[39]. I was especially interested in examining the vegetable productions of a little lake, hardly larger than a mill-pond, near this fazenda. It was strange to see Potamogeton and Myriophyllum, plants which we associate exclusively with the fresh waters of the temperate zone, growing in the shadow of tropical forests where monkeys have their home. Such combinations are very puzzling to the student of the laws of geographical distribution.—L. A.
[40]. In the same way, it may be said that in its incipient growth the Dicotyledonous Plant exhibits, in the structure of its germinative leaves, the characteristic features of Monocotyledonous Plants.—L. A.
[41]. Senhor Lage had caused an extensive collection of fishes to be gathered from the waters of the Rio Novo, so that this excursion greatly extended the range of my survey of the basin of the Parahyba.—L. A.
[42]. Never were pleasant anticipations more delightfully fulfilled. During eleven months of the most intimate companionship I had daily cause to be grateful for the chance which had thrown us together. I found in Major Coutinho an able collaborator, untiring in his activity and devotion to scientific aims, an admirable guide, and a friend whose regard I trust I shall ever retain.—L. A.
[43]. Mr. Agassiz was indebted to Mr. Hitch for valuable additions to his collections, and for many acts of kindness in behalf of the expedition.
[44]. Here, as elsewhere, I found ready and willing coadjutors among amateur collectors. On my return from the Amazons, many months later, I found collections made in my absence by Dr. Mendes and Senhor Barroso, who had been our companions on board the steamer. At Parahyba do Norte I was indebted in the same way to Dr. Justa. These collections will afford invaluable materials for the comparison of the Coast Faunæ.—L. A.
[45]. At a later period I owed to Dr. Braga far more than the ordinary courtesy extended to a stranger. I had informed him that Mr. St. John, then following the course of the Rio San Francisco, on his way to the province of Piauhy, would arrive in Maranham at the close of his journey. When he reached that city he was very seriously ill with fever. Dr. Braga took him into his house, where he was attended by him and his family as if he had been one of their kindred. I have, indeed, little doubt that my young friend owed his recovery to the considerate care with which he was treated under their kindly roof.—L. A.
[46]. These two Medusæ belong to the Rhizostomidæ, and I shall take an early opportunity to publish a description of them, with the drawings of Mr. Burkhardt.—L. A.
[47]. To Dr. Couto de Magalhaês Mr. Agassiz was indebted for unremitting attentions during our stay in the region of the Amazons. He never failed to facilitate the success of the expedition by every means in his power, and the large collections made under his directions during our sojourn upon the Upper Amazons were among the most valuable contributions to its scientific results. When he heard that Mr. Ward, one of our young companions, was coming down the Tocantins, he sent a boat and boatmen to meet him, and on his arrival in Pará received him in his own house, where he remained his guest during his stay in the city.
[48]. This mushroom belongs to the genus Phallus, and seems to be an undescribed species. I preserved it in alcohol, but was unable to have any drawing made from it before its beauty and freshness were quite gone. In the early morning, while the grass was still damp, we often found a peculiar snail, a species of Bulimus, creeping by the roadside. The form of the anterior part of the foot was unlike that of any species known thus far from this group. Such facts show the desirableness of making drawings from the soft parts of these animals as well as from their solid envelopes.—L. A.