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STAY ON THE RIO GRANDE DE BELMONTE, 



occurred before near the Quartel dos Arcos, and it was therefore a 

 pecuharly lucky accident, that afforded me the view of this spectacle 

 during my short stay at this place. It is very rarely that travellers 

 witness such a scene, which is however so important to those who 

 would obtain a thorough knowledge of the savages, and their cha- 

 racter. Not long after my departure from the Quartel, as I was in- 

 formed, another and a still greater combat took place there, on 

 occasion of the return of Captain Gipakeiu, who was a friend and 

 ally of Captain June. 



As various matters obliged me to return to the Mucuri, I left the 

 island of Cachoeirinha at the end of September, and sailed down the 

 river to Villa de Belmonte. The passage was rather tedious, because 

 the water was at this time low ; but the chace, and the observation of 

 many natural curiosities, rendered it agreeable and entertaining. In 

 the banks of the river, which were now uncovered, we observed the 

 holes made by the extraordinary fish, which Linneus calls loricaria 

 plecostomus (the harness fish) ; here it bears the name of cachmbo, or 

 cachimbao ; in the northern parts, on the river Ilheos, it is called 

 acari, and Marcgraf, who observed it at Pernambuco, describes it by 

 the name of gtiacani. This fish digs holes of inconsiderable depth in 

 the bank, to protect itself, when it desires to repose, from the violence 

 of the current, at the season when the water is high ; sometimes, as 

 the fishermen assert, it knocks at the bottom of the canoes, which it 

 is said to do with its head, while it is eating the slime and byssiis. 

 which usually adhere to the bottom of the vessels. 



The spring was already far advanced, and we frequently heard in 

 the forests the loud hoarse voice of the mutum ( crax alector, Linn. ; 

 peacock pheasant of Guiana,) which resounds through the wilder- 

 ness, and greatly facilitates the chace of this large and beautiful bird. 

 They appear in the greatest numbers about the time when the rivers 

 are rising. We passed two nights on the sand-banks in the river, 



