214 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
the delicious odour of Orchis conopsea, wanting in 
the other two. Along with these grew a slender 
erect Polygala with racemes of purple and white 
flowers, and many other herbaceous plants, includ- 
ing several Rubiaceae. ... In drier ground grew a 
small species of Arum with a spathe of pure white 
and a hemispherical root, and a large branched 
herbaceous Polygala with white flowers. 
Here and there large ant-hills by their decay 
form a sort of island in the marsh ; on these grew 
two Liliaceae, one with a solitary yellow flower, the 
other with a few terminal rather large flowers of 
the most delicate pale blue. 
On one side of the campo the soil seems better, 
and Grasses and Sedges grow rank and high. This 
part is quite glorious with a shrubby Melastoma of 
4 or 5 feet high, completely clad with large purple 
flowers ; it is quite new to me. Stunted shrubs 
of a Byrsonima (Malpighiaceae) and a Curatella 
(Dilleniaceae) formed the sole woody vegetation 
of the central parts of the campo ; but it was belted 
round by tall Jauan' palms, with an inner fringe of 
Mimosa, Myrtles, Melastomas, Malpighias, etc.; 
while, outside all, the dense dark forest stretched 
away to an immeasurable distance. 
Not a day passed without rain. Sometimes 
there was sun enough in the morning to enable me 
to dry my paper before setting out to herborise. 
When there was not I took the paper across the 
river in the evening and got it dried on the forno, 
which was about a quarter of a mile up the river. 
This is a narrow rapid stream winding through 
dark forests, the climbers of which often stretch 
across it and are troublesome to avoid as the canoe 
