ON THE AMAZON AND RIO NEGRO. 213 
be a work of time to replace them, and an Indian loves ease above all 
things. Not long ago I saw in the hut of an Indian a fishing-line most 
beautifully made of the bark of some tree. All my entreaties could 
not induce the man to sell it. ‘I need it,” said he, ** to procure me 
the means of subsistence—your money will not buy me such another, 
and it will be the work of weeks to supply its place." Such an argu- 
ment admitted of no reply, and I could only regret that he looked with 
such a philosophical eye on money. 
There is another campo near the Barra, on the north shore of the 
river, which differs much in every respect from the one I have described 
above. It is elevated about a hundred feet above the river, and the 
soil is a loose white sand. The vegetation is chiefly shrubby, and one 
shrub, a species of Humirium, is so abundant that the campo is called 
from it the ‘Umirisal.’ The fruit of the Umirí is said to be very 
agreeable ; it is produced in the dry season. Another shrub or small 
tree, called Ymurd-ceém, or “the sweet tree," grows in almost equal 
abundance, and the fruit is ripe in February. It belongs to the Nat. 
Ord. Clusiacee. The other shrubs include but few species; the prin- 
cipal being a Myrsinea and two or three Myrtles. But what rendered 
this campo most interesting in my eyes was that here and there on the 
burning sand were large patches of four species of Cladonia, two of 
them exceedingly like our common Rein-deer Moss, and a third with 
bright red fruit, looking quite like C. coccinea. When I add to this that 
everywhere among the bushes grew up a tall Fern (Pteris caudata, Sw.), 
scarcely distinguishable from our common Brake, it will easily be seen 
how strongly I was reminded of an English heath. There were how- 
ever two Ferns, of the curious genus Schiz@a—one preferring the most 
exposed situations, the other nestling under bushes, and both in con- 
siderable quantity; looking so very éropical as at once to dispel the 
illusion, if it had entered my head to fancy myself at home. xig 
I noticed but two Grasses on this campo; one forming scattered 
minute tufts, and probably a species of Microchioa, though, if so, the 
genus is ill described in the ‘ Agrostologia Brasiliensis :’ I found the 
samb growing very sparingly near Santarem. On the skirts of the 
forest, where the ground is lower and moister, grew the second Grass, 
a tall leafy Paspalum. ‘There were also a few tufts of a single grassy- 
leaved Oyperacea; and the only other herbaceous plants noticed were 
a spreading branched Asclepiadea, with very milky stems, few narrow 
