134 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. VL, No. 131. 



sands of the most primitive human beings. Steara- 

 navigation exists on the Tapajos and Tocantins, and 

 a railway is constructing along the banks of the 

 Madeira. The Xingu is, however, almost unknown. 

 Previous explorers have not reached beyond 4° south 

 latitude, beyond which were supposed to be fierce 

 tribes of cannibals. The primitive inhabitants of 

 Brazil, retiring before the whites, were supposed to 

 have concentrated themselves here as in a last strong- 

 hold. Between Piranhaquara and Paranatinga the 

 river was absolutely unknown; and the existence of a 

 water-way for trade to Para is a matter of the utmost 

 importance to the inhabitants of the Matto Grosso, 

 now confined for commercial purposes to the Para- 

 guay. 



The first part of the journey was made by land, and 

 the latter part on the river. The military force com- 

 manded by Paula Castro worked with the civilians in 

 perfect accord. They left Cayaba May 26, passing 

 through the region of the Baicairis (partially civilized 

 and friendly Indians), and after some delays, caused 

 by the fact that the real distance was one-half greater 

 than shown on the maps, they crossed the Parana- 

 tinga July 5, 1884, entering the unknown region, and 

 travelling westward. The plain is a vast desert with 

 an altitude of some twelve hundred feet, above which 

 rise dunes of red sand and decomposed gravel to a 

 further height of from two hundred to three hundred 

 feet. The water was good, the grass very tall, but 

 trees scarce and low, the vegetation being chiefly near 

 the streams. Tapir and deer were seen, and a few 

 birds, but the fauna is scanty. At mid-day the tem- 

 perature was 80° F., but during the night it fell to 45°, 

 and the party found great difficulty in obtaining game 

 enough for food. Twenty leagues east from Parana- 

 tinga they found a river which they decided must be 

 the Xingu. Making bark canoes, they began to 

 descend it, meeting great difliculties : the river seemed 

 to contain more rolling stones than water. In nine- 

 teen days, when they met the first Indians, they had 

 passed more than a hundred rapids and four cataracts, 

 of which one was fifteen feet high. Seven canoes 

 were destroyed or wrecked : only ^x remained. Their 

 provisions were almost exhausted, their clothing 

 in rags, shoes worn out, and the men depressed by 

 malaria and the labor of frequent portages, when 

 every thing had to be carried on their shoulders 

 around rapids, Aug. 30 they arrived at the mouth 

 of the Batovi, and had reached more level country. 

 Here three large rivers unite to form the Xingu, 

 which is about a quarter of a mile wide. Numerous 

 distinct tribes are located in this vicinity, all in about 

 the same stage of culture. Surprised by the advent 

 of the whites, they offered no hostilities, though fierce 

 and untamed. They knew nothing of fire-arms. 

 The reflection of the sun by a mirror alarmed them. 

 One band of Suyas proposed a joint expedition 

 against the Trumais, with whom they were at war. 

 The Trumais live in villages of high round huts, 

 several families in each. They cultivate manioc, 

 maize, potatoes, and cotton, smoke wild tobacco, but 

 do not know the banana. They do not hunt much, 

 but shoot fish with arrows, and net them in pools. 



They have no spears, but kill wild animals with bow 

 and arrow. They regard the flesh of the capybara as 

 a delicacy, but do not eat that of the tapir or deer. 

 Monkeys are eaten, their flesh dried and smoked for 

 future use. They were much afraid of the dogs with 

 the expedition: only one tribe had a name for this 

 animal. The men go naked; they wear, however, 

 strings of ornaments, teeth, shells, or nuts around 

 the neck and waist, and a sort of cotton ribbon on 

 the arms and legs. The women of most tribes wear 

 a clout made of palm bark which could be put in 

 a match-box. The Suya women wear absolutely 

 nothing, although they know how to weave cotton 

 hammocks, and make a sort of cordage of vegetable 

 fibre. They do not know metals: all their tools are 

 of bone and stone. Buttons were extremely desired. 

 Stein en thought that with a gross of buttons he could 

 have bought a house, field, food, and several wives. 

 They are well proportioned. They practise the ton- 

 sure, shaving the crown with a very hard, sharp leaf 

 resembling grass. They wear two feathers in their 

 ears, and a diadem of feathers or straw. They play 

 the native flute agreeably, and are fond of music. 

 They ornament themselves at their feasts with bijous 

 made of cotton or straw, or carvings of wood repre- 

 senting birds. In the houses are hung figures of 

 animals coarsely plaited of straw, with some artistic 

 merit. The Suyas, of whom only about a hundred 

 and twenty were seen, are the terror of the other 

 tribes. They are of greater stature, though abso- 

 lutely nude, and wear a labret in the lower lip, and 

 straw ornaments in the ears which reach to the 

 shoulder. They cut the hair in front, and leave it 

 long behind. They make baskets, hampers, and 

 boxes of straw, and very perfect carvings of birds in 

 wood. Their flute has three pipes of graduated size. 

 They fight with heavy clubs ornamented with inlaid 

 shell. 



After leaving these people, another series of dif- 

 ficult rapids was encountered. The party were re- 

 duced to severe straits, were obliged to live on fish, 

 two pumas which were killed served as a delicacy, 

 fever prevailed among them, and their clothing was 

 almost gone. Below the rapids they encountered a 

 friendly tribe, the Yurumas, who were entirely igno- 

 rant of the people farther up the stream. These In- 

 dians sold them new canoes, and furnished guides. 

 At last, on the 13th of October, the weary explorers 

 reached Piranhaquara, the first outpost of civilization, 

 almost naked and exhausted, but without the loss of 

 a single man. 



They had demonstrated the inutility of the Xingu 

 as a trade route, but they obtained most valuable 

 geographical and other scientific data in their trav- 

 erse of the unknown region. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



The great work of Gen. Tillo on terrestrial mag- 

 netism in European Pussia, has just been published 

 by the St. Petersburg academy of sciences. All pre- 

 vious investigations have been laid under coutribu- 



