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silent and still before, break at once into noise and
movement. Llocks of toucans flutter and scream on
the tops of the highest forest trees hopelessly out of
shot, the ear is pierced hy the strange Avild screeches
of a little hand of macaAvs Avhich fly past yon like
the rapped-np ghosts of the birds on some gaudy old
brocade. There is no Avarbling, no song, only harsh
noises, abrupt calls AAdiich those a aA io haunt the forest
soon learn to translate hy tvro or three familiar words
in Portuguese or English. Now and then a set of
cries more varied and dissonant than usual tell ns
th a t a troop of monkeys are passing across from tree
to tree among the higher branches ; and lower sounds
to Avhich one’s attention is called hy the guide
indicate to his practised ear the neighbourhood of a
sloth, or some other of the few mammals Avhich in habit
the forests of Brazil. And the insects are now
all awake and add their various notes to swell
A hutterily of the gorgeous genus
the path like a
the general din.
Morpho comes fluttering along
loosely-folded sheet of intensely bine tinsel, flashing
brilliant reflections in the su n ; great dark hlne
shining bees fly past with a loud h um ; tree-hugs of
a splendid metallic lustre, and in the most extraordinary
harlequin colouring of scarlet and hlne and
yelloAV, cluster round a branch so thickly as to Aveigh
it doAvn, and make their presence perceptible yards
off by tbeir peculiar and sometimes not unpleasant
odour; but boAv Aveak it is to say th a t th a t exquisite
little being, AAdiirring and fluttering in the air over
th a t branch of Bignonia bells, and sucking tbe
nectar from them A\dtb its long curved bill, has a
bead of ruby, and a throat of emerald, and Avings of
sapphire—as if any triumpli of the jcAveller’s a rt
could ever vie in brilliancy with th a t sparkling
epitome of life and l ig h t !
I t was broad day Avlien Ave passed into the dense
forest through which the greater p a rt of the way now
lay. The path which had been cut through the
vegetation was ju s t Avide enough for us to ride in
Indian file and with some care to prevent our horses
from bruising our legs against the tree-trunks, and
we could not leave the path for a single foot on either
side, the scrub was so thick, AAdiat Avith fallen tree
trunks, covered with epiphytes of all descriptions, and
cycads, and arums, and great thorny spikes of
Bromelia, and a dense undergroAvth, principally of
melastomads, many of them richly coA'ered AAdth blue
and purple flowers. Above the undergroAAdli, tbe
tall forest trees ran up straight and branchless for
th irty or forty feet, and when they began to hranch
a second tier of vegetation spread over onr heads,
almost shutting out the sky. Great climbing
Monsteras and other a ra ls ; and epiphytic hrom-
eliads; and orchids, some of them distilling from
their long trusses of lovely floAvers a fragrance which
Avas almost OA'erpowering; and mazes of Tillandsia
hanging doAAm like tangled hanks of grey tAvine.
Every available space between the trees AA'as occupied
by lianas twining together or running up singly, in
size varying from a Avliip-cord to a foot in diameter.
These lianas AA'ere our chief danger, for they bung
doAvn in long loops from the trees and lay upon tbe
ground, and Avere apt to entangle us and catch the
horses’ feet as Ave rode on. As time Avore on it got
very close and hot, and the forest relapsed into