324 National Geographic Magazine. 



all outlines except the more prominent irregularities of the ter- 

 rene, and have blended different mountain ranges, one of which 

 may be several miles beyond the other, into one, of which only 

 the sky profile is distinct. Naturally under these conditions 

 estimates of distance may be half or double the truth. 



There ai'e two ways of extracting reliable information from 

 these tree-top reconnaissances. If it be in the rainy season the 

 observer must be prepared to make a day of it, and when he 

 ascends the tree in the morning he takes with him a long light 

 line with which to pull up his coffee and lunch. 



Then aided by the successive showers which sweep across the 

 landscape, leaving fragments of mists in the ravines, and hanging 

 grey screens between the different ranges and mountains, bringing 

 out the relief first of this and then of that section, an accurate 

 sketch may gradually be made. The time of passage of a shower 

 from one peak to another, or to the observer, may also be utilized 

 as a by no means to be despised check upon distance estimates. 



If it be the dry season, the observer may take his choice be- 

 tween remaining on his perch in the tree from before sunrise to 

 after sunset, or making two ascents, one early in the morning 

 and the other late in the afternoon. In this case the slowly dis- 

 persing clouds of morning, and the gradually gathering mists at 

 sunset, together with the reversed lights and shadows at dawn 

 and sunset, bring out very clearly the relief of the terrene, the 

 overlapping of distant ranges,- and the course of the larger 

 streams. 



This kind of work cannot be delegated to anyone, and besides 

 the arduous labor involved in climbing the huge trees, there are 

 other serious annoyances connected with it. The climber is 

 almost certain to disturb some venomous insect which revenges 

 itself by a savage sting which has to be endured ; or he may rend 

 clothes and skin also, on some thorny vine, or another, crushed by 

 his efforts, may exude a juice which will leave him tattooed for 

 days ; then, though there may not be a mosquito or fly at the 

 base of the tree, the top will be infested with myriads of minute 

 black flies, which cover hands and face, and with extremely 

 annoying results. On the other hand the explorer may as a com- 

 pensation have his nostrils filled with the perfume of some bril- 

 liant oi'chid on a neighboring branch ; and there is a breezy 

 enjoyment in watching the showers as they rush across the green 

 carpet, and in listening to the roar with which the big drops beat 

 upon the tree tops. 



