WATER TRAIL FROM GEORGETOWN TO AREMU. 253 



of us, and now and then great solid banks of flowers hung hkc 

 huge tapestries upon the foliage walls. One white flower with 

 a plume-like tuft of long slender stamens, filled whole bends 

 of the river with its sweet perfume and formed aerial banks 

 of bloom lifty feet square. We saw here for the first lime 

 the Green River Ibises -" looking dull black in the sunlight. 

 They were of the same size as Scarlet Ibises but with a 

 shorter tail, and flapped more slowly in flight. 



Fig. 106. Salt-water Flying Fish. 



Just before dusk we reached the house of the government 

 agent of this district, Mr. Nicholson, and were made welcome 

 at his little home in the heart of the wilderness. The house 

 is on a steep bluff of red clay, changing to yellow near the 

 water and commanding a fine view up and down the river. 

 Below, the river is smooth and shining, while a quarter of 

 a mile above the house a mass of tumbling white water blocks 

 further progress and marks the second portage. 



In the yard near the house one passes through a cluster of 

 young fruit trees and here two small colonies of Yellow 

 backed Cassiques '" had located, clustering their pendent 

 nests almost within arm's reach about two big nests of sting- 



