90 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



gradually gone over, and the original clearing eventually reached 

 again. The forest land on the banks of the Lower Moselle is 

 cultivated in much the same way. 



There were no large trees to be seen along the route, but rather 

 a dense growth of large shrubs and small trees, bound together 

 by creepers and loaded with epiphytic plants, amongst which the 

 Bromeliacece, plants allied to the pineapple, were most conspi- 

 cuous, especially one with a bright scarlet and blue inflorescence. 



Near the station where we stopped there was a small river 

 and a patch of primaeval forest, which was what we had come to 

 see. A guide led us a short distance into the forest. The most 

 striking feature about it was the immense height of the trees, 

 their close packing and great variety. At home we are accus- 

 tomed to forests composed mainly of one gregarious species of 

 tree. Here the trunks are covered with parasites and climbers. 

 Mistletoes of various kinds, some of them with scarlet flowers, 

 grow amongst the upper branches, from which also hang down 

 the stems of various creepers in festoons, often sweeping the 

 ground. In the forks of the great branches repose the large 

 green masses of the Bromeliaceous plants, and up the trunks 

 climb numerous aroids with their huge sagittate leaves. The 

 ground is covered with decaying branches, and here and there 

 dead trunks, on which grow fungi in abundance. 



The forest was so thick as to be quite gloomy and dark, and 

 as we passed along the path we heard no sound and saw no 

 living animal, except a few butterflies (Heliconice), some small 

 fish in a little stream, along which the path led, and an Oven- 

 bird gathering mud for its curious nest. There were two 

 deserted armadillo holes close to the path, but we saw no 

 mammal of any kind, nor did I see a single wild mammal during 

 my short stay in Brazil, notwithstanding the abundance of forms 

 which exist in the country. The abundant vegetation hides 

 them from the casual view, and they are not conspicuous, as in 

 an open country, such as California. 



We returned to the railway station, where we found beds 

 made up for us in the waiting room. Thanks to the energy of 

 the English railway officials, Bass's ale is to be had at all the 

 stations on the line at 2s. 2d. a bottle. 



