256 Through the BraziUan Wilderness 



hidden, easily eludes the eye. But against the dark- 

 brown mould of the forest floor on which we found this 

 coral-snake its bright and varied coloration was dis- 

 tinctly revealing; infinitely more so than the duller 

 mottling of the jararaca and other dangerous snakes of 

 the genus lachecis. In the same place, however, we 

 found a striking example of genuine protective or 

 mimetic coloration and shape. A rather large insect 

 larva — at least we judged it to be a larval form, but we 

 were none of us entomologists — ^bore a resemblance to 

 a partially curled dry leaf which was fairly startling. 

 The tail exactly resembled the stem or continuation of 

 the midrib of the dead leaf. The flattened body was 

 curled up at the sides, and veined and colored precisely 

 like the leaf. The head, colored like the leaf, projected 

 in front. 



We were still in the Brazilian highlands. The forest 

 did not teem with life. It was generally rather silent; 

 we did not hear such a chorus of birds and mammals as 

 we had occasionally heard even on our overland journey, 

 when more than once we had been awakened at dawn by 

 the howling, screaming, yelping, and chattering of mon- 

 keys, toucans, macaws, parrots, and parakeets. There 

 were, however, from time to time, queer sounds from 

 the forest, and after nightfall different kinds of frogs 

 and insects uttered strange cries and calls. In volume 

 and frequency these seemed to increase until midnight. 

 Then they died away and before dawn everything was 

 silent. 



At this camp the carregadores ants completely de- 

 voured the doctor's undershirt, and ate holes in his mos- 



