280 
TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. 
\June, 
families thus living together in patriarchal harmony. ! 
The next morning Senhor L, succeeded in persuading j 
one Indian to earn a saia’’ (petticoat) for his wife, and i 
embark with us, and so we bade adieu to Assai Parana [ 
(Assai river). On lifting up the mat covering of our j 
canoe, I found lying comfortably coiled up on the top v f 
of my box a fine young boa, of a species of which I | 
possessed two live specimens at Guia : he had probably 1 
fallen in unperceived during our passage among the | 
bushes on the river- side. In the afternoon we reached I 
another village, also situated up a narrow igarip^ and 
consisting of a house and two maloccas at some distance j 
from it. The inhabitants had gone to a neighbouring i 
village, where there was caxiri and dancing, and two [ 
women only were left behind with some children. About 1 | 
these houses were several parrots, macaws, and cu- 
rassow-birds, which all these Indians breed in great 
numbers. The next day we reached Ananarapicoma, or i | 
Pine-apple Point,'' the village where the dance was - 
taking place. It consisted of several small houses be- 
sides the large malocca, many of the Indians who have T 
been with traders to the Rio Negro imitating them in | 
using separate dwellings. 
On entering the great malocca a most extraordinary ^ 
and novel scene presented itself. Some two hundred 
men, women, and children were scattered about the 
house, lying in the maqueiras, squatting on the ground, j 
or sitting on the small painted stools, which are made 
only by the inhabitants of this river. Almost all were | 
naked and painted, and wearing their various feathers | 
and other ornaments. Some were walking or conversing. 
