1852.] 
DISAPPOINTMENTS. 
361 
My expectations of finding rare and handsome birds 
here were quite disappointed. My hunter and Senhor 
Nicolau killed a few umbrella-birds, of the Rio Negro 
species ; but of the white bird ,sucli contradictory state- 
ments were given, — many knowing nothing whatever 
about it, others saying that it was sometimes, but very 
rarely seen, — that I am inclined to think it is a mere 
white variety, such as occurs at times with our black- 
birds and starlings at home, and as are sometimes found 
among the curassow-birds and agoutis. Another bird, 
which I had been long searching for, the “ anambe de 
catinga,” a species of Cyanurus, was here shot ; and be- 
fore leaving, I obtained four or five specimens of it, and 
as many of the commoner black-headed species. One 
or two small birds, new to me, were also obtained ; and 
these, with two or three scarce butterflies, and about a 
dozen new species of fish, composed my natural-history 
collections in this remote and unvisited district. This 
was entirely owing however to my unfortunate and un- 
foreseen illness, for birds in great variety had been very 
abundant, but the time of the fruit was now over ; fish 
and turtles, too, were in extraordinary plenty at the com- 
mencement of the fall of the river, two months'* back ; 
and during that period, constituting the short summer 
in these districts, while I lay half-dead at Sao Joaquiin, 
insects were doubtless more numerous. 
But as there was now no remedy, I made myself as 
contented as I could, and endeavoured at least to com- 
ments of the natives. The Indians here were mostly 
Cobeus,” and I obtained several of their peculiar orna- 
