102 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



His lair is among the bushes on the edge of the 

 forest, and like most other animals his colour har- 

 monises so closely with his surroundings, that he is 

 practically invisible to any one but the Indian. 



This invisibility is a striking characteristic of 

 every living thing in the forest. At first a stranger 

 observes nothing but a scene of desolate confusion. 

 Later, however, he begins to distinguish one tree 

 from another and learns where to look for a 

 particular animal. Then he wonders how he 

 could have missed the signs which now impress 

 themselves upon his eyes. However, this is not 

 altogether characteristic of the forest as a similar 

 result follows on a close acquaintance with any 

 place. There is another aspect of this question, 

 and that is the fact that there must be a desire 

 for knowledge. Otherwise, the forest is excessively 

 tame and dull perhaps to an ordinary sojourner 

 almost as lifeless as the African desert. For 

 want of knowledge he sees nothing, hears nothing, 

 and is inclined to do nothing but complain of the 

 monotony day after day. There is nothing to 

 relieve him from the feeling of annoyance pro- 

 duced by the hot, steamy atmosphere and the 

 insect pests which continually worry him. He 

 feels clammy ; his clothes get damp and cannot 

 be dried ; in one place there are mosquitoes and 



