229 



In 1870 my time was so completely exhausted at Erere, tliat I 

 was obliged to return home Avithout visiting the table-topped hills, 

 and one great object of my journey to the Amazouas in 1871, was 

 the examination of one of the true table-topped hills. I selected 

 Parauaquara, not only because it appeared to be the highest of these 

 mountains, but also because, being precipitous, it would be the 

 more likely to aiford good sections. 



I left Prainha very early on tlie morning of the 14th of Novem- 

 ber, in a montaria, and dropped down with the current nearly to 

 the mouth of the Eio Yauari* (Javari). During the night and 

 to 7K o'clock the terral blew gently down stream, and it was deli- 

 ciously cool ; after that time the wind gradually lulled, the sea breeze 

 beginning to blow at about 2)4 o'clock. This continues to blow all 

 day regularly during the dry season. 



The Yauari has a sort of miniature delta. Just before entering 

 the Amazonas the river bends eastward, separated from the river by 

 a grass-covered strip of alluvium, across which two channels are 

 cut. It Avas low tide when we arrived at the mouth of the river, 

 and we were obliged to wait for sometime before we could enter. 

 The Yauari resembles the igarape de Erere in having a very deep, 

 narrow channel, about 200 feet wide, with steep banks lined with 

 trees which are, however, larger than those of Erere, while the 

 banks are cleaner. The vegetation is largely made up of the fol- 

 lowing trees: MiUiiti, Acapu-rdiia\ {Wullsclildgelia?), Araj^arifX 

 Caxmguha% {Pharmacosycea?), PiranJiauba,\ Taixi^ and UapuV 



During the dry season the water of the river and its branches is 

 quite stagnant, excessively dirty, warm and fever breeding, its 



tion, oben aber mit einetn lichten Walde grosser Biiume, besonders vieler castanheiros, bewach- 

 sen, auf dem steilenWege findet man nirgends ein aiideres als das angegebene sandeisenstein- 

 gebilde. Kleine Quellen kommen aus den Flanken des Berges auf die Wiesen herab, und die 

 Waldung der Hohe hegt behagliche kiihle."— /S^jes u. Mart. Beise in Brasilien, Iller Theil, 

 S. 1326. 



* Yauari is the name of the palm Astrocaryutn Javari/. The Portuguese form is Javari. 



+ Called also manupe, or the yauari. v. Martius gives the following etymologj': '■^ Caa-cua : 

 acapoc: arbor fructu desiliente; rana ; spurium," which strikes me as very lanciful. 



X This may be a corruption of ymyrd-apara-y'ua, meaning bow-tree. 

 % Ka& xingy' ua, Lingoa geral. 



II Pirdhay'ua, Lingoa geral, tree of the cannibal fish. 



^ Taix'i-y'ua, tree of the ant iaixi, so called because its hollow leaf-stalks are inhabited by a 

 very venomous ant. Taixi appears to be derived from tasy ua, an ant, and i, little. 

 I ITua-pu'i, slender tree. 



