200 VIEWS OF NATURE. 



cries with those of the larger animals. This arouses the tribes 

 of birds who build their nests in communities, and suddenly 

 the whole animal world is in a state of commotion. Further 

 experience taught us, that it was by no means always the 

 festival of moonlight that disturbed the stillness of the forest; 

 for we observed that the voices were loudest during violent 

 storms of rain, or when the thunder echoed and the lightning 

 flashed through the depths of the woods. The good-natured 

 Franciscan monk who (notwithstanding the fever from which 

 he had been suffering for many months), accompanied us 

 through the cataracts of Atures and Maypures to San Carlos, 

 on the Rio Negro, and to the Brazilian coast, used to say, when 

 apprehensive of a storm at night, " May Heaven grant a quiet 

 night both to us and to the wild beasts of the forest!" 



A singular contrast to the scenes I have here described, 

 and which I had repeated opportunities of witnessing, is pre- 

 sented by the stillness which reigns within the tropics at the 

 noontide of a day unusually sultry. I borrow from the same 

 journal the description of a scene at the Narrows of Baraguan. 

 Here the Orinoco forms for itself a passage through the 

 western part of the mountains of the Parime. That which 

 is called at this remarkable pass a Narrow (Angostura del 

 Baraguan), is, however, a basin almost 5700 feet in breadth. 

 With the exception of an old withered stem of Aubletia 

 (Apeiba Tiburbu), and a new Apocinea '(Allamanda Salicifo- 

 lia), the barren rocks were only covered with a few silvery 

 croton shrubs. A thermometer observed in the shade, but 

 brought within a few inches of the lofty mass of granite 

 rock, rose to more than 122 Fahr. All distant objects had 

 wavy undulating outlines, the optical effect of the mirage. 

 Not a breath of air moved the dust-like sand. The sun 

 stood in the zenith; and the effulgence of light poured 

 upon the river, and which, owing to a gentle ripple of the 

 waters, was brilliantly reflected, gave additional distinct- 

 ness to the red haze which veiled the distance. All the 



