10 



TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. 



[Jtme, 



houses are so small as to require a box-lid to fit very closely in 

 order to keep them out. They are great enemies to any dead 

 animal matter, especially insects and small birds. In drying 

 the specimens of insects we procured, we found it necessary to 

 hang up the boxes containing them to the roof of the verandah; 

 but even then a party got possession by descending the string, 

 as we caught them in the act, and found that in a few hours 

 they had destroyed several fine insects. We were then in- 

 formed that the Andiroba oil of the country, which is very 

 bitter, would keep them away, and by well soaking the suspend- 

 ing string we have since been free from their incursions. 



Having at first employed ourselves principally in collecting 

 insects, I am enabled to say something about the other families 

 of that numerous class. None of the orders of insects were so 

 numerous as I expected, with the exception of the diurnal 

 Lepidopiera^ or butterflies ; and even these, though the number 

 of different species was very great, did not abound in in- 

 dividuals to the extent I had been led to anticipate. In about 

 three weeks Mr. B. and myself had captured upwards of a 

 hundred and fifty distinct species of butterflies. Among them 

 were eight species of the handsome genus Fapiiio, and three 

 Morphos^ those splendid large metallic-blue buttei flies which 

 are always first noticed by travellers in South America, in 

 which country alone they are found, and where, flying lazily 

 along the paths in the forest, alternately in deep shade and 

 bright sunshine, th^y present one of the most striking sights 

 the insect world can produce. Among the smaller species the 

 exquisite colouring and variety of marking is wonderful. The 

 species seem inexhaustible, and probably not one-half of those 

 which exist in this country are yet discovered. We did not 

 fall in with any of the large and remarkable insects of South 

 America, such as the rhinoceros or harlequin beetles, but saw 

 numerous specimens of a large Mantis, or praying insect, and 

 also several of the large Mygale, or bird-catching spiders, 

 which are here improperly called " tarantulas," and are said to be 

 very venomous. We found one which had a nest on a silk 

 cotton-tree, formed like the web of some of our house-spiders, 

 as a place of concealment, but of a very strong texture, almost 

 like silk. Other species live in holes in the ground. Beetles 

 and flies were generally very scarce, and, with few exceptions, 

 of small size, but bees and wasps were abundant, and many of 



