105 



would recommend tlie attention of future travellers, from the abundance 

 aud variety of insect life with which it teems, and the facility afibrded 

 by the fine open space at the summit for making excursions and explo- 

 rations. These hills are frequented by the lovely Trochilus auratus, a 

 bird Avith snowy throat and breast, and grass-green wings and back, 

 which sucks the honey from flowers much after the manner of a hum- 

 ming bird. On the trunks of the larger trees various species of hymen- 

 optera built their nests, which not unfrequently covered one-third of 

 the circumference. High up, on the opposite side of the river, in the 

 narrow ride of a thick, damp wood, I captured a pair of the rare 

 Callitliea Batesii, in copula.* 



After passing the sand-hills, creeks were to be seen running in all 

 directions, from the dank and shady jungles, tunnelled over with huge 

 forest trees, interlaced with twining plants and bush-rope, and pouring 

 into the river their cool, refreshing streamlets, whilst here and there 

 along the banks were small inlets, deeply embedded in the forest, upon 

 whose warm and motionless waters were thickly strewn strange berries 

 and seed pods, drifted, by the passing current, from remote and unex- 

 plored regions. As far up as I proceeded, the water was discoloured 

 with sediment, that in the creeks alone being fit to drink ; in most 

 places the river-banks were too thickly wooded to admit of collecting, 

 or even landing ; but occasional small clearings, used as encamping 

 grounds by the Indians, well repaid the trouble of working them. At 

 one of these openings I met with a beetle, which, when touched, ex- 

 hibited the singular power of discharging, with a hissing sovmd, jets of 

 vapour from the sides of its abdomen, which, coming in contact with 

 my fingers, left a mark resembling that produced by lunar-cavistic, so 

 that before attempting its capture, it seemed advisable to excite the 

 creature, by repeatedly, irritating it with a stick, to exhaust itself by 

 successive discharges. On my return voyage, owing to my negro having 

 been attacked with ague, I spent a short time at the mouth of a large 

 creek, where I made the acquaintance of an Indian lad, who took great 

 interest in my pursuit, and rendered me all the assistance in his power. 

 One evening he returned from hunting with several lantern flies, a 

 strange misshapen insect, said to emit light from the hollow protuberance 

 which forms part of its head, and well answering to a description which 

 I learnt when a school-boy — " monstrum liorrendum informe ingens ," and 

 also, as far as my experience went, "c«/i lumen ademptum." In this 

 neighbourhood I was frequently delighted at meeting with a splendid 



• The $ (new to Science) will, at a future time, form the subject of a separate paper in this Maga- 

 zine, by Mr. H. W. Bates, whose name the species benrs.— Eds. 



