of the town, this terrace sinks abruptly to
a wide sandy plain called the Campos, covered with a low forest growth,
and bordered on its farther limit by the picturesque serra of Errere.
The form of this mountain is so abrupt, its rise from the plain so bold
and sudden, that it seems more than twice its real height. Judging by
the eye, and comparing it with the mountains I had last seen,--the
Corcovado, the Gavia and Tijuca range in the neighborhood of Rio,--I had
supposed it to be three or four thousand feet high, and was greatly
astonished when our barometric observations showed it to be somewhat
less than nine hundred feet in its most elevated point. This, however,
agrees with Martins's measurement of the Almeirim hills, which he says
are eight hundred feet in height.

Major Coutinho and I reached the serra by different roads; he crossing
the Campos on horseback with Captain Faria, the commander of our
steamer, and one or two other friends from Monte Alegre, who joined our
party, while I went by canoe. The canoe journey is somewhat longer. A
two hours' ride across the Campos brings you to the foot of the
mountain, whereas the trip by boat takes more than twice that time. But
I preferred going by water, as it gave me an opportunity of seeing the
vast variety of animals haunting the river-banks and lakes. As this was
almost the only occasion in all my journey when I passed a day in the
pure enjoyment of nature, without the labor of collecting,--which in
this hot climate, where specimens require such immediate and constant
attention, is very great,--I am tempted to interrupt our geology for a
moment, to give an account of it. I learned how rich a single day may be
in this wonderful tropical world, if one's eyes are only open to the
wealth of animal and vegetable life. Indeed, a few hours so spent in the
field, in simply watching animals and plants, teaches more of the
distribution of life than a month of closet study; for under such
circumstances all things are seen in their true relations. Unhappily, it
is not easy to present the picture as a whole, for all our written
descriptions are more or less dependent on nomenclature, and the local
names are hardly known out of the districts where they belong, while
systematic names are familiar to few.

I started before daylight; but, as the dawn began to redden the sky,
large flocks of ducks, and of the small Amazonian geese, might be seen
flying towards the lakes. Here and th