CROSSING THE EASTERN ANDES 97 



However, it was with a feeling of relief that we emerged 

 from the mountainous country and entered a stretch of 

 level forest, the elevation of which was one thousand feet. 

 From the edge of this "plateau" we had our first view of 

 the Caqueta" a perfect ocean of forest stretching out ahead 

 as far as the eye can see, which on clear days is a distance 

 of many miles. The sight is most impressive. Not a 

 single rise is visible above the uniform expanse of green, as 

 the trees appear to be all of the same height. 



We stopped at the first native hut encountered, which 

 was but a ten-minute walk from the settlement of Floren- 

 cia. There was a clearing of considerable size; the greater 

 part of it was overgrown with grass and weeds, but there 

 were also fields of cane and plantains. The latter were the 

 finest I have ever found in all South America eighteen 

 inches long and sweeter and better flavored than the best 

 bananas. It was almost impossible to grow sugar-cane in 

 any quantity; capibaras were abundant along the streams 

 and made nightly inroads on the plantation, devastating 

 large areas on each visit. 



The great Amazonian forest extending on all sides was 

 full of surprising sounds emanating from a fauna entirely 

 new to us. For the first time we heard the clear, ringing 

 whistle of the "false bell-bird" (Lathria tinerea). The 

 penetrating whoo-ee-whee-oo filled the woods with music as 

 the birds called to one another, but the obscurely colored 

 singers were hard to see among the dark branches. The 

 song contains several low, churring notes that are lost from 

 a distance. 



The abundance and variety of wild life was so great as to 

 almost bewilder us and we worked day and night preparing 

 the wealth of material that came into^our hands. Work- 

 ing conditions were most unfavorable; it rained daily; 

 sand-flies took away a great deal of the pleasure that each 

 day brought in the form of new and interesting creatures, 

 while mosquitoes and fleas insisted on gaining an entrance 

 under the nets and making the nights disagreeable. Every 



