264 CAIN, DE OLIVEIRA CASTRO, PIRES, AND DA SILVA 



results of this sample. The only species regularly present in the sub-samples 

 was M oniric hardia. It also had the highest coverage, ranging in the ten units 

 from class 3 to class 5. The dominance of the community by this species is 

 apparent. Woody lianas are almost as abundant as phanerophytes of shrub 

 and tree form. The denseness of the vegetation and the steepness of the 

 muddy banks make landing difficult any place along the shore where the 

 Montrichardia community occurs. 



When viewed from the water there appears to be a second zone behind the 

 Montrichardia that has some characteristic species and often is dominated 

 by Assai, Euterpe oleracea. Our examination of the island forest, however, 

 failed to establish any significant stream and channel-bank forest type at 

 Arapari Island. When first visiting the island we cruised up the Araparizinho 

 channel as far as possible at the current water stage. Then we returned, 

 rounded the end of the island, and cruised the opposite side. Six stations 

 were selected for study, as follows: 



I. Araparizinho channel, afternoon of Jan. 23, 1956. 

 II. Araparizinho channel, morning of Jan. 24, 1956. 



III. Araparizinho channel, afternoon of Jan. 24, 1956. 



IV. Carnapicho River, morning of Jan. 25, 1956. 

 V. Carnapicho River, morning of Jan. 25, 1956. 



VI. Arauaia River, afternoon of Jan. 25, 1956. 



In the Amazon, generally, homesteads are all located on water, and this 

 is completely true of Arapari Island, where isolated families live in small 

 houses of various construction in small clearings in the forest at the water's 

 edge. Livelihood is based on fishing and hunting and gathering. The princi- 

 pal sources of income are from tapping rubber trees, Hevea brasiUensis, 

 gathering for the market coco fruits, Theobroma cacao, the oil nut Andiroba, 

 Car a pa guianensis, Assai for the fruits from which a drink is made, Euterpe 

 oleracea, etc. Some of the clearings are large enough for planting of a few 

 trees of banana and a small garden, mostly Mandioca, Manihot utilissima. 

 As a consequence of his way of life, the caboclo often is something of a 

 mateiro, or woodsman. Our stations were spaced around the island and also 

 selected where there was a caboclo familiar with the adjacent woods who 

 could act as guide and help in the identification of trees. Our major depend- 

 ence for field identification, however, was on one of the authors of this 

 paper, Sr. Nilo da Silva. In critical cases material was collected for later iden- 

 tification in the herbarium of the Instituto Agronomico do Norte, Belem. 

 Time being drastically limited, we were able to spend only two to three hours 

 at a station. We walked the trails of the seringueiro, or rubber gatherer, which 

 wind around mostly on higher ground, examining all trees encountered until 

 at least fifty species were added to the list for a station. Although time and 



