492 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



Hence we turned due East, and proceeded at the foot of a lofty 

 mountain, bearing a considerable resemblance to one near Chapple-en-le- 

 Frith, in Derbyshire, as we approach that town from Woodhead. The 

 West end terminates blufly, being nearly a thousand feet high, with a 

 perpendicular face, its summit or ridge gradually declining towards the 

 East, and presenting a face on our left hand, which, though steep and 

 difficult, is not inaccessible. At the foot of this Serro the search for gold 

 becomes again very extensive, and is conducted in the same pitiful modes 

 as have already been described, by raking the surface and washing away 

 the soil, in order to procure the rounded quartz, with which it abounds. 

 It is distressing to behold a whole country, w^hich, in its natural state, 

 produces excellent woods and fine timber, converted into mere heaps of 

 stones, and scenes of desolation. It is happy, indeed, that, from the 

 advance of agriculture, and the increased price of labour, circumstances 

 of which the ignorant bitterly complain, that the people employed in 

 this work of destruction were, in general, worn-out negroes, such as were 

 unfit for any better service. Having reached a point where the summit 

 of the hill has become comparatively low, and the ascent easy, we 

 turned towards the North, winding up the hill round to the West ; the 

 scene became rich and woody, but the stagnant state of the air, and the 

 consequent oppressive heat, prevented, in a great measure, our enjoyment 

 of the change; 



We saw here many large and beautiful birds, one of which nearly 

 resembles the Jacii of other parts of Brazil. The gun brought down a 

 bird, which, from its peculiar mode of clinging to a tree, may, perhaps, 

 be classed with the Woodpeclcer, though unlike it in colour. On the 

 top of the head, and on the throat, the plumage was dark brown ; the 

 back of the same colour, ban'ed wdth light brown in waves; about the 

 eyes, on the neck, and under the wings, a bright orange ; on the breast 

 the feathers were also orange coloured, but tipped with triangles of dark 

 brown; those of the tail were dark brown, though the covering ones 

 had, in bars across them, a mixture of light orange ; the feet had twc 

 toes forward, and two backward. In other parts of Brazil I met with a. 



