292 SCENES OF ANCIENT DAYS. 



sinks below to masticate its meal. Numberless other curious 

 creatures are roamiiio; throuo-h the forest, or feedino- on the 

 banks ; many others, having run their destined course, dis- 

 appear from the face of the globe, to be replaced by a new 

 creation of far less mao-nitude — the mild llama, the savao'e 

 jaguar, the nimble monkey 'vsdth prehensile tail, the ant-eater, 

 arborial and terrestrial ; the diminutive sloth, thick-skinned 

 tapir, alligators, turtles, and manatees ; lizards, serpents ; the 

 beautiful denizens of the air with superb plumage, numerous 

 species of humming-birds, gorgeous butterflies and beetles, 

 vieino* in their shinino^ hues with the rich o-ems hidden within 

 the bowels of the earth. 



It is of these, and of many others in wonderful variety ; 

 as well as of their master — man — in his savage state ; and of 

 the curious trees and shrubs, whose fruits afford him and the 

 lower orders abundant nourishment, that some outline sketches 

 vrill now be given. 



