g, and with antennae of twelve or
fourteen inches in length. They make up in size for want of quality,
for they are insipid and tasteless, though, being tender, they make
excellent curry. The oysters, on the other hand, are particularly
small, but of the most delicious flavour. They are brought from a
park, higher up the bay, where, as I have said, they grow on posts and
the branches of the mangrove-tree, which hang down into the water. We
also saw a large quantity of fine mackerel, a good many turtle and
porpoises, and a few hammer-headed sharks. The latter are very curious
creatures, not unlike an ordinary shark, but with a remarkable
hammer-shaped projection on either side of their noses for which it is
difficult to imagine a use.

In the fruit-market were many familiar bright-coloured fruits; for it
is now the depth of winter at Rio, and the various kinds that we saw
were all such as would bear transport to England. Fat, jet-black
negresses, wearing turbans on their heads, strings of coloured beads
on their necks and arms, and single long white garments, which
appeared to be continually slipping off their shoulders, here presided
over brilliant-looking heaps of oranges, bananas, pineapples,
passion-fruit, tomatoes, apples, pears, capsicums and peppers,
sugar-cane, cabbage-palms, cherimoyas, and bread-fruit.

In another part of the market all sorts of live birds were for sale,
with a few live beasts, such as deer, monkeys, pigs, guinea-pigs in
profusion, rats, cats, dogs, marmosets, and a dear little lion-monkey,
very small and rather red, with a beautiful head and mane, who roared
exactly like a real lion in miniature. We saw also cages full of small
flamingoes, snipe of various kinds, and a great many birds of smaller
size, with feathers of all shades of blue, red, and green, and
metallic hues of brilliant lustre, besides parrots, macaws, cockatoos
innumerable, and torchas, on stands. The torcha is a bright-coloured
black and yellow bird, about as big as a starling, which puts its
little head on one side and takes flies from one's fingers in the
prettiest and most enticing manner. Unfortunately, it is impossible to
introduce it into England, as it cannot stand the change of climate.
The other birds included guinea-fowls, ducks, cocks and hens, pigeons,
doves, quails, &c., and many other varieties less familiar or quite
unknown to us. Altogether the visit was an extremely interesting one,
and well repaid us for ou