I'lowees Forced ey Fires. 
295 
TOO. On the I'artlier side of the mouth we aguiu stepped out of the 
range, onto the .savannah that spread out before us in a fresh and 
youthful yarl). The rain had recalled to life the entire fulness of a 
tropical vegetation's aetiviües. Trees and plants looked as if revived 
anew, and the invigorated soil exhaled a pleasant fragrance. A new 
green carpet of turf and flower covered the previously monotonous 
yellow-bleached savannah flats, above which the proud Mauritia again 
raised itself afresh, while the picturestjue Mararen tiee (Copaifera) 
with its smooth grey trunk and densely foliaged wide top spread its 
mighty limbs over the vegetation on the banks. 
701. .While the boats were being dragged over the rapids t'lat con- 
tinued as numerous as ever I reaped a liarvest in this l;eautiful llowej* 
garden where I found many a form hitherto unknown to me.* 
702. Vigorous Agares, BromeUae, Cacieae, Melastomaceae, the 
Venwnia odoratissima Huml). Bonp. and the dainty FoMcO'.irea ngida 
Humb. Bonp. that was spread all ovei* the savannah, as well as the 
beautiful Ci/rtopodiuni Andersonii, thrived up on the huge granite 
nu)unds that continually stretched inland. A bright red diffused colour 
that nodded at me from in lietween these rocks turned uiv steps in its 
direction: it was the blossoms, of a wonderful Gcsnerli Avith 3 to 4 ft. 
high flower-stalks, and was new. The bulbs of Gcsneria Schomhitrgkii 
Kunth. fortunately reached Beilin. The lieautiful Colijcophj/lJum had 
almost entirely disappeared: only here and there one saw an isolated 
specimen shining out of the fresh foliage green. The sweet-scented 
Ci/rfopodiion pnrrifjorum and rrisfatinn covered entire flats. Both 
have this peculiarity that with Paepahi nHnis ca pUlace.us the flowering 
stage is immediately brought about by the burning off of the savannah 
\yhereas with the case of legumes, except the above mentioned, it be- 
comes destroyed. Shortly after the fires are extinguished, and especially 
if followed by rnins, flower-stalks a]ipear on the bulbs, and are already 
found in l)loom long before the ]dant commences to force new leaves. 
It was only rarely that I came across specimens bearing leaves and 
blossoms at one and the same time. 
703. On tlie western bank we were greeted in the far distance by 
our old friends the Saeraeri and Cursato Banges which, covered in a 
bluish haze, rose out of the W.i^.AT. On the north-easterly point of the 
Saeraeri a curious pyramidal ahnost isolated mass of rock attracted my 
particular attention: the Wapisianas called it Do<'hlopan. About 12 
miles off, in front of a long mountain chain, was to lie seen a hill of 
medium size which they called Vivi, where plantains were said to 1>0 
growing wild in considerable (piantity : they declared (hat up to now no 
Indians had lived on the mountain, and that Makunaima had planted 
them there. 
704. Late in the evening we managed to get over the great rapids 
at Paratawai. The eastern bank was without brush-wood or trees, so 
* Amnngst tliese were : Melorhi'T nhlonqa. Bentli.. F^npnlorutm siihrehifinvm .DeC, 
cfiniizoides Vahl.. F^. i-roidex Benth., A'. SrJwmhiirql-ii Beiitli., Poropht/llum lafifolirm Beiith., 
Lieani'a cra.istfoHa Beiith., Crolalaria pevi.ifella Humb. Bmip., C. anngiiroides Hiiiiil), Bonp., 
C. leptophylla Benth., Teplirosia loxicaria Pers. 
