﻿182 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  American 
  travellers 
  Spix 
  and 
  Martius 
  assert 
  that 
  on 
  different 
  

   occasions 
  they 
  observed 
  " 
  Monkeys, 
  Tiger-cats, 
  Squirrels, 
  Croco- 
  

   diles, 
  and 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  birds 
  " 
  carried 
  down 
  the 
  stream 
  of 
  the 
  

   Amazon 
  on 
  such 
  floating 
  masses, 
  and 
  similar 
  observations 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  by 
  other 
  travellers 
  on 
  the 
  Rio 
  Parana. 
  It 
  is 
  asserted 
  

   that 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  four 
  Pumas 
  were 
  landed 
  in 
  one 
  night 
  from 
  

   such 
  rafts 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Monte-Video.* 
  Mr. 
  Eodway 
  describes 
  

   the 
  blocking 
  of 
  the 
  Guiana 
  rivers 
  with 
  the 
  monster 
  arum 
  

   (Montrichardia 
  arborcsccns), 
  and 
  floating 
  island-grass 
  (Panicum 
  

   elephantipes), 
  which 
  in 
  dry 
  weather, 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  low, 
  and 
  

   the 
  stream 
  has 
  little 
  power, 
  " 
  meet 
  in 
  the 
  centre, 
  and 
  close 
  the 
  

   passage-way 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  only, 
  however, 
  to 
  be 
  torn 
  away 
  in 
  great 
  

   masses 
  as 
  the 
  floods 
  come. 
  At 
  such 
  times 
  great 
  patches, 
  fifty 
  

   feet 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  diameter, 
  are 
  seen 
  floating 
  down-stream, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  carrying 
  with 
  them 
  monster 
  Camoudies 
  (Boa 
  murina), 
  or 
  

   other 
  snakes. 
  Sometimes 
  a 
  great 
  tree, 
  whose 
  timber 
  is 
  light 
  

   enough 
  to 
  float, 
  gets 
  entangled 
  in 
  the 
  grass, 
  and 
  becomes 
  the 
  

   nucleus 
  of 
  an 
  immense 
  raft, 
  which 
  is 
  continually 
  increasing 
  in 
  

   size 
  as 
  it 
  gathers 
  up 
  everything 
  that 
  comes 
  floating 
  down 
  the 
  

   river, 
  "f 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  East 
  we 
  frequently 
  read 
  the 
  same 
  story. 
  Lord 
  

   George 
  Campbell 
  relates 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  was 
  steering 
  

   for 
  Humboldt 
  Bay 
  — 
  " 
  For 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  days 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  passing 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  driftwood, 
  so 
  thick 
  and 
  heavy 
  last 
  night, 
  that 
  we 
  

   had, 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  the 
  screw, 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  stop. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  All 
  this 
  

   heavy 
  driftwood 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  swept 
  here 
  by 
  rivers, 
  probably 
  

   swollen 
  now, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  wet 
  season 
  in 
  New 
  Guinea."! 
  Floating 
  

   masses 
  of 
  w 
  T 
  ood, 
  with 
  upright 
  trees 
  growing 
  on 
  them, 
  were 
  mis- 
  

   taken 
  by 
  Admiral 
  Smyth, 
  in 
  the 
  Philippine 
  Seas, 
  for 
  true 
  islands, 
  

   until 
  their 
  motion 
  made 
  their 
  real 
  nature 
  apparent. 
  On 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Borneo, 
  when 
  sailing 
  for 
  Kuching, 
  Mr. 
  Boyle 
  found 
  " 
  a 
  

   huge 
  tapong-tree 
  quite 
  eighteen 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  eighty 
  feet 
  

   long, 
  hanging 
  and 
  jarring" 
  against 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  vessel. 
  The 
  

   same 
  day 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  " 
  floating 
  island 
  ; 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  is 
  not 
  un- 
  

   common 
  in 
  tropical 
  latitudes, 
  and 
  its 
  principle 
  of 
  locomotion 
  is 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  simple 
  enough 
  when 
  properly 
  investigated. 
  Some 
  

  

  * 
  Heilprin, 
  ' 
  Geogr. 
  and 
  Geol. 
  Distr. 
  Animals,' 
  p. 
  44. 
  

  

  f 
  ' 
  In 
  the 
  Guiana 
  Forest,' 
  pp. 
  107-8. 
  

  

  I 
  'Log 
  Letters 
  from 
  the 
  Challenger,' 
  2nd 
  edit. 
  p. 
  272. 
  

  

  