ON THE RIVERS AND CREEKS. 177 



they fell among the crowd they would be quickly 

 suffocated, but as their aerial roots cling tightly 

 there is little risk of such a catastrophe. 



We come now to the great rivers ; their banks are 

 too uniform to be picturesque. The forest trees 

 come as near to the banks as they dare, and then 

 stop, allowing a crowd of prickly shrubs to extend 

 themselves into the ooze. Looked at from the 

 river, the green expanse seems to rise from a 

 verdant bank, as if the shore were far above the 

 water, instead of being nearly on the same level. 

 The tall trees cannot hold their own in the mud, 

 therefore they give place to a different type, which 

 has little or no trunk, and sits down as it were to 

 anchor itself by means of special contrivances. 

 Several species of Leguminosae, including Drepano- 

 carpus lunatus, Muellera moniliformis, and Hecas- 

 tophyllum Brownii, form dense thickets, and extend 

 as far from the bank as they dare. In front of 

 these is an advance guard of mocca-mocca (Mon- 

 trichardia arborescens\ which is as it were drawn 

 up in rank to keep back the flood. Growing in the 

 water, this monster arum developes great club-like 

 stems, which come up as close to each other as 

 they can pack, and rise like rows of palisades to 

 the height of twelve feet or more above the surface. 

 As if this were not a sufficient encroachment on 



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