The remainder of our journey was through a country very similar to that just described; but a low evergreen _Zizyphus_ tree, and a few large species of _Cactus_ now gave a different character to the landscape. On the afternoon of the 12th the appearance of the country was still further diversified by our approach to a mountain range about sixteen leagues in length, running in a direction from S.W. to N.E.; this is called the Serra de Pereira, a name derived from the number of trees of that name said to grow on it. The appearance of this high land was a great relief to the eye, after having been so long accustomed to a nearly level country. On the same evening I saw for the first time a troop of oxen with loads on their backs; there were about a dozen of them, all large and well fed animals, going down to Aracaty with dried hides; such a sight was afterwards not uncommon. The further we proceeded inland, the greater appeared to be the effect of the drought; and in consequence of this I added but little to my botanical collections; but among the few plants that were in flower I observed a very fine species of _Angelonia_ (_A. biflora_, Benth.) bearing long spikes of large bluish coloured flowers, and which is now common in English gardens, raised from seeds which I sent home. So little are the birds here annoyed by man, that flocks of pigeons of various sorts, parrots, paroquets, &c., remained without stirring on the branches of the small trees under which we passed; and cranes of different species as well as many other water birds, did not move from the margins of the small lakes till the horses nearly approached them; the same was nearly the case with two kinds of ravens, called by the inhabitants Gavião and Gavião vermelho; these latter exist in great numbers living upon what carrion they may pick up. While we were resting during the heat of the day, I frequently took my gun to shoot parrots and pigeons, which we stewed for dinner, and were more relished than our usual fare of dried beef, although the flesh of parrots is both brown, dry, and tough. Some of the pigeons, as before observed, are not larger than sparrows, and one of these which frequently alights on the roofs of houses, may be heard, particularly during the morning, calling out most distinctly “Fogo pegou, Fogo pegou” for hours together; in Portuguese this means “the gun missed fire,” an apparently teazing exclamation of the bird, not unaptly applied to the guns of the country people which seldom take effect. This I suspect is the same bird that Waterton speaks of under the name of “Will-come-go.” Shortly before we reached the Villa de Icó, we met a party of ladies and gentlemen, on horseback, and I was not a little surprised to see the manner in which the former were mounted, _en cavalier_, which, in nine cases out of ten, is the way in which females travel in the interior.