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black and white water? Why was no river ever 

 found white near it's springs, and black in the 

 lower part of it's course ? I know not whether 

 the Rio Negro preserve it's yellowish brown 

 colour as far as it's mouth, notwithstanding the 

 great quantity of white water it receives from 

 the Cassiquiare and the Rio Blanco. Mr. de 

 la Condamine, not having seen this river north 

 of the equator, could not judge of the difference 

 of colour. 



Although on account of the abundance of the 

 rivers vegetation is more vigorous close to the 

 equator than eight or ten degrees north or south, 

 it cannot be affirmed, that the rivers with black 

 waters rise principally in the most shady and 

 thickest forests. On the contrary, a great num- 

 ber of the aguas negras come from the open 

 savannahs, that extend from the Meta beyond 

 the Guaviare toward the Caqueta, In a voyage 

 which 1 made with Mr. de Montufar from the 

 port of Guayaquil to Bodegas de Babaojo, at the 

 period of the great inundations, I was struck by 

 the analogy of colour displayed by the vast 

 savannahs of the Invernadero del Garzal and of 

 Lagartero, and the aspect of the Rio Negro 

 and the Atabapo. These savannahs, partly 

 inundated during three months, are composed 

 of paspalum, eriochloa, and several species of 

 cyperaceee. We sailed on waters that were 

 from four to five feet deep ; their temperature 



