86 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [November, 
the most abundant, and it would often happen that, of a 
dozen specimens taken in a day’s excursion, no two were 
alike. 
At length the canoe, for which I had been waiting, 
was ready to sail; and on the 3rd of November we left 
Para, for the island of Mexiana, situated in the main 
stream of the Amazon, between the great island of Ma- 
rajo and the northern shore. We had to go down the 
Para river, and round the eastern point of Marajo, were 
we were quite exposed to the ocean; and, though most 
of the time in fresh water, I was very sea-sick all the 
voyage, which lasted four days. The canoe was intended 
for the conveyance of cattle, and therefore had no par- 
ticular accommodation for human passengers. There 
was certainly a little cabin, with two berths just five feet 
long, but not at all suitable for me (I am six feet two 
inches high), so I preferred the hold. Our crew con- 
sisted of eight young Tapuyas, — fine active fellows, from 
fifteen to twenty years of age. Each wore a tight-fitting 
pair of trousers and a very short shirt, so that six inches 
of red skin appeared between the two garments. The 
shrouds of the canoe consisted of the stay-ropes only, 
without any rattlins or cross-steps, yet up these they 
would run like monkeys, holding on with their toes. 
The island of Mexiana is about twenty-five miles long 
by twelve broad, of a regular oval shape, and is situated 
exactly on the equator. It is quite fiat, and is all campo, 
or open ground, but dotted with scattered trees and 
bushes, and with a little forest at the water’s edge. It 
is celebrated for its birds, alligators, and on^as, and is 
used as a cattle estate by the proprietor. The alligators 
