2664 Insects. 



"Para, March 2nd, 1849. 

 " I get on very well with the Indians, being far more at home and 

 friendly with them than with the Brazilian and European residents. 

 The English people here, you will be sorry to hear, have not shown a 

 disposition to assist us in the least all along, and I am now living 

 with a Portuguese family, who treat me very kindly, and assist me in 

 procuring all little things I need. At Carepi 1 lived almost entirely 

 on coarse salt fish and cassara root for two months. Once I went 

 hunting with the Indians : one day and night we were out in a little 

 boat, threading noiselessly by moonlight through winding narrow 

 creeks, with trunks of monstrous trees slanting over, and the broad 

 leaves of the arborescent Arums in the swamps gleaming in the moon- 

 light : we had five dogs, and, after a laborious day's work, returned 

 with two pacas and a cutra. The paca is obtained by a person enter- 

 ing the forest with dogs and driving it to the edge of the water, when 

 others remaining in the boat shoot it. On returning, we had to pass 

 over a part of the river clear of islands, ten miles wide, when there 

 was a strong breeze and a heavy swell : we were as near as possible 

 being swamped, the boat being very small and leaky and the sail 

 heavy. I vowed I would never go excursions in Indian boats again ; 

 but still I enjoyed the trip, and got fresh meat for a week into the 

 bargain." 



" Para, March 16th, 1849. 

 " In the diurnal Lepidoptera the variety is endless : since the 

 Mischief sailed, when my number was 600 species, I have added five 

 new ones, — one a conspicuous new Papilio (not sent), another the 

 largest Thecla I have seen, a third a Brassolis, &c. I have no doubt 

 you think it must be charming collecting in such a country : it is, but 

 there are many drawbacks : the heat of the climate, the foreign lan- 

 guage, &c, T don't care about ; but the tediousness of wandering 

 through the same tracks in the woods day after day, at times scarcely 

 seeing an insect for a mile or two, almost exhausts my patience. But 

 the forest scenery is glorious beyond imagination : in some places 

 every fifth tree is a palm, shooting up slender stems to a great height, 

 and suspending their feathery leaves amongst the brauches of still 

 loftier forest trees : on all sides the city is surrounded by forest at the 

 ends of the streets, there being no plantations in the neighbourhood ; 

 and the roads through it are very narrow, with the foliage over-arching 

 them. Just now I find butterflies most numerous in the swampy 



