298 STAY AT THE RIO GRANDE DE BELMONTE, 



agreeable, particularly those up the river. That place in the river 

 which gives its name to the adjacent country, and is called Cachoei- 

 rinha, deserves particular mention. Going up the stream, it is from 

 half to three quarters of an hour's rowing from the island of the 

 Quartel ; but downwards from the Cachoeirinha to the Quartel a 

 quarter of an hour is sufficient, from the rapidity of the current. 

 Here I found the river confined between two considerable mountains, 

 which were covered with uninterrupted forests. These forests appeared 

 in their greatest beauty, adorned with the hues of spring, partly with 

 young leaves, ash-grey, dark, light, or yellow green, reddish brown, 

 or rose-coloured ; partly arrayed in white, deep yellow, violet, or pink 

 blossoms ; at the foot of these mountains, close to the river, masses 

 of rock, some very large and of singular forms, are the forerunners of 

 the mountain formation of Minas, which appears to begin here, for 

 these blocks are not met with farther down the river. 



A small island near the shore, wholly composed of pieces of rock, 

 is remarkable for the multitude of birds' nests, with which some short 

 crooked trees are absolutely loaded. The bird which builds these 

 bag-shaped nests of the fibres of the tillandsia, is the japui, fcassicus 

 or oriolus persicus,) with black and yellow plumage. I did not find 

 it more to the south than Belmonte. These birds are very sociable; 

 like all of the species cassicus, they build bag-shaped nests, which they 

 fasten to a thin twig, and lay two eggs. At this time the nests were 

 deserted, for the breeding season is in November, December, and 

 January, The fishermen make a practice of taking out the young 

 birds to use them as baits. Black orioles flew about the rocks on the 

 river side in small parties ; and the beautiful blood-red tije piranga, 

 (tanagra brasiliensis, Linn.) was very frequent here, as in the thick 

 bushes on the banks of all the rivers. 



On going up the river you come to a bend in the stream, where the 

 whole channel is so filled with masses of rock that a narrow passage 



