Down an Unknown River 291 



There were very few birds, and these in the tops of the 

 tall trees. We saw a recent tapir-track; and under a 

 cajazeira-tree by the bank there were the tracks of capy- 

 baras which had been eating the fallen fruit. This fruit 

 is delicious and would make a valuable addition to our 

 orchards. The tree although tropical is hardy, thrives 

 when, domesticated, and propagates rapidly from shoots. 

 The Department of Agriculture' should try whether it 

 would not grow in southern California and Florida. This 

 was the tree from which the doctor's family name was 

 taken. His parental grandfather, although of Portu- 

 guese blood, was an intensely patriotic Brazilian. He 

 was a very young man when the independence of Brazil 

 was declared, and did not wish to keep the Portuguese 

 family name ; so he changed it to that of the fine Brazilian 

 tree in question. Such change of family names is common 

 in Brazil. Doctor Vital Brazil, the student of poisonous 

 serpents, was given his name by his father, whose own 

 family name was entirely different; and his brother's 

 name was again different! 



There were tremendous downpours of rain, lasting 

 for a couple of hours and accompanied by thunder and 

 lightning. But on the whole it seemed as if the rains 

 were less heavy and continuous than they had been. We 

 all of us had to help in building the canoes now and then. 

 Kermit, accompanied by Antonio the Parecis and Joao, 

 crossed the river and walked back to the little river that 

 had entered from the east, so as to bring back a report 

 of it to Colonel Rondon. Lyra. took observations, by 

 the sun and by the stars. We were in about latitude 11° 

 21' south, and due north of where we had started. The 



