270 MR. SPENCER LE M. MOORE—PHANEROGAMIC BOTANY 
being deemed advisable that a party in advance should make its appearance, as soon as 
possible, within the district embraced by the Western Concession, on September 7, after 
an interview with the Governor of the Province, we set off under the leadership of Mr. John 
Storm, for Santa Cruz (Barra dos Bugres), situated on the Paraguay river, about 100 miles 
to the north-west of the city. Lieut. Storm himself proposed returning to Corumbá, 
where he expected to receive from Europe the necessary funds. There he was to engage 
men, and transfer to the Villa Maria mail-boat the stores already at Corumbá. Meanwhile 
a small stern-wheeler, the Explorer, was on its way to Villa Maria under the charge 
of Mr. Noel Lofft Holden, who had directions to ascend the Paraguay and join us at 
Santa Cruz. Thence some of the party were to return at once by the Explorer, the 
rest proceeding with the mules by a difficult track to the Sipotuba river, on the banks of 
which a junction was to be effected. As we took but three pack-mules, the bulk of the 
scientific apparatus had to be sent back to Corumbá, a circumstance which, although 
absolutely essential, was most unfortunate, since our stay at Santa Cruz lasted much 
longer than had seemed at all likely when we set out. 
The country between Cuyabá and the Paraguay river resembles in its external features 
that which we had already passed through to the east of the city, but it differs in being 
traversed by limestone and sandstone bills having a N.E. and S.W. trend. One of 
these hills, ‘‘ Arara ” by name, is probably nearly 2000 feet high. But before we reached 
the hills, on our arrival at the little settlement of Jangada, the temporary illness of one of 
the party brought us to a halt, which I turned to account by collecting specimens. The 
beautiful Vochysiaceous tree Callisthene fasciculata, Mart., was here in full bloom, as also 
was its lowly ally Camarea ericoides, A. St.-Hil. Here, too, were growing the dwarf 
Palm Diplothemium jangadense, S. Moore, Byrsonima cydoniafolia, A. Juss., Tocoyena 
hirsuta, Moric., with large sweet-scented Gardenia-like flowers, the tiny  Pectis 
jangadensis, S. Moore, most nearly allied to two Mexican species, Piper tuberculatum, 
Jacq., Julocroton humilis, Didr., a lanky, nearly leafless Hranthemum, with blue flowers 
(E. congestum, S. Moore), the pretty Zephyranthes lactea, S. Moore, &c. In front of 
the principal inhabitant's house were a couple of large Taruma trees (Vitex cymosa, 
Bert.), almost leafless at this season of the year, but with a plentiful show of Oxford 
blue blossoms. These trees were festooned with the remarkable Loranthad Struthanthus 
polyanthus, Mart., var. mattogrossensis, which was in full flower at the time of our visit. 
Melastomaceze I saw nothing of, a rather curious circumstance. 
It is necessary to ford several streams on the journey to Santa Cruz. These streams, 
many of which are running throughout the year, flow in the bottom of shallow, well- 
wooded valleys. In the case of one of them, the rapid Curupira, the track runs for some 
distance through its valley, so that a person might fancy himself to be in a great forest 
did he not know the contrary. The reason for these narrow riverain mattos is undoubtedly 
that given by Liais*, who holds that the water needful to the growth of the trees is 
uerived, while the dry season lasts, from the thick morning mists caused by excess in the 
temperature of the water over that of the air during the early morning hours, 
 * ‘Climat, Géologie, Fauna et Géog. Bot. du Brésil, p. 597. 
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