nS NOTES OF A BOTANIST CHAP. 



and more numerous ; they are chiefly quartz and a 

 compact blue stone. . . . 



Coasting along a low shore, our men spied a 

 small white alligator basking in the sun by the 

 margin, and ' killed him with their lances. His 

 stomach was distended by some food he had taken, 

 and on piercing it, a snake's tail protruded. I laid 

 hold on it and drew out the snake, which was 

 closely coiled up ; it was still alive (!), though so 

 much crushed below the head as to be unable 

 to move away. It was a terrestrial species, not 

 venomous yellow with black spots on the back. 

 The body thick, passing abruptly into a short 

 slender tail full 3 feet long, and its destroyer no 

 more. Thus we go on preying on each other to 

 the end of the chapter. This poor snake, while 

 watching for frogs among the moist stones and 

 roots, little dreamt he was about to serve for an 

 alligator's meal ; nor the alligator, while devouring 

 it, that he himself would soon be eaten up by 

 Indians. 



May 1 6 (Saturday].- . . . The aspect of the 

 river is unchanged, save that there is more rarely 

 any low shore. We have passed some strong currents 

 to-day, but the water is fortunately low. Beaches 

 are now covered with large pebbles, and where we 

 breakfasted it was like a mosaic pavement, stones 

 of so many colours formed our seats and table. 



May 17 (Sunday}. Near 8 o'clock A.M. we spied 

 a tapir a little ahead, making his way up-stream. 

 On perceiving our approach he took to shore, 

 where from a narrow margin rose a steep barranco, 

 which he was unable to ascend ; he therefore again 



