NOTES ON NEW OR BARE PI/ANTS. 29 



" During my stay at the Indian town of Santa Anna, in the pro- 

 vince of Moxos, Republic of Bolivia, during the montiis of June and 

 July, 1845, I made daily shooting excursions in the vicinity. In one 

 of these I had the good fortune (whilst riding along the woody banks 

 of the river Yacuma, one of the tributary rivers of the Maniore) to 

 come suddenly on a beautiful pond, or rather small lake, embosomed 

 in the forest, where, to my delight and astonishment, I discovered, for 

 the first time, ' tiie Queen of Aquatics,' the Victoria regia ! There 

 were at least fifty flowers in view, and Belzoni could not have felt 

 more rapture at his Egyptian discoveries than I did in beholding the 

 beautiful and novel sight before me, such as it has fallen to the lot of 

 few Englislimen to witness. Fain would I have plunged into the lake 

 to procure specimens of the magnificent flowers and leaves; but know- 

 ing that these waters abounded in alligators, I was deterred from doing 

 so by the advice of my guide, and my own experience of similar 

 places. 



" The Victoria grows in four to six feet of water, producing leaves 

 and flowers, which rapidly decay and give place to others. From each 

 plant there are seldom more than four or five leaves on the surface, 

 but even these in parts of the lake where the plants were numerous, 

 almost covered the surface of the water, one leaf touching the other. 

 I observed a beautiful aquatic bird, (Parra sp.?) walk with much 

 ease from leaf to leaf, and many of the MuscicapidcB find food and a 

 resting-place on them. The plant occupies almost exclusively the 

 water, with the exception of a few floating aquatics of small dimen- 

 sions, amongst which I saw a beautiful Utricularia. 



" The blossoms rise six and eight inches above the surface, ex- 

 panding first in the evening, when they are pure white ; changing 

 finally (and by exposure to the sun) to a most beautiful pink or rose 

 colour, flowers may be seen, at the same time, partaking of every 

 tinge between the two hues, the recently expanded being pure white 

 and the adult rosy, almost sinking under water to ripen its seed and 

 produce a new race of plants when required. The largest flowers I 

 saw measured from ten inches to one foot in diameter. 



" I had an opportunity of experiencing the fragrance of the flowers. 

 Those I collected for preserving in spirits were unexpanded, but on 

 the point of opening ; on arriving at the Government House, in the 

 town, I deposited them in my room, and returning after dark, I found 

 to my surprise that all had blown and were exhaling a most delightful 

 odour, which at first I compared to a rich Pine-apple, afterwards to a 

 Melon, and then to the Cherimoya ; but indeed it resembled none of 

 these fruits, and I, at length, came to the decision that it was a most 

 delicious scent, unlike every other, and peculiar to the noble flower 

 tiiat produced it. 



" The leaves are round, and the edges are turned upwards giving 

 the leaf a singular appearance, somewhat like a floating dish. 



" The plant appears to delight in parts of the lake fully exposed to 

 the sun, and I observed that it did not exist where the trees over- 

 shaded the margins." 



