TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. f^81 



Angra dos Reys, and the prolongation of which 

 forms the nucleus of Ilha Grande. 



We passed the night of the 12th of December 

 at Taguahv *, a large sugar manufactory, the en- 

 virons of which are adorned with an incredible 

 variety of vegetation. A small church upon the 

 eminence, commands the valley. Not far from it 

 there is a large lake, which is frequented by water- 

 fowl of manifold species. We here observed, for 

 the first time, a kind of woodpecker {Picus gar- 

 ridus, nob.), which is found only in districts, re- 

 sembling the campos, and precedes the traveller 

 with a loud screaming cry. On the following 

 morning, when we had our mules loaded, we had 

 another unhappy proof of the difficulty of convey- 

 ance in this country. A mule which had to carry 

 the tin cylinder, containing the barometer tubes, 

 suddenly became shy, run into the neighbouring 

 wood, and could not be retaken till it had thrown 

 off its load and broken all the instruments. This 

 loss was the more distressing to us, as it could not 

 be repaired during the whole journey till we reached 

 S. Paulo, whither we had luckily sent some baro- 

 meter tubes by water. The natural sciences have 



* Taguahy derives its name from the Brazilian words Tnuci, 

 yellow, and Hy, water. In the southern provinces, it is ob- 

 servable among the many modifications of the Lingua geral, 

 that the numerous vowels are divided by the insertions of 

 consonants between them. Thus Tagua is made out of Taua ; 

 Jaguarete out of Jauarete, the ounce, &c. 



