Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

Rio de Janeiro (River of January) is the Beagle's next port of call. Darwin meets an English landowner who invites the naturalist to his estate, 100 miles north of the city. Darwin and six others ride their horses through the interesting countryside with many butterflies flitting about. They pass a small village that reminds Darwin of the Hottentot villages of Southern Africa, and then an infamous hill where at one time runaway slaves hid. The party spends the night at a marshy site relatively devoid of life, to Darwin a miserable place.

Breaking camp before sunrise, the party follows the road through a sandy plain lying between the marshy land and the ocean. Succulent plants, egrets and cranes break the monotony. Some of the stunted trees support parasitical and fragrant orchids. The party takes their supper at the Mandetiba inn, which is...