THE NATURALIST O* 



md of smoke. It made its appear- 

 ance in this way the first day after we 

 crossed the river. Before I wa aware of the 

 presence of flies I felt a slight itching on my 

 neck, wrist, and ankles, and on looking for 

 the cause saw a number of tiny objects hav- 

 ing a disgusting resemblance to lice, adher- 

 ing to the skin. This was my introduction 

 to the much-talked-of Phim. On close ex- 

 amination they are seen to be minute two- 

 winged insects, with dark-colored body and 

 pale legs and wings, the latter closed length- 

 wise over the back. They alight impercep- 

 tibly, and squatting close, fall at once to 

 Work, stretching forward their long front 

 legs, which are in constant motion and seem 

 to act as feelers, and then applying their 

 short, broad snouts to the skin. Their abdo- 

 mens soon become distended and red with 

 blood, and then, their thirst satisfied, they 

 slowly move off, sometimes so stupefied with 

 their potations that they can scarcely fly. 

 No pain is felt while they are at work, but 

 they each leave a small circular raised spot 

 on the skin and a disagreeable irritation. The 

 latter may be avoided in great measure by 

 pressing out the blood which remains in the 

 spot ; but this is a troublesome task, when one 

 has several hundred punctures in the course 

 of a day. I took the trouble to dissect spec- 

 imens to ascertain the way in which the little 

 pests operate. The mouth consists of a pair 

 of thick fleshy lips, and two triangular horny 

 lancets, answering to the upper lip and 

 tongue of other insects. This is applied 

 closely to the skin, a puncture is made with 

 .he lancets, and the blood then sucked 

 through between these into the oasophagus, 

 the circular spot which results coinciding 

 with the shape of the lips. In the course of a 

 few days the red spots dry up, and the skin 

 in time becomes blackened with the endless 

 number of discolored punctures that are 

 crowded together. The irritation they pro- 

 duce is more acutely felt by some persons 

 than others. I once travelled with a middle- 

 aged Portuguese, who was laid up for three 

 weeks from the attacks of Pium, his legs 

 being swollen to an enormous size, and the 

 punctures aggravated into spreading sores. 



A brisk wind from the east sprang up early 

 in the morning of the 22d ; we then hoisted 

 all sail, and made for the mouth of the Rio 

 Negro. This noble stream at its junction 

 with the Amazons seems, from its position, 

 V) be a direct continuation of the main river, 

 while the Solimoens, which joins at an angle 

 and is somewhat narrower than its tributary, 

 appears to be a branch instead of the main 

 trunk of the vast water-system. One sees 

 therefore at once how the early explorers 

 came to give a separate name to this upper 

 part of the Amazons. The Brazilians have 

 lately taken to applying the convenient term 

 Alto Amazonas (High or Upper Amazons) to 

 the Soliomeus, and it is probable that this 

 will gradually prevail over the old name. 

 The Rio Negro broadens considerably from 

 its mouth upward, and presents the appear- 

 ance of a great lake-; its black-dyed waters 



THE RIVER AMAZONb. 



687 



having no current and seeming to be dammed 

 up by the impetuous flow of the yellow, tur- 

 bid Solimoens, which here belches forth a 

 continuous line of uprooted trees and patches 

 of grass, and forms a striking contrast with 

 its tributary. In crossing we passed tho 

 line, a little more than halt way over, wheie 

 the waters of the two rivers meet and are 

 sharply demarcated from each other. On 

 reaching the opposite shore we found a re- 

 markable change. AH our insect pests had 

 disappeared, as if by magic, even from the 

 hold of the canoe : the turmoil of an agitated, 

 swiftly flowing river, and its turn, perpen- 

 dicular, earthy banks, had given place to 

 tranquil water and a coast indented with snug 

 little bays, fringed with sloping sandy 

 beaches. The low shore and vivid light 

 green endlessly- varied foliage, which pre- 

 vailed on the south side of the Amazons, 

 were exchanged for a hilly country, clothed 

 with a sombre, rounded, and monotonofis 

 forest. Our tedious voyage now approached 

 its termination ; a light wind carried us 

 gently along the coast to the city of Barra, 

 which lies about seven or eight miles within 

 the mouth of the river. We stopped for an 

 hour in a clean little bay, to bathe and dress, 

 before showing ourselves again among civil- 

 ized people. The bottom was visible at a 

 depth of six feet, the white sand taking a 

 brownish tinge from the stained but clear 

 water. In the evening I went ashore, and 

 was kindly received by Senhor Henriques 

 Antony, a warm-hearted Italian, established 

 here in a high position as merchant, who was 

 the never failing friend of stray travellers. 

 He placed a couple of rooms at my disposal, 

 and in a few hours I was comfortably settled 

 in my new quarters, sixty-four day? after 

 leaving Obydos. 



i 



I found at Barra my companion, Mr. Wal- 

 lace, who, since our joint Tocantins expe- 

 dition, had been exploring, paitly with his 

 brother, lately arrived from England, the 

 north - eastern coast of Marajo, the river 

 Capim (a branch of the Guama, near Pai&), 

 Monte Alegre, and Santarem. He had passed 

 us by night below Serpa, on his way to 

 Barra, and so had arrived about three weeks 

 before me. Besides ourselves there were 

 half a dozen other foreigners here congre- 

 gated Englishmen, Germans, and Amei u 

 cans one of them a natural-history collect- 

 or, the rest traders on the riveis. In the 

 pleasant society of these, and of the family 

 of Serihor Henriques, we passed a delightlul 

 time ; the miseries of our long river voyages 

 were soon forgotten, and in two or three 

 weeks we began to talk of further explora- 

 tions. Meantime we had almost daily 

 rambles in the neighboring forest. The 

 whole surface of the land, down to tho 

 water's edge, is covered by the uniform dnrk 

 green rolling forest, the cad-apoam (convex 

 woods) of the Indians, characteristic of the 

 Rio Negro. This clothes also the extensive 

 preas of low land, which are flooded by the 

 iver in the rainy season. The olive-browc 



