Travels in ihe Brdzils, 71 

 coast of Brazils is far inferior in size to the huge crocodiles of 

 the old world/ and even of those countries of South America 

 which are situated nearer to the equator. 



The Paraiba nourishes an extraordinary number of Jacares, 

 and they sometimes serve the negroes for food. Many fables 

 are reported concerning their rapacity ; but those mentioned 

 here, being of a species not exceeding eight or nine feet in length, 

 nobody fears ; though the fishermen shew the scars of their 

 bites on their feet, and it may be maintained, not without foun- 

 dation, that a dog swimming over the river was once caught 

 and consumed by them. In the brook where our Jacare was 

 killed we could count several of them at a glance, but having 

 shot too widely at some of them we rendered them shy of us and 

 could not obtain another. Not far from the brook we found on 

 the sandy ground bushes of the Eugenia Pedunculata, a known 

 beautiful shrub that produces the pleasant-tasted, red, pulpous, 

 four-cornered fruit, which is known in the country under the 

 name of the Pitanga, It sits singly on its peduncuhis, and the 

 entire plant is covered with it; it afforded us an agreeable re- 

 freshment. The Acaju'tree, {Anacardium occidentale^ Linn,) was 

 at this period in bloom. At length we arrived at the Villa de 

 S.Jodo da Barra, not far from the mouth of the Paraiba, By the 

 intervention of our conductor thetenente, the Casa da Camara,ov 

 place of residence for the crown-servants, was assigned to us. It 

 is a commodious house with many good rooms, and a court-yard 

 in which orange and goy ava-t rees (Psidmm pi/ji/erom, jLinn.J are 

 planted, and which were now partly in bloom. Villa de S, Jodo 

 da Barra is a place which cannot be compared to S. Salvador, 

 having only one church and unpaved streets, with mean single- 

 storied houses, built of wood and clay. But, on the other hand, 

 the river is here navigable for pretty large vessels, brigs, and 

 sumacas, and there exists an immediate communication with 

 the sea: all ships bound for S, Salvador must sail past it, though 

 the arm of the river near the place is shallow, and the proper 

 course lies on the farther si(le of some islands. The inhabitants 

 are almost all sea-faring people and fishermen, to whom the 

 trade of S. Salvador, in the produce of the country, affords 

 support. Our hunters, who had gone on before us, had ob- 

 tained various animals, and had also brought with them alive 

 two of the Dasypus kind. These curious creatures are common 

 in the Brazils, and there are various sorts of them. Those which 

 we possessed are here called Tatu-peba, but in most parts the 

 common or real Tatu, Tatu verdadeiro, and afford a very 

 palatable food. During the night we had separated both the 

 animals, putting one of them into a sack, and confining the 

 other in a strong place; the former as we found, on wishing 



