1190 Rock Inscriptions in Brazi. [ December, 
The inscription x is upon the largest and most prominent of 
these boulders, while many, though not 
age all the others, have polished places upon 
€) O > their sides such as I have described. 
During dry weather there is no water in 
©) ) the immediate vicinity, though the Ipan- 
ema! is only about a mile distant. 
A It should be noted that these inscrip- 
| j tions, as well as many others which I 
i % heard of through this part of the country, 
i s are all upon these large stones, and gen- 
erally in some such prominent place. 
One inscription in particular was men- 
y tioned to me by several persons, all of 
| whom gave substantially the same account 
of it. This inscribed rock is near Agua 
temia maae ee er a E E D 
Branca, twelve leagues abọve Piranhas 
| ~ and ten leagues from the falls of Paulo 
j sie Affonso, on the Fazenda da Caisara, and Is 
known as the pedra navio, or ship stone. 
It is said to be a large and nearly round 
Tre foot, X boulder, standing upon a very narrow 
Sant’ Anna inscriptions. base upon the solid rock, and to have all 
its sides covered with Indian inscriptions’ 
Through this part of the country, where the archzean rocks 
form a wide belt between the plateaus of the interior and the 
Cretaceous and Tertiary beds near the coast, these boulders of de- 
composition are not uncommon, and almost every one that I have 
seen has had some sort of artificial marks upon it, generally too 
badly eroded to be defined, but sufficiently distinct to leave n° 
doubt concerning their origin. 
Of the figures themselves I am unable to suggest any d 
explanation. The explanations given by the people in the 
efinite 
vicin- 
1 Not “ Panema ” as the geographies give it. ak 
? The inscribed rocks at Ereré described by Professor Hartt are also prominent 
ones. d 
3I was told that there are extensive rock inscriptions further up the R f 
cisco at Salgueiro on the Rio Quixaba and at Ouricury, both in the western wee 
the province of Pernambuco. On the road between Diamantina and Beribery, ™® 
province of Minas Geraes, are some rude Indian paintings of animals upon 2 
of rock, These latter I have seen, but had no opportunity of sketching them. 
io Sao Fran- 
