DOWN THE AMAZONS. 



867 



a forest of monocotyledonous trees with a dicotyledonous 

 undergrowth ; the inferior plants thus towering above and 

 sheltering the superior ones. Among the lower trees were 

 many Leguminosge, — one of the most striking, called Fava, 

 having a colossal pod. The whole mass of vegetation was 

 woven together by innumerable lianas and creeping vines, 

 in the midst of which the flowers of the Bignonia, with 

 its open, trumpet-shaped corolla, were conspicuous. The 

 capim was bright with the blossoms of the mallow, grow- 

 ing in its midst ; and was often edged with the broad-leaved 

 Aninga, a large aquatic Arum. 



" Through such a forest, where the animal life was no 

 less rich and varied than the vegetation, our boat glided 

 slowly for hours. The number and variety of birds struck 

 me with astonishment. The coarse, sedgy grasses on either 

 side were full of water birds, one of the most common of 

 which was a small chestnut-brown wading bird, the Jagana 

 (Parra), whose toes are immensely long in proportion to its 

 size, enabling it to run upon the surface of the aquatic vege- 

 tation, as if it were solid ground. It was now the month 

 of January, their breeding season ; and at every turn of 

 the boat we started them up in pairs. Their flat, open 

 nests generally contained five flesh-colored eggs, streaked 

 in zigzag with dark brown lines. The other waders were 

 a snow-white heron, another ash-colored, smaller species, 

 and a large white stork. The ash-colored herons were 

 always in pairs ; the white ones always single, standing 

 quiet and alone on the edge of the water, or half hidden 

 in the green capim. The trees and bushes were full of 

 small warbler-like birds, which it would be difficult to 

 characterize separately. To the ordinary observer they 

 might seem like the small birds of our woods ; but tl.ero 



