The projecting points of the thorax, and the sheath of the spine, served to steady the whole body during the spring.

In the descriptions which I have read, sufficient stress does not appear to have been laid on the elasticity of the spine: so sudden a spring could not be the result of simple muscular contraction, without the aid of some mechanical contrivance.
On several occasions I enjoyed some short but most pleasant excursions in the neighbouring country.

One day I went to the Botanic Garden, where many plants, well known for their great utility, might be seen growing.

The leaves of the camphor, pepper, cinnamon, and clove trees were delightfully aromatic; and the bread-fruit, the jaca, and the mango, vied with each other in the magnificence of their foliage.

The landscape in the neighbourhood of Bahia almost takes its character from the two latter trees.
Before seeing them, I had no idea that any trees could cast so black a shade on the ground.