140 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



my people advancing, and conducted them to the 

 site I had chosen for our resting-place. 



The road had been gently descending for most 

 of the day and was not so gravelly as yesterday, 

 while much sloppy ground had to be passed. 



June 1 7. A shower at 3 A.M. At daybreak rain 

 again came on and continued without intermission 

 till near noon, when we set off. We had gone for 

 scarcely two hours when we reached the large 

 stream called Piiyu, a tributary of the Pastasa, and 

 found it so swollen that there was no hope of crossing 

 it ; we must therefore again set to and construct 

 ranchos, and there await the river subsiding. My 

 chagrin at this delay was somewhat lessened by the 

 circumstance of finding myself in the most mossy 

 place I had yet seen anywhere. Even the topmost 

 twigs and the very leaves were shaggy with mosses, 

 and from the branches overhanging the river de- 

 pended festoons of several feet in length, composed 

 chiefly of Bryopterides and Phyllogium fulgens, in 

 beautiful fruit. Throughout the journey, whenever 

 rains, swollen streams, and grumbling Indians 

 combined to overwhelm me with chagrin, I found 

 reason to thank heaven which had enabled me to 

 forget for the moment ail my troubles in the con- 

 templation of a simple moss. We had hoped to 

 reach the Jibaros settlement this day. The 

 chacras were said to be near, and two of our men 

 swam across the river Puyu and before nightfall 

 returned with plantains. 



June 1 8. Slight showers before daybreak, but 

 the river had sufficiently abated to allow of our 

 passing it, and at 6 A.M. \ve started. On the 

 opposite side we were not long in coming on large 



