LONDON: PUBLISHED BY J. M. DENT & SONS LTD AND IN NEW YORK BY E. P. DUTTON & CO. First issue of this edition 1910 Reprinted 1914 Chapter I—PARÁ Arrival — Aspect of the Country — The Pará River — First Walk in the Suburbs of Pará — Birds, Lizards, and Insects of the Suburbs — Leaf-carrying Ant — Sketch of the Climate, History, and present Condition of Pará. Chapter II—PARÁ The Swampy Forests of Pará — A Portuguese Landed Proprietor — Country House at Nazareth — Life of a Naturalis

From Natural History Review, vol. iii. 1863. BY CHARLES DARWIN Author of The Origin of Species, etc. In April, 1848, the author of the present volume left England in company with Mr. A. R. Wallace—“who has since acquired wide fame in connection with the Darwinian theory of Natural Selection”—on a joint expedition up the river Amazons, for the purpose of investigating the Natural History of the vast wood-region traversed by that mighty river and its numerous tributaries. Mr. Wallace returned to E

Having been urged to prepare a new edition of this work for a wider circle than that contemplated in the former one, I have thought it advisable to condense those portions which, treating of abstruse scientific questions, presuppose a larger amount of Natural History knowledge than an author has a right to expect of the general reader. The personal narrative has been left entire, together with those descriptive details likely to interest all classes, young and old, relating to the great river it

Arrival — Aspect of the Country — The Pará River — First Walk in the Suburbs of Pará — Birds, Lizards, and Insects of the Suburbs — Leaf-carrying Ant — Sketch of the Climate, History, and present Condition of Pará. I embarked at Liverpool, with Mr. Wallace, in a small trading vessel, on the 26th of April, 1848; and, after a swift passage from the Irish Channel to the equator, arrived, on the 26th of May, off Salinas. This is the pilot-station for vessels bound to Pará, the only port of entry to

The Swampy Forests of Pará — A Portuguese Landed Proprietor — Country House at Nazareth — Life of a Naturalist under the Equator — The drier Virgin Forests —Magoary — Retired Creeks — Aborigines. After having resided about a fortnight at Mr. Miller’s rocinha, we heard of another similar country-house to be let, much better situated for our purpose, in the village of Nazareth, a mile and a half from the city and close to the forest. The owner was an old Portuguese gentleman named Danin, who lived

Religious Holidays — Marmoset Monkeys — Serpents — Insects Before leaving the subject of Pará, where I resided, as already stated, in all eighteen months, it will be necessary to give a more detailed account of several matters connected with the customs of the people and the Natural History of the neighbourhood, which have hitherto been only briefly mentioned. I reserve an account of the trade and improved condition of Pará in 1859 for the end of this narrative. During the first few weeks of our

Preparations for the journey — The Bay of Goajará — Grove of fan-leaved Palms — The lower Tocantins — Sketch of the River — Vista alegre — Baiao — Rapids — Boat journey to the Guariba Falls — Native Life on the Tocantins — Second Journey to Cameta. August 26th, 1848 —Mr. Wallace and I started today on the excursion which I have already mentioned as having been planned with Mr. Leavens, up the river Tocantins, whose mouth lies about forty-five miles in a straight line, but eighty miles following

River Pará and Bay of Marajó — Journey to Caripí — Negro Observance of Christmas — A German Family — Bats — Ant-eaters — Humming-birds — Excursion to the Murucupí — Domestic Life of the Inhabitants — Hunting Excursion with Indians — White Ants. That part of the Pará river which lies in front of the city, as I have already explained, forms a narrow channel, being separated from the main waters of the estuary by a cluster of islands. This channel is about two miles broad, and constitutes part of t

Modes of Travelling on the Amazons — Historical Sketch of the Early Explorations of the River — Preparations for Voyage — Life on Board a Large Trading Vessel — The narrow channels joining the Pará to the Amazons — First Sight of the Great River — Gurupa — The Great Shoal — Flat-topped Mountains — Santarem — Obydos At the time of my first voyage up the Amazons—namely, in 1849—nearly all communication with the interior was by means of small sailing-vessels, owned by traders residing in the remote

Departure from Obydos — River Banks and By-channels — Cacao Planters — Daily Life on Board Our Vessel — Great Storm — Sand-island and its Birds — Hill of Parentins — Negro Trader and Mauhés Indians — Villa Nova, its Inhabitants, Forest, and Animal Productions — Cararaucú — A rustic Festival — Lake of Cararaucú — Motúca Flies — Serpa — Christmas Holidays — River Madeira — A Mameluco Farmer — Múra Indians — Rio Negro — Description of Barra — Descent to Pará — Yellow Fever. A trader of Obydos, name

Situation of Santarem — Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants — Climate — Grassy Campos and Woods — Excursions to Mapirí, Mahicá, and Irurá, with Sketches of their Natural History; Palms, Wild Fruit Trees, Mining Wasps, Mason Wasps, Bees, and Sloths I have already given a short account of the size, situation, and general appearance of Santarem. Although containing not more than 2500 inhabitants, it is the most civilised and important settlement on the banks of the main river from Peru to the At

Preparations for Voyage — First Day’s Sail — Loss of Boat — Altar de Chao — Modes of Obtaining Fish — Difficulties with Crew — Arrival at Aveyros — Excursions in the Neighbourhood — White Cebus, and Habits and Dispositions of Cebi Monkeys — Tame Parrot — Missionary Settlement — Entering the River Cuparí — Adventure with Anaconda — Smoke-dried Monkey — Boa-constrictor — Village of Mundurucú Indians, and Incursion of a Wild Tribe — Falls of the Cuparí — Hyacinthine Macaw — Re-emerge into the broad

Departure from Barra — First Day and Night on the Upper Amazons — Desolate Appearance of River in the Flood Season — Cucáma Indians — Mental Condition of Indians — Squalls — Manatee — Forest — Floating Pumice Stones from the Andes — Falling Banks — Ega and its Inhabitants — Daily Life of a Naturalist at Ega — The Four Seasons of the Upper Amazons. I must now take the reader from the picturesque, hilly country of the Tapajos, and its dark, streamless waters, to the boundless wooded plains, and ye

The River Teffé — Rambles through Groves on the Beach — Excursion to the House of a Passé Chieftain — Character and Customs of the Passé Tribe — First Excursion to the Sand Islands of the Solimoens — Habits of Great River-turtle — Second Excursion — Turtle-fishing in the Inland Pools — Third Excursion — Hunting-rambles with Natives in the Forest — Return to Ega. I will now proceed to give some account of the more interesting of my shorter excursions in the neighbourhood of Ega. The incidents of

Scarlet-faced Monkeys — Parauacú Monkey — Owl-faced Night-apes — Marmosets — Jupurá — Bats — Birds — Cuvier’s Toucan — Curl-crested Toucan — Insects — Pendulous Cocoons — Foraging Ants — Blind Ants. As may have been gathered from the remarks already made, the neighbourhood of Ega was a fine field for a Natural History collector. With the exception of what could be learned from the few specimens brought home, after transient visits by Spix and Martius and the Count de Castelnau, whose acquisition

Steamboat Travelling on the Amazons — Passengers — Tunantins — Caishána Indians — The Jutahí — The Sapó — Marauá Indians — Fonte Boa — Journey to St. Paulo — Tucúna Indians — Illness — Descent to Pará — Changes at Pará — Departure for England November 7th, 1856. —Embarked on the Upper Amazons steamer, the Tabatinga , for an excursion to Tunantins, a small semi-Indian settlement, lying 240 miles beyond Ega. The Tabatinga is an iron boat of about 170 tons burthen, built at Rio de Janeiro, and fitt