A Tropical Forest. 39 



objects of admiration in these grand scenes, but it is 

 not possible to give an adequate idea of the higher feel- 

 ings of wonder, astonishment, and devotion which fill and 

 elevate the mind. This road to the Andes is a paradise to 

 the contemplative man. " There is something in a tropic- 

 al forest (says Bates) akin to the ocean in its effects on the 

 mind. Man feels so completely his insignificance, and the 

 vastness of nature." The German traveler Burmeister ob- 

 serves that " the contemplation of a Brazilian forest pro- 

 duced on him a painful impression, on account of the 

 vegetation displaying a spirit of restless selfishness, eager 

 emulation, and craftiness." He thought the softness, ear- 

 nestness, and repose of European woodland scenery were 

 far more pleasing, and that these formed one of the causes 

 of the superior moral character of European nations. Live 

 and let live is certainly not the maxim taught in these 

 tropical forests, and it is equally clear that selfishness is 

 not wanting among the people. Here, in view of so much 

 competition among organized beings, is the spot to study 

 Darwin's " Origin of Species." We have thought that the 

 vegetation under the equator was a fitter emblem of the 

 human world than the forests of our temperate zone. 

 There is here no set time for decay and death, but we 

 stand amid the living and the dead ; flowers and leaves 

 are falling, while fresh ones are budding into life. Then, 

 too, the numerous parasitic plants, making use of their 

 neighbors as instruments for their own advancement, not 

 inaptly represent a certain human class. 



140 species within the space of three square miles. Their limits of growth 

 are 500 and 7000 feet above the sea. 



