Several Trees here bear a cooling Fruit, as if kind Nature took care to provide against excessive heat.

Description of the Tamanda.

All manner of Plants and Herbs brought hither from Angola, Portugal, the Netherlands, and the East-Indies, grow here very plentifully. But the Countrey generally would be much better, if some way could be found out to destroy the innumerable company of Pismires, which though three times bigger than the European, resemble them very much, and cover the Paths in Woods and Fields for three or four Miles together; and raising Hillocks, make them hollow, and fill them with Corn: in the Full of the Moon they gather an incredible quantity of Grain, which they bite at each end, because it should not sprout: against the rainy Moneths they stop up their Holes, that the Water may not damnifie their Store. But these Animals have a mortal Enemy of the Tamanda, of which there are two sorts, the bigger call’d Guaca; the lesser Miri; the Guaca, notwithstanding it is no bigger than an ordinary Dog, yet it destroys Tygers, and other wild Beasts, with such a raging fury, that it never lets go what once it hath got hold of, but holds it fast so long till sometimes it dies of Hunger. The Guaca differing from the Miri onely in bigness, hath a broad Tail full of grey and black Bristles, which sticks up when he is vex’d, but when he goes to sleep, covers himself with the same. The Miri winds his long smooth Tail about the Boughs, by which hanging he searches the Holes in the Trees with his Tongue, which being thin and round, hath a Gutter in the middle, in which when it feels any Pismires, it suddenly swallows them down: If he perceives them to have their Nests under Ground, then he scratches up the Earth, and puts his Tongue in at the Holes. Both the Guaca and Miri have a thick Skin, and a broad black Streak from their Breasts on each side up half way their Bodies, and through the black runs also a white Streak. No Beast in the World is hardier than this, for though it fasts twelve days, and is afterwards flay’d alive, yet it will live several hours after.

The Plant Manyle.

Description of the Tree Ibriptanga.

The Tree Tatai-iba.

The Lakes in Brasile are for the most part overgrown with Weeds just like a Field, yet are exceeding full of Fish and Fowl. Where the Sea runs into the Lakes, great multitudes of Crabs are seen crawling along the Ground, and the Oysters hang in Clusters on the Boughs of a Plant call’d Manyle or Mangues, which grow with their Roots either near or in the Water, in such a manner, that new Bodies still shoot from the old Roots, which prevents easie access to the chief Plant, on whose uppermost Leaves after Sun-rising sticks very white Salt, which in the Night, or in a cloudy Day turns to a brackish Dew. Moreover, those places where Brasile rises with Hills and Mountains, are likewise very fruitful, except the barren tops of some, which seem to kiss the Skyes; and though the fruitful Mountains flourish in the time of the rainy Months, yet many of the Trees which grow on them die in Summer, and their Ashes being burnt by the Inhabitants, are us’d in stead of Dung. Some Woods extend themselves three hundred Leagues in length, and are full of Trees, so tall, that an Arrow shot upwards falls short of the top of them, and a Boat may be made out of the Body, which can carry a hundred and fifty Men. On the great Boughs of these mighty Trees grow other excrescent Shrubs after the manner of Misseltoe, which proceed from the Kernels swallow’d and muted upon them by the Birds that light there. In some places also grow also Sweet-wood Trees, which afford either excellent Gums or Wood to Dye with; amongst which the chief is the Ibiripitanga, which yields the Brasile Wood, that gives Denomination of Brasile to this vast Tract of Land. The Tree Ibripitanga is tall and spreading, hath sad colour’d Bark full of short Thorns; the Leaves are green, and differ in form but little from the Box-Tree Leaf; the Boughs shoot forth other lesser, full of yellow and sweet-smelling Flowers, which falling off are succeeded by a flat long Cod, of a dark grey colour, full of little red Pulse; the upper part of the Tree is not good to Dye with, but onely the lower part of the Body, which because the Tree grows far up in the Countrey, is not transportable without much trouble. But the Tatai-iba grows in the Woods along the Shore; the Bark being of an Ash-colour, invests a yellow Wood; the Leaves are sharp and notch’d, the Fruit not unlike Mulberries, pale, juicy, and full of white Seed; the Wood boyl’d Dyes a pure Yellow. It is observable not onely of this Tree, but generally of the Trees of this Countrey, that they neither flourish, nor shed their Leaves all over at once, nor do several Trees of the same kind, and growing here germinate or fade together; for whilest one is fullest of Blossoms, the other is without Leaves; and whilest the same Tree sheds its Leaves on one side, the other side is newly Budded.

The European Plants and Herbs with soft Roots, being once Planted in Brasile, come to be hard and lignifi’d. There is also great difference, according to the Ground in which they are Planted; for such Plants and Trees as in the Plains are but small and tender, grow ten times higher if Planted in the Woods.

All sorts of Indian Pulse grow higher than the tallest Trees, like high Arbors, under which both Men and Beasts may shelter themselves from the Sun or Rain.

We find not upon Record or Tradition, that Brasile was ever troubled with an Earthquake, which is the reason that it hath neither Silver nor Gold-Mines, because sulphurous Fires are found under Ground, which are a cause of the production of Gold and Silver, so likewise they occasion Earthquakes: yet in that part of Brasile call’d Ceara, there are some Mines of Silver, out of which the Hollanders would have got greater Riches, had not they been employ’d in the Wars against the Portuguese.