200 
THE UPPER AMAZONS. Chap. IIL 
sary results. Their fecundity is of a low degi-ee, for it 
is very rare to find an Indian family having so many as 
four children, and we have seen how great is their liability 
to sickness and death on removal from place to place. 
I have already remarked on the different way in 
which the climate of this equatorial region affects 
Indians and negroes. No one could live long amongst 
the Indians of the Upper Amazons, without being 
struck with their constitutional dislike to the heat. 
Europeans certainly withstand the high temperature 
better than the original inhabitants of the country : 
I always found I could myself bear exposure to the sun 
or imusually hot weather, quite as well as the Indians, 
although not well-fitted by nature for a hot climate. 
Their skin is always hot to the touch, and they perspire 
little. No Indian resident of Ega can be induced to 
stay in the village (where the heat is felt more than in 
the forest or on the river), for many days together. 
They bathe many times a day, but do not plunge in 
the water, taking merely a sitz-bath, as dogs may be 
seen doing in hot climates, to cool the lower parts of the 
body. The women and children, who often remain at 
home, whilst the men are out for many days together 
fishing, generally find some excuse for trooping off to 
the shades of the forest in the hot hours of the after- 
noons. They are restless and discontented in fine dry 
weather, but cheerful in cool days, when the rain is 
pouring down on their naked backs. When suffering 
under fever, nothing but strict watching can prevent 
them going down to bathe in the river, or from 
eating immoderate quantities of juicy fruits, although 
