APPENDIX B 357 



lets the water through. A waterproof canvas floor is a luxury, and, 

 though it adds to the weight, it may with advantage be taken on or- 

 dinary trips. The tent should be eight by eight or eight by nine feet, 

 large enough to swing a comfortable hammock. A waterproof canvas 

 bag, a loose-fitting envelope for the tent should be provided. Native 

 help is, as a rule, careless, and the bag would save wear and tear. 



Hammocks. — ^The hammock is the South American bed, and the 

 traveller will find it exceedingly comfortable. After leaving the larger 

 cities and settlements a bed is a rare object. All the houses are pro- 

 vided with extra hammock hooks. The traveller will be entertained 

 hospitably and after dinner will be given two hooks upon which to 

 hang his hammock, for he will be expected to have his hammock and, 

 in insect time, his net, if he has nothing else. As a rule, a native ham- 

 mock and net can be procured in the field. But it is best to take a 

 comfortable one along, arranged with a fine-meshed net. 



In regard to the folding cot: It is heavy and its numerous legs form 

 a sort of highway system over which all sorts of insects can crawl up 

 to the sleeper. The ants are special pests and some of them can bite 

 with the enthusiastic vigor of beasts many times their size. The can- 

 vas floor in a tent obviates to a degree the insect annoyance. 



The headwaters of the rivers are usually reached by pack-trains of 

 mules and oxen. The primitive ox-cart also comes in where the trail 

 is not too bad. One hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty 

 pounds is a good load for the pack-animals, and none of the cases should 

 weigh more than fifty or sixty pounds. Each case should be marked 

 with its contents and gross and net weight in kilos. 



For personal baggage the light fibre sample case used by travelling 

 men in the United States does admirably. The regulation fibre case 

 with its metal binding sold for the purpose is too heavy and has the 

 bad feature of swelling up under the influence of rain and dampness, 

 often necessitating the use of an axe or heavy hammer to remove cover. 



The ordinary fibre trunk is good for rail and steamer travel, but it 

 is absolutely unpractical for mule-back or canoe. The fibre sample 

 case could be developed into a container particularly fitted for explora- 

 tion. The fibre should be soaked in hot paraffine and then hot-calen- 

 dered or hot-pressed. This case could then be covered with water- 

 proof canvas with throat opening like a dufFel-bag. 



