256 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



bites and stings of the insect pests at the sand-flat camp, 

 and it was a pleasure once more to be in the middle of the 

 river, where they did not come, in any numbers, while we 

 were in motion. The current was swift, but the river was 

 so deep that there were no serious obstructions. Twice we 

 went down over slight riffles, which in the dry season were 

 doubtless rapids; and once we struck a spot where many 

 whirlpools marked the presence underneath of bowlders 

 which would have been above water had not the river 

 been so swollen by the rains. The distance we covered in a 

 day going down-stream would have taken us a week if we 

 had been going up. The course wound hither and thither, 

 sometimes in sigmoid curves; but the general direction was 

 east of north. As usual, it was very beautiful; and we 

 never could tell what might appear around any curve. In 

 the forest that rose on either hand were tall rubber-trees. 

 The surveying canoes, as usual, went first, while I shep- 

 herded the two pairs of lashed cargo canoes. I kept them 

 always between me and the surveying canoes — ahead of 

 me until I passed the surveying canoes, then behind me 

 until, after an hour or so, I had chosen a place to camp. 

 There was so much overflowed ground that it took us some 

 little time this afternoon before we found a flat place high 

 enough to be dry. Just before reaching camp Cherrie shot 

 a jacu, a handsome bird somewhat akin to, but much 

 smaller than, a turkey; after Cherrie had taken its skin, 

 its body made an excellent canja. We saw parties of 

 monkeys; and the false bell-birds uttered their ringing 

 whistles in the dense timber around our tents. The giant 

 ants, an inch and a quarter long, were rather too plentiful 

 around this camp; one stung Kermit; it was almost like the 



