CACAO PLANTATIONS 



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open verandahs, and in one place saw a ball going on in 

 broad daylight ; there were fiddles and guitars hard at 

 work, and a number of lads in white shirts and trousers 

 dancing with brown damsels clad in showy print dresses. 

 The cacao tree produces a curious impression on account 

 of the flowers and fruit growing directly out of the trunk 

 and branches. There is a whole group of wild fruit trees 

 which have the same habit in this country. In the 

 wildernesses where the cacao is planted, the collecting 

 of the fruit is dangerous from the number of poisonous 

 snakes which inhabit the places. One day, when we were 

 running our montaria to a landing-place, we saw a large 

 serpent on the trees overhead, as we were about to brush 

 past ; the boat was stopped just in the nick of time, and 

 Mr. Leavens brought the reptile down with a charge of 

 shot. 



September 26th. — At length we got clear of the islands, 

 and saw once more before us the sea-like expanse of 

 waters which forms the mouth of the Tocantins. The 

 river had now sunk to its lowest point, and numbers of 

 fresh-water dolphins were rolling about in shoaly places. 

 There are here two species, one of which was new to 

 science when I sent specimens to England ; it is called 

 the Tucuxi (Steno tucuxi of Gray). When it comes to 

 the surface to breathe, it rises horizontally, showing first 

 its back fin ; draws an inspiration, and then dives gently 

 down, head foremost. This mode of proceeding dis- 

 tinguishes the Tucuxi at once from the other species, 

 which is called Bouto or porpoise by the natives (Inia 

 Geoffroyi of Desmarest). When this rises the top of the 

 head is the part first seen ; it then blows, and immediately 

 afterwards dips head downwards, its back curving over, 

 exposing successively the whole dorsal ridge with its fin. 

 It seems thus to pitch heels over head, but does not show 

 the tail fin. Besides this peculiar motion, it is distin- 

 guished from the Tucuxi by its habit of generally going 

 in pairs. Both species are exceedingly numerous through- 

 out the Amazons and its larger tributaries, but they are 

 nowhere more plentiful than in the shoaly water at the 

 mouth of the Tocantins, especially in the dry season. In 

 the Upper Amazons a third pale flesh-coloured species 

 is also abundant (the Delphinus pallidus of Gervais). 

 With the exception of a species found in the Ganges, 

 all other varieties of dolphin inhabit exclusively the sea. 



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