I40 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
my people advancing, and conducted them to the 
site I had chosen for our resting-place. 
The road had been gently descending for most 
of the day and was not so gravelly as yesterday, 
while much sloppy ground had to be passed. 
June 1 7. — A shower at 3 a.m. At daybreak rain 
again came on and continued without intermission 
till near noon, when we set off. We had gone for 
scarcely two hours when we reached the large 
stream called Piiyu, a tributary of the Pastasa, and 
found it so swollen that there was no hope of crossing 
it ; we must therefore again set to and construct 
ranchos, and there aw^ait the river subsiding. My 
chagrin at this delay was somewhat lessened by the 
circumstance of finding myself in the most mossy 
place I had yet seen anywhere. Even the topmost 
twigs and the very leaves were shaggy with mosses, 
and from the branches overhanging the river de- 
pended festoons of several feet in length, composed 
chiefly of Bryopterides and Phyllogium fulgens, in 
beautiful fruit. Throughout the journey, whenever 
rains, swollen streams, and grumbling Indians 
combined to overwhelm me with chagrin, I found 
reason to thank heaven which had enabled me to 
forget for the moment all my troubles in the con- 
templation of a simple moss. We had hoped to 
reach the Jibaros settlement this day. The 
chacras were said to be near, and two of our men 
swam across the river Piiyu and before nightfall 
returned with plantains. 
June 18. — Slight showers before daybreak, but 
the river had sufficiently abated to allow of our 
passing it, and at 6 a.m. we started. On the 
opposite side we were not long in coming on large 
