46 PARA. Chap. 1 1. 



wings, sailing horizontally through the air, coloured 

 black, and varied with blue, red, and yellow (Heliconii). 

 One magnificent gTassy-green species (Colsenis Dido) 

 especially attracted our attention. Near the ground 

 hovered many other smaller species very similar in 

 appearance to those found at home, attracted by the 

 flowers of numerous leguminous and other shrubs. 

 Besides butterflies, there were few other insects except 

 dragonflies, which were in great numbers, similar in 

 shape to English species, but some of them looking con- 

 spicuously different on account of their fiery red colours. 



After stopping repeatedly to examine and admire we 

 at length walked onward. The road then ascended 

 slightly, and the soil and vegetation became suddenly 

 altered in character. The shrubs here were grasses, 

 Cyperacese and other plants, smaller in foliage than 

 those growing in moist grounds. The forest was second 

 growth, low, consisting of trees which had the general 

 aspect of laurels and other evergreens in our gardens 

 at home : the leaves glossy and dark green. Some of 

 them were elegantly veined and hairy (Melastomse), 

 whilst many, scattered amongst the rest, had smaller 

 foliage (Myrtles), but these were not sufficient to sub- 

 tract much from the general character of the whole. 



The sun, now, for we had loitered long on the road, 

 was exceedingly powerful. The day was most brilliant ; 

 the sky without a cloud. In fact, it was one of those 

 glorious days which announce the commencement of the 

 dry season. The radiation of heat from the sandy 

 ground was visible by the quivering motion of the air 

 above it. We saw or heard no mammals or birds ; a 



