SCENERY OF THE LOWER CATARACT. 243 
grasses and slender plants, though never inundated 
by the river, present a surprising luxuriance and 
diversity of vegetation. Piles of granitic blocks rise 
here and there, and at the margins of the plains 
occur deep valleys and ravines, the humid soil of 
which is covered with arums, heliconias, and lia- 
nas. The shelves of primitive rocks, scarcely elevated 
above the plain, are partially coated with lichens and 
mosses, together with succulent plants, and tufts of 
evergreen shrubs with shining leaves. On all sides 
the horizon is bounded by mountains, overgrown with 
forests of laurels, among which clusters of palms rise 
to the height of more than a hundred feet, their slen- 
der stems supporting tufts of feathery foliage. To 
the east of Atures other mountains appear, the ridge 
of which is composed of pointed cliffs, rising like 
huge pillars above the trees. When these columnar 
masses are situated near the Orinoco, flamingoes, 
herons, and other wading birds, perch on their sum- 
mits, and look like sentinels. In the vicinity of the~ 
cataracts, the moisture which is diffused in the air 
produces a perpetual verdure, and wherever soil has 
accumulated on the plains, it is occupied by the 
beautiful shrubs of the mountains: 
The rainy season had scarcely commenced, yet 
the vegetation displayed all the vigour and _ bril- 
liancy which, on the coast, it assumes only towards 
the end of the rains. The old trunks were deco- 
rated with orchidex, bannisterias, bignonias, arums, 
and other parasitic plants. Mimosas, figs, and lau- 
rels, were the prevailing trees in the woody spots ; 
and im the vicinity of the cataract were groups of 
heliconias, bamboos, and palms. 
Along a space of more than five miles, the bed of 
