22 TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. \June, 
we should find most practicable. The vegetation here 
on the banks of the river, a mile below Para, was very 
rich. The Miriti {Mauritia jlexuosd), a fine fan-palm, 
and a slender species, the Maraja {Bactris Maraja), a 
small prickly tree which bears a fruit with a thin outer 
pulp, of a pleasant subacid taste, were both abundant. 
A mass of cactus, thirty feet high, grew near the house, 
having a most tropical aspect, but this was planted. 
The thickets were full of curious Bromeliacece and 
Arums, and many singular trees and shrubs, and in their 
shady recesses we captured some very fine insects. The 
splendid blue and orange butterflies {Epicalia anced) 
were abundant, settling on the leaves; and they would 
repeatedly return to the same tree, and even to the same 
leaf, so that, though very difficult to capture, five speci- 
mens were taken without moving from the spot. 
On our return to the house M. Borlaz treated us to 
some fine fruits, — the berribee, a species of Anona, 
with a pleasant acid custard-like pulp, the nuts of the 
bread-fruit roasted, very similar to Spanish chestnuts, 
and plantains dried in the sun, and much resembling 
figs. The situation of the house was delightful, looking 
over the river to the opposite islands, yet sufficiently 
elevated to be dry and healthy. The moist woods along 
the bank of the river were so productive that we often 
afterwards availed ourselves of M. Borlaz’ kind invitation 
to visit his grounds whenever we felt disposed. As an 
instance of the voracity of the ants, I may mention that, 
having laid down my collecting-box in the verandah 
during half an hour’s conversation, I was horrified to 
find, on opening it to put in a fresh capture, that it 
