io Botanical Reminiscences. 
down in festoons tlie blue flowers of Petrea whiUlis, Jacq., 
and SchomhurgJdiy Scban., also the beautiful red flowers of the 
Caeoutia coccimea, Aiibl. Nature had even coveted , the 
branches of the gigantic trees, on which numberless Orchids, 
Tillandsias, Ferns, and Aroids luxuriated, from v/hich the 
last mentioned ones suspended to the ground their rope-like 
roots, resembling the cordage of a ship. 
The Vanilla, V. planifoUa, Andr., and hicolor, LindL, 
already seen in the lower part of the river, appeared here 
more frequently, and filled the air, especially in the morning 
and evening hours, with the aromatic fragrance of its flowers. 
The plant climbs in a straight line up the trunks of the trees, 
fastened to the stem by its air roots, their handsome leaves 
spread sjT^mmetrically. Thus it grows from branch to branch, 
again it descends and strikes roots in the ground and ascends 
again. Although the monkeys consider the long, fleshy 
capsules a great delicacy, we found a large number of the 
fruits. 
We observed on one of the hills which appeared now along 
the banks, a Warrau settlement, at which we landed to pay 
a visit to the inhabitants. The first human being we met 
with was a j^oung Warrau woman nursing at one breast her 
child, and, a wonder, at the other a, young monkey, no doubt 
a strange family picture for the eye of an European ; we 
later became used to such heterogeneous sights. In fact, 
with the exception of the cariiiverous, we have seen all kinds 
of animals suckled and reared by Indian 'women. The 
animal, generally caught very young, becomes so attached 
to its new mother thad it follows her every step, even when 
full grown. Entering an Indian settlement the stranger is 
struck with the number of tame animals and birds which are 
solely domesticated by the women. We found a large 
assembly of men painted with roucu, and ornamented with 
the various colored feather dresses predicted the celebration 
of a festival. We approached the large building, used for 
such festivities arid the abode for visitors, and soon observed 
the mighty trough filled with paivv^ari and the circulating 
calabashes. Several young girls who performed the duty of 
ganymede attracted at once our attention, not alone by their 
pretty and clean cotton dresses, but also by their good figures 
and faces. The fair sex of the Warraiis we had seen 
formerly never offered such an agreeable picture. 
When the chieftain and the partakers of the feast observed. 
