer was at Pernambuco in 1530, and makes mention of the 

 reefs at that place, at Cabo Sto., Agostinho, and at Sao Miguel (p. 

 14-15). He gives no descriptions of them, however. 



Souza, Gabriel Soares de. Tratado descriptivo do Brazil em 1587. 

 (Published anonymously at Lisbon in 1825.) Revista do Indituto 

 Historica e geograjyhico do Brazil, 1851, XIV. 

 This is probably the oldest account we have of the Brazilian reefs. 

 They are not described in much detail, however, and no distinction is 

 made between stone and coral reefs. The author mentions (p. 25) reefs 

 near Goaripari just south of Cape St. Roque. The port of Rio Grande, 

 he says, has a reef like that at Pernambuco ; reefs are mentioned at 

 Aratipicaba (p. 26) ; others from Rio Magoape to Itamaraca (p. 

 27, 31). The Pernambuco reef is said to be two leagues long (p. 33) ; 

 that at Rio Formoso is mentioned, also those at Rio Camaragipe, at 

 Porto Novo, and at Curruripe (p. 37). There is said to be a reef at the 

 mouth of Vasabarris, at Braz AflFonso, at Rio Joanne, Rio Vermelho, and 

 at Porto Seguro. He tells of the use (p. 354) of the reef rocks at 

 Bahia for building the city, and says these rocks were covered at high 

 tide ; that " the i-ock is white and hard, and does not go to pieces, but 

 is hard to work because it wears the tools. Fine and beautiful works 

 and very large grave stones are made of it. To one examining it, it 

 seems that this stone is made of sand hardened, for along these same 

 reefs and close to them the rocks are all black, while the former is very 

 white after it is cut. It is not very soft though, and when worked it 

 shows a sandy grain, and often oyster and other shells are found inside 

 the rock, and small pebbles. From this it is held that this rock is 

 formed from sand, and that it has been hardened by the coldness of 

 the sea-water, which is easy to believe, for there are found about these 

 shores mud filled with sand and congealed and hard as rock, and some 

 tree trunks also covered with this mass as hard as if they were of 

 stone." 



Spiz, J. B. von, and C. F. P. von Martins. Reise in Brasilien. Miin- 

 chen, 1828, Vol. XL, p. 795, 799. 

 On p. 795 it is said that " the harbor of Recife is formetl by the rock 

 reef which gave name to the place, and extends along and parallel to the 

 coast in front of the town." On page 799 they have a brief note upon 

 the coral reefs along the coast of Ceara. 



