20 THE WANDERINGS OF ANIMALS [CH. 



the Amazon as its centre. It extends through Central 

 America into Mexico, mainly on the Atlantic side, 

 the backbone of the country causing a very striking 

 division. 



Second : Equatorial West and Central Africa, 

 mainly the Congo basin. 



Third : Indo-China with the Malay and Papuan 

 Islands. 



Smaller centres within various other parts of 

 the world, for instance on the Zambesi, the east 

 coast of Madagascar, the Seychelle Islands, the south- 

 west coasts of S. India and Ceylon, the north coast 

 of Queensland and parts of Papuasia ; several West 

 Indian islands. 



What is the general impression of a rain-forest ? 

 It does not begin gradually. On its outskirts it 

 forms an impenetrable wall of luxuriant herbage, 

 shrubs and creepers. It can be entered only by 

 slashing a path through the tangle, which closes up 

 again within a few weeks, except where traffic or 

 game has produced a meandering track, without a 

 chance of our deviating either to right or left. Once 

 inside, we are in a gloomy, stuffy forest of tall 

 straight trees which branch out high above us, then 

 interlacing and forming a dense canopy of green, 

 through which passes but little sunlight. This absence 

 of direct light prevents the growth of underwood, 

 and there are no green luxuriant plants, no flowers 



