546 



texture, and without a seam. The upper open- 

 ing serves for the head ; and two lateral holes 

 are cut to admit the arms. The natives wear 

 these shirts of marima in the rainy season : 

 they have the form of the ponchos and ruanas of 

 cotton, which are so common in New Grenada, 

 at Quito, and in Peru. As in these climates 

 the riches and beneficence of nature are regard- 

 ed as the primary causes of the indolence of 

 the inhabitants, the missionaries do not fail to 

 say in showing the shirts of marima, " in the 

 forests of the Oroonoko garments are found 

 ready made on the trees." We may add to this 

 tale of the shirts the pointed caps, which the 

 spathes of certain palm-trees furnish, and which 

 resemble coarse network*. 



At the festival of which we were spectators, 

 the women were excluded from the dance, and 

 every sort of public rejoicing; they were daily 

 occupied in serving the men with roasted mon- 

 key, fermented liquors, and the palm cabbage. 

 I mention this last production, which has the 

 taste of our cauliflowers, because in no other 

 country had we seen specimens of such an 

 immense size. The leaves that are not unfold- 

 ed are confounded with the young stem, and we 

 measured cylinders of six feet long and five 

 inches in diameter. Another substance, which 



* See chap, 16, vol. iv, p, 226. 



