side of the hills, in a valley approaching the Corcovada. This enabled me to visit the mountain on foot, and see the wondrous view from the top of it, which is an unequalled sight, and perfectly indescribable for its splendour. I first surmounted a short steep hill, and then descended on to the aqueduct road, which winds round the hills into the city.
THE ASCENT OF THE CORCOVADA.
The aqueduct runs along a lofty ridge of hill, with a carriage road at the side of it. Proceeding along this for three miles, I reached the tanks, built across a narrow valley, in the hills where the water is collected, that passes down this narrow enclosed watercourse, and supplies Rio with water. Passing this, I reached the winding mule-road that leads to the top of the Corcovada. Instead of taking this road, which would have made the distance longer, I followed the old rough, direct ascent, which intersected and crossed the mule-road every here and there. In this unfrequented track I disturbed several large green locusts, four and a-half inches long, that with difficulty fluttered to the boughs of the bushes, under which they remained suspended. Some had orange-coloured tails the same length as their bodies.Their wings were partly a dark green colour, and partly orange. I found also "the stick insect," about eight or nine inches long, that leaped away from me two yards. It had three legs on each side its body, being like a slender stick supported on wires. The lofty trees above me were inhabited by different tribes of monkeys which were signalling to each other as I passed underneath. I should have missed seeing these insects, besides many other
