85 
7 ?. Schomburgk^ Dr. PhiL 
clianges its cliaracter. A great many species common to the 
lower parts of the coast disappear almost entirely, and others 
related to them take their places. This remarkable change, 
limited to the indicated locality, is caused by a chain of 
mountains dividing British Gruiana in a south-easterly 
direction, and which also belongs to the primary formation, 
which appears in large masses of projecting granite, gneiss, 
and basalt. Whenever this chain of mountains crosses one 
of the above-mentioned rivers it originates imposing cata- 
racts and rapids. The forests consist of a remarkably 
luxuriant, I might say an inexhaustible, flora. There 
exists no underwood, except only in places where the 
forest is thin. It is in many places replaced by SciU 
amineoe A.roidece and ferns. The vegetation close to the river 
banks is an exception — the same does not only consist in 
underwood, but also of herbaceous plants, which very seldom 
appear in the forest itself. Yery few kinds of trees lose 
their leaves during the dry season ; these belong mostly to 
the order of Bigjwniaceae and Erythroxyleae. The surface of 
the forest consists of deep mould — strong clay mixed with 
sand of a reddish color, from being mixed with oxide of iron. 
The .mean temperature of this region is about 78° Fahrenheit. 
The two rainy seasons, termed the large and small, on the 
coast, only reach as far as the lower part of the forest. From 
the 4th degree of latitude to the equator only one rainy 
season prevails. The vigorous growth of vegetation is almost 
incredible, appearing with commencement of the rain. The 
gigantic trees begin to thrive, and the young green, by its 
mixture with the old foliage, produces a variety of tints in the 
leaves of the giants of the forest such as only exists in a 
tropical country. 
In our zones we only know the tender, virgin-like green 
of the Spring, when the entire vegetation awakes to new 
life. Difierent is it in a tropical country — every single tree 
possessing variation in the coloring of its foliage, as is 
especially shown by the Laurinece, Leguminoscey Ruhiacece^ 
and Euphorbiaceae, gives the landscape a truly fairy-like 
charm which could not be imitated by the painter, and 
for which the poet could not find words. In addition to 
this infinite variety of coloring in the foliage, we admire the 
yet richer diversity of forms in the flowers. How charming 
when this green sea is interrupted by tracts of TecomaSy 
Cassias ; gigantic lianes, as BauhiniaSy Bignomas — the latter 
