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On  Guarana. 
Am.  Jour.  Pliarm. 
May,  18S8> 
By  Dr.  H.  H.  Rusby. 
From  a  lecture  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  December  1, 1887, 
stenograph! cally  reported  by  Dr.  C.  H.  Morgan. 
The  home  of  the  Guarana  is  a  very  diflferent  region  from  that  of  the  coca, 
although  it  forms  part  of  the  same  great  region.  The  great  forest  plains  of 
Brazil,  if  they  were  grass-covered  would  present  an  appearance  very  simihir  to 
that  of  our  own  prairies,  except  that  over  the  greater  portion  the  surface  of  the 
country  is  so  level  that  there  is  little  to  separate  the  rivers.  During  part  of  the 
year  very  little  travelling  occurs  in  this  country.  The  rivers,  which  unite  to 
form  the  Madeira,  in  this  section  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  all  unite  to  form 
one  vast  lake  and  a  greater  part  of  the  country  is  under  water.  It  is  no  un- 
common occurrence  to  see  the  water  flowing  up  streams  as  the  level  of  a 
stream  is  raised  higher  than  that  of  the  other  which  ordinarily  flows  into  it, 
by  means  of  additions  higher  up.  The  smaller  streams  have  an  almost  imper- 
ceptible current.  They  are  extremely  deep  and  narrow.  I  have  parted  the 
brush  from  the  mouth  of  a  stream  which  was  narrow,  but  which  had  a  depth 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet.  The  banks  of  this  stream  would  be  so  covered  with 
vines  that  you  could  hardly  land.  You  could  hardly  penetrate  for  a  single 
foot.  Progress  is  prevented  by  the  rushes,  the  driftwood  and  the  brush.  After 
this  region  is  passed  there  is  a  belt  of  peculiar  trees  called  Ambaibas,  about  the 
size  of  our  ordinary  forests  of  maple,  poplar,  and  small  oaks,  yet  it  is  noticeable 
only  as  a  fringe  to  the  neighboring  frowning  forest  which  towers  up  behind  it. 
Vines  fall  down  over  the  trees  of  smaller  growth,  covering  them  like  a  mantle, 
and  in  many  places  failing  into  the  water.  Back  of  that  occurs  the  cane  brake 
of  various  species  of  bamboo  three  miles  in  width,  and  then  you  reach  the 
forest  proper.  Here  there  are  no  such  obstacles  as  you  find  in  the  mountains. 
The  travel  is  not  so  difficult.  There  will  be  long  stretches  where  we  can  thread 
our  way  with  success,  then  we  come  again  to  the  jungle  where  the  tangle 
commences.  Once  there  we  have  to  force  our  way;  cutting  our  way  is  not 
practicable,  for  every  time  you  cut  something  else  falls  in  your  way.  There  is 
nothing  to  do  but  to  place  your  shoulders  against  the  mass  and  simply  push 
your  way  through.  Among  this  cane  brake  run  several  species  of  deer,  and  a 
great  number  of  tapirs,  and  it  is  the  home  of  the  prowling  jaguar,  which  lies 
in  wait  for  other  animals,  as  does  the  alligator.  Here,  too,  we  are  liable  to 
encounter  enormous  anacondas. 
Once  you  get  to  an  instalment  of  the  forest  proper,  instead  of  having  bright 
butterflies  and  singing  birds,  you  reach  a  region  which  is  more  like  a  region  of 
death.  The  surface  of  the  earth  is  covered,  it  is  true,  with  vegetable  growth, 
but  it  is  at  the  summit  of  the  trees  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  us.  If 
you  could  look  on  the  surface  of  this  forest  it  would  be  a  mass  of  green,  but  you 
are  below  and  it  is  like  a  subterranean  region  with  only  a  dark  twilight,  and  it 
is  all  silent  like  the  grave.  There  is  a  damp  earthy  smell  to  the  air,  which  is 
never  penetrated  with  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  trees  are  often  as  thick  as  in 
our  own  forests.  We  can  only  imagine  what  scientific  treasures  we  could 
secure  were  this  upper  region  accessible  to  us.  After  all,  the  region  is  richer 
in  vegetable  growth  than  the  mountain  region,  but  it  is  so  far  above  us  we 
can't  see  it. 
