Chap, XV. TRIBUTARIES OF THE TAMBORATA. 2H1 



Andres Vilca, Mr, Weir showed much zeal and enerp;y in 

 undertaking to carry one of these bundles, four and a half 

 feet in circumference, over the slippery and dangerous road, 

 in doing which he fell into the river. 



On the morning of May 7th, when wo commenced our 

 retreat, it was pouring with rain, and the forest was saturated, 

 our bodies sodden, our hands crumpled like washerwomen's, 

 and our powder damp. We had to wade across many little 

 streams falling into the Tambopata. The first, after leaving 

 the Yana-mayu, was called Churu-bamba, because it empties 

 itself just opposite an island [churu, in Quichua). The next 

 stream was Uma-yuyu, uma being water in Aymara, and yuyu 

 a plant with a large cordate dock-like leaf, used in cJiupes. 

 Thus every little stream and hill had received a name from 

 the cascarilleros of former times, from some peculiarity of 

 position or other similar circumstance, which would easily 

 impress it on the memory. What an improvement on the 

 nomenclature in new countries discovered by Enghshmen, 

 where we have an endless succession of Jones's rivers, Smith's 

 mountains, and Brown's islands ! Near the banks of these 

 streams there are very large snail-shells, and Martinez 

 described the snails as " large kind of hornets, all made of 

 flesh, which do not sting." He called them Mamachuru, or 

 " Mother of the Island." 



On reaching the precipice of Ccasa-sani we scrambled 

 along its slippery sides, in the pouring rain, to collect plants 

 of 0. Qalimya, and obtained twenty-one good ones. They 

 were growing in a similar situation to those above the Yana- 

 mayu, in company with a number of Aceite de Maria trees 

 {Elceagia Marice),^ and completely exposed to the sun, without 

 any shade whatever. Passing the precipice, we continued our 

 damp weary journey, Martinez pointing out everything that 



* Described by Dr. Weddell, in Ms Histoire Naturelle des Quinquinas, in 

 a uoto under the genus Pimentelia. 



