The Naturalist on the River Amazons | Page 4

two regions have a
very large number of forms peculiar to themselves, and which are
supposed not to have been derived from other quarters during modern
geological times. Each may be considered as a centre of distribution in
the latest process of dissemination of species over the surface of
tropical America. Para lies midway between the two centres, each of
which has a nucleus of elevated table-land, whilst the intermediate
river- valley forms a wide extent of low-lying country. It is, therefore,
interesting to ascertain from which the latter received its population, or
whether it contains so large a number of endemic species as would
warrant the conclusion that it is itself an independent province. To
assist in deciding such questions as these, we must compare closely the
species found in the district with those of the other contiguous regions,
and endeavour to ascertain whether they are identical, or only slightly
modified, or whether they are highly peculiar.
"Von Martius when he visited this part of Brazil forty years ago,
coming from the south, was much struck with the dissimilarity of the
animal and vegetable productions to those of other parts of Brazil. In
fact the Fauna of Para, and the lower part of the Amazons has no close
relationship with that of Brazil proper; but it has a very great affinity
with that of the coast region of Guiana, from Cayenne to Demerara. If
we may judge from the results afforded by the study of certain families
of insects, no peculiar Brazilian forms are found in the Para district;
whilst more than one-half of the total number are essentially Guiana
species, being found nowhere else but in Guiana and Amazonia. Many
of them, however, are modified from the Guiana type, and about
one-seventh seem to be restricted to Para. These endemic species are
not highly peculiar, and they may yet be found over a great part of

Northern Brazil when the country is better explored. They do not
warrant us in concluding that the district forms an independent
province, although they show that its Fauna is not wholly derivative,
and that the land is probably not entirely a new formation. From all
these facts, I think we must conclude that the Para district belongs to
the Guiana province and that, if it is newer land than Guiana, it must
have received the great bulk of its animal population from that region. I
am informed by Dr. Sclater that similar results are derivable from the
comparison of the birds of these countries."
One of the most interesting excursions made by Mr. Bates from Para
was the ascent of the river Tocantins--the mouth of which lies about
4-5 miles from the city of Para. This was twice attempted. On the
second occasion--our author being in company with Mr. Wallace--the
travellers penetrated as far as the rapids of Arroyos, about 130 miles
from its mouth. This district is one of the chief collecting-grounds of
the well-known Brazil-nut (Bertholletia excelsa), which is here very
plentiful, grove after grove of these splendid trees being visible,
towering above their fellows, with the "woody fruits, large and round
as cannon-balls, dotted over the branches." The Hyacinthine Macaw
(Ara hyacinthina) is another natural wonder, first met with here. This
splendid bird, which is occasionally brought alive to the Zoological
Gardens of Europe, "only occurs in the interior of Brazil, from 16' S.L.
to the southern border of the Amazon valley." Its enormous
beak--which must strike even the most unobservant with
wonder--appears to be adapted to enable it to feed on the nuts of the
Mucuja Palm (Acrocomia lasiospatha). "These nuts, which are so hard
as to be difficult to break with a heavy hammer, are crushed to a pulp
by the powerful beak of this Macaw."
Mr. Bates' later part is mainly devoted to his residence at Santarem, at
the junction of the Rio Tapajos with the main stream, and to his
account of Upper Amazon, or Solimoens--the Fauna of which is, as we
shall presently see, in many respects very different from that of the
lower part of the river. At Santarem--"the most important and most
civilised settlement on the Amazon, between the Atlantic and Para
"--Mr. Bates made his headquarters for three years and a half, during
which time several excursions up the little-known Tapajos were
effected. Some 70 miles up the stream, on its affluent, the Cupari, a

new Fauna, for the most part very distinct from that of the lower part of
the same stream, was entered upon. "At the same time a considerable
proportion of the Cupari species were identical with those of Ega, on
the Upper Amazon, a district eight times further removed than the
village just mentioned." Mr. Bates was more successful here than on
his excursion up the Tocantins, and obtained