n the sandy river
beaches. Lagartos (_Iguanas_) and lizards are common everywhere. The
ophidians are also numerous, especially in the wooded lowlands
valleys, and the poisonous species, though less numerous than others,
include some of the most dangerous known--the rattlesnake _surucucu_
(_Lachesis rhombeatus_), and _jararaca_ (_Bothrops_). The Amazon
region is frequented by the _giboia_ (boa constrictor), and the
central plateau by the _sucuriu_ (_Eunectes murinus_), both
distinguished for their enormous size. The batrachians include a very
large number of genera and species, especially in the Amazon valley.

The fauna of the rivers and coast of Brazil is richer in species and
individuals than that of the land. All the rivers are richly stocked,
and valuable fishing grounds are to be found along the coast,
especially that of southern Bahia and Espirito Santo where the
_garoupa_ (_Serranus_) is found in large numbers. Some of the small
fish along the coast are highly esteemed for their flavour. Whales
were once numerous between Capes St Roque and Frio, but are now rarely
seen. Of the edible river fish, the best known is the _pirarucu_
(_Sudis gigas_), a large fish of the Amazon which is salted and dried
for market during the low-water season. Fish is a staple food of the
Indian tribes of the Amazon region, and their fishing season is during
the period of low water. The visit of Professor Louis Agassiz to the
Amazon in 1865 resulted in a list of 1143 species, but it is believed
that no less than 1800 to 2000 species are to be found in that great
river and its tributaries.

In strong contrast to the poverty of Brazil in the larger mammals is
the astonishing profusion of insect life in every part of the country.
The Coleoptera and Lepidoptera are especially numerous, both in
species and individuals. A striking illustration of this extraordinary
profusion was given by the English naturalist H.W. Bates, who found
7000 species of insects in the vicinity of only one of his collecting
places on the Amazon (Ega), of which 550 species were of butterflies.
Within an hour's walk of Para are to be found, he says, about 700
species of butterflies, "whilst the total number found in the British
Islands does not exceed 66, and the whole of Europe supports only
321." (H.W. Bates, _The Naturalist on the River Amazons_.) One of the
rare species of the Amazon _Morphos_