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Show 32 RIO DE JANEIRO. May-June, 1832. found, in company with an old Portuguese priest who took me out to hunt with him. The sport consisted in turning into the cover a few dogs, and then patiently waiting to fire at any animal which might appear. We were accompanied by the son of a neighbouring farmer-a good specimen of a wild Brazilian youth. He was dressed in a tattered old shirt and trousers, and had his head uncovered: he carried an old-fashioned gun and a large knife. The habit of carrying the knife is universal; and in traversing a thick wood it is almost necessary, on account of the creeping plants. The frequent occurrence of murder may be partly attributed to this habit. The Brazilians are so dexterous with the knife, that they can throw it to some distance with precision, and with sufficient force to cause a fatal wound. I have seen a number of little boys practising this art as a game of play, and from their skill in hitting an upright stick, they promised well for more earnest attempts. My companion, the day before, had shot two large bearded monkeys. These animals have prehensile tails, the extremity of which, even after death, can support the whole weight of the body. One of them thus remained fast to a branch, and it was necessary to cut down a large tree to procure it. This was soon effected, and down came tree and monkey with an awful crash. Our day's sport, besides the monkey, was confined to sundry small green parrots and a few toucans. I profited, however, by my acquaintance with the Portuguese padre, for on another occasion he gave me a fine specimen of the Y aguarundi cat. Every one has heard of the beauty of the scenery near Botofogo. The house in which I lived was seated close beneath the well-known mountain of the Corcovado. It has been remarked, with much truth, that abruptly conical hills are characteristic of the formation which Humboldt designates as gneiss-granite. Nothing can be more striking than the effect of these huge rounded masses of naked rock rising out of the most luxuriant vegetation. I was often interested by watching the clouds, which, May-June, 1832. RIO DE JANEIRO. 33 r~lling in from seaward, formed a bank . highest point of the Co d . JUSt beneath the h rcova o. This mountain l'k ot ers, when thus partl .1 d ' I e most prouder elevation than lt:e;e:l' h:~p::re; to rise to a far Daniell has observed in his Ig o. 2300 feet. Mr. cloud sometimes app:ars fi dmeteorological essays, that a l · xe on a mountain · · t le wmd continues to blo . summit, while here presented a slightly ;.fiiover It. The same phenomenon h I erent appearance I th' t e cloud was clearly seen t 1 • n Is case ~he .summit, and yet was n~i~:r o~~ ~n: ~apidl~ pass by m size. The sun was sett. d Ims e nor mcreased striking against the southmg, a~ a gentle southerly breeze, current with the colde . erbn SI e of the rock, mingled its r a1r a ove . and the condensed : but as the li ht 'h vapour was thus ridge, and came within tgh ~fieat s of cloud passed over the e m uence of the . sph.e re of the northern slo pm. O' b ank they -w·a rmer da' tmo- redissolved. 0 ' were Imme 1ately The climate, during the months of the beginning of winter, was deli htful May and June, or perature, from observations take! at . . Th: ;nean ternmorning and evenin was o nme o c ock, both but the d . g, only 72 . It often rained heavily rymg southerly winds soon . ' walks pleasant One . . agam rendered the . . mornmg, m the course of . h 1.6 mches of rain fell A tl . SIX ours, r • s ns storm pa~sed h .torests, which surround the C d "' over t e by the drops pattering on th orcoval o, the ~ound produced e count ess multitude of l was very remarkable ; it could be heard . eaves, a quarter of a mile and was lik h . at the distance of f ' e t e rushmg of b o water. After the hotter da s it . . a great ody . in the garden and watch the y ' . was de~IC10us to sit quietly in these climes chooses he evenli.ng pfass mto night. Nature, r ' r voca Ists rom m h bl wrmers than in Euro A ore urn e per-sits on a blade of glas;:bout sm~ll hfrog, of the genus Hyla,* an me above the surface of the • I had some difficulty in catchin a . Hyla has its toes terminated by smarl sp:cimen of this frog. The genus could crawl up a pane of ..,Jass . 1 ~uc ers ; and I found this anima) vor.... III. b ' w wn paced absolutely perp.endicular. D |