INSECTS 



465 



common bird on the terra firma, at least on the south 

 side of the river, as far as Fonte Boa, but I did not hear 

 of its being found further to the west. It appears in large 

 flocks in the forest near Ega in May and June, when 

 it has completed its moult. I did not find these bands 

 congregated at fruit-trees, but always wandering through 

 the forest, hopping from branch to branch amongst the 

 lower trees, and partly concealed amongst the foliage. 

 None of the Arassaris, to my knowledge, make a yelping 

 noise like that uttered by the larger Toucans (Ram- 

 phastos) ; the notes of the curl-crested species are very 

 singular, resembling the croaking of frogs. I had an 

 amusing adventure one day with these birds. I had shot 

 one from a rather high tree in a dark glen in the forest, 

 and leaving my gun leaning against a tree-trunk in the 

 pathway, went into the thicket where the bird had fallen, 

 to secure my booty. It was only wounded, and on my 

 attempting to seize it, it set up a loud scream. In an 

 instant, as if by magic, the shady nook seemed alive 

 with these birds, although there was certainly none 

 visible when I entered the thicket. They descended to- 

 wards me, hopping from bough to bough, some of them 

 swinging on the loops and cables of woody lianas, and all 

 croaking and fluttering their wings like so many furies. 

 Had I had a long stick in my hand I could have knocked 

 several of them over. After killing the wounded one I 

 rushed out to fetch my gun, but, the screaming of their 

 companion having ceased, they remounted the trees, and 

 before I could reload, every one of them had disappeared. 



Insects, — Upwards of 7000 species of insects were found 

 in the neighbourhood of Ega. I must confine myself, in 

 this place, to a few remarks on the order Lepidoptera, and 

 on the ants, several kinds of which, found chiefly on the 

 Upper Amazons, exhibit the most extraordinary instincts. 



I found about 550 distinct species of butterflies at 

 Ega. Those who know a little of Entomology will be 

 able to form some idea of the riches of the place in this 

 department, when I mention that eighteen species of 

 true Papilio (the swallow-tail genus) were found within 

 ten minutes' walk of my house. No fact could speak 

 more plainly for the surpassing exuberance of the vege- 

 tation, the varied nature of the land, the perennial warmth 

 and humidity of the climate. But no description can 



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