2 NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



than half full, and the current is strong. There 

 are numerous floating trunks and small grass-islands. 

 At night it was very dark, and we frequently struck 

 against these trunks, sometimes with a considerable 

 shock which made us all run on deck, but no damage 

 was done. On the afternoon of the i jth we passed 

 the mouth of the large river Puriis, which enters 

 from the south. It is not wide but brings down 

 a large volume of white water. 



Between Coary and Ega there is a long range 

 of cliffs, which are much bored by kingfishers and 

 by a small white-bellied sand-martin, scarcely larger 

 than a humming-bird. . . . 



On the 25th we reached Sao Paulo d' Olivenca 

 about noon. It stands on very high land, rising 

 abruptly from the river about a hundred feet, but 

 the site is flat and the village contains several 

 regular streets, though the houses are mostly 

 miserable. The great concourse of people here 

 is owing to its being the residence of a padre 

 who suits them excellently and conforms in every- 

 thing to their way of life, i.e. he is a gambler and 

 indulges in every other vice of the country. 



I took a turn in the forest. The soil is a deep 

 clay, in hollows scarcely passable in rainy weather. 

 The valleys are all traversed by streams of clear 

 water, and abound in tree-lerns, but apparently all 

 of one common species. The caapoera vegetation 

 is very luxuriant and comprised much that was 

 new to me, especially a shrubby papilionaceous 

 climber with delicate pinnate leaves (resembling 

 Abrus tenuifolius] and largish scarlet flowers, which 

 hung in large masses from the lower trees and 

 bushes. Also a low Nonatelia (Cinchonacese) with 



