212 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO, 



[July, 



What a luxury seemed simple bread and butter ! — and to think 

 that, perhaps in one short year, I might be in the midst of all 

 this ! There was a pleasure in the mere thought, that made me 

 leap over the long months, the weary hours, the troubles and 

 annoyances of tedious journeys, that had first to be endured. 

 I passed hours in solitary walks thinking of home ; and never 

 did I in former years long to be away in this tropic-land, with 

 half the earnestness with which I now looked forward to 

 returning back again. 



Our stay at Sao Jeronymo was prolonged by the non- 

 appearance of Bernardo. Insects were not so plentiful even as 

 at Jauarite ; but I generally found something in my walks, and 

 obtained two fine species of Satyridce quite new to me. In a 

 little patch of open bushy campo, which occurs about a mile 

 back from the village, I was delighted to find abundance 

 of orchids. I had never seen so many collected in one place ; 

 it was a complete natural orchid-house. In an hour's ramble, 

 I noticed about thirty different species ; — some, minute plants 

 scarcely larger than mosses, and one large semi-terrestrial 

 species, which grew in clumps eight or ten fept high. There 

 were but few in flower, and most of them were very small, 

 though pretty. One day, however, I was much delighted to 

 come suddenly upon a magnificent flower : growing out of a 

 rotten stem of a tree, just level with my eye, was a bunch of 

 five or six blossoms, which were three inches in diameter, 

 nearly round, and varying from a pale delicate straw-colour to 

 a rich deep yellow, on the basal portion of the labellum. How 

 exquisitely beautiful did it appear in that wild, sandy, barren 

 spot ! A day or two afterwards I found another handsome 

 species, the flowers of which, unlike those of most of the family, 

 were of very short duration, opening in the morning, and lastmg 

 but a single day. The sight of these determined me to try 

 and send some to England, as from such a distant and 

 unexplored locaHty there would probably be many new species. 

 I accordingly began bringing a few home every day, and, 

 packing them in empty farinha-baskets, placed them under a 

 rough stage, with some plantain-leaves to defend them from 

 the heat of the sun, till we should be ready to embark. I was 

 rather doubtful of the result, as they could not arrive in 

 England before the winter, which might be injurious ; but on 

 my next voyage, I looked forward to bringing a larger collection 



