TO CAPE mio. 



63 



lofty thickets, on the banks of which the Brazihan lapwing (vanellus 

 Cayennensis, Linn.) is very common. This beautiful bird is named 

 quer-quer, owing to its raising that cry at the sight of men or other 

 strange objects ; and its shrill disagreeable voice frightens away all the 

 other birds. It is found in all the meadows, fields, and marshes of 

 Brazil. A large swallow, with a whitish ring round the neck, is 

 equally common*. 



The heat was now more oppressive than it had yet been ; not a 

 breath of air was stirring, while the deep, dry sand, which reflected 

 the beams of the sun, increased the sultriness of the atmosphere. 



In a wood through which our way led, the hunters shot a handsome 

 species of maracana, (psittacus Guianensis, hmn.) which is found here 

 in immense flocks. Beyond the forest we came to a place where a 

 number of Indians of St. Pedro were employed in repairing the road : 

 the sight of these men was new and interesting. After passing some 

 hills, the Lagoa de Araruama, six leagues long and very broad, sud- 

 denly appeared in view : it has a communication with the sea, a league 

 and a half to the north of Cape Frio, and abounds in fish. Salt is said 

 to be made on some part of the banks. Woods and some dwellings 

 bordered the opposite shore, and upon a small eminence in the distance 

 lay the church of the village of St. Pedro. After riding round part of 

 the lake, we reached the venda of the village, where I had the mules 

 unladen, and waited for the hunters, who were fatigued by the heat, 

 and the long journey on foot. They soon arrived, bringing many 

 interesting animals, which they had shot on the road. 



* The swallow found here (hirundo coUaris) is a beautiful new species, of the size of 

 our cypselus. Its plumage is brownish black, every where tinged with green; round the 

 neck is a whitish ring. The tail-feathers have thorny shafts, the points of which project a 

 line: the heel is not feathered ; the toes very strong, pressed together, and furnished with 

 sharp, crooked nails, well adapted for clinging to the rocks. I first found this species in the 

 rocks near Rio de Janeiro. 



