DOWN THE AMAZONS. 



353 



with us some little souvenirs, such as beads, trinkets, 

 knives, &c. We were received as old friends, and made 

 welcome to all the house would afford ; but, though as 

 clean as ever, it looked poorer than on our former visit. 

 I saw neither dried fish nor mandioca nor farinha, and 

 the woman told me that she found it very hard to sup- 

 port her large family, now that the husband and father 

 was away. 



The quantity of detached grass, shrubs, &c. carried 

 past the vessel, as we lie here at anchor, is amazing, — 

 floating gardens, sometimes half an acre in extent. Some 

 of these green rafts are inhabited ; water-birds go sailing 

 by upon them, and large animals are occasionally carried 

 down the river in this way. The commander told me that, 

 on one occasion, when an English vessel was lying at 

 anchor in the Parana, one of these grassy gardens was 

 seen coming down the river with two deer upon it. The 

 current brought it directly against the ship, and the captain 

 had only to receive on board the guests who arrived thus 

 unexpectedly to demand his hospitality. In the same river 

 another floating island brought with it a less agreeable 

 inhabitant : a large tiger had possessed himself of it and 

 was sailing majestically with the current, passing so near 

 the shores that he was distinctly seen from the banks ; 

 and people went out in montarias to get a nearer view 

 of him, though keeping always at a respectful distance. 

 The most conspicuous of the plants thus detached from 

 the shore are the Canarana (a kind of wild cane), a variety 

 of aquatic Aroides, Pistia among the number, Ecornia, 

 and a quantity of graceful floating Marsileaceae. 



January ISth. — To-day we have been on a hunt after 

 the Victoria regia. We have made constant efforts to 



