22 DREDGING IN BOTAFOGO BAY. 



of examination. Still some fine specimens of a 

 curious flat sea-urchin (Encope marginata) and a 

 few shells^ encouraged us to persevere. Two days 

 after, Mr. Huxley and myself set to work in Bota- 

 fog-o Bay, provided with a wire-gauze meat cover, 

 and a curious machine for cleaning rice; these 

 answered capitally as suhstitutes for sieves, and 

 enahled us by a thorough examination of the con- 

 tents of the dredge, to detect about forty-five species 

 of mollusca and radiata, some of which were new 

 to science. Among these acquisitions I may 

 mention a new species of Amphioxus, a genus of 

 small fishes exhibiting* more anomalies than any 

 other known to ichthyologists, and the lowest organ- 

 ization found in the class ; it somewhat resembles 

 the sand-eels of Britain in habits, like them moving 

 with extraordinary rapidity through the sand. By 

 dint of bribery and ridicule, we had at length managed 

 to get our boatmen to work tolerably well; and 

 when we were ahke well roasted by the sun and 

 repeatedly drenched, besides being tired out and 

 hungry, they had become quite submissive, and 

 exchanged their grumbKng for merriment. A more 

 lovely spot can scarcely be found, than the secluded 

 bay of Botafogo with its pretty village, and the 

 noble Corcovado mountain immediately behind, and 

 we paid it other visits. 



One of the principal characteristics of Rio is 

 slavery. Slaves here perform the work of beasts of 

 burthen ; and in the business parts of the city the 



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