200 [February, 



the virgin forest, and consisting principally of arborescent Compositce, 

 Solanacece, and Legnminosae, till at last he will find himself in the 

 forest — lofty trees compared to which our highest trees are but dwarfs, 

 spindly palms going straight up 30 feet or so, and looking as if they 

 would topple over every moment, as perhaps they would if they were 

 not protected by their stilt-like roots growing several feet out of the 

 ground, with undergrowth of smaller trees, smaller palms, and in damp 

 places tree-ferns and Bamhusce, lower still great broad-leaved Heli- 

 conia {Musacece) and allies, ferns. Arums, &c. ; and on the ground in 

 some places mosses, Lycopodiums, Begonias, &c. ; he will rarely see 

 any flowers in the forest itself, excepting in the dry season, when now 

 and then a lot of flowers will be seen on the ground, fallen from some 

 lofty tree, perhaps leafless at this season, and the particular tree from 

 whence they came almost indistinguishable, nor will he find anything 

 he can satisfactorily sweep for insects. The branches of the trees are 

 covered with Epiphytes {Orcliids, Arums, Bromelias, &c.), and hanging 

 down from them lots of rope-like lianas or vines {bejucos), often 

 reaching the ground and taking root in the soil ; climbing plants 

 innumerable; palms, ierns, Arums, Passijlorcs, &c., he will find run- 

 ning up the trunks, and all over every tree ; palms with spines as 

 sharp as needles, large trees with spines all over the bark, spiny 

 creepers ; in fact, a thorny path everywhere. 



In the height of the rainy season, it is almost impossible to get 

 about in boots : the paths where they exist, and if used at all, will be 

 nothing better than series of mud or water holes, with here and there 

 stumps, tree-roots, or stones, to say nothing of innumerable small 

 streams ; if the collector wants to do much at this season he will have 

 to go native-fashion, barefoot ; in the short dry season, however, it 

 is possible to get about almost anywhere, though he will not find 

 nearly so much to repay him for his work. 



Insects, as a rule, excepting ants (long processions of the leaf- 

 cutting (Ecodomce, carrying in their mouths pieces of leaf much larger 

 than themselves, and vast armies of Ecitons are to be met with 

 everywhere) ; Termites (the hard, black, earthen nests of which look 

 a ' ^ly like niggers' heads on a large scale, and frequently to be 

 St ' >ropped up between forked branches or upon the tree trunks) 

 do not abound, still there are very many species to be found by 

 hunting ; the best time for collecting is during the mornings of the 

 commencement of the rainy season in May or June, at this season the 

 magnificent blue Morplios of perhaps three species — M. Amathonte, 

 Peleides, and Cypris — sailing leisurely (till one gets near them) through 



