Page:The naturalist on the River Amazons 1863 v1.djvu/268

 to 20 feet, the sugar-yielding part of the stem being about 8 feet in length and 3 inches in diameter. The land for miles around the establishment is rich alluvial soil, and as level as a bowling-green. Beyond the belt of forest which runs along the banks of the river, there is a large tract of soft green meadow with patches of woodland and scattered trees, combining to form a landscape like that of an English park. But a meadow on the banks of the Amazons is a very different thing from what it is in a temperate climate: the vegetation is rank and monotonous, and there are absolutely no flowers. The old gentleman had built a pretty little chapel on his estate, on the occasion of a visit from the Bishop of Pará, who sometimes travels through his diocese, and I slept in the Bishop's room attached to the building. The abundance of mosquitoes is a great drawback to the rich agricultural country on this side of the river. A little before night sets in, the inhabitants are obliged to close the doors and windows of their sleeping apartments; and it is singular that this simple means of keeping out the pests seems to be pretty successful. On the Upper Amazons the precaution is of no use, and every one is obliged to sling his hammock under a mosquito tent. The whole of this coast, as well as the banks of the many inlets which intersect it, is inhabited by scattered settlers. The population of the municipal district of Obydos, which comprises about twenty miles of river frontage, is estimated at 12,000 souls.

I made a large collection in the neighbourhood of Obydos, chiefly of insects. The forest is more varied