158 WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



All the colours of the rainbow pass and repass in rapid 

 succession over his body, till the dark hand of death closes 

 the scene. 



From the Cape de Verd islands to the coast of Brazil, 

 you see several different kinds of gulls, which probably 

 are bred in the island of St. Paul. Sometimes the large 

 bird called the Frigate Pelican soars majestically over the 

 vessel, and the Tropic-Eird comes near enough to let you 

 have a fair view of the long feathers in his tail. On the 

 line, when it is calm. Sharks of a tremendous size make 

 their appearance. They are descried from the ship by 

 means of the dorsal fin, which is above the water. 



On entering the bay of Pernambuco, the Frigate Pelican 

 is seen watching the shoals of fish from a prodigious height. 

 It seldom descends without a successful attack on its nume- 

 rouK prey below. 



As you approach the shore, the view is charming. The 

 hills are clothed with wood, gradually rising towards the 

 interior, none of them of any considerable height. A 

 singular reef of rocks runs parallel to the coast, and forms 

 the harbour of Pernambuco. The vessels are moored be- 

 twixt it and the town, safe from every storm. You enter 

 the harbour through a very narrow passage, close by a fort 

 built on the reef. The hill of Olinda, studded with houses 

 and convents, is on your right hand, and an island thickly 

 planted with cocoa-nut trees, adds considerably to the 

 scene on your left. There are two strong forts on the 

 isthmus, betwixt Olinda and Pernambuco, and a pillar 

 midway to aid the pilot. 



Pernambuco probably contains upwards of fifty thou- 

 sand souls. It stands on a flat, and is divided into three 

 parts — a peninsula, an island, and the continent. Though 

 within a few degrees of the line, its climate is remark- 

 ably salubrious, and rendered almost temperate by the 



