X. 



UP IN THE TREES. 



NEITHER on the banks of the creek nor in the 

 forest is there room for anything like the smaller 

 herbaceous plants so common in English woods. 

 Anemones and bluebells flower before the trees 

 put on their summer vesture, when plenty of light 

 is obtainable ; here the forest giants are never 

 leafless. At no time can the shady wood be 

 compared with the gloomy forest, and therefore the 

 presence of so many pretty flowers under the trees, 

 even in summer, is easily explainable. In Guiana, 

 except two or three saprophytes Voyrias and a 

 tiny orchid, reduced to nothing but weak and 

 almost colourless stems covered with minute scales 

 instead of leaves, with one or more flowers there 

 are absolutely no plants on the ground. Even the 

 Voyrias require a little more light than they can 

 generally find, and are therefore wanting under 

 the densest shade. 



191 



