Chap. III. 
FOPxESTS OF THE TERRA FIRMA. 
169 
land, which appears only at long intervals, but extends 
sometimes for 
many miles along 
the borders of the 
river. The coast 
at these places is 
sloping, and composed of red or 
variegated clay. The forest is 
of a different character from that 
of the lower tracts : it is rounder 
in outline, more uniform in its 
general aspect ; palms are much 
less numerous and of peculiar 
species — the strange bulging- 
stemmed species, Iriartea ventri- 
cosa, and the slender, glossy- 
leaved Bacaba-i (CEnocarpus mi- 
nor), being especially charac- 
teristic ; and, in short, animal 
life, which imparts some cheer- 
fulness to the other parts of the 
river, is seldom apparent. This 
"terra firme," as it is called, 
and a large portion of the fertile 
lower land, seemed well adapted 
for settlement ; some parts were 
originally peopled by the abo- 
rigines, but these have long since 
become extinct or amalgamated 
with the white immigrants. I 
Bulging-stemmed Palm : Pashitiba barrigudo (Iriartea ventricosa). 
