A CHANGE OF SCENERY 
haps during several successive eruptions. Personally, I 
think that it was during various periods of one eruption 
before the lava had cooled, so that in its sticky state it 
would easily collect the ashes round it, which it would 
certainly not do in its polished, solidified state. 
When we had passed beyond the western end of the 
two parallel ranges, a great change was noticeable in the 
appearance of the country we were crossing. We missed 
the long, sweeping, uninterrupted lines of the scenery, 
and had before our eyes a confused surface of bosses, 
mounds, and short undulations, with thick, luxuriant vege¬ 
tation upon them, which prevented my studying carefully 
their geological formation. The soil, of a rich red colour, 
showed every indication of being extremely fertile in that 
particular climate. 
From the point where we stood, one could well judge 
the effects of the great volcanic explosion on the back of 
the range — the one to our left — where a long line of 
buttresses had formed, as if on that side a subsidence on 
a large scale had also taken place. It was in any case 
curious to notice that at the two termini east and west 
of the two parallel ranges white rock in columnar form 
was exposed in both ranges in corresponding sites. 
The slope noticeable on the north side of the southern 
range could be explained by the tilting of the strata where 
the separation took place. The angle of the strata clearly 
demonstrated this fact. 
Millions of mosquitoes and piums , carrapatinhos , and 
carrapatos made life unbearable during both the day and 
night. We never had a moment’s respite. The gnats, 
too, in thick swarms around us, were a constant worry; 
we were busy all day removing them from our eyes and 
ears. They stung us all over most mercilessly. I was 
making a botanical collection, which contained not only 
specimens of the leaves of all the trees we met with, but 
also of minor plants and various kinds of grass. This 
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