322 A DAY AND NIGHT ON THE AMAZON. 



pass overhead, the different kinds of cawing and screaming 

 of the various species making a terrible discord. Added to 

 them are the calls of strange cicada — one large kind perched 

 high on the trees setting up a most piercing chirp. It begins 

 with the usual harsh jarring tone of its tribe, rapidly becoming 

 shriller, until it ends in a long and loud note resembling the 

 steam whistle of a locomotive engine. A few of these won- 

 derful performers make a considerable item in the evening 

 concert. The uproar of beasts, birds, and insects lasts but a 

 short time ; the sky quickly loses its intense hue, and the 

 night sets in. Then begin the tree-frogs — Quack, quack I 

 Drum, drum '. Hoo, hoo ! These, accompanied by melancholy 

 night-jars, keep up their monotonous cries till late at night. 



The night, however, is not given over to darkness. In 

 every forest path, across the calm waters of the igarapes, along 

 open spaces, in the village as well as in spots remote from 

 man's abode, the whole air is full of bright and glittering 

 lights of varied hue; now darting here, now there, like meteors 

 Hashing through the sky — now for a moment obscured, to 

 burst forth again with greater brilliancy. Beautiful as is the 

 English, glow-worm, the fire-flies and fire-beetles, the elaters 

 of the tropics, far surpass them in brilliancy. Their light is 

 redder and more candle-like, and being alternately emitted 

 and concealed, each of the tiny vermilion flames performing 

 its part in the aerial mazy dance, the spectacle is singularly 

 beautiful. In the marshy districts is seen the large elater, 

 which displays both red and green lights ; the red glare, 

 like that of a lamp, alternately flashing on the beholder, then 

 concealed as the insect turns his body in flight, but the ruddy 

 reflection on the grass beneath being constantly visible as it 

 leisurely pursues its course. Now and then a green light is 



