354 



A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 



see this famous lily growing in its native waters ; but, 

 though frequently told that it was plenty at certain sea- 

 sons in the lakes and igarap^s, we have never been able 

 to find it. Yesterday some of the officers of the ship, 

 who had been on an excursion to a neighboring lake, 

 returned laden with botanical treasures of all sorts, and, 

 among other plants, an immense lily-leaf, which, from its 

 dimensions, we judged must be the Victoria regia, though 

 it had not the erect edge so characteristic of it. This 

 morning, accompanied by two or three of yesterday's 

 party, who kindly undertook to be our guides, we went 

 to visit the same lake. A short walk from the river- 

 bank brought us to the shore of a large sheet of water, 

 — the Lago Maximo, — which connects with the Ramos 

 by a narrow outlet, but at a point so distant from our 

 anchorage that it would have been necessary to make 

 a great detour in order to reach it in a canoe. We 

 found an old montaria, with one or two broken paddles, 

 left, as it seemed, at the lake-shore for whom it might 

 concern, and in that we embarked at once. The banks 

 of this lake are bordered with beautiful forests, which do 

 not, however, rise immediately from the water, but are 

 divided from it by a broad band of grass. We saw many 

 water-birds on this grassy edge, as well as on several 

 dead trees, the branches of which were completely cov- 

 ered with gulls, all in exactly the same attitude, facing 

 one way, to meet the wind which blew strongly against 

 them. Ducks and ciganas were plenty ; and once or 

 twice we startled up from the woods small flocks of 

 mackaws, — not only the gaudy red, green, and yellow 

 species, but the far more beautiful blue mackaw. They 

 flew by us, with their gorgeous plumage glittering in the 



