21 8 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



of food was thrown down it would mysteriously take legs to 

 itself and begin to walk away, the motor power being myriads 

 of these interesting insects. Big-headed soldiers patrolled 

 all along the winding trail of foragers, troubling no one un- 

 less they were disturbed or the workers attacked. Several 

 species of orchids, Brassias and others unknown to us, were 

 in blossom all about us. 



On we went again, becoming more and more delighted 

 with our method of travel. There was no puffing, smelly 

 kerosene engine, no clatter of many tongues; and we were 

 close to the water with nothing overhead between us and 

 the sky, or the overhanging branches. The typical river 

 birds paid little attention to our silent craft; and we were 

 able to watch Giant Kingfishers, 67 Guiana Cormorants, 47 

 Snake-birds, 48 Parrakeets and Swallows at close range. 



In sheltered places along the bank our canoe pushed 

 through unbroken masses of the floating rosettes of leaves, 

 known as the Shell Flower (Pistia stratiodes}. The leaves are 

 shell-shaped, thick, strongly ribbed and light velvety green 

 in color, covered with a coat of short, dense hairs which 

 repel the water so that when pushed beneath the surface the 

 plant bobs up as dry as before. Thousands of these little 

 plants become detached from their sheltered bays and are 

 carried out to sea where they decay and disappear. Small 

 Water Hyacinths were less common. 



The river was full from recent rains in the interior, and 

 in some places for several hundred yards the surface was 

 thickly covered with innumerable smalj yellow blossoms 

 splashed with scarlet at their hearts, while every now and then 

 a large purple pea-blossom would be seen. These had 

 doubtless fallen from the tree-tops where the river was 

 narrower and the vines and branches overhung the stream. 

 Many insects were carried down afloat on the blossoms and 

 now and then a great hairy tarantula would appear, with 



