Travels in the Brazils. ' 23 



avenues, m which they walk up and down. In the forest-roads, 

 troops of ants may be seen, all carrying bits of green leaves, or 

 some articles of provender, to their nest. 



After this we entered into a wild forest, where we saw for the 

 first time the tucan (ramphastos dicolorus, Linn.) with its immense 

 beak, apd a dark orange coloured breast, finely contrasted with a 

 black plumage. These sagacious birds kept so high in the tops of 

 the trees, that our hunters could not reach them. We advanced 

 alternately over a black moorish, or a red loamy ground. The 

 forest improved in magnificence as we proceeded to penetrate it, 

 being composed of the finest trees, with an infinite variety of 

 leaves. The European can form no conception of their grandeur, 

 nor is it possible to give an adequate description of them. Here 

 we frequently met with the cocoa palm-tree, which grows to the 

 height of 30 feet, and is called in the Lingoa geral, airi assii, 

 and in Minas, brejeuba. The natives make their bows from 

 them ; their stem is of a dark brown, and closely covered over 

 with long pointed thorns, in horizontal rings. Their leaves are 

 long, and, as in all the cocoa species, beautifully feathered. From 

 the place where they spring, the yellowish blossoms hang down, 

 which afterwards are formed into hard, oblong pointed nuts, of 

 the size of a pigeon's egg. A similar holly-tree of a small size, 

 called airi mirim, is found in all these forests. Neither of them 

 has been hitherto classified. The cacatus, and agave ^ and epiden- 

 drum, cover all the trees with the finest coloured blossoms. 

 Wherever there is an aperture in the wood, there spring up also 

 tufts of arurriy caladium, dracontium, and similar plants, which, 

 in their variety and mixture, produce the most superb effects. 

 There was here also a profusion of the dracontium pertusum, with 

 its leaves strangely perforated with holes ; the notice of our bota- 

 nist was also attracted by a blue-blossomed maranta. 



Our young Indian Francisco was, in this day's journey, not a 

 little entertained by the mistake of one of our hunters, who shot 

 at an excrescence of a branch, which he took for a bird. He was a 

 good faithful fellow, but rather obstinate and whimsical. Of some 

 of his Indian peculiarities, he could never be cured ; he would ne- 

 ver go to the chace, without his breakfast, like the other hunters, 

 whatever delay it might occasion. 



We had intended to reach Ponta Negra that day, but had been 

 led astray in the thick wood. We came, however, to a large fa- 

 zenda, the proprietor of which, Mr. Alferes da Cunha Vieira gave 

 us an hospitable reception. This seat is called Gurapina, and 

 contains a large sugar-en^hendo or manufactory. The cane is 

 pushed between three cylinders placed horizontally, covered with 

 pins of a hard wood, which press it. It turns out on the other 

 side, completely dry and flat, the juice having been squeezed into 

 a wooden trough standing underneath. These cylinders are put 



