Rattlesnakes on Roraima. 
213 
472. So far as tlie fauna Avas concerned, tin- nionntain was equally as 
poor as in the valley. Only some few small birds of the genus Frhujilla 
and Trocliilus, TrochiJns Anais Less., a new species of the genus 
DUjJossa, Difjlossa major Call., togetliev A^'ith Arremon 'personatus Oal>. 
sp. nov. which slips extraordinarily swiftly through the low bush and 
eagerly searches eveiy leaf for the few insects located there, were the 
representatives that I found: otheiwise, everything was still and except 
for the dull boom of the waterfalls, not a noise disturbed the deep 
silence. 
4.T6, The number of plants that I and my companions had managed 
to collect within a shori Avlule turced me lo return to the camp and 
press them at once: this was unlortunately more easily said tuan done, 
oecause the papers on being taken away from the lire would immediately 
become so damp with thci moist atmosphere that drying was not to be 
thought of, even were the sheets to l.)e changed several times a day. Tlie 
moisture at this height Avas so, great that Mr. Goodall exerted his 
stiffened hands in vain to transfer Roraima to wet drawing paper, in 
spite of the greatest care, the astronomical instruments were nevertheless 
covered ^^'ith rust : a loaded weapon left standing for a few hours would 
not fire owing to the powder having already changed into a greasj' mass. 
It was too disheartening. tSoon after returning from my excursion, Mr. 
Fryer arrived Avith the news that poor Kate had died at 4 o'clock in the 
morning, consequently 63 hours after the accident. The blood-vomiting 
had increased more and more and continued up to tlie time of her death. 
Up to the veiy last her foot remained sAvoUen into a shapeless mass, 
nor did she recover consciousness again: gangrene supervening, had put 
an end to her miseiy. Judging from the very violent cramps and con- 
vulsions, the poor creature must have suffered terribly, but not a sob, not 
a sound passed her lips. Immediately after death all the women of the 
village had collected in tlie house and shouted unintelligible Avords into 
the corpse's ears, AA'hile Mr. Fryer, during the preparations for burial, at 
once took the road for Koraima to catch us up Avhere possible. The neAvs 
of our dear pet's death, although it hardly came as a sur])rise, neverthe- 
less spread a sense of sadness over our little circle. While Mr. Fryer 
was giving us the latest particulars of the death, my eyes fell upon a 
dead rattle-snake lying in front of the tent, of which my brother or Heii- 
drick might have become the victim carrying out their trigono- 
metrical measurements: both had avoided this fate by a bold spring. 
The safer we had deemed ourselves to be from these creaturcf^ at this 
height, the more unpleasant did now the certainty become that their 
actual hal)itat was in this rough and damp atmosphere. I always experi- 
.snbrordala DeC, M. ferriuiinea Dof.. UlriculaHa Bmnlobllii Scliomb.. m-liamphova nutans 
lieiith,. C ft jtriped turn Lindl eiianum Schonili., Leiothaynnus EUsabelhae Scliomb . Enrh„l irinm 
Aiigustae Schomb., Gomphin. dura K\o\zf<i:h , Ternul romia ruhicunda Klotzsch T piinctafa ^^v 
Weinmnnnia ovalü Pav., W. guianensi.s Klotzsch., Vaccinium pubendnm Klotzscli Ganltlima 
cordrfolm _Knmh. Eoiip. Kth , Thihaudia nutans, Klotzscli., Iserti.a hypotenca WvuWi Ctvxia 
vttcidtala K\o\Lmh.,C. allja. Luiii.. C. marropoda Klotzscli. Shapala' ScJwmhurglcii. KXoiv.i^ch 
Befaria SchomJjurgJnana Klotzsche, B. grand if tora Humb. Bonp. Ktli, 7«w«;».v/.9 Klotzsch ' 
Bonnet ta sessiUs V^QxAXx., Arcliijtaea. TO«Z/.//o/-a Beuth., Siegilepis yiua«e)jst6- Klotzscli., aud Saxo- 
-tridencia A'egaiis Schomb. 
