iim A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



she unwinds the twine and draws it tightly and regularly 

 from one pole to the other, until the desired width has. 

 been obtained. The cross-bars are then woven in and the 

 hammock removed from the poles, after which the sus- 

 pending lines are added and the work is complete. 



On the day after our arrival I engaged Augustin and 

 his two sons, with Isidor's boy, to build a dark-room for 

 Jacobson, so that he might develop his plates from day to 

 day. It was made entirely of palm-branches and the 

 broad leaves of the wild banana, and was altogether. a 

 very primitive affair, but it answered our purpose 

 admirably, although Jacobson used to say every time 

 I let him out, for the door could not be closed or opened 

 from the inside, that he felt as if he had been rescued 

 from the Black Hole of Calcutta. Having satisfied 

 Jacobson's photographic requirements, I turned my 

 attention to orchid collecting. For this purpose I 

 employed Vicente, Augustin and his sons, and Isidor's 

 boy. I had collected extensively in 1898 both at Mura 

 and Piritu, so that I felt it would be difhcult to get 

 together on this occasion a quantity of fine plants. On 

 my first visit, our collecting expedition had been an 

 enjoyable picnic. When we went to Piritu, where we 

 remained three weeks, Isidor had taken his whole family 

 with him, including the dogs and poultry. We had 

 encamped on a lovely islet in the middle of the rapids 

 and this we made the base of our operations. In the 

 morning we would visit the various islands or explore the 

 river's banks, the finding of large well-shaped masses of 

 Cattleyas being to me a source of daily pleasure. Even 

 the men after a time entered into the spirit of the enter- 

 prise and took a keen interest in obtaining fine plants. 

 It was then the height of the dry season and the water 



