TO THE RIO GRAI^DE DE BELMONTE. 271 



very fine, and as level as a threshing-floor. Sea-weeds and shells lie 

 scattered on the hard sand, and we found a good specimen of the blue 

 petrel dead on the beach ; it had probably perished in the late storms. 

 On all these flat sandy coasts of the east of Brazil, the species of crab 

 abounds, which is called by the Portuguese ciri. This singular ani- 

 mal has a bluish-grey body, and pale-yellowish white feet and belly. 

 It digs itself holes in the soft sand wetted by the surf, as a retreat 

 from impending danger. If any one approaches, it raises itself up, 

 opens its claws, and runs as swiftly as an arrow sideways towards the 

 sea. These crabs are good eating, either roasted or boiled; they 

 have also a medicinal use, for when pounded, their juice is said to be 

 an effectual remedy for the piles. 



I came to the little river St. Antonio, which, it being then low water, 

 was very shallow at its mouth, but at flood- tide cannot be forded, as 

 it flows into the sea in several arms, and has then large waves. The 

 Botocudos lately committed hostilities higher up on its banks, and 

 murdered all the inhabitants of a house. A young Botocudo, who , 

 had been brought up in this family, gave information of the approach 

 of his countrymen ; but no attention was paid to his warning. 



Beyond the St. Antonio I found on the sand a great number of 

 skeletons of a kind of sea-urchins, (echinus pe?itaporus,) with five 

 elliptical apertures*. They are extremely fragile; we found them 

 mixed with a great quantity of common shells. The thickets on the 

 coast are in this part surrounded by extensive plots of reeds of the uba 

 species, forming a beautiful fan, above which the long tuft of flowers 

 shoots up. Horses and oxen were feeding on this spot. A few 

 families have settled and founded a little village upon a small rivulet, 

 which bears the name of Barra de Guayla. From this place I soon 



* Probably the species designed by Bruguieres, on the 149th plate, fig. 3. and by Eosc 

 Hist. Natur. des Vers, Vol. II. pi. 14, fig. 5. 



