26 RIO DE JANEIRO. [ CHAP. 11. 
was marked by the change of shade, produced by the drooping of 
their sensitive petioles. It is easy to specify the individual objects 
of admiration in these grand scenes; but it is not possible to give 
an adequate idea of the higher feelings of wonder, astonishment, 
and devotion, which fill and elevate the mind. 
April 19th.—Leaving Socégo, during the two first days, we 
retraced our steps. It was very wearisome work, as the road 
generally ran across a glaring hot sandy plain, not far from the 
coast. I noticed that each time the horse put its foot on the fine 
siliceous sand, a gentle chirping noise was produced. On the 
third day we took a different line, and passed through the gay 
little village of Madre de Deéds. This is one of the principal 
lines of road in Brazil ; yet it was in so bada state that no wheel 
vehicle, excepting the clumsy bullock-waggon, could pass along. 
In our whole journey we did not cross a single bridge built of 
stone; and those made of logs of wood were frequently so much 
out of repair, that it was necessary to go on one side to avoid 
them. All distances-are inaccurately known. The road is 
often marked by crosses, in the place of milestones, to signify 
where human blood has been spilled. On the evening of the 
28rd we arrived at Rio, having finished our pleasant little ex- 
cursion. 
During the remainder of my stay at Rio, I resided in a cottage 
at Botofogo Bay. It was impossible to wish for anything more 
delightful than thus to spend some weeks in so magnificent a 
country. In England any person fond of natural history enjoys 
in his walks a great advantage, by always having something to 
‘attract his attention; but in these fertile climates, teeming with 
life, the attractions are so numerous, that he is scarcely able to 
walk at all. 
The few observations which I was enabled to make were 
almost exclusively confined to the invertebrate animals. The 
existence of a division of the genus Planaria, which inhabits the 
dry@and, interested me much. These animals are of so simple a 
structure, that Cuvier has arranged them with the intestinal 
worms, though never found within the bodies of other animals, 
Numerous species inhabit both salt and fresh water; but those to 
which I allude were found, even in the drier parts of the forest, 
