156 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 
lightful to coast along by these woods, of a character so 
new to us, to get glimpses into their dark depths or into 
a cleared spot with a single stately palm here and there, 
or to catch even the merest glance at the life of the people 
who live in the isolated settlements, consisting only of one or 
two Indian houses by the river-side. We are keeping so 
near to the banks to-day, that we can almost count the 
leaves on the trees, and have an excellent opportunity 
of studying the various kinds of palms. At first the 
Assai was most conspicuous, but now come in a number 
of others. The Miriti (Mauritia) is one of the most beau- 
tiful, with its pendant clusters of reddish fruit and its 
enormous, spreading, fan-like leaves cut into ribbons, one 
of which Wallace says is a load for a man. The Jupati 
(Rhaphia), with its plume-like leaves, sometimes from forty 
to fifty feet in length, seems, in consequence of its short 
stem, to start almost from the ground. Its vase-like form 
is peculiarly graceful and symmetrical. Then there is the 
Bussu (Manicaria), with stiff, entire leaves, some thirty 
feet in length, more upright and close in their mode of 
growth, and serrated along their edges. The stem of this 
palm also is comparatively short. The banks in this part 
of the river are very generally bordered by two plants 
forming sometimes a sort of hedge along the shore ; name- 
ly, the Aninga (Arum), with large, heart-shaped leaves on 
the summit of tall stems, and the Murici, a lower growth, 
just on the water's edge. We are passing out of the 
so-called river Aturia into another channel of like char- 
acter, the river Tajapu.ru. In the course of the day we 
shall arrive at a little settlement bearing the same name, 
where is to be our second station. 
August 22d. Yesterday we passed the day at the set- 
