118 VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS. Chap. II. 



eight hours, the process requiring unremitting atten- 

 tion to avoid cracks and make the plank bend with 

 the proper dip at the two ends. Wooden straddlers, 

 made by cleaving pieces of tough elastic wood and fix- 

 ing them with wedges, are inserted into the opening, 

 their compass being altered gradually as the ivork goes 

 on, but in different degree according to the part of the 

 boat operated upon. Our casca turned out a good one : 

 it took a long time to cool, and was kept in shape whilst 

 it did so by means of wooden cross-pieces. When the 

 boat was finished it was launched with great merriment 

 by the men, who hoisted coloured handkerchiefs for 

 flags, and paddled it up and down the stream to try its 

 capabilities. My people had suffered as much incon- 

 venience from the want of a montaria as myself, so this 

 was a day of rejoicing to all of us. 



I was very successful at this place with regard to the 

 objects of my journey. About twenty new species of 

 fishes and a considerable number of small reptiles were 

 added to my collection ; but very few birds were met 

 with worth preserving. A great number of the most 

 conspicuous insects of the locality were new to me, and 

 turned out to be species peculiar to this part of the 

 Amazons valley. There is the most striking contrast 

 between the productions of the Cupari and those of Altar 

 do Chao in this department : the majority of the spe- 

 cies inhabiting the one district being totally unknown 

 in the other. At the same time a considerable propor- 

 tion of the Cupari species were identical with those of 

 Ega on the Upper Amazons, a region eight times fur- 

 ther removed than the village just mentioned. The 



