COLLECTING IN BRAZIL. 2?5 



the lofty forest trees, of vast variety of species, all lashed 

 and connected by climbers, their trunk covered with a 

 museum of ferns, tillandsias, arums, orchids, &c. The 

 underwood consists of younger trees great variety of 

 small palms, mimosas, tree-ferns, &c. ; and the ground 

 is laden with fallen branches vast trunks covered with 

 parasites, &c. The animal denizens are in the same way 

 of infinite variety ; not numerous, as to give the appear- 

 ance at once of tumultuous life, being too much scattered 

 for that ; it is in course of time only that one forms an 

 idea of their numbers. Four or five species of monkey 

 are constantly seen. The birds are in such variety that it 

 is not easy to get two or three of the same species. You 

 see a trogon one day ; the next day and the day after, 

 another each day ; and all will be different species. Quad- 

 rupeds or snakes are seldom seen, but lizards are every- 

 where met with; and sometimes you get tortoises, tree- 

 frogs, &c. Insects, like birds, do not turn up in swarms 

 of one species ; for instance, you take a dozen longicorns 

 one day, and they are sure to be of eight or ten distinct 

 species. One year of daily work is scarcely sufficient to get 

 the majority of species in a district of two miles' circuit. 



"Such is the scene of my present labours ; and all the 

 rest of the Amazon is similar, though less rich ; the river 

 Tapajos alone differing, being a mountainous country. 

 Having thus my work at hand, I will tell you how I pro- 

 ceed. My house is in the centre of the town, but even 

 thus only a few minutes' walk from the edge of the forest 

 I keep an old and a young servant, on whom I rely for 



