300 



STAY AT RIO GRATst^DE DE BELMONTE, 



of house-swallows, which pursue the insects in the cool air over the 

 agitated water. But between the pieces of rocks on the sand, I ob- 

 served the track of the lords of these solitary vv'ildernesses, the Bo- 

 tocudos, which is the more accurately and perfectly impressed, as 

 no deforming shoes cramp their toes. We visited the deserted 

 huts which travelling Mineiros had built here, and then returned to 

 the Quartel. On this excursion we had the satisfaction to shoot a 

 beautiful myua, (plotus anhinga. Linn.) This bird is very shy ; and 

 in order to secure it, a person must be acquainted with the mode of 

 chasing it, and proceed with great caution. The canoe is suffered to 

 float down along the bank; those on board must not move; the 

 hunter has his gun ready to fire, and keeps his eye fixed on the bird ; 

 as soon as the bird begins to raise his wings, he must fire, for he will 

 not be able to get any nearer to it afterwards. My Botocudos re- 

 mained quite still, I lay down in the fore-part of the canoe and fired ; 

 on which the bird immediately plunged into the river and dived 

 under the canoe ; but Jukeracke very dextrously drew it out. 



When we arrived again at the station, we found that there was a 

 want of provisions, the fishing having been very unproductive ; we 

 therefore immediately sent off our hunters in two boats down the 

 river. This time they had more success than usual, for in thirty-six 

 hours the five hunters returned in the evening, bringing in the one 

 canoe eleven, and in the other ten, in all twenty-one wild swine, 

 of the species called queixada branca, ( dicotyles labiatus, Cuvier) ; 

 they had met in their excursion with fourteen herds of these animals. 

 This may serve to give an idea of the great numbers of wild swine 

 that inhabit the ancient forests of Brazil: the savages pursue these 

 animals ; there is nothing they are so fond of as these swine and 

 monkeys. 



The arrival of our hunters with the boats so richly laden was very 

 welcome, not only to us hungry Europeans, but still more to the 



