THE EQUATORIAL ZONE. 299 



ruptedly along the river Magdalena, in company with some 

 Banana-leaved plants, called Htliconia" On the shady 

 banks of this river too that curious climbing plant, Aristo- 

 lochia cordifolia, was discovered by him, the wonderful 

 flowers of which " are four feet in circumference, and are 

 often worn in play as caps by the Indian children." But we 

 must not loiter too long to admire individual flowers, how- 

 ever beautiful, as we have yet to learn something of the 

 northern half of Brazil, and are anxious to see if it equals 

 (for we are sure it cannot surpass) the southern provinces. 



As we pass on thither, through 'the British territory of 

 Demerara, we often traverse large tracts of laud covered 

 with forests of Cacao-trees, from the kernel of which 

 chocolate and cocoa are prepared. The trees are small, 

 with large leaves and little blossoms, constructed something 

 like the Mallow, but belong to a tribe called Bnttneriacea. 



Prom Demerara we will take ship, and having passed the 

 coasts of Guiana, we must sail up an arm of the Amazon, 

 and land at Para, just at that point where the Rio Guama 

 flows into it, as from Para we can readily make our way to 

 the interior of the northern provinces of Brazil. 



As we follow the course of the Eio Guama and observe the 

 vegetation which clothes its banks, we cannot refrain from the 



