1^1 TRAVELS IN 
a beautiful green ground. When it becomes a 
butterfly, its wings are almoft entirely white, 
with a few brown fl:ripes and fpots ; its body 
is fo foft that it feels to the touch like cot- 
ton. I had feveral opportunities afterwards 
of remarking, that when the mln^ofa is in 
bloom, which generally happens towards the 
commencement of January, its flowers arq 
covered with a great number of infedls of 
different kinds ; in the cantons, therefore, 
where this tree grows, one may find in the 
greateft abundance a part of thofe different 
individuals which compofe this clafs of na- 
tural hiftory; and, by a neceiTary confequence, 
an infinite number of different birds are at- 
tra£led by thefe infeds, which form the 
principal part of their nourifhment. 
I took advantage of this firfl halting to ikin 
the builard which I had killed ; its flefh af- 
forded me a meal, and my people dined on 
the provlfions which we had brought with 
us. My oxen had fared fo well during the 
way, that we had fcarcely flopped. When 
they lay down, notwithftanding the loads 
which t'hey carried, the grafs around them 
was fo high that they were entirely hid 
by it. In the afternoon the iky became 
* ' " overcaflj, 
