I found on my arrival at Crato that it would be necessary to remain there longer than I had previously anticipated, owing to the desert state of the country, in the dry season, between it and Oeiras, the capital of the province of Piauhy, at which time water and grass are so scarce, that only those well acquainted with the country would undertake this journey: I was, therefore, strongly recommended to defer leaving Crato till the rains should set in, to which advice I was the more willing to listen, finding that district a very good field for my botanical researches, and knowing well, moreover, that a journey to Oeiras at that time would yield very little. It was now the beginning of December, and the rains were not expected to set in till the beginning of February. Having pretty well exhausted the neighbourhood of Crato, I determined to visit in the interim a small town about sixteen leagues distant, called Villa da Barra do Jardim, being the more desirous to spend some time at that place in order to search for a deposit of fossil fishes which were reported to exist in the neighbourhood. My friend Capitão João Gonsalvez gave me letters to his relation Capitão Antonio da Cruz, the principal person in the place, and on the afternoon of the eleventh of December I left Crato. The road for the first five leagues runs nearly eastward along the Serra de Araripe, and after having accomplished four of them we halted for the night, about eight o’clock, at a little village called Cajazeira; on enquiring for a place where we might pass the night, it being then quite dark, we were directed to a shed used for the preparation of farinha, which, besides being open all round, was but indifferently roofed; this, however, proved a better shelter than a large tree under which we first thought of encamping, for about midnight we were awakened by a tremendous peal of thunder that broke right over us. The storm continued with more or less violence for nearly half an hour, and was followed by a very heavy shower of rain, which caused me no inconvenience as my hammock was slung under a comparatively well-roofed part, although Pedro and the guide were soon obliged to change their quarters. On our arrival we found the village illuminated with several bonfires, and there was also much firing and other rejoicings, occasioned by the presence of the Visitador who reached this place during the day, intending to proceed to Barra do Jardim on the following morning. It was seven o’clock before we could resume our journey, and in an hour’s time we reached the foot of the Serra with the view of crossing it, but we first halted for a short time in order to take some breakfast, being informed that neither houses nor water were to be met with during the next eight leagues of the journey. At a distance of half an hour’s ride from Cajazeira we met a number of well-dressed horsemen, one of whom, finding on enquiry that