1851.] last day of summer. 251 
Orinooko. A deficiency in all other parts of the Upper 
Amazon district was here supplied, — a road through the 
virgin forest, by which I could readily reach its recesses, 
and where I was more sure of obtaining the curious in- 
sects of so distant a region, as well as the birds and other 
animals which inhabit it ; so I determined to remain 
here at least a month, steadily at work. Every day I 
went myself along the road, and sent my Indians, some 
to fish in the little black river Temi, others with their 
gravatanas to seek for the splendid trogons, monkeys, 
and other curious birds and animals in the forest. 
Unfortunately however for me, on the very night I 
reached the village it began to rain, and day after day 
cloudy and showery weather continued. Eor three 
months Javita had enjoyed the most splendid summer 
weather, with a clear sky and hardly a shower. I had 
been wasting all this time in the rainy district of the 
cataracts of the Rio Negro. No one there could tell me 
that the seasons, at such a short distance, differed so 
completely, and the consequence was that I arrived at 
Javita on the very last day of summer. 
The winter or rainy season commenced early this year. 
The river kept rapidly rising. The Indians constantly 
assured me that it was too soon for the regular rains to 
commence, — that we should have fine weather again, — ■ 
the river would fall, and the winter not set in for two 
or three weeks. However, such was not the case. Day 
after day the rain poured down ; every afternoon or night 
was wet, and a little sunshine in the morning was the 
most we were favoured with. Insects consequently were 
much more scarce than they otherwise would have been. 
