126 PORPOISES AND BIRDS. 



party, and wbicli till then had never ceased barking, 

 began to howl and seek for shelter beneath their ham- 

 mocks. Sometimes, after a long silence, the cry of the 

 . tiger came from the tops of the trees ; and then it was 

 followed by the sharp and long whistling of the monkeys, 

 which apj^eared to flee from the danger that threatened 

 them. When the natives were interrogated on the causes 

 of the tremendous noise made by the beasts of the forest 

 at certain hours of the night, they answered, " They are 

 keeping the feast of the full moon." 



The travellers set sail on the 2d of April. The morn- 

 ing was beautiful and cool. The porpoises ploughed 

 the river in long files. The shore was covered with fish- 

 ing-birds. Some of these perched on the floating wood as 

 it passed down the river, and surprised the fish that pre- 

 ferred the middle of the stream. The canoe was aground 

 several times during the morning. These shocks were 

 sufficiently violent to split a light bark. They were 

 caused by the limbs of large trees, which had remained 

 for years in an oblique position, sunk in the mud. 

 Reaching a spot near the island of Carizales, they saw 

 trunks of the locust-tree, of an enormous size, above the 

 surface of the water. They were covered with a species 

 of plotus, nearly resembling the white bellied darter. 

 These birds perched in files, like pheasants, and re- 

 mained for hours entirely motionless, wdth their beaks 

 raised towards the sky. 



It rained towards evening, and before the rain fell, 

 swallows skimmed over the surface of the water. They 

 saw also a flock of paroquets pursued by little goshawks. 

 The piercing cries of these paroquets contrasted singu- 

 larly with the whistling of the birds of prey. They 



