180 



AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA. 



of uniEormly following the crest of this range, coincides sometimes with the 

 course of some affluent, sometimes with that of the Parahyba itsdf. Neverthe- 

 less, Itatiaya, the loftiest group of the Serra Mantiqueira, stands precisely at the 

 south-western angle of the State, where it is conterminoiLS with the territory- of 

 S. Paulo. This volcanic mass, which scarcely falls much below 10,000 feet, 

 probably owes its great relative elevation to its comparatively recent origin. The 

 summit, which is occasionally streaked with snow, was first ascended by the 

 botanist, Glaziou, in 1871. 



Towards the north-east the Serra Mantiqueira decreases gradually in height 

 and presents some gaps, one of which, the Joao Ayres Pass (3,620 feet), has been 

 utilised for the trunk railway, which ramifies westwards in the interior of Minas 



Fife. 72. — Itatiaya Range. 



Scale 1 : '''^i.'ï^y. 



^^Siv! 



le Mlles 



Geraes. But various lateral off-shoots are thrown ofi^, which in many places 

 present tbe aspect and take the name of " serras." 



Beyond the deep trough of the Rio Parahyba, a somewhat regular chain is 

 developed parallel with the Serra Mantiqueira. In the State of S. Paulo this 

 chain is known as the Serra do Mar, or " Coast Range " ; but in Rio it takes 

 various names, according to its varying height, trend, and general aspect. 

 Amongst these sections the most noteworthy is the famous Serra dos Orgàos, 

 " Organ Range," which stretches north-east of the capital, and which is so called 

 from the somewhat columnar form of its escarpments, showing a vague or fanciful 

 resemblance to the pipes of an organ. 



An isolcited peak near Therezopolis has received the equally fanciful name of 



