IS 
-A^pril lO 
I have, at times when the clearness of the water permit - 1 
ted, also watched them a considerable distance down, 
feeding among the piles of the wharf. When found 
swimming near the surface of the water inside the inlets, 
they will greedily seize almost any bait, and I have ta- 
ken several while fishing for gar. In seizing their food 
they make a spring and dash, and a small fish, once en- 
closed in their powerful jaws, stands but a small chance 
of escape. If captured, great care should be taken in 
handling them, as a wound from their barbed teeth is 
apt to prove a very serious aflair. In nets with other 
fish, they are as ferocious as bulldogs, snapidng at their 
unfortunate comrades in misery, and woe betide the 
naked legs of a fisherman who approaches them incau- 
tiously. When swimming jnst below the surface of the 
water their movements sometimes are so rapid that the 
observer is just conscious of a flash of silvery light 
passing across his field of vision and is unable for a 
moment to decide whether his senses have misled him, 
or that he has really beheld one of these fish swimming 
by. 
It is thought the two species of fish just described are 
certainly entitled to the appellation given them at the 
head of this article — but as more space has been taken 
up than was originally intended, the article is closed for 
the present with the promise to resume at some future 
time our account of “ Odd Fish.” 
[to be CONTrXUED.l 
RECOLLECTIONS OF .IIARAJO ISLAND. 
BY CHABLES LIKDEN. 
CCOSTLKrED.) 
There is some difference however, as regards the an- 
nual amount of rain between the districts bordering the 
coast and those towards the eastern slope of the Andes. 
In the former the amount of moisture is so great that 
there is no time of the j'ear which is entirely exempt from 
showers. They are most abundant however in March, 
when rain falls often for days and nights without any 
intermission. This dark month was the time of my arri- 
val in Para, and although I had desired much to pay with- 
out delay a visit to the near-by island of Marajo, I felt 
reluctantly compelled to defer it until the latter end of 
August, when the Summer commences. Communica- 
tion between Para and the sea-shore settlements of 
Marajo was, in 1873 , very irregular, and chiefly carried 
on by means of small sized vessels or open boats. Un- 
less a traveler bears suitable recommendations to any of 
the several business firms which own these crafts, he 
must expect to pay a good round price for his passage, 
and miserable accommodations A line of steamers run- 
ning twice the month has since been established, and on 
these he is sure of rapid locomotion, although prices 
are exorbitant, and the fare scandalous, at least to one 
whose palate is not demoralized by Portuguese cookery. 
The great English traveller, W allace, who spent seven 
years in Northern Brazil, dwells on his journey from 
Para to the island of Mexiana with greater length, as 
far as enumeration of inconveniences he suffered are 
concerned, than on any other excursion dnriug his toil- 
some expedition to these primitive wilds. My own ex- 
perience since I followed his footsteps closely, was, in 
the main, a repetition of his accounts. After the usual 
apparently inevitable delay of several days in getting 
ready to start, I transferred at last m}' baggage and 
hunting material on board of one of these boats, which 
had from Wallace’s description, so much interested me. 
There were no pretensions to ordinary necessities, 
much less to conveniences. The vessel was the largest 
engaged in the trade between Para and the little settle- 
ments on Marajo islands, and carried a crew of eight 
men, with a negro pilot, although three would have 
been sufficient to manage her. The return freight con- 
sisted of the half wild cattle raised on Marajo Island; 
outward bound she carried absolutely nothing, not even 
ballast. Such preiequisites as lamps, charts, compasses, 
reefs to shorten the large fore and aft sails, were entirely 
disregarded. The crew was made up mostly of Indians, 
or rather their amalgamated descendants, who have few 
wants, none, seemingl3', which refer to a suitable diet. 
A square box with a layer of sand a foot deep wafe the 
substitute of the galley used by northern sailors, and 
old iron pots the only implements of cookery. Plates, 
cups, saucers, knives and forks, were of no conse- 
quence, since fingers, or at best their sheath knives, sup- 
plied these civilized conveniences. Their meals con- 
sisted chiefly of dry farinha, an abominable half putrid, 
repellent salt fish called Pirarucu, or occasionallj' half 
boiled rice, and fruit whenever it could be obtained. 
The whole mess wa-s generallj- boiled in the iron kettle 
to a disgusting looking pulp, around which, when pro- 
nounced read3' to be served, al’ squatted and helped 
themselves in true Arcadian siniplicit3’, with fingers or 
bits of wood, improvised into spoons. The decks, 
which were hardly ever washed down, never scrubbed, 
were thus a floor of grea£3’, slipper3- filth, dangerous to 
walk upon for anybod3' wearing boots or shoes. The 
centre of it was entireh' open but covered with a wide 
latticed grating, with patterns admirably suited to fall 
through unless resorting to extieme caution in walking 
over them — a difficult matter in a dark night with the 
vessel rolling and pitching in the surf of Cape Magoar3’. 
Whenever it rained, which it did ever3' day and 
night, on an average, the whole crew would crowd 
into the narrow cuddy, misnamed cabin, which I had 
flattered myself on departing, as being reserved for my 
own exclusive use. Picture ten men, steaming with 
sweat and its resulting effluvium mixed with that of an 
open hold, still covered ankle deep with the reeking 
excrements of its last living cargo of cattle, all 
crowded up in a close room 6 b3’ 10 feet, with chests, 
drawers, provisions, cordage and other nautical lumber, 
and you will glean an idea of the comfort the tourist 
luxuriates in. The wind, which blew perhaps fresh and 
cool from the near Atlantic, has died <iwa3' entirel3’, and 
generously awards to thousands of mosquitoes a holi- 
day feast, whicii saiJl3’' mars the enjo3'ment of new 
scenes and sights. The tide, however, turns when pa- 
tience has been subjected to its severest strain, all 
hands get turned out on de'k to weigh anchor, and 
hoist sail, unmindful of rain or sunshine, and the cheer- 
ing prospect to stretch out once more full length and 
width, compensates for fresh sufferings. All of these 
vessels, large and small, are compelled to give Cabe 
Magoary the northern point of tne embouchure of tne 
Amazon, a wide berth, as the sea rolls with the tremen- 
dous force against its low white sandy beach. When 
well off the cape the situation is far from being envia- 
ble. The sea is generally very rough, owing to the com- 
mingling of the immense forces of ocean tides apd the 
strongly ebbing river, and if we remember that no 
light chart, or compass is used in guiding the vessel’s 
course in a dark night, and I expected every moment to 
strike on the countless sho.ds, whit h obstruct the coast 
navigation, the reader will not envy me the experience 
of the slorm3’ passage across this dangerous and much 
dreaded point. 
The crew seem perfectly leckless of consequences. 
They are all excellent swimmers, have nothing to lose, 
may cling to the bottom of the capsized vessel until 
taken ofl b3’ some passing craft, and have a good joke 
at the expense of the unfortunate white compagnon de 
toyage, who laments the irreparable loss of his instru- 
ments, clothing and notes of his journey. The time is 
on these voyages not reckoned b3’ days and hours but 
by tides, thus they wilt designate distances by a tide and 
half or three tides. Neither does it seem of much con- 
sequence to the crew not even excepting the good na- 
tured corpulent capitao, how long the vessel may 
be on her trip. Deliberation is the rule, and since it 
has been found convenient to mark every other da3' in 
their almanac as a da3' consecrated to the memor3’ of 
some particular saint, they must be observed b3' all 
good Christians and sailors included. Thus I soon got 
over my astonishment to see us without apparent cause, 
resting quietly at an anchor abreast some pretty little 
xitro; matteis and reason were explained to me, and 
tended when viewed properly to convert me from my 
own heretical notions. I really would have been sat- 
isfied with all of these stoppages, providing hunting 
or collecting of specimens, had been good, but such 
was generall3’ not the case. Few localities only, are 
favored on this island with abundance of water fowl, 
most notable among these, the ver3- spot which was my 
own and the vessel’s final destination, and which I of 
course desired to reach as earl3' as possible. 'Whenever 
I ventured to expostulate, I received the consoling 
answer, “ Patienza Senhor,” a dose which had been 
administered unstintingly from the time of first landing. 
Thus we paid protracted visits to no less than five sitios, 
that of our negro pilot, including, since it would have 
seemed rather ungracious to rank such a good-natured, 
respectable man below the saints in his calendar. 
The wind was generally ahead, as the northeast 
trades prevail, and afforded me thereby ample leisure 
to surve3' almost b3’ the inch, the entire stretch of the* 
coast from Para to the little town of Chaves. The own- 
ers of the vessel to whom I had been kindly recom- 
mended through the courtesy of ilr. Pond, an American 
merchant residing in Para, had taken pains to show me 
many entirely -unrequcsted and complimentary civilities. 
Thus I found a complete set of plates, knives, forks, 
etc., with choice bunches of fruit sent for my express 
and sole use on board. Provisions of all kinds are ob- 
tainable at Para, and a liberal supply of these which I 
had taken care to include in my arrangements, helped 
to allay in a great measure annoyances which I should 
have suffered otherwise. An excellent Scottish boy, 
whom I had engaged for this journey as a speciai as- 
sistant in the shifts of every da3'’s work, proved him- 
self in every respect worthy of my expectations and a 
caiiital cook withal, so that I really fared sumptuously 
in comparison with m3' former mode of life in Brazil. 
The men on board, although very lazy and ignorant, 
were otherwise good-natured, and never grudged me 
choice corner of their hearth, nor the cleanest and sha- 
diest place on the vessel’s deck. The air, when a sea 
breeze sprung up, was fresh, bracing, and well-calculated 
to promote physical health, this great helpmate of pure 
enjo3'ment of scenery and occurrences. There were also 
many stray shots at gulls, porpoises, cormorants purple 
ibis, roseate spoonbills, snakes and huge but delicious 
iguanas. The hook came continually into requisition, 
and procured many savory dishes of fish, which abound 
in these waters, and which by their various forms and 
colors in themselves afforded a vast field of never-tiring 
investigation. Thus weighing all pros and cons, bal- 
ancing the suffocating cabin, with the pure air while 
the sea breeze lasted, the tediousness of the journey 
with the delight experienced at each capture of some 
new finny stranger, the dangers of Cape Magoary in a 
dark night and its foamy shore close under our lee, with 
the relief after weathering it which is, after all, the very 
zest of all travel, I sum up with the advice, do not wait 
for the steamer’s departure, if you wish to visit the 
mouth of the Amazon, but prefer instead the first frail, 
odd and rough looking craft you come across, and 
which you will find on some days b3' the dozen crowd- 
ing up the little slips near the custom-house of the city 
of Para. 
■iVe completed '250 miles in just eight days, aided half 
of the time by strong flowing ebb tides, and anchored 
at last in front of the extensive plantation of Dr. Arris, 
a wealthy Paraiiee, who owns a large portion of eastern 
Marajo. Abundant and rather too flattering letters of 
introduction had been furnished to us by several parties, 
and I had thus no apprehension as to a lack of friendly 
and cordial reception in a laud where strangers are often 
hospitably welcomed without a single scrap from any- 
body testifying^to their pursuits, standing, wants, etc. 
Never omit formality in Brazil ; 3'our social importance 
increases in proportion to its liberal dispensation, and 
attentions will be shown to you. which you would oth- 
erwise never have received. Cast a.side on such occa- 
sions the rough garment of the explorer, don your best 
white suit and gloves, be sure of your carts de visits, and 
success will crown this innocent strategy which ensures 
you the polite respect of your host, and his best exer- 
tions to aid in ever3' possible direction your pursuits, to 
enrich 3 'Our collection, and further the ends of science, 
a laudable end which sanctions all means. 
The aspect of the beach near to the plantation of Dr. 
Assis was not calculated to inspire me with an infusion 
of poetical sensations. The low shores are either 
muddy or sandy, and fringed with a straggling, rather 
open belt of trees, running into mangroves near to the 
water, palm trees beyond. A few miserable^ tumble 
down huts, inhabited by the rancheros of the sitio, 
completed the picture, none the less tempting for a lot 
of putrid offal which attracted crowds of disgusting 
turkey buzzards and other vultures, those never failing 
accompaniments of filth, putrescent carcasses, and 
other revolting offal. The trees have but scanty 
foliage, but look rather pleasant by an abundance of 
rather pretty orange colored blossoms. Grass is re- 
placed by a sedgy sharp leaved undergrowth, in which 
every color excepting a pleasing green predominates. 
The soil beyond the beach is of a clayey nature, and 
extremely tenacious when semi-solid, as at the com- 
mencement and close of the rainy season; hard as iron, 
full of wide gaping cracks in the summer. Behind 
this belt of scanty vegetation the land rises somewliat, 
affording a conspicuous view of the Doctor’s large and 
spacious residence, to which he resorts when the' 
weather becomes settled. The Indians on board have 
no need to shift their clothes; the3’ plunge from the side 
of the vessel, which is anchored within a mile of the 
beach, right into the mudd3', shallow river, and wade 
cautiously ashore, carrying bulky luggage on ^eir 
