Chap. IV. ISLANDS OF THE SOLIMOEFS. 247 



from the town), all of which are visited annually by 

 the Ega people for the purpose of collecting eggs and 

 extracting oil from their yolks. Each has its com- 

 mander, whose business is to make arrangements for 

 securing to every inhabitant an equal chance in the 

 egg harvest by placing sentinels to protect the turtles 

 whilst laying, and so forth. The pregnant turtles 

 descend from the interior pools to the main river in 

 July and August, before the outlets dry up, and then 

 seek in countless swarms their favourite sand-islands ; 

 for it is only a few praias that are selected by them out 

 of the great number existing. The young animals 

 remain in the pools throughout the dry season. These 

 breeding places of turtles then lie twenty to thirty or 

 more feet above the level of the river, and are accessible 

 only by cutting roads through the dense forest. 



We left Ega on our first trip, to visit the sentinels 

 whilst the turtles were yet laying, on the 26th of Sep- 

 tember. Our canoe was a stoutly -built igarite, arranged 

 for ten paddlers, and having a large arched toldo at the 

 stern, under which three persons could sleep pretty 

 comfortably. In passing down the narrow channel to 

 the mouth of the Teffe, I noticed that the yellow waters 

 of the Solimoens were flowing slowly inwards towards 

 the lake, showing how much fuller and stronger, at this 

 season, was the current of the main river than that of 

 its tributary. On reaching the broad stream, we 

 descended rapidly on the swift current to the south- 

 eastern or lower end of the large wooded island of 

 Baria, which here divides the river into two great chan- 

 nels. The distance was about twelve miles : the island 



