3o6 VOYAGE UP THE TAP A J OS 



laws of the empire. The plan of assembling families in 

 formal, blank-looking settlements, like this of Santa Cruz, 

 seemed to me very ill chosen. The Indians would be 

 happier in their scattered wigwams, embowered in foliage 

 on the banks of shady rivulets where they prefer to settle 

 when left to themselves. 



A narrow belt of wood runs behind the village : beyond 

 this is an elevated barren campo, with a clayey and 

 gravelly soil. To the south the coast country is of a 

 similar description ; a succession of scantily-wooded hills, 

 bare grassy spaces, and richly- timbered hollows. We 

 traversed forest and campo in various directions during 

 three days without meeting with monkeys, or indeed 

 with anything that repaid us the time and trouble. The 

 soil of the district appeared too dry ; at this season of 

 the year I had noticed, in other parts of the country, 

 that mammals and birds resorted to the more humid 

 areas of forest, we therefore proceeded to explore care- 

 fully the low and partly swampy tract along the coast 

 to the north of Santa Cruz. We spent two days in this 

 way, landing at many places, and penetrating a good 

 distance in the interior. Although unsuccessful with 

 regard to the White Cebus, the time was not wholly 

 lost, as I added several small birds of species new to my 

 collection. On the second evening we surprised a large 

 flock, composed of about 50 individuals, of a curious 

 eagle with a very long and slender hooked beak, the 

 Rostrhamus hamatus. They were perched on the bushes 

 which surrounded a shallow lagoon separated from the 

 river by a belt of floating grass : my men said they fed 

 on toads and lizards found at the margins of pools. They 

 formed a beautiful sight as they flew up and wheeled 

 about at a great height in the air. We obtained only one 

 specimen. 



Before returning to Aveyros, we paid another visit to 

 the Jacare inlet leading to Captain Antonio's cattle farm, 

 for the sake of securing further specimens of the many 

 rare and handsome insects found there ; landing at the 

 port of one of the settlers. The owner of the house was 

 not at home, and the wife, a buxom young woman, a 

 dark mameluca, with clear though dark complexion and 

 fine rosy cheeks, was preparing, in company with another 

 stout-built Amazon, her rod and lines to go out fishing 

 for the day's dinner. It was now the season for Tucun- 



