332 TiMEHRl. 



bateau is easily pulled. After this the river widens out 

 with a slower current, and rocks and islands begin to 

 appear at intervals. Two of these large rocks, one 

 covered with trailing plants resembling a head of hair, 

 go by the names of Mr. and Mrs. Winter, but why, 

 no one seems to know. 



Higher up, the banks begin to assume a very peculiar 

 appearance, due to the abundant growth chiefly of two 

 creepers, which form almost continuous sheets, like 

 drooping curtains, along the riverside, often stretching 

 out in broad and thin layers from the proje6ting ends of 

 the branches over the river. Against this almost con- 

 tinuous curtain of green, the few flowering plants stood 

 out with marked effe6l, more especially bunches of the 

 " bottlebrush" and Petrssa. 



The depth of the river varies considerably between 

 the rapids, and numerous boulders of quartz-porphyry 

 block the channel. The rapids follow each other in 

 quick succession, but until the Savannah rapids are 

 reached, some few miles above the Winter's catara6l, 

 they are of little difficulty. Here the bed of the river is 

 very inclined for about from 400 — 600 yards, the water 

 rushing over the broad and rocky slope with great force. 

 The river becjmes very shallow with scarcely sufficient 

 depth to float the bateau, and rocks projeft in all 

 direftions, many of them loose on the slope and very 

 slippery, and giving a very insecure footing for the boat- 

 men, who have to pull and push the boat with great 

 difficulty between them. The mossy water-plants (Lacis, 

 etc)., are here very abundant on the rocks, and 

 seem to consist chiefly of three species, one especially 

 being of large size and with the stalk of the inflorescence 



