84 JOURNEY FROM CAPE FRIO 



which, in Mr. Sellow's opinion, must be a new genus. Its beautiful 

 yellow tufts of flowers hung down with a gentle inclination, the sheath 

 was large, in the shape of a boat, and as well as the feathery leaves 

 remarkably beautiful : on cutting down the tree, the wood was found 

 to be very hard ; but as soon as the porous pith was reached, it fell 

 immediately. 



On the l6th of September we took leave of the family of our 

 worthy host, and proceeded on our journey to Macahe. Rain and 

 wind obscured the wild prospect of the country, where the dark 

 Serra de Iriri rose above the gloomy forests, and the Morro de 

 S. Joao appeared in the distance. The way from Tapebuf^ to the 

 river Macahe passes through deep sand for four leagues, almost 

 always on the sea-shore ; here and there small rocks projected into 

 the sea, on which we found a number of mosses and shells, but in 

 no great variety. A high wind blew on this spot, and the foaming 

 waves broke furiously upon the rocks. From the sandy shore 

 (pray a ) rises a series of hills, on which beautiful trees and shrubs are 

 stunted by the wind, and look as if cropped : among them we saw a 

 large white-blossomed passion-flower, and the four-cornered cactus^ 

 also with a large white flower. 



It was now the spring of this climate ; all of us had hitherto found 

 the weather for the most part cool, and never hotter than in warm 

 summer days in Germany. The last mile of our journey led through 

 a thick, lofty forest, in which we shot toucans, arassaris, and the 

 little blackish cuckoo, f cucullus tenehro^us.) Many kinds of trees 

 now stood stripped of their leaves, for though most of the trees in 

 this country retain their foliage during the winter, yet it is shed by 

 many of the more tender species. Most of them were now shooting 

 out again, and shewed at the tips of the branches, covered with 

 dark green foliage, the young yellowish, or yellow-green leaves, 

 sometimes beautifully tinged with light or dark red, which are an 



