48 



tion of their city, were one day alarmed by the 

 sudden appearance of herons, soldadoes, and 

 garzas, on a mountain toward the south. They 

 believed they were menaced with an attack of 

 Indios monteros (Indian savages) ; and, notwith- 

 standing the opinion of some persons accus- 

 tomed to this land of illusion, the people were 

 not perfectly tranquillized, till they saw the 

 birds soaring in the air, and continuing their 

 migration toward the mouths of the Oroonoko. 



The fine vegetation of the mountains is spread 

 over the plains*, wherever the rock is covered 

 with mould. We generally find, that this 

 black mould, mixed with fibrous vegetable 

 matter, is separated from the granitic rock by 

 a layer of white sand. The missionary assured 

 us, that a verdure of perpetual freshness pre- 

 vails in the vicinity of the cataracts, produced 

 by the quantity of vapour, which the river, bro- 

 ken into torrents and cascades for the length of 



* Near Atures we found the sipania glomerata, s. dichoto- 

 ma 9 utricularia Jimbriata, matusehskea hispida, coutoubea mi- 

 nor, solanum platyphyllum, schwenkia americana,platycarpum 

 orinocense (a fine tree., figured by Mr. Bonpland in the first 

 volume of our Plantes equinoxiales) , convolvulus aturensis, po- 

 dostemum rupioides, abolboda pulchella, phyllanthus piscato- 

 rum, myrtus phylliroides, many plumerias, melastomas, cu- 

 pheas, jussiaeas ; &c. It is asserted, that father Olmo disco- 

 vered, in 1747, near Atures, in the country of the Piraoas, 

 the uarimacu, or wild cinnamon tree, which is unquestionably 

 the laurus cinnamomoides of Mutis. 



