230 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



but not suited for extensive agriculture as are the lowland 

 flats. For these forty-eight hours the trail climbed into 

 and out of steep valleys and broad basins and up and 

 down hills. In the deep valleys were magnificent woods, 

 in which giant rubber-trees towered, while the huge leaves 

 of the low-growing pacova, or wild banana, were conspic- 

 uous in the undergrowth. Great azure butterflies flitted 

 through the open, sunny glades, and the bell-birds, sitting 

 motionless, uttered their ringing calls from the dark still- 

 ness of the columned groves. The hillsides were grassy 

 pastures or else covered with low, open forest. 



A huge frog, brown above, with a light streak down 

 each side, was found hiding under some sticks in a damp 

 place in one of the improvised kitchens; and another frog, 

 with disks on his toes, was caught on one of the tents. A 

 coral-snake puzzled us. Some coral-snakes are harmless; 

 others are poisonous, although not aggressive. The best 

 authorities give an infallible recipe for distinguishing them 

 by the pattern of the colors, but this particular specimen, 

 although it corresponded exactly in color pattern with the 

 description of the poisonous snakes, nevertheless had no 

 poison-fangs that even after the most minute examination 

 we could discover. Miller and one of the dogs caught a 

 sariema, a big, long-legged, bustard-like bird, in rather a 

 curious way. We were on the march, plodding along 

 through as heavy a tropic downpour as it was our ill for- 

 tune to encounter. The sariema, evidently as drenched 

 and uncomfortable as we were, was hiding under a bush 

 to avoid the pelting rain. The dog discovered it, and 

 after the bird valiantly repelled him, Miller was able to 

 seize it. Its stomach contained about half a pint of grass- 



