My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

ISOMY LIFEa few degrees on each side of the equator. Anequatorial forest is a kind of natural arboretum, wherespecimens of an immense number of species arebrought together by nature. The western half of theisland of Java affordsan example of such a forestregionwhich has been well explored, botanically;and although almost all the fertile plains have beencleared for cultivation, and the forests cover only asmall proportion of the country, the number of distinctspecies of forest-trees is said to be over fifteenhundred.The second feature, that I can never think ofwithout delight, is the wonderful variety and exquisitebeauty of the butterflies and birds, a variety andcharm which grow upon one month after month andyear after year, as ever new and beautiful, strangeand even mysterious, forms are continually met with.Even now I can hardly recall them without a thrillof admiration and wonder.The third and most unexpected sensation ofsurprise and delight was my first meeting and livingwith man in a state of nature—with absolute uncontaminatedsavages ! This was on the Uaup6s River,and the surprise of it was that I did not in the leastexpect to be so surprised. I had already been twoyears in the country, always among Indians of manytribes ; but these were all what are called tameIndians, they wore at least trousers and shirt ; theyhad been (nominally) converted to Christianity, andwere under the government of the nearest authorities ;and all of them spoke either Portuguese or thecommon language, called " Lingoa-Geral."But these true wild Indians of the Uaupes wereat once seen to be something totally different. Theyhad nothing that we call clothes ; they had peculiar