Enchanted Area oe Fairy Islands» 
181 
Pleurothallis for first place on the trunks, the elegant Catasetum and 
equally pretty -looking My a nth ns having to be satisfied Avitli the thread- 
like roots of the Aroids hanging down from the boughs. Besides the 
families and species mentioned, the glorious Oncidiutn Lanceanum Lindl., 
with its broad spotted leaves as well as the Goryanthes maculata and 
mac ninth a Hook., with their huge flowers were particularly noticeable. 
In between these hung a number of black ants’ nests, which the busy 
creatures had cemented to the aerial roots swaying from the branches; 
the continual rustling and crackling to be heard in the close neighbour- 
hood showed how busily the little creatures worked. Woe to 11 s when 
an imprudent jolt brought a nest like that into our corial! 
012. After following the Barabara for some time we entered the 
Kamwata, the width and riverside vegetation of which corresponded 
entirely with that of the Barabara. We had not followed it for long 
when the forest, suddenly opening ahead of us, exposed to view a huge 
broad stretch of water and swamp which, except for its greater size, 
exactly resembled what we had seen at Asacota. The extensive panorama 
over the green yet treacherously-boggy meadow and placid swamp 
gladdened our eyes all the more, considering that our horizon for the 
last three months had been limited by trees, to narrow flats, or by bends 
in the river, to short stretches of water. 
613. On reaching this very extensive savannah-swamp we im- 
mediately made our way into the Itabbo which here forms a direct water- 
way with the Morocco, and bears intimate comparison with the 
branch-off to the Orinoco, the Casi'quiare. The appearance of this big 
lake, made much greater by the high level of the water, was extraordinary, 
and presented a charming picture. Thousands upon thousands of 
Crinum thrust their dazzling white flowers upon the lightly ruffled 
crystal surface while a number of scattered groups of palms and foliage 
trees formed delightful fairy islands. Here I also saw the first Mauritia 
flexuosa Linn, that lavishly spread their giant fan-shaped fronds over 
the silvery Avaters. The real channel made its way in a tortuous course 
through this enchanted area: it sometimes approached either the 
border of the forest on the edges of the savannah or one of those lovely 
oases, or sometimes cut across the same and made its way more into the 
centre of the lake. My eyes rested with real joy upon this delightful scene. 
614. The thick network of several species of Nymphaea rendered every 
stroke of the paddles difficult and sometimes so hindered our progress, 
that we were on several occasions forced to avoid them and make a detour 
along the clear portions of the water. Here a number of white flowers of 
Rhynchanthera dichotonm DeC., elegant groups of fern, the Blech n a in 
anyustifoliinn Willd., Aspidium gonyylodes Kl. ( Aspidium yonyyloidcs 
Skulir.) and dark reeds showed up from below. Though the thousands 
of large white flowers of the Nymphaea closed at sundown they neverthe- 
less still continued to fill the air with their perfume. Mr. King had 
fixed the Catholic Mission Station on the Morocco as the terminus of 
the day’s journey because he was well acquainted with the missionary, 
Father Cullen*, an Irishman. 
* Here and elsewhere, Schomburgk spells the name as Collins but this is an error (Ed') 
