It was late in the afternoon when we left Riachão, and we halted about a league beyond it, under some trees, by the side of a small marsh, having been informed that the next watering place was more than a league further on. We were now travelling along the Chapada, or flat top of the Serra, and I observed that the little streams we had been crossing for some time all flowed to the eastward, to empty themselves into the Rio de San Francisco. We suffered from the cold during the night, and were besides much annoyed by a large species of mosquito, the bite of which was very painful, and on the following morning our hands and faces were greatly swollen in consequence. We did not get away from this place till about mid-day, owing to one of the horses having strayed to some distance, but this loss of time was compensated by successful botanizing made in the neighbourhood. We now passed through a rather dense wood in a hollow, the road being dreadfully bad in consequence of the great number of large rocks of limestone abounding there. The remainder of this morning’s journey, of a league and a half, was through a flat, open, and rather sandy country, when we halted for a short time by the side of another marsh, which afforded both water and good pasturage for the horses. In the afternoon we accomplished a further distance of two very long leagues, and spent the night at a small fazenda called San Vidal. Two leagues beyond this place, we reached the banks of a small river, too deep to allow of the horses passing with their loads. We were told at San Vidal that we should find a bridge, but we met with only the remains of one; after much trouble in searching along the swampy banks, we found at length a spot that answered as a ford, where all the loads were carried over on the men’s heads, a task which occupied about an hour and a half. We halted on the other side of the river, under the shade of a large _Vochysia_, which was then covered with its long spikes of yellow flowers. During the time we lost in crossing, and for more than an hour afterwards an immense flight of a large greyish-coloured locust, passed from south to north. They did not keep continuously on the wing, but alighted and rose again at short intervals, and thousands of them which fell into the stream were carried down by the current. They did not fly above twelve feet from the ground, and their constant rise and descent gave the air very much the appearance of falling flakes of snow. The country through which we passed after leaving San Vidal, is nearly one continued flat, sandy, bushy plain, thinly wooded in some places with small trees, among which occasionally appeared a fine palm, with a stem about twelve feet high; large tracts had lately been burned according to the general custom at this season. In many places these sandy plains were beautifully adorned with a dwarf species of _Diplusodon_, covered with rose-coloured flowers, and small leaves, greatly reminding me of the