» 



MANAOS AND ITS NEIGHBOBHOOD. 295 



in the immediate neighborhood of Manaos, Mr. Dexter 

 and Mr. Talisman are on the Rio Negro and Rio Branco. 

 Following the same plan in descending the river, he intends 

 to establish one station at Serpa, another at Obydos, an- 

 other at Santarem, while he will go himself to the river 

 Mauhes, which connects the Amazons with the Madeira. 



December 10th. — To-day Mr. Dexter and Mr. Talisman 

 returned from their canoe excursion to the Rio Branco. 

 They are rather disappointed in the result of their expe- 

 dition, having found the state of the waters most extraordi- 

 nary for the season and very unfavorable for their purpose. 

 The Rio Negro was so full that the beaches had entirely 

 disappeared, and it was impossible to draw the nets ; while 

 on the Rio Branco the people stated that the water had 

 not fallen during the whole year, — an unheard-of phe- 

 nomenon, and unfortunate for the inhabitants, who were 

 dreading famine for want of their usual supply of dried 

 and salted fish, on which they so largely depend for food. 

 This provision is always made when the waters are lowest, 

 and when the large fish, driven into shallower and narrower 

 basins, are easily caught. Though their collection of fish 

 is therefore small, including only twenty-eight new species, 

 Mr. Dexter and Mr. Talisman bring several monkeys, a very 

 large alligator, some beautiful birds, among them the blue 

 Mackaw, and a number of very fine palms. To-morrow we 

 leave Manaos in the Ibicuhy, on an excursion to the little 

 town of Mauhes, where we are to pass a week or ten days. 

 Though we return for a day or two on our way to the Rio 

 Negro, yet we feel that our permanent stay in Manaos is 

 over. The six weeks we have passed here have been very 

 valuable in scientific results. Not only has Mr. Agassiz 

 largely increased his knowledge of the fishes, but he has had 



