THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 



of butterflies are found in the woods ; espe- 

 cially when a shower falls at intervals of a 

 few days. An infinite number of curious and 

 Tare species may then be taken, most diversi- 

 fied in habits, mode of flight, colors, and 

 markings : .some yellow, others bright red, 

 .green, purple, and blue, aud many bordered 

 or spangled with metallic lines and spots of 

 4i silvery or golden lustre. Some have wings 

 trausparent as glass ; one of these clear-wings 

 is especially beautiful, namely, the HetaBra 

 J^smeralda ; it has one spot only of opaque 

 ^coloring on its wings, which is of a violet and 

 rose hue ; this is the only part visible when 

 the insect is flying low over dead leaves, in 

 the gloomy shades where alone it is found, 

 -and it then looks like a wandering petal of a 

 flower. 



Bees and wasps are not especially numer- 

 ous near Para, and I will reserve an account 

 of their habits for a future chapter. Many 

 species of Mygale, those monstrous hairy 

 .spiders, half a foot in expanse, which attract 

 the attention so much in museums, are found 

 in sandy places at Nazareth. The different 

 kinds have the most diversified habits. Some 

 ^construct, among the tiles or thatch of 

 iiouses, dens of closely-woven web, which, in 

 texture, very much resembles fine muslin ; 

 these are often seen crawling over the walls 

 of apartments. Others build similar nests in 

 trees, and are known to attack birds. One 

 very robust fellow, the Mygale Blondii, bur- 

 rows into the earth, forming a broad slant- 

 ing gallery, about two feet long, the sides of 

 Avhlch he lines beautifully with silk. He is 

 nocturnal in his habits. Just before sunset 

 be may be seen keeping watch within the 

 -mouth of his tunnel, disappearing suddenly, 

 when he hears a heavy foot-tread near his 

 hiding-place. The number of spiders orna- 

 mented with showy colors was somewhat re- 

 markable. Some double themselves up at 

 the base of leaf-stalks, so as to resembte flow- 

 er-buds, aud thus deceive the insects on which 

 they prey. The most extraordinary-looking 

 spider was a species of Acrosorna, which had 

 two curved bronze-colored spines, an inch 

 and a half in length, proceeding from the tip 

 of its abdomen. It spins a large web, the 

 monstrous appendages being apparently DO 

 impediment to it in its work ; but what their 

 use can be I am unable to divine. 



Coleoptera, or beetles, at first seemed to be 

 -very scarce. This apparent scarcity has 

 been noticed in other equatorial countries, 

 and arises, probably, from the great heat of 

 the suu not permitting them to exist in ex- 

 posed situations, where they form such con- 

 spicuous objects in Europe. Many hundred 

 species of the different families can be found, 

 when they are patiently searched for in the 

 shady places to which they are confined. It 

 is vain to look for the Geodephaga, or car- 

 nivorous beetles, under stones, or anywhere, 

 indeed, in open, sunny places. The terres- 

 trial forms of this interesting family, which 

 abound in England and temperate countries 



icrally, are scarce in the neighborhood of 

 in fact I met with only four or five 



* species ; on the other hand the purely arbo- 

 real kinds were rather numerous. The con- 

 trary of this happens in northern latitudes, 

 where the great majority of the species and 

 genera are exclusively terrestrial. The arbo- 

 real forms are distinguished by the structure 

 of the feet, which have broad spongy spies 

 and toothed claws, enabling them to climb 

 over and cling to branches and leaves. The 

 remarkable scarcity of ground beetles is, 

 doubtless, attributable to the number of ants 

 and Termites which people every inch of sur- 

 face in all shady places, and which would 

 most likely destroy the larva? of Coleoptera. 

 Moreover these active creatures have the 

 same functions as Coleoptera, and thus ren- 

 der their existence unnecessary. The large 

 proportion of climbing forms of carnivorous 

 beetles is an interesting fact, because it 

 affords another instance of the arboreal char- 

 acter which animal forms tend to assume in 

 equinoctial America, a circumstance which 

 points to the slow adaptation of the Fauna to 

 a forest-clad country, throughout an immense 

 lapse of geological time. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE TOCANTINS AND CAMETA. 



Preparations for the journey The Bay of Goajara 

 Grove of fan-leaved palms The lower Tocantins 

 Sketch of the river Vista alegre BaiaO Rapids 

 Boat journey to the Guariba Falls Native life on 

 the Tocantins Second journey to Caineta. 



August 2Qtk, 1848. Mr. Wallace and I 

 started to-day on the excursion which 1 have 

 already mentioned as having been planned 

 with Mr. Leavens, up the river Tocantins, 

 whose mouth lies about forty-five miles in a 

 straight line, but eighty miles following the 

 bends of the river channels, to the south-west 

 of Para. This river, as before stated, has a 

 course of 1600 miles, and stands third in rank 

 among the streams which form the Amazons 

 system. The preparations for the journey 

 took a great deal of time and trouble. We 

 had first to hire a proper vessel, a two-masted 

 vigilinga twenty-seven feet long, with a flat 

 prow and greath breadth of beam, and fitted 

 to live in heavy seas ; for although our voy- 

 age was only a river trip, there were vast sea- 

 like expanses of water to traverse. It was 

 not decked over, but had two arched awnings 

 formed of strong wickerwork, and thatched 

 with palm-leaves. We had then to stoil it 

 with provisions for three months, the time 

 we at first intended to be away ; procure the 

 necessary passports ; and, lastly, engage a 

 crew. Mr. Leavens, having had much ex- 

 perience in the country, mauaged all these 

 matters. He brought two Indians from the 

 rice-mills, and these induced another to enroll 

 himself. We, on our parts, took our cook, 

 Isidoro, and a young Indian lad, named An- 

 tonio, who had attached himself to us in the 

 course of our residence at Nazareth. Our 

 principal man was Alexandro, one of Mr. 

 Leavens's Indians. He was an intelligent 

 and well-disposed youug Tapuyo, an expert 

 sailor and an indefatigable hunter. To his 

 fidelity we were indebted for being enabled 

 -to carry out any of the objects of our voy- 



