220 NOTES OF A BOTANIST chap, vn 
day ; and the contrary when the thermometer is 
high, however bright the sky may be. 
My Rio Negro collections include examples of nearly every 
natural order of plants. Leguminosae continue to constitute a 
large proportion of them, but Csesalpini^ and Mimoseae are more 
numerous than Papilionacese, which was not the case in the 
localities previously visited. I have several large-flowered Loranthi 
not found at Santarem, numerous Rubiacege, Myrtles, and Mela- 
stomas almost without end, and some curious intermediate forms 
between these two orders. Lecythidese are not scarce, but many 
of them very difficult of access on account of their large size. 
The small-fruited species of Lecythis are called by the Indians 
Macacarecuya or the Monkey's drinking -cup, their fruit quite 
resembling a cup, when the lid has fallen off. Myrsine^ are far 
more abundant here than I have seen them on the Amazon ; they 
are all shrubs or small trees, reminding me of the currant-berry by 
the aspect and often by the odour of their pendulous racemes of 
small flowers, which are, however, occasionally more gaily coloured. 
The Barra has afforded me five Myristicae previously unnoticed, 
and it is worthy of remark that in every tree of this genus I 
have met with, the branches are arranged in whorls of five ; but 
the secondary ramification does not follow the same law. Soon 
after our arrival the banks of the stream were quite gay with a 
small Tiliaceous tree, bearing large white star-like flowers ; it 
agrees in most respects so well with the MoUia speciosa of Mart, 
and Zucc. (gathered also at the Barra) that I have little doubt of 
its being the same, although it recedes somewhat from the generic 
character given in Endlicher; the stamens, instead of being 
collected "in phalanges quinque," are arranged in ten parcels, 
five outer and five inner, the former having purple mifhers and 
green pollen^ and the \dX\^x yelloiv anthers and yellow polkfi. 
Grasses are less numerous here than at Santarem, but they 
show more novelty of form. There are three Selaginelte in the 
woods, but Ferns are scarce, occurring only towards the head- 
waters of the streams ; they include, however, a few species of 
Trichomanes new to me. Orchids are still not very numerous, 
but there are a few, both terrestrial and epiphytal, which I have 
not previously met with. The Palms I am much interested in ; 
they are far more numerous than at Santarem, and I believe 
include several undescribed species. I expect I have amongst 
new species one Maximiliana, one Euterpe, one Iriartea, two 
Bactrides, and two or three Geonomas. I send you specimens 
of all these, but I should like to have time to observe them more 
fully before sending the descriptions. Perhaps the noblest palm 
in the forests of the Barra is the Pataua, of which the trunk some- 
times reaches 80 feet in height and the fronds are of immense 
