the naturalist on the river amazons-第1部分

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The　Naturalist　on　the　River　Amazons

by　Henry　Walter　Bates





AN　APPRECIATION

BY　CHARLES　DARWIN　Author　of　〃The　Origin　of　Species；〃　etc。

From　Natural　History　Review；　vol。　iii。　1863。

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　England　after　four　years'　stay；　and　was；　we　believe；　unlucky　enough　to　lose　the　greater　part　of　his　collections　by　the　shipwreck　of　the　vessel　in　which　he　had　transmitted　them　to　London。　Mr。　Bates　prolonged　his　residence　in　the　Amazon　valley　seven　years　after　Mr。　Wallace's　departure；　and　did　not　revisit　his　native　country　again　until　1859。　Mr。　Bates　was　also　more　fortunate　than　his　companion　in　bringing　his　gathered　treasures　home　to　England　in　safety。　So　great；　indeed；　was　the　mass　of　specimens　accumulated　by　Mr。　Bates　during　his　eleven　years'　researches；　that　upon　the　working　out　of　his　collection；　which　has　been　accomplished　（or　is　now　in　course　of　being　accomplished）　by　different　scientific　naturalists　in　this　country；　it　has　been　ascertained　that　representatives　of　no　less　than　14；712　species　are　amongst　them；　of　which　about　8000　were　previously　unknown　to　science。　It　may　be　remarked　that　by　far　the　greater　portion　of　these　species；　namely；　about　14；000；　belong　to　the　class　of　Insectsto　the　study　of　which　Mr。　Bates　principally　devoted　his　attentionbeing；　as　is　well　known；　himself　recognised　as　no　mean　authority　as　regards　this　class　of　organic　beings。　In　his　present　volume；　however；　Mr。　Bates　does　not　confine　himself　to　his　entomological　discoveries；　nor　to　any　other　branch　of　Natural　History；　but　supplies　a　general　outline　of　his　adventures　during　his　journeyings　up　and　down　the　mighty　river；　and　a　variety　of　information　concerning　every　object　of　interest；　whether　physical　or　political；　that　he　met　with　by　the　way。

Mr。　Bates　landed　at　Para　in　May；　1848。　His　first　part　is　entirely　taken　up　with　an　account　of　the　Lower　Amazonsthat　is；　the　river　from　its　sources　up　to　the　city　of　Manaos　or　Barra　do　Rio　Negro；　where　it　is　joined　by　the　large　northern　confluent　of　that　name　and　with　a　narrative　of　his　residence　at　Para　and　his　various　excursions　in　the　neighbourhood　of　that　city。　The　large　collection　made　by　Mr。　Bates　of　the　animal　productions　of　Para　enabled　him　to　arrive　at　the　following　conclusions　regarding　the　relations　of　the　Fauna　of　the　south　side　of　the　Amazonian　delta　with　those　of　other　regions。

〃It　is　generally　allowed　that　Guiana　and　Brazil；　to　the　north　and　south　of　the　Para　district；　form　two　distinct　provinces；　as　regards　their　animal　and　vegetable　inhabitants。　By　this　it　means　that　the　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　Tocantinsthe　mouth　of　which　lies　about　4…5　miles　from　the　city　of　Para。　This　was　twice　attempted。　On　the　second　occasionour　author　being　in　company　with　Mr。　Wallacethe　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　beakwhich　must　strike　even　the　most　unobservant　with　wonderappears　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　Solimoensthe　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　twenty　new　species　of　fishes；　and　many　new　and　conspicuous　insects；　apparently　peculiar　to　this　part　of　the　Amazonian　valley。

In　a　later　chapter　Mr。　Bates　commences　his　account　of　the　Solimoens；　or　Upper　Amazons；　on　the　banks　of　which　he　passed　four　years　and　a　half。　The　country　is　a　〃magnificent　wilderness；　where　civilised　man　has；　as　yet；　scarcely　obtained　a　footing…the　cultivated　ground；　from　the　Rio　Negro　to　the　Andes；　amounting　only　to　a　few　score　acres。〃　During　the　whole　of　this　time　Mr。　Bates'　headquarters　were　at　Ega；　on　the　Teffe；　a　confluent　of　the　great　river　from　the　south；　whence　excursions　were　made　sometimes　for　300　or　400　miles　into　the　interior。　In　the　intervals　Mr。　Bates　followed　his　pursuit　as　a　collecting　naturalist　in　the　same　〃peaceful；　regular　way；〃　as　he　might　have　done　in　a　European　village。　Our　author　draws　a　most　striking　picture　of　the　quiet；　secluded　life　he　led　in　this　far…distant　spot。　The　difficulty　of　getting　news　and　the　want　of　intellectual　society　were　the　great　drawbacks〃the　latter　increasing　until　it　became　almost　insupportable。〃　〃I　was　obliged　at　last；〃　Mr。　Bates　naively　remarks；　〃to　come　to　the　conclusion　that　the　contemplation　of　Nature；　alone　is　not　sufficient　to　fill　the　human　heart　and　mind。〃　Mr。　Bates　must　indeed　have　been　driven　to　great　straits　as　regards　his　mental　food；　when；　as　he　tell　us；　he　took　to　reading　the　Athenaeum　three　times　over；　〃the　first　time　devouring　the　more　interesting　articlesthe　second；　the　whole　of　the　remainderand　the　third；　reading　all　the　advertisements　from　beginning　to　end。〃

Ega　was；　indeed；　as　Mr。　Bates　remarks；　a　fine　field　for　a　Natural　History　collector；　the　only　previous　scientific　visitants　to　that　region　having　been　the　German　Naturalists；　Spix　and　Martius；　and　the　Count　de　Castelnau　when　he　descended　the　Amazons　from　the　Pacific。　Mr。　Bates'　account　of　the　monkeys　of　the　genera　Brachyuyus；　Nyctipithecus　and　Midas　met　with　in　this　region；　and　the　whole　of　the　very　pregnant　remarks　which　follow　on　the　American　forms　of　the　Quadrumana；　will　be　read　with　interest　by　every　one；　particularly　by　those　who　pay　attention　to　the　important　subject　of　geographical　distribution。　We　need　hardly　say　that　Mr。　Bates；　after　the　attention　he　has　bestowed　upon　this　question；　is　a　zealous　advocate　of　the　hypothesis　of　the　origin　of　species　by　derivation　from　a　common　stock。　After　giving　an　outline　of　the　general　distribution　of　Monkeys；　he　clearly　argues　that　unless　the　〃common　origin　at　least　of　the　species　of　a　family　be　admitted；　the　problem　of　their　distribution　must　remain　an　inexplicable　mystery。〃　Mr。　Bates　evidently　thoroughly　underst