58 



JOURNEY FROM RIO DE JANEIRO 



This country, in which marshes, meadows, thickets and woods, al- 

 ternately present themselves, afforded us many interesting animals. 

 Our hunters brought in for the first time the jacupemha, (penelope 

 ??iaj'ail, Linn.) or Brazilian turkey, which is very fine eating; also the 

 green toucans, or arassaris, (rhamphastos aracari, Linn.) beautiful 

 birds, which utter a short cry of two syllables. 



The prospect from this spot was very fine and of great extent ; a 

 telegraph corresponded from it, with that of Sagoarema, which we saw 

 in the distance. Pitanga was formerly a convent, as appears, among 

 other circumstances, from the old church. Towards noon our beasts 

 were loaded ; and it was a great advantage to us, that the steward 

 accompanied us on horseback to shew us the way. With our obsti- 

 nate mules we should probably have lost part of the baggage in the 

 dark, when night overtook us, and in the bad roads, then underwater; 

 for the animals, unable to proceed with their chests in the narrow 

 forest paths, often came in contact with the trees, threw off their 

 loads, and fled into the thickets. The catching and re-loading them 

 detained us so long, that we found it necessary to proceed with more 

 caution, and to cut down the stems that impeded our progress. At 

 length we reached a more open tract, having large marshes, bushes, and 

 broad pools of water, which we were obliged to wade through ; an 

 unpleasant circumstance for those on foot, particularly the Europeans 

 who were shooting in the thickets, and not yet accustomed to this 

 mode of traversing a country. In consequence of the delay caused 

 by these disagreeable impediments, it was late in the night when we 

 reached the fazejida of Tiririca, whither we had sent forward a horse- 

 man to apply for a night's lodging. The owner, the Captain Mor, at 

 first pointed out his sugar-refinery for our lodging; but on our shewing 

 him our passport from the minister, he became extremely polite, and 

 invited us into his house : we did not however accept this invitation, 

 having previously determined to remain with our attendants. 



