Com o diabo no corpo: os terríveis papagaios do Brasil colônia

Desde a Antiguidade, papagaios, periquitos e afins (Psittacidae) fascinaram os europeus por seu vivo colorido e uma notável capacidade de interação com seres humanos. A descoberta do Novo Mundo nada faria além de acrescentar novos elementos ao tráfico de animais exóticos há muito estabelecido pelos europeus com a África e o Oriente. Sem possuir grandes mamíferos, a América tropical participaria desse comércio com o que tinha de mais atrativo, essencialmente felinos, primatas e aves - em particular os papagaios, os quais eram embarcados em bom número. Contudo, a julgar pelos documentos do Brasil colônia, esses voláteis podiam inspirar muito pouca simpatia, pois nenhum outro animal - exceto as formigas - foi tantas vezes mencionado como praga para a agricultura. Além disso, alguns psitácidas mostravam-se tão loquazes que inspiravam a séria desconfiança de serem animais demoníacos ou possessos, pois só três classes de entidades - anjos, homens e demônios - possuíam o dom da palavra. Nos dias de hoje, vários representantes dos Psittacidae ainda constituem uma ameaça para a agricultura, enquanto os indivíduos muito faladores continuam despertando a suspeita de estarem possuídos pelo demônio. Transcendendo a mera curiosidade, essa crença exemplifica o quão intrincadas podem ser as relações do homem com o chamado “mundo natural”, revelando um universo mais amplo e multifacetado do que se poderia supor a princípio. Nesse sentido, a existência de aves capazes de falar torna essa relação ainda mais complexa e evidencia que as dificuldades de estabelecer o limite entre o animal e o humano se estendem além dos primatas e envolvem as mais inusitadas espécies zoológicas.Since ancient times, parrots and their allies (Psittacidae) have fascinated Europeans by their striking colors and notable ability to interact with human beings. The discovery of the New World added new species to the international exotic animal trade, which for many centuries had brought beasts to Europe from Africa and the Orient. Lacking large mammals, tropical America participated in this trade with its most appealing species, essentially felines, primates and birds - especially parrots - which were shipped in large numbers. It should be noted, however, that at times these birds were not well liked. In fact, according to documents from colonial Brazil, only the ants rank higher than parrots as the animals most often mentioned as agricultural pests. On the other hand, some of these birds were so chatty that people suspected them to be demonic or possessed animals, since only three classes of beings - angels, men and demons - have the ability to speak. Nowadays, several Psittacidae still constitute a threat to agriculture, and the suspicion that extremely talkative birds were demon possessed has also survived. More than a joke or a mere curiosity, this belief exemplifies how intricate man’s relationships with the “natural world” may be. In this sense, the existence of birds that are able to speak adds a further twist to these relationships, demonstrating that the problem of establishing a boundary between the animal and the human does not only involve primates, but also includes some unusual zoological species

The Scientific Instruments Of The Lewis And Clark Expedition

The Lewis and Clark expedition, the most consequential and romantic peace-time achievement in American history, had its genesis in the mind of Thomas Jefferson fully two decades before the exploring party departed from Pittsburgh on 31 August 1803. The need to determine the character and . expanse of the western regions of the continent lingered in his mind, and during the intervening years he encouraged three unsuccessful attempts to explore them. After he assumed the presidency in 1801, he was finally able to bring his dream to realization. The venture not only achieved all that Jefferson had hoped, but also was the first and one of the most important applications of scientific practices and instrumentation attempted by the young republic. The third president was eminently suited to plan such a project, for he was better informed on national geography than anyone else in the United States. He had spent many years collecting and studying all that had been written and published about the subject, and he had had ample opportunity to meet Indians and others who had traveled in the West and to record all that he could learn from them. He was knowledgeable about scientific practices and instruments and was experienced in surveying, mapping, and making astronomical observations, all of which would be required to record the regions to be explored. As president of the American Philosophical Society, Jefferson could call upon the nation\u27s most eminent men of science for advice on all the subjects that would concern the proposed expedition. Selecting his own secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to lead the exploring party, Jefferson set him the task of compiling lists of the needs and estimates of costs of such an undertaking, even before the president submitted the proposal to Congress. Lewis would prove an excellent leader: he was self-taught in the natural sciences, a lover of the outdoors, and, as a former army officer, experienced in the handling of men. He was also familiar with the lands beyond the Allegheny Mountains. Jefferson made his own instruments and scientific library available to Lewis and personally instructed him in the use of the instruments required for surveying and determining latitude. Lewis practiced particularly with the octant (fig. 1), an instrument designed primarily for use at sea but used also on land to observe altitudes of the sun or a star for determining latitude. Triangular in shape, the instrument was made of a closely grained tropical wood, the limbs blackened to eliminate glare. Ebony was preferred and most often used because it was already black. A movable arm or index pivoted from the apex. About 1750,. brass replaced wood for the index arm. Two sets of colored glass shades were provided for use with the sun, and a sight (or later, a telescope) was attached to the right limb. Early octants had a second sight on the opposite limb, to be used when the horizon below the sun was poorly defined and the opposite horizon had to be used. A mirror fixed to the apex moved with the arm. A glass, half mirrored and half clear, was situated on the left limb, opposite the sight

Volta ao mundo por ouvir-dizer: redes de informação e a cultura geográfica do Renascimento

This paper shows what an important role Renaissance culture played in shaping the mindset of modern travelers thanks to its focus on observation, curiosity and the pursuit of intellectual refinement. Another peculiarity of this historical period is the use of geographic knowledge for strategic purposes. However, the official secrets, homologated by the Casas de Contratación (entities set up by Spain to control colonial trade), went through a continuous process of corrosion. The need of the Portuguese and Spanish Crowns to ratify their possession of new colonial territories made the disclosure of such information as important as silence. Furthermore, the experience of the Discoveries was assimilated by second¿hand informers and shared through diplomatic and commercial channels that branched out across Europe. This collective and non¿official organism - or "network" as we might call it today - made data relative to Asia, Africa and America available to cosmographers, thus constituting a firm basis for 16th¿century cartography. The paper is an effort to show that the flow of geographic knowledge during the Age of Discoveries was characterized by a virtually unrestricted practice of copying and by a circuit of consumption that was both informal and international