56 



PARA 



shining whirligig-beetle of Europe, which was seen in 

 small groups in shady corners, spinning round on the sur- 

 face of the water precisely as its congener does in England. 

 The absence of leaf-eating beetles on the water plants, I 

 afterwards found was general throughout the country. 

 A few are found on large grasses, and Marantaceous plants 

 in some places, but these are generally concealed in the 

 sharp folds of the leaves, and are almost all very fiat in 

 shape ^ I, therefore, conclude that the aquatic plants 

 in open places in this country are too much exposed to 

 the sun's heat to admit of the existence of leaf-eating 

 beetles. 



Larr}^ told me the Indian names, and enumerated the 

 properties of a number of the forest trees. One of these 

 was very interesting — viz., the Jutahi, which yields the 

 gum copal, called by the natives Jutahi-sica. There are 

 several species of it, as appears at once from the nature 

 of the fruit. They belong to the order Leguminosae : the 

 pods are woody and excessively hard ; inside they contain 

 a number of beans, enveloped in a sweet yellowish floury 

 substance, which is eaten by the inhabitants. The shell 

 burns with a clear flame. Some of the species have large 

 pods, others small oval ones, containing only one bean. 

 The trees are amongst the largest in the forest, growing 

 from 150 to 180 feet in height : the bark is similar to that 

 of our oak. The leaves are in pairs, whence arises the 

 botanical name of the genus, Hymensea. The resin which 

 the various species produce exudes from wounds or gashes 

 made in the bark : but I was told that the trees secrete 

 it also spontaneously from the base of the trunk within, 

 and that large lumps are found in the earth amongst the 

 roots when a tree is uprooted by storms. In the resin, 

 ants and other insects are sometimes embedded, precisely 

 as they are in amber, which substance the Jutahi-sica 

 often resembles, at least in colour and transparency. 



During these rambles by land and water we increased 

 our collections considerably. Before we left the mills 

 we arranged a joint excursion to the Tocantins. Mr. 

 Leavens wished to ascend that river to ascertain if the 



^ The species belong to the families Hispidae and Cassidiadse, 

 and to the genera Cephaloleia, Arescus, Himatidium, Homalispa. 

 Carnivorous beetles, also flat in shape, sometimes accompany 

 them. 



