Travels in the Brazils. jä 

 deep sand, always wet. This sand-road is pleasant and con- 

 venient for the traveller^ but the mules and horses unaccus- 

 tomed to the view and noise of the surge often take fright. A 

 troop proceeding over the smooth white sand at the edge of 

 the azure sea, is, when seen from a distance, an agreeable 

 object; for when the coast has no considerable curves the pros- 

 pect extends so far that the cattle diminish to points, i On the 

 projecting headlands, where the shore has to sustain the strong 

 shock of the breakers, we observed stones perforated by the 

 water in a most extraordinary manner. 



After we had followed this praya for some leagues, a path 

 conducted us to Lagoas surrounded by high woods. Extreme 

 thirst tormented the whole troop; but the waters of the 

 Lagoas were salt from the overflowing of the sea, and two 

 huts, in which we hoped to be able to refresh ourselves, were 

 deserted; the w^ell-tasted petangas which grew around in 

 great numbers partly indemnified us, however, for our disap- 

 pointment. As I was afterwards riding on before our people 

 through the high forest where our way then lay, examining 

 the beautiful plants, and occupying my thoughts upon the 

 Tapuyas, who often infest these parts, I suddenly beheld, to my 

 no small astonishment, two brown coloured men standing be- 

 fore me. I was about to secure myself against any probable 

 attack with my gun, but I found them to be lizard-hunters. 



The solitary planters of this wilderness are fond of the large 

 species of lizards, which, in the language of the Indians of 

 the east coas^t, are called Tein (Lacerta Teguixin, Linn.) They 

 are caught by the aid of dogs trained to the game, which, 

 as soon as they approach a lizard, dart as swift as an arrow into 

 its hole, whence it is dug out by the hunter. The men whom 

 I here saw, being quite naked and tanned from head to foot, 

 might easily have been taken for Tapuyas. They carried 

 hatchets, and had with them a brace of large lizards, four feet 

 long including the tail ; and assured us that we should reach the 

 fazenda, at Muribecca where we expected to arrive in less 

 than an hour. We soon after entered into the inclosure 

 which announced the district of this place. In the shady lofty 

 forest we found beautiful plants ; the shrubs were highly en- 

 twined by the noble Convolvulus with azure bells. The Jus * 



* Tinamus noctivagus^ a new and hitherto undescribed species of 7 inamts. 

 or Inumbu. It is less than the Maciica {Tinamus braüüensis, Lath) thinteen 

 inches, five lines long ; the upper part, dark grey — reddish brown ; the backj 

 chesnut brown ; the head, strong ash blue — spotted black; the lower back 

 and dropygium, reddish rusty brown, but all these parts of the back are 

 streaked across with dark brown; chin and neck whitish; wnder part of the 

 neck, ash grey; breast, a lively brownish rust — yellow ; belly, paler coloured. 



VoYAGSis and Travels, No. 3. VoU HI, G 



