CHAPTER V. 



THE GREAT FOREST REGION OF THE EQUATORIAL ZONE. 



Its Position, Extent, and Characteristics. Its Perpetual Verdure. 

 Rapid Transition from Day to Night. Beauty of the Equatorial Dawn. 

 Malarious Districts. Precautions for Preserving Health. Healthy Sta- 

 tions. Their Mean Temperature. The Question of European Acclima- 

 tization. Anecdote of the " Deadly Climate" of Africa. The Liquor 

 Traffic in Africa. The White Man's Example to the Negro. The 

 Inhabitants of the Equatorial Zone. Their Antiquity. The Struggle for 

 Existence against Exuberant Vegetation. Equatorial Africa. Equatorial 

 America. The Malay Archipelago. Ceylon and Southern India. Evi- 

 dences of Ancient Civilization. Disappearance of Ancient Races. 

 Abandonment of the Great Cities of Antiquity. Probably due to 

 Pestilence. Drought, Famine, and Pestilence at Ceara. "Dry Districts" 

 in the Equatorial Zone, how Accounted for. The Great Primeval 

 Forest Region. Forests of the Upper Congo. Stanley's Great 

 Forest March. Twilight Caused by the Density of Equatorial 

 Forests. Open Plains and Bush Country in the Equatorial Zone. How 

 accounted for. The Great Amazonian Forest. Difficulties of Travelling 

 in it. " Blazing" a Path through the Forest. Profusion of Plant Life 

 in Equatorial Forests. Their Enormous Unexplored Area and Vegetable 

 Treasures. The Great Forests of the Gaboon. Gigantic Trees and 

 Lovely Forest Scenes. Apparent Dearth of Flowers. The Equatorial 

 Forest as A Forest. Its Several Distinct Tiers of Arborescent Growth. 

 Gigantic Trees of the First and Highest Tier. Shade-Loving Trees or 

 the Second Tier of Forest Growths. Dwarf Palms and Tree Ferns, or 

 the Third Tier. Herbaceous Plants. Glories of the Tree Ferns. 

 Schweinfurth's "Gallery Forests." Deadly Nature of the Climate in 

 Heavy Forests Generally Exaggerated. Experience of the Emin Pasha 

 Relief Expedition. Europeans struck down by Fever on Leaving the 

 Forest and Entering the Open Country. Explanation of this Remark- 

 able Fact. Natural Curiosities of the Equatorial Forest. Buttressed 

 Trunks. Height of Some Great Trees, and Consequent Difficulties in 

 Determining their Species. Imperfect State of Knowledge Respecting 

 "Jungle Trees." Surface Roots. Air Roots. Great Indian Banyan 

 Trees. Description of a Tree of this Species in Milton's "Paradise 

 Lost." African Banyan Tree. The Sacred Bo-Tree of India. Supposed 

 Origin of this Superstition. Seedlings Growing Upon and Destroying 

 Buildings. Air Roots Running Down Walls, etc. Vegetation Effacing 

 the Works of Man. Tropical Foliage. Leaves of Seedlings Larger than 

 those of Mature Trees. Probable Explanation of this Fact. Palm 



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