Along the Essequebo and Potaro. 129 



the shallow water. Dreading the rough portage at 

 Amutu for the bateau, which was an old and very wide 

 one, we made attempts at Manakparu to obtain wood- 

 skins for the remaining part of the journey, but without 

 success, as the Indians were themselves preparing to set 

 out down the river. This at least was the report that 

 the men who were sent to the settlement, which is 

 situated at a considerable distance back from the river, 

 brought back with them ; besides, it was said that ail the 

 woodskins were of small size, though of this we had no 

 means of judging, since they were certainly not sunk in 

 the creek mouth at the entrance to the settlement, where 

 they might be seen or reached by us. 



At this settlement, on the Sunday, but few specimens 

 were obtained, such as the smaller maroodie (Penelope 

 greeyijy two uncommon bush-shrikes, and a few insects. 

 Macaws and parrots were extremely plentiful, as indeed 

 they were all through the trip, but owing to their lofty 

 flight, high over the top of the forest, they were almost 

 invariably out of range. 



Early on Monday morning westarted for Amutu, a heavy 

 mist hanging over the river ; but gradually, as the sunrise 

 came, the mist passed away and the change was ushered in 

 with wonderful impressiveness. Previously, it had seemed, 

 with the high line of forest on either side, as though 

 we were passing through a tall and stately avenue into 

 some phastasmal region ; but as the dawn broke and dis- 

 pelled the mist, and woke the chattering and quarrelling 

 of parrots in the high trees, and the quaint yelping of the 

 bill-birds, besides the countless cries and whistles of other 

 creatures, an indescribable cheeriness and freshness 

 seemed to burst upon the scene, where the long and 



R 



