Blossoming Season Without Kain. 
38, The camp had been pitclied on the leit bank of the Takutu at 
the mouth of the small stream Maeupava, the name given it by the Macusi 
after a tree that grows plentifully along its banks.. Judging from the 
apple-like fruit, it is Aublet's Macoiicoii (/liianethsis (Ilex Macoucou 
IVrs.) In the course of the day, we passed the mouth of the Manaii, 
rhat empties itself into the riglit bank of the Takutu. At the spots 
where the Savannali came into direct contact w itli tlie l)ed of tlie Takutu, 
the banks consisted mostly of 40 to .~)0 ft. liigli ]ierx)endicular walls and 
were generally composed of a ferruginous conglomerate of clay and 
ground-down quartz fragmcuts, covered A\ itli oidy a two-inch thick layer 
of mould. Tlie Macusis called these stec]» l)anks Iperaghiri. 
39. Again to-day there presented itself the spectacle, somewhat com- 
mon of late, of a burning savannah, that every time reminded me of 
those awful moments when fire threatened me with death — except that 
tlie fairy-like play of colours wliicli the setting sun produced on the 
whirling clouds of smoke developed a new hitherto imijerceptible charm 
in the rushing destructive mass of flame. 
40. As the journey on foot Avas not so well adapted for a view of the 
liver-bed, my l)rother took his place next morning in one of the corlals. 
After passing a small rapid, that could r-eally only have been noticeable 
at low water, the vegetation along both banks became always more 
diverse, always more delightful. The month of April appears to be the 
commencement of the blossoming season of the interior, whether the 
: ainy se ason has already set in or not. ?t lias beeu many times main- 
tained that the vegetation only wants a few days' rain before it begins 
to carry on anew: the baidcs of the Takutu however lielie this statement 
in the most forcible manner because ^farch uu)nth and the whole of April 
up to date had passed without almost a drop of rain and yet the river 
banks were in many places covered Avith a carpet of flowers . As in my 
native counti-y, when at this time of year the blackthorn, still without 
leaves, is covered with snowy blossoms, so also liere we came across white 
masses of flower on leafless bushes of several species of Erythroxylon, 
e.g., E. rufum and the new species E. squorro-smn Klotzsch. Here and 
there we found among them the large yellow Idossoms of the likewise 
still leafless Tceoma, that showed itself partly as tree, partly as arbores- 
cent bush, often without leaves, often with them, but invariably flowei'- 
bearing: here the dazzling rosy-edged white (hiHtavia, and there the corn- 
flower blue 'Jacaranda spread their variegated nosegays over the glowing 
white snow-field. Mimosne, MrlaMoniarcac and a beautiful Cuphea 
occupied the immediate edges of the banks, but towards the East the 
dark masses of the highest elevations of the Canuku Ranges such as the 
Iquari, Zemai, Ilamikipang, and Nappi enclosed the horizon as with a 
wall. In the morning the river-bed was lying apparently in the direction 
of the South : towards mid-day. liowever, it turned suddenly towards the 
East, so that the western portion of the Tanuku Range came gradually 
more into view. It was a lovely picture, so delightful that with its fresh- 
ness and continued change it made us forget all the troubles and worries 
k) which the shallow stream and the recently-started plague of sandflies 
had given rise. From now on down, the coar-se-grained ferruginous clay 
