I70 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



May 7. — Yesterday, after nearly four months' close 

 office work, when my daily walk has been up and down the 

 village twice a day, I went out with Large prospecting on 

 horseback, and the work was very interesting. The scheme 

 of our railway is to start from the head waters of the Rio 

 Paraopeba, and, following the shortest route by way of its 

 several tributary streams, to reach the head waters of the 

 Rio Para. In doing this we cross four divides : the first two 

 are between Paraopeba station and Brumado, one near Sao 

 Caetano, the other at the Serra do Cortume already de- 

 scribed ; the other two are on the second section, the first 

 of which separates the Rio da Cachoeira from the Rio 

 Cayudba, and the second is the division between the waters 

 of the tributaries of the rivers Paraopeba and Para. All 

 these divides are from 3000 feet to 3200 feet above sea 

 level. The location of the line between this town and the 

 Cayudba needed some alteration, and so we had to look it 

 up. Oh, what a relief it was after four months of office 

 work to get on horseback and canter over downs, or even 

 crawl along tracks through a dense forest ! But I also had 

 the delight of seeing some new insects, besides the 

 tantalization of being obliged to pass them by uncaptured. 

 One splendid opalesque white Morpho {M. Laertes) flew 

 across our path. 



From the observations we made I plotted an improved 

 line of sections to-day, which appeared most satisfactory. 



One change which has resulted from my thus having to 

 go out, though only for a few days, is what I have long 

 desired. 'For some time I have been nauseated by my 

 hideous black cook and her extreme filth. I cannot'weary 

 you with details ; one item will suffice. Imagine going into 

 the kitchen for some trifle or other, and seeing your cook 

 preparing your dinner, and whiling away the spare moments 



