Around Para. 



127 



shall find it throughout the valley of the Amazons. 

 The boldest imagination shrinks from any generali- 

 sation on this subject, and yet we must gradually 

 familiarise ourselves with the idea that the cause 

 which has dispersed these materials, whatever it be, 

 has acted on the largest scale, since they are proba- 

 bly to be found all over the continent." 



Although the especial interest of the naturalist 

 was centred in the glacial drift and fishes, the latter 

 received the most attention, and, as an evidence of 

 his energy, he discovered at Pard more new species 

 than were then known from the entire basin of the 

 Amazon. One of the finest steamers plying on the 

 river had been placed at his disposal, and under the 

 most favourable auspices the party moved slowly up 

 the great river, passing by hundreds of islands, a 

 continuous panorama of rich tropical verdure. The 

 weather was so delightful that they used ham_mocks 

 swung on the deck of the vessel, literally living out- 

 of-doors. At a little town named Breves they 

 made the first stop, and it becoming noised about 

 that a passenger desired bugs and animals of vari- 

 ous kinds, the evening found Agassiz the centre of a 

 crowd of children laden with animals of all kinds 

 from centipedes to live monkeys. Many of the 

 fishes so obtained were very rare and some new to 

 science. 



The shores of the river had a great charm for the 

 naturalist, the majestic palms and their great variety 

 forming a never tiring vista. Here he first became 

 familiar with the rubber tree of commerce, observ- 

 ing the natives tap the trees as he had seen the 



