Cuap. XII. BUTTERFLIES. 351 
Solimoens ; from that point it continues as a rather common bird on 
the terra firma, at least on the south side of the river, as far as Fonte 
Boa, but I did not hear of its being found further to the west. It 
appears in large flocks in the forests near Ega in May and June, when 
it has completed its moult. I did not find these bands congregated at 
fruit trees, but always wandering through the forest, hopping from 
branch to branch amongst the lower trees, and partly concealed amongst 
the foliage. None of the arassaris to my knowledge make a yelping 
noise like that uttered by the larger toucans (Ramphastos) ; the notes of 
the curl-crested species are very singular, resembling the croaking of 
frogs. I had an amusing adventure one day with these birds. I had 
shot one from a rather high tree in a dark glen in the forest, and leaving 
my gun leaning against a tree-trunk in the pathway, went into the 
thicket where the bird had fallen, to secure my booty. It was only 
wounded, and on my attempting to seize it, itset up a loud scream. In 
an instant, as if by magic, the shady nook seemed alive with these birds, 
although there were certainly none visible when I entered the thicket. 
They descended towards me, hopping from bough to bough, some of 
them swinging on the loops and cables of woody lianas, and all croak- 
ing and fluttering their wings like so many furies. Had I had a long 
stick in my hand, I could have knocked several of them over. After 
killing the wounded one I rushed out to fetch my gun; but the 
screaming of their companion having ceased, they remounted the trees, 
and before I could reload every one of them had disappeared. 
Jnsects—Upwards of 7,000 species of insects were found in the 
neighbourhood of Ega. I must confine myself in this place to a few 
remarks on the order Lepidoptera, and on the ants, several kinds of 
which, found chiefly on the Upper Amazons, exhibit the most ex- 
traordinary instincts. 
I found about 550 distinct species of butterflies at Ega. Those who 
know a little of Entomology will be able to form some idea of the 
riches of the place in this department, when I mention that eighteen 
species of true papilio (the swallow tail genus) were found within ten 
minutes’ walk of my house. No fact could speak more plainly for the 
surpassing exuberance of the vegetation, the varied nature of the land, 
the perennial warmth and humidity of the climate. But no description 
can convey an adequate notion of the beauty and diversity in form and 
colour of this class of insects in the neighbourhood of Ega. I paid 
especial attention to them, having found that this tribe was better 
adapted than almost any other group of animals or plants, to furnish 
facts in illustration of the modifications which all species undergo in 
nature under changed local conditions. This accidental superiority 
is owing partly to the simplicity and distinctness of the specific 
characters of the insects, and partly to the facility with which very 
copious series of specimens can be collected and placed side by side for 
comparison. The distinctness of the specific characters is due probably 
to the fact that all the superficial signs of change in the organisation 
are exaggerated, and made unusually plain by affecting the framework, 
shape, and colour of the wings, which, as many anatomists believe, are 
magnified extensions of the skin around the breathing orifices of the 
