MoNKEY-SüiN Decorations for Boys. 
183 
awful huiigor had been satisfied, 1 liaci a look at the red-paiiited Indians 
who stood Avondei-ingly around us. Besides the little sticks of painted 
bambu whicli tliey wore in nose, ear, and underlip, the small boys were 
decorated in addition with little bits of golden-yellow skin which 
appeared and was subsequently confirmed to be a species of monkey's. 
Upon enquiring from what animal it had l)een obtained they told us 
from a monkey called Arauta, a descrii)tion that did not help us very 
much because an Arauta was just as equally unknown to us : later on it 
was learnt that it belongs to tlie genus Mycetes, but that on account of 
its golden yellow colouring it differs essentially from the Mycetcs 
scniculns as met Avith on the coast. 
i2G. The provisions Iteing consumed, several of the residents were 
prompted to betake themselves witli their bhnv-guns to the neighbouring 
forest and fill the pots anew with game : that their eiforts were crowned 
with success was shewn on their return. Amongst Arekunas the blow- 
gun appears to be the general and especially favoured weapon: it was 
only rarely that I saw them go out to hunt with bow and arrow. 
427. As the house could not accommodate the whole lot of us, those 
of our Indians for whom no room could be found went off! to the neigh- 
bouring forest wliere they slung their hammocks, we ])itching our tents 
close to the building. At a short distance beyond our tents the Araparu 
joined the Kukenam, the banks of which contained several forms of plant 
life still unknown to me: amongst such, the especially large trees of 
Clusia iii.si(jnis with their large waxy-white roseate-tinged blooms, and a 
new species of Pcriditim^ P. hicolor Klotzsch, rendered themselves 
cons]>icuous. 
428. The night was unusually cold : in the morning at (> o'clock the 
thermometer read B2° P., which Avas uncommonly ti-ying to us and to 
our Macusis. If pressing want, and the ho])e of obtaining relief from 
their tribal relatives in other villages had induced the occupants of the 
previous settlements to attach themselves to our company, such induce- 
ment was no longer forthcoming eonsidering that, after closing their 
palm-frond house-door, we were followed on our departure by the Indians 
collected here. Our train Avas accordingly apprecialdy lengthened, but 
of course those who came of their oavu accord had to provide for them- 
selves. Through forest oases with babbling little l)roolvS and over hills 
on which large masses of the cascalho-conglomerate already met with 
[Sect. 424] were visilde, Ave turned towards tlie W. in which direction 
we were forced l)y a mountain that Ave, not wanting to climb, followed 
along its base. Besides this pebbly conglomerate, we again found to our 
astonishment, along tlie slopes, some of tliose glossy clay concretions, 
coloured black and broAvnish-red Avith iron oxide, and quartz fragments, 
that had particularly caught our eyes in such prodigious quantities on 
the banks of the Rupununi and Takutu. There, the absolute height of 
the area upon which we found them was 3 to 400 ft., but here on the 
contrary it was 3,200 ft. above sea-level. 
420. On making our way out of the oasis we were taken aback at 
the interesting landscape. Before us in the Avest there arose a mountain 
chain from 600 to 800 feet high, covered with but scanty vegetation, over 
