230 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
wet season, and so little wind was there. Not- 
withstanding the slowness of the voyage, I found 
collecting very difficult. Although we crept along 
shore, we were rarely near enough to pluck any 
flowers. I sometimes stood in the prow with a 
long hooked pole, and when we came near enough 
to reach any twiner I ''made a point" at it. In 
this way were gathered a remarkably fine Apocynum, 
a Mucuna, and several others ; but I need not add 
in very small quantity. It was only two or three 
times that we were moored long enough during day- 
light to enable me to penetrate into the gapo with 
the montaria ; yet in this way I got the few curious 
aquatics in my collection, a second species of your 
new genus Enkylista, and some other things. By 
the by, our little Phyllanthus fluitans (Euphor- 
biaceae) was there in abundance. Are you sure 
that the embryo of this is dicotyledonous } There 
is a remarkable analogy (to say the least) with 
Hydrocharis. 
I had great difficulty also in drying my paper, 
for, not to speak of the rain, during the whole week 
of the voyage we never saw land, and the drying 
had to be done on board. But when there was 
wind, it was difficult to secure the paper against 
being carried away, and when there was none I 
could scarcely spread it out so as not to be in the 
way of the rowers. I only enter into these details 
to show you that there may be reasons, " not 
dreamt of in your philosophy," why the stock of 
some species is not always so ample as might be 
desired. 
At Manaquiry I paid a visit to a Senhor Zanny 
^ [It is about 50 miles above the 'mouth of the Rio Negro. — Ed.] 
