22 RIO DE JANEIRO. [cHaP. Ik 
shells of the marine genera solen and mytilus, and fresh water 
ampullariz, living together in brackish water. I also frequently 
observed in the lagoon near the Botanic Garden, where the 
water is only a little less salt than in the sea, a species of hydro- 
philus, very similar to a water-beetle common in the ditches of 
England: in the same lake the only shell belonged toa genus 
generally found in estuaries. 
Leaving the coast for a time, we again entered the forest. The 
trees were very lofty, and remarkable, compared with those of 
Europe, from the whiteness of their trunks. J see by my note- 
book, “ wonderful and beautiful, flowering parasites,” invariably 
struck me as the most novel object in these grand scenes. Travel- 
ling onwards we passed through tracts of pasturage, much in- 
jured by the enormous conical ants’ nests, which were nearly 
twelve feet high. They gave to the plain exactly the appear- 
ance of the mud volcanos at Jorullo, as figured by Humboldt. 
We arrived at Engenhodo after it was dark, having been ten 
hours on horseback. I never ceased, during the whole journey, 
to be surprised at the amount of labour which the horses were 
capable of enduring; they appeared also to recover from any 
injury much sooner than those of our English breed. ‘The Vam- 
pire bat is often the cause of much trouble, by biting the horses 
on their withers. The injury is generally not so much owing to 
the loss of blood, as to the inflammation which the pressure of 
the saddle afterwards produces. The whole circumstance has 
lately been doubted in England; I was therefore fortunate in 
being present when one (Desmodus d’orbignyi, Wat.) was actually 
caught on a horse’s back. “We were bivouacking late one even- 
ing near Coquimbo, in Chile, when my servant, noticing that 
one of the horses was very restive, went to see what was the 
matter, and fancying he could distinguish something, suddenly 
put his hand on the beast’s withers, and secured the vampire. 
In the morning the spot where the bite had been inflicted was 
easily distinguished from being slightly swollen and bloody. 
The third day afterwards we rode the horse, without any ill 
effects. 
April 13th.—After three days’ travelling we arrived at Socégo, 
the estate of Senhér Manuel Figuireda, a relation of one of our 
varty. ‘The house was simple, and, though like a barn in form, 
