第7章

The surface, though everywhere low, is slightly undulating, so that areas of dry land alternate throughout with areas of swampy ground, the vegetation and animal tenants of the two being widely different.Our residence lay on the side of the city nearest the Guama, on the borders of one of the low and swampy areas which here extends over a portion of the suburbs.The tract of land is intersected by well-macadamised suburban roads, the chief of which, the Estrada das Mongubeiras (the Monguba road), about a mile long, is a magnificent avenue of silk-cotton trees (Bombax monguba and B.ceiba), huge trees whose trunks taper rapidly from the ground upwards, and whose flowers before opening look like red balls studding the branches.This fine road was constructed under the governorship of the Count dos Arcos, about the year 1812.At right angles to it run a number of narrow green lanes, and the whole district is drained by a system of small canals or trenches through which the tide ebbs and flows, showing the lowness of the site.

Before I left the country, other enterprising presidents had formed a number of avenues lined with cocoanut palms, almond and other trees, in continuation of the Monguba road, over the more elevated and drier ground to the north-east of the city.On the high ground the vegetation has an aspect quite different from that which it presents in the swampy parts.Indeed, with the exception of the palm trees, the suburbs here have an aspect like that of a village green at home.The soil is sandy, and the open commons are covered with a short grassy and shrubby vegetation.

Beyond this, the land again descends to a marshy tract, where, at the bottom of the moist hollows, the public wells are situated.

Here all the linen of the city is washed by hosts of noisy negresses, and here also the water-carts are filled--painted hogsheads on wheels, drawn by bullocks.In early morning, when the sun sometimes shines through a light mist, and everything is dripping with moisture, this part of the city is full of life;vociferous negroes and wrangling Gallegos, [Natives of Galicia, in Spain, who follow this occupation in Lisbon and Oporto, as well as at Para] the proprietors of the water-carts, are gathered about, jabbering continually, and taking their morning drams in dirty wineshops at the street corners.

Along these beautiful roads we found much to interest us during the first few days.Suburbs of towns, and open, sunny cultivated places in Brazil, are tenanted by species of animals and plants which are mostly different from those of the dense primaeval forests.I will, therefore, give an account of what we observed of the animal world during our explorations in the immediate neighbourhood of Para.

The number and beauty of the birds and insects did not at first equal our expectations.The majority of the birds we saw were small and obscurely coloured; they were indeed similar, in general appearance, to such as are met with in country places in England.Occasionally a flock of small parroquets, green, with a patch of yellow on the forehead, would come at early morning to the trees near the Estrada.They would feed quietly, sometimes chattering in subdued tones, but setting up a harsh scream, and flying off, on being disturbed.Hummingbirds we did not see at this time, although I afterwards found them by hundreds when certain trees were in flower.Vultures we only saw at a distance, sweeping round at a great height, over the public slaughter-houses.Several flycatchers, finches, ant-thrushes, a tribe of plainly-coloured birds, intermediate in structure between flycatchers and thrushes, some of which startle the new-comer by their extraordinary notes emitted from their places of concealment in the dense thickets; and also tanagers, and other small birds, inhabited the neighbourhood.None of these had a pleasing song, except a little brown wren (Troglodytes furvus), whose voice and melody resemble those of our English robin.It is often seen hopping and climbing about the walls and roofs of houses and on trees in their vicinity.Its song is more frequently heard in the rainy season, when the Monguba trees shed their leaves.At those times the Estrada das Mongubeiras has an appearance quite unusual in a tropical country.The tree is one of the few in the Amazon region which sheds all its foliage before any of the new leaf-buds expand.The naked branches, the sodden ground matted with dead leaves, the grey mist veiling the surrounding vegetation, and the cool atmosphere soon after sunrise, all combine to remind one of autumnal mornings in England.Whilst loitering about at such times in a half-oblivious mood, thinking of home, the song of this bird would create for the moment a perfect illusion.Numbers of tanagers frequented the fruit and other trees in our garden.The two principal kinds which attracted our attention were the Rhamphoccelus Jacapa and the Tanagra Episcopus.The females of both are dull in colour, but the male of Jacapa has a beautiful velvety purple and black plumage, the beak being partly white, whilst the same sex in Episcopus is of a pale blue colour, with white spots on the wings.In their habits they both resemble the common house-sparrow of Europe, which does not exist in South America, its place being in some measure filled by these familiar tanagers.

They are just as lively, restless, bold, and wary; their notes are very similar, chirping and inharmonious, and they seem to be almost as fond of the neighbourhood of man.They do not, however, build their nests on houses.