114 
TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. 
[April, 
the immense abundance and luxuriance of insect life in 
this country, that in every collection, however small, I i 
almost always saw something new to me. 
Having heard much of the “ Piroroco,’' or bore, that ^ 
occurs in the Guama River at spring-tides, I determined 
to take a little trip in order to see it, and make some 
variation from my rather monotonous life at Para. I 
wished to go in a canoe of my own, so as to be able to 
stop where and when I liked, and I also thought it 
would be useful afterwards in ascending the Amazon. I 
therefore agreed to purchase one that I thought would 
suit me, of a Prenchman in Para, and having paid part 
of the purchase-money, got it fitted up and laid in a 
stock of requisites for the voyage. I took a barrel and 
a quantity of spirits for preserving fish, and everything 
necessary for collecting and preparing birds and insects. 
As the canoe was small, I did not want many men, for 
whom there would not indeed have been room, so deter- 
mined to manage with only a pilot, and one man or boy 
besides Luiz. 
I soon found a boy who lived near, and had been ac- 
customed to bring me insects. To all appearance he 
was an Indian, but his mother had Negro blood in her, 
and was a slave, so her son of course shared her fate. I 
had therefore to hire him of his master, an officer, and 
agreed for three mibeis (about seven shillings) a month. 
People said that the boy's master was his father, which, 
as he certainly resembled him, might have been the case. 
He generally had a large chain round his body and leg, 
as a punishment, and to prevent his running away ; he 
wore it concealed under his trousers, and it clanked very 
