96 
TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. [November, 
seen, being eight or ten feet in length, weighing pro- 
bably two or three hundredweight ; each consisted of 
several bushels of a large reticulated fruit. These palms 
were often clothed with creepers, which ran up to the 
summits, and there put forth their blossoms. Lower 
down, on the water’s edge, were numerous flowering 
shrubs, often completely covered with convolvuluses, 
passion-flowers, or bignonias. Every dead or half-rotten 
tree was clothed with parasites of singular forms, or 
bearing beautiful flowers, while smaller palms, curiously- 
shaped stems, and twisting climbers, formed a back- 
ground in the interior of the forest. 
Nor were there wanting animated figures to complete 
the picture. Brilliant scarlet and yellow macaws flew 
continually overhead, while screaming parrots and paro- 
quets were passing from tree to tree in search of food. 
Sometimes from a branch over the water were suspended 
the hanging nests of the black and yellow troupial {Cas- 
sicus icteronotus), into which those handsome birds were 
continually entering. The effect of the scene was much 
heightened by the river often curving to one side or the 
other, so as to bring to view a constant variety of ob- 
jects. At every bend we would see before us a flock of 
the elegant white heron, seated on some dead tree over- 
hanging the water ; but as soon as we came in sight of 
them, they would take flight, and on passing another 
bend we would find them again perched in front of us, 
and so on for a considerable distance. On many of the 
flowering shrubs gay butterflies were settled, and some- 
times on a muddy bank a young alligator would be seen 
comfortably reposing in the sun. 
■■ ( 
f ■ 
.. 
