212 
TRAVELS ON THE RTO NEGRO. \_November, 
not go far myself, and in the immediate vicinity of the 
village there is little to be obtained. 
I found it more easy to procure fishes, and was much 
pleased by being frequently able to add to niy collection 
of drawings. The smaller species I also preserved in 
spirits. The electrical eel is common in all the streams 
here ; it is caught with a hook, or in weirs, and is eaten, 
though not much esteemed. When the water gets low, 
and leaves pools among the rocks, many fish are caught 
by poisoning the waters with a root called “timbo.’’ 
The mouths of the small streams are also staked across, 
and large quantities of all kinds are obtained. The fish 
thus caught are very good when fresh, but putrefy sooner 
than those caught in weirs or hooked. 
Not being able to do much here, I determined to take 
a trip up a small stream to a place where, on a lonely 
granite mountain, the '' Cocks of the Rock ’’ are found. 
An Indian, who could speak a little Portuguese, having 
come from a village near it, I agreed to return with 
him. Senhor L. lent me a small canoe ; and my two 
hunters, one of whom lived there, accompanied me. I 
took with me plenty of ammunition, a great box for my 
birds, some salt, hooks, mirrors, knives, etc., for the 
Indians, and left Guia early one morning. Just below 
the village we turned into the river Isanna, a fine 
stream, about half a mile wide, and in the afternoon ^ 
reached the mouth of the small river Cobati (fish), on 
the south side, which we entered. We had hitherto, 
seen the banks clothed with thick virgin forest, and here 
and there were some low hills covered entirely with 
lofty trees. Now the country became very bushy and 
