80 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE chap. 



not necessarily itself at rest ; and yet we all 

 know how it is refreshed by sleep. 



But though animals sleep, many of them 

 are nocturnal in their habits. Humboldt gives 

 a vivid description of night in a Brazilian 

 forest. 



"Everything passed tranquilly till eleven 

 at night, and then a noise so terrible arose in 

 the neighbouring forest that it was almost 

 impossible to close our eyes. Amid the cries 

 of so many wild beasts howling at once the 

 Indians discriminated such only as were (at 

 intervals) heard separately. These were the 

 little soft cries of the sapajous, the moans of 

 the alouate apes, the bowlings of the jaguar 

 and couguar, the peccary and the sloth, and 

 the cries of (many) birds. When the jaguars 

 approached the skirt of the forest our dog, 

 which till then had never ceased barking, 

 began to howl and seek for shelter beneath our 

 hammocks. Sometimes, after a long silence, 

 the cry of the tiger came from the tops of the 

 trees ; and then it was followed by the sharp 

 and long whistling of the monkeys, which 

 appeared to flee from the danger which 



