2840 Insects. 



former, solitary and shy : on the trees by the river side and up creeks, 

 were also kingfishers of very great variety, from the size of the British 

 species up to that of a rook. I only saw one flock of ducks, one 

 species of humming-bird, a few parroquets, orioles, jacamars, fly- 

 catchers, hawks, goatsuckers, &c. : two grand birds were the frigate- 

 bird and blue arara ; the latter glorious bird we could not get a shot 

 at, though small flocks flew over morning and evening. As to the in- 

 sects they were not numerous ; the sandy and pebbly beaches did 

 not produce a single beetle : in the woods was as usual a great variety 

 of lovely butterfles, but few in individuals ; nearly all the species dif- 

 ferent from Para ones. Up to the 1st of August we numbered four 

 hundred different species of butterflies ; now, perhaps, together we 

 have five hundred and fifty, of which at least two hundred are single 

 specimens or pairs. Shells too we searched for closely, and found 

 some ten or twelve species, very dull-coloured ones. Fishes were not 

 very plentiful ; in rocky bottoms we used to see numbers of a pretty 

 one banded with yellow and black ; and towards the mouth of the 

 river plenty of porpoises were rolling about : we saw three alligators, 

 about half a dozen snakes, one large Iguana, and some handsome 

 lizards. Wallace and an Indian were nearly upset in a boat on a lake 

 by an alligator: we frequently saw the footprints of the jaguar in 

 the -sands. In a country like this, I expected to see the woods and 

 waters teeming with life ; but by the banks of the Trent, on a moist 

 summer evening, you may feel more of the presence and activity of 

 life than here ; the woods, too, are sombre and oppressive to the 

 spirits, being almost destitute of flowers, and all that constitutes the 

 beautiful. For vegetation, the banks of the Moja, in the Delta of the 

 Amazon, afforded most delight : the luxuriant piling up of glorious 

 foliage ; the plenty and variety of fringing palms ; the twining dra- 

 pery of creepers ; the glorious leaves of the various Musaceae, and 

 the vivid green in morning and evening, are beautiful to the eye. You 

 ask me to look out for strange forms of insects ; I assure you I take 

 everything I can get hold of: the most curious things are various 

 Orthopterous and Homopterous insects, Proscopia, Phasma, &c. 

 Some spiders are monstrous ; one Tarantula, of which I sent five speci- 

 mens to S. Stevens, is the most fearfully ugly thing in creation. I 

 am sending by this vessel three boxes of very choice insects. 



"A few words about plants before T finish. From the uniformity of 

 the dense forest, there are few smaller plants : of orchids I am now 

 quite convinced there are but very few species, and those small and 

 insignificant : a botanical collector, who has been here eighteen 



