26 RIO DE JANEIRO. (cuar. 11. 
a few dogs, and then patiently waiting to fire at any animal 
which might appear. We were accompanied by the son of a 
neighbouring farmer—a good specimen of a wild Brazilian 
youth. He was dressed in a tattered old shirt and trousers, and 
had his head uncovered: he carried an old-fashioned gun and a 
large knife. The habit of carrying the knife is universal; and 
in traversing a thick wood it is almost necessary, on account of 
the creeping plants. The frequent occurrence of murder may 
be partly attributed to this habit. ‘The Brazilians are so dex- 
terous with the knife, that they can throw it to some distance 
with precision, and with sufficient force to cause a fatal wound. 
I have seen a number of little boys practising this art as a game 
of play, and from their skill in hitting an upright stick, they 
promised well for more earnest attempts. My companion, the 
day before, had shot two large bearded monkeys. ‘These ani- 
mals have prehensile tails, the extremity of which, even after 
death, can support the whole weight of the body. One of them 
thus remained fast to a branch, and it was necessary to cut down 
a large tree to procure it. This was soon effected, and down 
came tree and monkey with an awful crash. Our day’s sport, 
besides the monkey, was confined to sundry small green parrots 
and a few toucans. I profited, nowever, by my acquaintance 
with the Portuguese padre, for on another occasion he gave me 
a fine specimen of the Yagouaroundi cat. 
Every one has heard of the beauty of the scenery near Boto- 
fogo. The house in which I lived was seated close beneath the 
well-known mountain of the Corcovado. It has been remarked, 
with much truth, that abruptly conical hills are characteristic of 
the formation which Humboldt designates as gneiss-granite. 
Nothing can be more striking than the effect of these huge 
rounded masses of naked rock rising out of the most luxuriant 
vegetation. 
I was often interested by watching the clouds, which, rolling 
in from seaward, formed a bank just beneath the highest point 
of the Corcovado. This mountain, like most others, when thus 
partly veiled, appeared to rise to a far prouder elevation than its 
real height of 2300 feet. Mr. Daniell has observed, in his me- 
teorological essays, that a cloud sometimes appears fixed ona 
mountain summit, while the wind continues to blow over it. 
