164 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. 



[February, 



around it, and leave a little circular tuft of grass marking the 

 spot where all such impurities . exist. This is partly owing to 

 a kind of superstition ; but in many other ways they show a 

 dislike to touch, however remotely, any offensive animal sub- 

 stance. This idea is carried so far as to lead them sometimes 

 to neglect the sick in any offensive disease. It seems to be 

 a kind of feeling very similar to that which exists in many 

 animals, with regard to the sick and the dying. 



Senhor Antonio Dias was rather notorious, even in this 

 country of loose morals, for his patriarchal propensities, his 

 harem consisting of a mother and daughter and two Indian 

 girls, all of whom he keeps employed at feather-work, which 

 they do with great skill, — Senhor Antonio himself, who has 

 some taste in design, making out the patterns. The cocks of 

 the rock, white herons, roseate spoonbills, golden jacamars, 

 metallic trogons, and exquisite little seven-coloured tanagers, 

 with many gay parrots, and other beautiful birds, offer an 

 assortment of colours capable of producing the most exquisite 

 effects. The work is principally applied to the borders or 

 fringes of hammocks. The hammocks themselves are of finely 

 netted palm-fibre string, dyed of red, yellow, green, and other 

 brilliant colours. The fringes are about a foot deep, also finely 

 netted, of the same material, and on these are stuck, with the 

 milk of the cow-tree, sprays and stars and flowers of feather- 

 work. In the best he puts in the centre the arms of Portugal 

 or Brazil beautifully executed ; and the whole, on a ground of 

 the snowy white heron's feathers, has a very pleasing effect. 



Senhor Antonio informed me, that, owing to the lowness 

 of the water, I could not go on any further in my canoe, and must 

 therefore get an Indian oM, of one piece of wood, to stand the 

 scraping over the rocks up to Pimichin ; so, on the 13th, I left 

 Tomo v/ith Senhor Antonio in his canoe, for Maroa, a village 

 a few miles above, where I hoped to get an oba suited for the 

 remainder of the journey. This was a large village, entirely 

 inhabited by Indians, and with an Indian Commissario, who. 

 could read and write, and v/as quite fashionably dressed in patent- 

 leather boots, trousers, and straps. I here got an oba, lent me 

 by a Gallician trader, and took two Indians with me from the 

 place to bring it back. Senhor Antonio returned to Tomo, 

 and about three p.m. I started on my journey in my little 

 tottering canoe. 



