THE LAND OF A SINGLE TREE. 23 



pure white blossoms (Epidendrum fragrans) filling the cano 

 with their sweetness. Now the delicate foliage of a palm is 

 silhouetted for a moment against the brightening eastern sky, 

 and a mass of great convolvulous blossoms shines out from 

 the shore. By this we know that we are not many miles 

 from dry ground, and other growths are already beginning to 

 dispute the dominance of the mangroves. 



FIG. 10. WHITE ORCHIDS. 



Silence again, to be broken by one of the most remarkable 

 and startling outbursts of sound which any living creature 

 in the world can utter. A series of unconnected sighs, 

 shrieks, screams, and metallic trumpet-like notes suddenly 

 breaking forth apparently within thirty feet, is surely excuse 

 enough for being startled. The hubbub ceases as abruptly 

 as it began; then again it breaks out, now seeming to come 

 from all directions, even from overhead. The author of all 



