different forms of leaf with the varied green-bright scarlet, breast light-blue, and throat cry of the rest. Through the dark, mouldy, silent shades beneath we trail our way, seeing no living object but a tortoise, which Sebastian secures with lianas and slings over his back, until we reach the banks of a rivulet, where we halt for a short time. We can see, on the opposite bank of the stream as we descend the slope, a cluster of scarlet and blue macaws hanging about huge bunches of fruit, under the crown of a stately palm-tree; a harsh cawing is heard in other directions, the place evidently abounds in these large and richly-colored parrots. We unsling our guns, lower our voices, and walk stooping in the shade of the underwood toward the spot. It will be better for us, however, to let the three men follow up the chase; for there, a little further on, is a pair of birds seated aloft on a naked branch, more worthy our attention. They are two species of ampelis, or chatterer, a group comprising some of the handsomest of the feathered tribes to be found in the forest; one of them of a dark-purple hue, with snow-white wings, and the other of a beautiful light-blue color. We are about to leap the narrow brook in pursuit of them, when Sebastian calls our attention to another object,- -a little sootyblack monkey with white mouth, which lies over a bough not far above our heads, and is staring and grinning at us with an air of great curiosity. On our returning the stare, it soon takes alarm and runs off, followed by two, three, four of the same kind. The impish-looking troop has not gone far before the foremost utters a sudden scream and falls headlong to the mass of foliage beneath, followed by its companions. It has doubtless encountered the glittering eyes of some serpent coiled round the branch; for no other possible enemy is seen or heard to account for the panic. The effect of the noise, however, is to alarm our chatterers, for they are gone; and if we wish not to return emptyhanded, we must follow that flock of chirping birds which have also been started from their feeding-places by the same scream. We soon come up to the tree on which they have settled, and picking out one of the band, fire, and down it falls. What a pleasant surprise! It seemed some dull-hued finch at that height; but now that we hold it in our hands we are dazzled by its exquisite beauty. Head golden-green, back half velvety-jet, half purple :-it is the sete cores of the natives, the seven-colored tanager, one of the most richly-colored species of its genus, which is amply represented in this part of the country. Our firing has scared away the remainder of the flock, and being succeeded by two other loud shots from our companions, the whole animal population of the vicinity has taken flight, amidst a piercing din of alarm notes. The result of the shots of our two friends is not alike in both cases; for Manoel has brought down, instead of a bird, a large, heavy gray monkey, with black wrinkled face, for all the world like that of an old negro. It is the barrigudo, or big-bellied monkey, of the Portuguese colonists (Lagothrix olivaceus of zoologists), a species belonging to a numerous group peculiar to tropical America, all the members of which have long muscular tails, with naked palms underneath the tips, to fit them for a fifth hand in climbing. The poor animal is scarcely yet dead, when its limbs are bound and its palpitating body slung over the shoulders of our Indian attendant. We resume our march, tracking our way over a gently undulating district beyond the rivulet. Our progress, however, is now much slower, as Manoel and Lauriano spend much time in examining the ground for sarsaparilla plants, their number seeming to increase as we advance. The plant is a climber, found always in the shade of the lower trees and bushes, to the branches of which it clings for support. The stem is green and spiny, somewhat resembling that of the bramble of our own country; but it grows straight upwards from the ground, and the leaves are oval and strongly veined. The roots, which constitute the drug, grow horizontally for many yards within a few inches of the surface of the ground, and are very difficult to dig up without breaking: yet this must be done; for, if collected in fragments, it is much lessened in value. We cross, in the course of another hour's march, two more brooks. On the banks of one of these we start an inambú from its nest, and shoot another bird of the same species as it is trotting along the slope. The nest of the inambú is simply a hollow place smoothed out at the foot of a tree; but how beautiful are its eggs, almost as large as a hen's, of the texture of porcelain, and of a clear light-blue color! It is impossible to go far in any part of the for- | being of a coppery hue, with radiating orangeests of the Upper Amazons without seeing colored streaks on their wing-cases. these birds, of which there are many distinct species. They have the habits and also the general appearance of partridges, near to which they are usually classed in natural history works; but, according to a recent investigator of high authority, Mr. Parker, they are in reality more closely allied to the ostrich group than to the gallinacea, being struthionous, or ostrich-like birds, of dwarfed size and forest habitat, which have merely a superficial resemblance in form and color to the partridge and grouse families. man. On the banks of a fourth and broader rivnlet we make halt, and eat our frugal dinner. It is now past midday, and the glowing vertical sun pierces the thick canopy of foliage, making the air warm and oppressive in the shades beneath. We have walked perhaps nine or ten miles from the encampment, and are now in the very core of the wilderness, in a part probably never before trodden by There is a lull in the movements of animal life on the sunny borders of the brook, and the only sounds heard are the reedy notes of cicadas and the tapping of a large red-headed woodpecker on a hollow tree. The insect world, however, appears to be more active now than in early morning. We can see from our dining-place on the top of the sloping bank numbers of huge blue butterflies (Morpho cisseis), more than half a foot in expanse, sailing with outstretched wings across the sunny spaces between the crowns of trees; and many smaller kinds, some of a glowing scarlet hue, others of a rich purple, are darting about, or settling on the ground close by us. There is a tree-trunk a few paces off which seems very attractive to these creatures. A sweet sap is exuding from cracks in the bark, and a great crowd of most varied and handsome insects surrounds the places, all the butterflies having their wings closed, and packed together as close as they can stand. One kind has large spots, resembling the eyes of owls, on the under surface of the wings and others are adorned with marks of various colors, like many-hued hieroglyphics. Many large beetles, too, are booming round and round, apparently searching for a place to alight on and imbibe the sweet liquor. Some of these, on capture, prove to be most richly-marked creatures, From this point we commence our return journey, Lauriano and Manoel having decided that it will not be practicable to collect roots at a further distance from the canoes. But before leaving, we add another barrigudo monkey to our load of game, shooting it as it was swinging along some twisted lianas, over which a flock of a smaller species was passing, and this time have the luck, so much craved by the Amazonian hunter, to find a young one, unhurt, clinging to the back of the poor animal as it falls. My undemonstrative young savage, at the sight of this, is almost beside himself for joy. The men detach carefully and fondly the screaming babyape from its hold on the fur of its mother, and nurse it in turns with as much pleasure as they would one of their own children. For all these half-civilized people are fond of pets, and are successful, to a degree scarcely credible, in taming the wild animals of their country. Our march home is much nore rapid and noisy than our walk in the morning, and we reach the encampment long before sundown. An acquaintance with the beautiful and strange forms of animal life harbored in these boundless shades can only be made gradually, and the best way of attaining this is to go alone, or with one quiet companion, daily into those parts of the forest where animals are most likely to be seen, and move about leisurely and silently. It is in this way that we occupy the succeeding four days. There is no fear of being lost with such a follower as Sebastian, who is endowed with the topographical instinct of a dog. A favorite spot is a dry hollow, distant about a mile from the encampment, where the colossal trunks of a number of Brazil-nut trees tower up from the ground, and a line of gigantic arum plants marks the course of a little rill, now parched up by the long continuance of dry weather. Whilst seated here, during the panting hours of midday, we never fail of seeing several of those spritelike denizens of the shadiest parts of the forest, the phaethornina humming-birds, creatures very different in habits from the winged gems which swarm about blossoming trees in open sunny places. The phaethornina have plain olive-green or brownish colors, and long wedge-shaped tails, tipped with white. They amongst the underwood a short distance from do not frequent flowers, but search for food us. We start up, with the involuntary ex(minute insects) amongst the foliage of the clamation, "A jaguar at last!" and grasp underwood, moving with whirring flight and our gun. But we are mistaken. Instead of arrowy swiftness from one bush to another, the leopard-like jaguar, a couple of black oband passing above and beneath the leaves jects emerge from the thicket, chasing and with great rapidity. They vary much in size; for we find here one kind not much larger than an humble-bee, perched sometimes on the top of a stem of grass; and another, almost as large as a swallow, which flies up to us boldly, and remains poised in the air for a short time, within a few inches of our face. The nests of these shade-loving hummingbirds are built at the tips of the undivided fronds of dwarf palm-trees. We are sure to meet with one or more of them by searching carefully, and often surprise the diminutive mother, with twinkling black eyes, sitting on her eggs. wrestling with each other, and careering round and round. They move past, taking no notice of our presence; but during a pause of a few moments which ensues on one of them being thrown on his back, we discern plainly the long narrow snout and broad gray flank stripe which distinguish the ant-eater. The two bearlike creatures chase each other in the same helter-skelter manner quite round the place where we are standing, and astonish us by the nimbleness of their movements, seeing that these animals are forced to tread on the sides of their feet, owing to the very long curved claws with which they are armed. The ant-bear, seen in a state of semi-domestication in the houses of natives, appears a most listless and inactive animal; but he is clearly no sluggard in the woods. His mode of life, the nature of his food and manner of taking it, are all pretty well known. He devours great quantities of termites, or white ants, the friable earthy hillocks or nests of which abound in every part of the forest; pulling the structures to pieces with his claws, and licking up the masses of fat, juicy insects out of their chambers with his flexible tongue. One day, whilst slowly wandering in the same pleasant spot in search of insects, we have the good fortune to meet with two of the strangest and most characteristic forms of the larger animals of tropical America. . One is the sloth, and the other the ant-bear, the tamanduá bandeira, or banner ant-eater, of the European colonists. Of the sloth we do not see much. The keen eyes of Sebastian detect it clinging to a branch of the cecropia, or candelabrum tree, a species which has large palmate leaves, the favorite fruit of the sloth. The color of the bark and under side of the leaves of this tree is precisely the same as that of the shaggy hide of the animal; and this similarity of hue gives it a means of protection against the searching eyes of its deadly enemy, the eagle. Whilst we are looking, the creature begins to move; it secures itself, by the claws of its hind feet, to the branch, rears its body, and sways about until it has found a secure foothold for the next step; this done, it draws its body up, and then repeats the process. Sebastian, whom I have been all along restraining from climbing the tree to take the animal alive, now begins to mount; but, at the first shake of the stem, it quickens its steps, and is soon lost to view in the dense crown of a neigh-ence only by the emission, now and then, of boring tree. The ant-eater introduced himself in a different manner from this. We are lying at full length on the ground, amused with the ntics of squirrels, black and gray, in the trees overhead, when we hear a rushing noise On the last day of our stay, we make a toilsome excursion with the two masters and five Indians, in the low tract of forest which covers the level ground on the opposite side of the pool. The results of our chase in these entangled thickets are very small, consisting only of a brace of curassow birds (mutums of the Indians), large fowls resembling turkeys, but having a rich plumage of a glossy black hue, and bright red beaks. Unlike all other gallinaceous birds, they reside habitually in the crowns of lofty trees, where the males with their numerous partners move about, hidden in the foliage, the flocks betraying their pres a long-drawn whistling note, resembling a sigh. Five distinct species of these magnificent birds inhabit the forests of the Amazons, where they are much sought after by the natives, both as food and as pet animals. Our toilsome ramble is brought to a close just as being crushed beneath a huge tree that has been uprooted by the storm. After the violence of the wind has abated a little, we set off to return to the canoe. The rain continues to fall in torrents; but this, as generally happens in this sweltering climate, instead of depressing us, has an exhilarating effect, and we are inclined to joke over our discomforts, as we trudge along; and the Indians, who are usually so taciturn, now become quite chatty and companionable. We have no difficulty in finding our way, but have to wade through pools of water that fill all the hollow places, and run great risk of treading on poisonous snakes, which often lie in flooded parts of the forest. No mishap, however, occurs; and we arrive at the encampment in due time, with dripping clothes and ravenous appetites. we have reached a tract of more open and higher ground, by an unexpected change in the weather. The signs of the change begin about noon. At this hour, the heat, which on the preceding days had been moderated by a pleasant breeze, is felt to be unusually great, and not a breath of air stirs in the tree-tops. An irresistible languor and desire for rest seize on all of us. The perspiration trickles down the faces and backs of the Indians, and our own clothes cling to the skin. After dinner, no one seems inclined for further exertion, except the persevering Manoel, who insists on prospecting a little over this new ground for sarsaparilla, and sets off with two of the men, leaving us to rest for a time on the trunk of a fallen tree. After the lapse of an hour, we perceive the air gradually darkening around us; the closeness becomes oppressive, the smaller birds begin to As a last night spent in the wilderness, for flit about in an agitated manner, and we feel the purpose of observing the phenomena of an uneasy sensation, as though some vague animal life, it is a very appropriate one. calamity were impending. In a few minutes, The heavy rains, following a long period of a dark pall of clouds is seen, through the in- dry weather, have given a sudden stimulus terstices of the foliage, to be spreading itself to all living creatures. Even before the short overhead, and this quickly obscures the sun, twilight commences, signs of unusual activity and brings with it a light watery wind from are manifested. The lower trees close to our the side whence the clouds have arisen. encampment are animated with large flocks Lauriano then starts to his feet. "Ahi vem of a pretty little monkey with flesh-colored trovoada! (a squall is coming!) He shouts face and black mouth (Callithrix sciureus), with all his might after Manoel and the men; that have come down to the shores of the but in attempting to repeat the call, his voice lake, probably to feed on insects, which inis drowned in a hurricane blast, which comes stinctive habit has taught them will be out with a deafening roar, swaying the tree-tops, in numbers after the rainfall. They scamper and making the lighter stems bend like bows. gayly from bough to bough, shaking the A shower of broken branches and heavy mass-heavy drops of moisture in showers into the es of air-plants, torn from their anchorages water. A little distance off, a small party above, falls about us, driving us to the shel- of howling monkeys have taken their station ter of a large tree. The whole sky has be- near the summit of a tall tree, and are now come suddenly black, and in the dim light, venting their unearthly cavernous roar, which the tearing wind, bending boughs and leaves forms so great an itcm in the evening chorus all one way, and driving a stream of frag- of animals in these solitudes. The waterments before it, produces the effect of a gray fowl at the end of the pool are unusually torrent sweeping through the wilderness. active. Straggling trains of piosóca, a species of water-hen, with extravagantly long legs and toes, which strides as though on stilts, from one water-lily leaf to another, are passing to and fro with disagreeable cackling cry, and disturbing flocks of teal,-elegant birds, with chocolate and drab-colored plumage,—which utter pleasing whistling notes as they fly from one spot to another. A large speckled gray kingfisher, as big as a crow, which abounds on low bushes on the margin of the water, makes a loud noise; some scores of them A flash of lightning, a rousing thunder-clap, and a deluge of rain increase the uproar; the pelting of the heavy drops on the thick canopy of foliage resounds like the beating of waves on the seashore, and the thunder, once commenced, continues without intermission in reverberating peals. The tree no longer offers us shelter, and we are drenched to the skin. A half-hour elapses before Manoel rejoins us, followed by the men, who have had a narrow escape from attains its full swell, the jarring tintinnabulation is deafening, and we have to speak to one another in shouts, in order to make ourselves heard. Clouds of winged insects, mostly ants on the swarm, rise in the air, and are pursued by wheeling flocks of goat-suckers and large bats; whilst other ejaculating their notes in succession, or in chorus. Numbers of large gray storks, and herons of various species, increase the animation by frequently changing their places, loudly flapping their wings, and chasing each other. On the higher trees the harsh cawing of parrots is heard, and lower down the unmelodious songs of swarms of yellow hosts are attracted by the fires of the encampfinches and flycatchers. Loud and piercing notes come from the depths of the forest, amongst which can be distinguished the swaggering cachinnation of the laughing eagle (Herpetotheres cachinnans), and the shrill bray of the horned screamer (Palameda cornuta),—cries which wake dull echoes through the wilderness. When darkness begins to close around, the noises of birds become gradually less numerous; but now the more continuous din of amphibia and insects takes their place. Swamp-frogs, tree-frogs, land-frogs, and toads -animals which, during the whole of the dry weather, scarcely made their presence known-now seem to start into new life. There seems to be an almost endless diversity of species, many of which can be distinguished by the difference in their notes. Some of them make a resonant drumming noise; others quack like ducks; others, again, have a plaintive, hooting cry. To these sounds are added the harsh whirring of cicadas in the trees, and the shrill chirping of hosts of locusts concealed in the herbage. When the concert, begun by little preparatory tunings, ment, and alight on our clothing, or drown themselves in the hot coffee which is being served round to us, seated on the mats. Out upon the lake the fireflies are moving about, their pale phosphorescent lamps twinkling amongst the dark foliage, or swaying in pendulum motion above the tree-tops. It is a great contrast to the comparative inactivity and stillness of preceding nights; our companions do not like it; but to us there is a charm and hidden meaning in this grand chorus of life. We ourselves have felt the cheering effects of the cooling showers on our spirits after the depressing heat of the preceding days, and why should not also the varied hosts of our lowly fellow-creatures? In some parts of the country this ringing music is of daily occurrence; but it is always more vivacious after refreshing afternoon rains. To our minds, it is as the evening hymn of the animal creation; it speaks of the gladness of heart felt in the midst of this genial nature, and gives the impression of general contentment, exuberant life, and easy subsistence. HENRY WALTER BATES. HAILSTONES.-Trustworthy observations on the form and nature of hailstones are always valuable, inasmuch as they tend to the formation of a true theory of their origin. They are, as is well known, generally flattened or rounded, and sometimes more or less angular, presenting, internally, a series of concentric layers, or showing a radiated structure. In a communication read at the last meeting of the French Academy, M. Barral described some which fell at Paris on the 29th ult., the form of which was widely different from any previously met with. They were of a conical shape, and fell point downwards, the base being slightly concave, and the sides studded with small six-sided pyramids, directed towards the base, and transparent. A few prisms were also found on the base, which was from eight to ten millims. in diameter, the total height of the hailstones being from ten to thirteen millims. Some of the small prisms are about three millims. in length. These hailstones had the appearance of having been formed by the successive adherence of a series of the small pyramids by their faces or edges, leaving, at the same time, a hollow in the centre. When held up to the light, in the direction of their length, they were perfectly transparent. Their weight was from 180 to 260 milligrammes; they were very hard, and, when partly melted, a flattened nucleus remained, which was still transparent, but from which all traces of crystalline structure had disappeared.-Reader, 14 May. |