296 
The Savannah Vegetation. 
during the rainy season forms, in conjunction with the Quatata, a fine 
water-way pretty well as far as Pirara: the streams are divided from one 
another only by a small stretch of land. With the exception of this incon- 
siderable portage continuous communication by water is offered from 
Demerara to Para, on the Amazons, through the agency of the Pirara, 
Malm, Takutu, Rio Branco and Rio Negro. As the rainy season was 
now in front of us we could at least get within a few miles of Pirara on 
the Awaricuru, which was of importance to us in connection with the 
heavy land-transport. 
839. A short trip in the neighbourhood of the Rupununi banks 
afforded me the opportunity for making, at almost every step, some new 
discovery in the field of botany. On getting tliiougli the forest-border 
of the Northern waterside I stepped upon the open undulating savannah. 
Though its vegetation, compared with that of the river banks, is called 
stunted, it nevertheless contains a number of treasures that the latter 
wanted. At the very first move I made, a peculiar plant of the family 
Eriocauloneae which, as I subsequently noticed, spread itself over the 
whole of the hilly savannah, particularly over the tops of these wavy 
rises, struck me as being a Paepalanthus: on closer investigation it 
turned out to be a new species which Dr. Klotzseh called Paepalanthus 
capillaceus* The, hills were strewn throughout with glossy oclire- 
coloured pebbles and other stone which had probably derived their colour 
from the reddish and ferruginous solid clay of which the soil consisted 
The lovely flowers of Machaerhum Schomburf/kii Benth., resembling the 
violet in scent, perfumed the whole atmosphere in the neighbourhood of 
the bight, around which the dainty tree is so plentifully found: its hard 
timber is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful of ornamental woods, 
its many brown spots giving it quite the appearance of a jaguar skin. 
The Indians call it Itikiri buriballi and frequently bring it to George- 
town for barter. 
840. A hunting expedition was arranged for the following morning. 
Supplied with something to eat I went off into the forest limiting the 
Southern bank in company with two of our Waikas and Warraus, to 
whom the lay of the land was certainly just as little known as to myself. 
841. My companions sneaked so lightly and nimbly through the 
thick bush that I had all I could do to follow them. They distinctly 
heard every sound of an animal that was inaudible to me. they swept 
their eyes in all directions and up the summits of the tallest trees until 
they assured themselves of their quarry and then imitated its call now at 
first lightly and then continually louder and louder: not a single thine 
from the smallest to the biggest escaped their eyes, ever alert ears, or 
* — Besides the stunted and isolated Curatella ameriean < Linn, trees, the following plants 
predominated: 7/ irtella rubra Benth., Tiboitchina aspera Aub., BauMina macrostachya Benth., 
Plumieria mollis Humb. Bonp., P. bicolor Buiz. et Pav., TTeJicteres althaeifolia Lam., Byrsonima 
erassifolia Humb. Bonp., B. M our eil a Loud.. B. verba seif olia DeC., Amasonia erecta Linn, with their 
glorious bracts, Phaseolti» linearit’Hxaah. Bonp., Crofalaria stipvlaria Desv., Commianthns Scbom 
burgle ii Benth., Lippi a microphyll a Chmss., Camara HUsefoMa Benth., and Aeschynomene mucronulafa 
Benth. The real grass-covering consisted for the most part of Cyperaeeae \ in fact, the genera 
Isolepsis. Carer, llemiearpba, Dichromeua , and several species of Cy eras had their home on 
the dry higher-lying savannahs, while Mariscus, Kyllingia , and Scleria occupied the damp 
apd marshy spots. Uypolylrum was also represented 
