Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-12
A FOREST NEAR PARA.
Endless Varieties Of Trees In
Brazil.
Mighty Parasites With Roots
in the Air.
Exuberanoe of Vegetation.


The Wonderful.
A letter from Para, B:azil, In The
San Francisco Chronicle, says: Only
Just beyond the actual precincts of
the city of Para you may instantly
bury yourself In the intricate mszss of
the dense tropical forest and lose sight
Ct all indication of the residence Of
man. You are bewildered to remem-
Der you we're walking In the city
street only fifteen minutes ago, and
you are reminded Of the marvellous
piece of tapestry which, In tie Ara.
blsn tale, is Eaid to have Instantly
transported tho happy possessor to
whatever place he desired. But,
though you have been Wishing to en-
ter the Brazilian forest, you are very
nure you have not stopped upon the
magic cloth, and the thought occurs
that In this foreign land there may be
wizards of untold power, and the
strange scene around may prove to be
only the work of enchsntment. You
pause, but tho vision, far from fading,
increases In distinotness as your eyes
become accustomed to the shade.
The quick change In light Is more
noticeable than any change In temper.
AZURE at first. Outside the sunlight is
even painful In Its intensity, and as
you enter the narrow footpath which
p%enetrstes through every part Of the
forest lying near to the city, there Is
a pleasing sense of the contrasted
shade.
II BOA,
But beware lest you grow suddenly
too poetical to be wary, for though the
surrounding greenery and the grow
ing GOODNESS Of thu air lure to unre.
strained enjoyment, there are low
hanging branches to avoid, and when
the way seems most open there may be
q treacherous loop of the strong, trail
Ing vines that would quickly Danish
all your e~cststic ideas of beholding q
monkey or the great ant.eater In his
native home, especially II In striving
to maintain or regain your equilibrium
you should thrust out o hasty hand
against the thorny trunk of an armed
tree. Familiar since childhood with
the ideal Illustration Of tropical ~forepts,
you look, but In vain, for the tall tree
whose trunk is olasped In the In
variable coils of q huge serpent or the
chain of monkeys looped so oonspiou
ously across Q ravine. However, few
persons care to 60 alone to explore
the depths Of the forest, since there
are still huge boa constructors to bt
found occasionally, and a few of tht
Wild animals are quite as undesirable
acquaintances. Near the city these
dangers diminish, while another perl
remains quite as great. 1t Is not easy
to determine whether 1t be harder tt
find ones way through a tracklesI
wilderness or from among countless
narrow interesting paths to choos,
the only right one, which has nothing
to distinguish 1t from lnnumerabl,
others.
THE DANGER OF GOING AsTRAY.
The thick i~mpenetrable masses o.
forest growth are such that, once be,
ing left there is little probability tina
one will reach the point from which
he started, so that 1t becomes q rea
peril instead of only q childish fear O
being lost, and there are q few know
instances of wanderers never bein,
/. found, though an immediate search
was continued for days. Near tn,
city of Para the forests and rubbe
swamps are crossed with q network @
paths which intersect each other 8,
often that q compass Ia a necessity t,
those who tread among them. Ye
the beauties Of > Brazilian forest, es
pecially If 1t be In the valley of thu
Amazon, are far too powerful an at
traction to be foregone without 81
effort
Tho forests that sweep everywhere
about Para are of primary growth ant
far taller than any but the pine wood
of the eastern United States. Tn
greatest wonder here 10 the endles
variety of the trses. One forest, In
stead of being composed of q singh
family like beech OF maple groves II
the north, or the oak lands and PIN
barrsns CT the west and south, gath
ers so many sorts within q small com
pass that n q scarcely find tel
trees alike In . whole acre. This fac
renders lrmbering especially difficult
and Is one reason why the varisu
woods Of Brazil are so little known t.
commerce.
FLowERING TRIES.
Many Towering trees are found Il
the deepest Businesses that have BEEF
explored along the banks of the Anna
zon, and at various seasons of tn
year they hang out clustering wreath
of huge blue, white, purple or yello,
blossoms. Strange plants spring fror
the ground, to clasp ieafy hands wit
taller shrubs, which, In turn, reach u
to the overhanging branches of tn
high trees whose giant limbs ar
mingled with the interlacing twigs G
= others, while we all and leapin
- from one to the other the coillng vine
. twine their strong tendrills, leavin
= no gap In the luxuriant masses {
!. vegetation. The huge trunks of tn
tall trees are CT deep brown rattle
than gray, and there Is the greater
= Number that bear their leaves at tn
- tips of the lofty branches, so that tt
NJ general outline OF the tree Is like tn,
of a huge umbrella. Stems of vln'
are often ~leafiess till they clsmor ava
EY m tho ton nf tho mass whara rhe