File:Our search for a wilderness; an account of two ornithological expeditions to Venezuela and to British Guiana (1910) (14566042027).jpg

Identifier: oursearchforwild00nile (find matches)
Title: Our search for a wilderness; an account of two ornithological expeditions to Venezuela and to British Guiana
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Niles, Blair Beebe, William, 1877-1962
Subjects: Natural history Birds
Publisher: New York, H. Holt and company

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for a fewminutes and have time to look about us. Every snag heldits complement of vampires which took to wing only whenwe were very close. Solitary Sandpipers 21 and Parauques70were abundant, the latter apparently nesting on the numerouslittle sand-bars, and swooping near the boat or swingingup to a bare branch where they perched lengthwise andwatched us with half-shut eyes. The rocky islets were covered with the low Water Guava(Psidium fluviatile), and the rocks which are usually coveredwith shallow water or those within reach of the falls werestudded with thousands of little starry flowers. In otherplaces masses of delicate- pink blossoms raised their headsabove the shining mat of green submerged leaves whichfairly carpeted the pools. The beds of pink, green andwhite amid the pools reminded us strongly of the many-colored sponges, hydroids and anemones in a tidal pool ofthe Bay of Fundy or a reef off a Florida key. These aquaticflowers, far out from shore, gave forth a sweet perfume
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WATER TRAIL FROM GEORGETOWN TO AREMU. 265 attracting flies, bees and even butterflies, which flitted throughthe mist, just clearing the foaming water. Now and then small reddish-brown crocodiles were seensunning themselves on the sand-bars. One, not more thanthree feet in length, paid no attention to the revolver shotswhich threw up the water close to him. The little flyingfish became more numerous as we went on, skimming hereand there in the smooth pools. Twice we saw one dash atan insect, once a large bee and the second time a butterfly,but they were less successful in their insect hunting thanthe Swallows — both the Banded 118 and the Variegated 119—which swooped across our bow. Whenever we went close toa bank we saw multitudes of a new flower, with its gracefulrebarbed stamens, looking like the falling lines of sparksfrom a rocket. We lunched to-day on a splendid outcropping of rock onthe left bank, after chasing into the cracks some big andremarkably colored tarantulas, with

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