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| CHAPTER I. |
| THE DIVERSITY OF CLIMATES WITHIN THE TROPICS. |
| Causes by which it is produced—Abundance and Distribution of Rain within the Tropics—The Trade Winds—The Belt of Calms—Tropical Rains—The Monsoons—Tornados—Cyclones—Typhoons—Storms in the Pacific—Devastations caused by Hurricanes on Pitcairn Island and Rarotonga | 1 |
| CHAPTER II. |
| THE LLANOS. |
| Their Aspect in the Dry Season—Vegetable Sources—Sand Spouts—Effects of the Mirage—A Savannah on Fire—Opening of the Rainy Season—Miraculous Changes—Exuberance of Animal and Vegetable Life—Conflict between Horses and Electrical Eels—Beauty of the Llanos at the Termination of the Rainy Season—The Mauritia Palm | 11 |
| CHAPTER III. |
| THE PUNA, OR THE HIGH TABLE-LANDS OF PERU AND BOLIVIA. |
| Striking Contrast with the Llanos—Northern Character of their Climate—The ChuÑu—The Surumpe—The Veta: its Influence upon Man, Horses, Mules, and Cats—The Vegetation of the Puna—The Maca—The Llama: its invaluable Services—The Huanacu—The Alpaca—The VicuÑas: Mode of Hunting Them—The Chacu—The Bolas—The Chinchilla—The Condor—Wild Bulls and Wild Dogs—Lovely Mountain Valleys | 20 |
| CHAPTER IV. |
| THE PERUVIAN SAND-COAST. |
| Its desolate Character—The Mule is here the ‘Ship of the Desert.’—A Shipwreck and its Consequences—Sand-Spouts—Medanos—Summer and Winter—The Garuas—The Lomas—Change produced in their Appearance during the Season of Mists—Azara’s Fox—Wild Animals—Birds—Reptiles—The Chincha or Guano Islands | 30 |
| CHAPTER V. |
| THE AMAZONS, THE GIANT RIVER OF THE TORRID ZONE. |
| The Course of the Amazons and its Tributaries—The Strait of Obydos—Tide Waves on the Amazons—The Black-water rivers—The Rio Negro—The Bay of the Thousand Isles—The Pororocca—Rise of the River—The Gapo—Magnificent Scenery—Different Character of the Forests beyond and within the verge of Inundation—General Character of the Banks—A Sail on the Amazons—A Night’s Encampment—The ‘Mother of the Waters’—The Piranga—Dangers of Navigating on the Amazons—Terrific Storms—Rapids and Whirlpools—The Stream of the Future—Travels of Orellana—Madame Godin | 36 |
| CHAPTER VI. |
| THE PRIMEVAL FORESTS OF TROPICAL AMERICA. |
| Their peculiar Charms and Terrors—Disappointments and Difficulties of the Botanist—The Bush-ropes—Variety of Trees and Plants—Trees with Buttresses—Numberless parasites—Character of the Primitive Forest according to its Site—Its Aspect during the Rainy Season—A Hurricane in the Forest—Beauty of the Forest after the Rainy Season—Our Home Scenes equally beautiful—Bird Life on the rivers of Guiana—Morning Concert—Repose of Nature at Noon—Nocturnal Voices of the Forest | 53 |
| CHAPTER VII. |
| THE WILD INDIANS OF TROPICAL AMERICA. |
| The wild Forest Tribes—Their Physical Conformation and Moral Characteristics—Their Powers of Endurance not inferior to those of other Races—Their stoical indifference—Their Means of Subsistence—Fishing—Hunting—The Wourali Poison—Ornaments—Painting—Tattooing—Religion—The Moon, a Land of Abundance—The Botuto—The Piaches—The Savage Hordes of Brazil and Guiana—The Ottomacas—Dirt-eaters—Their Vindictive Ferocity and War Stratagems—The extinct Tribe of the Atures—A Parrot the last Speaker of their Language—Their Burial-cavern—The Uaupes Indians—Their large Huts—Horrid Custom of Disinterment—The Macus—The Purupurus—The ‘Palheta’—The Mandrucus—Singular resemblance of some of the Customs of the American Indians to those of Remote Nations—The Caribs—The Botocudos—Monstrous distension of the Ears and Under-lip—Their Bow and Arrow—Their Migrations—Bush-rope Bridge—Botocudo Funeral—‘Tanchon,’ the Evil Spirit | 62 |
| CHAPTER VIII. |
| THE MEXICAN PLATEAUS, AND THE SLOPES OF SIKKIM. |
| Geological Formation of Mexico—The Tierra Caliente—The Tierra Templada—The Tierra Fria. |
| The Sylvan Wonders of Sikkim—Changes of the Forest on ascending—The Torrid Zone of Vegetation—The Temperate Zone—The Coniferous Belt—Limits of Arboreal Vegetation—Animal Life | 79 |
| CHAPTER IX. |
| THE KALAHARI AND THE BUSHMEN. |
| Reasons why Droughts are prevalent in South Africa—Vegetation admirably suited to the Character of the Country—Number of Tuberous Roots—The Caffre Water-Melon—The Mesembryanthemums—The Animal Life of the Kalahari—The Bushmen, a Nomadic Race of Hunters—Their Skill in Hunting—Their Food—Acuteness of their Sight and Hearing—Their Intelligence and Perseverance—Their Weapons and Marauding Expeditions—Their Voracity—Their Love of Liberty—The Bakalahari—Their Love for Agriculture—Their Ingenuity in procuring Water—Trade in Skins
d class="tdl">Brutality of the Rhinoceros—The Borelo—The Keitloa—The Monoho—The Kobaaba—Difference of Food and Disposition between the Black and the White Rhinoceros—Incarnation of Ugliness—Acute Smell and Hearing—Defective Vision—The Buphaga Africana—Paroxysms of Rage—Parental Affection—Nocturnal Habits—Rhinoceros Hunting—Adventures of the Chase—Narrow Escapes of Messrs. Oswell and Andersson—The Indian Rhinoceros—The Sumatran Rhinoceros—The Javanese Rhinoceros—Its involuntary Suicide | 423 |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. |
| THE ELEPHANT. |
| Love of Solitude, and Pusillanimity—Miraculous Escape of an English Officer—Sagacity of the Elephant in ascending Hills—Organisation of the Stomach—The Elephant’s Trunk—Use of the Tusks still Probmatical—The Rogue-Elephant—Sagacity of the Elephant—The African Elephant—Tamed in Ancient Times—South African Elephant-Hunting—Hair-Breadth Escapes—Abyssinian Elephant-Hunters—Cutting up of an Elephant—The Asiatic Elephant—Vast Numbers destroyed in Ceylon—Major Rogers—Elephant-Catchers—Their amazing Dexterity—The Corral—Decoy Elephants—Their astonishing Sagacity—Great Mortality among the Captured Elephants—Their Services | 431 |
| CHAPTER XXXV. |
| TROPICAL FELIDÆ. |
| The Lion—Conflicts with Travellers on Mount Atlas—The Lion and the Hottentat—A Lion taken in—Narrow Escapes of Andersson and Dr. Livingstone—Lion-Hunting by the Arabs of the Atlas—By the Bushmen—The Asiatic Lion—The Lion and the Dog—The Tiger—The Javanese Jungle—The Peacock—Wide Northern Range of the Tiger—Tiger-Hunting in India—Miraculous Escape of an English Sportsman—Animals announcing the Tiger’s Presence—Turtle-Hunting of the Tiger on the Coasts of Java—The Panther and the Leopard—The Leopard attracted by the Smell of Small-pox—The Cheetah—The Jaguar—The Puma—The smaller American FelidÆ—The HyÆna—Fables told of these abject Animals—The Striped HyÆna—The Spotted HyÆna—The Brown HyÆna | 446 |
| CHAPTER XXXVI. |
| THE AUSTRALIAN RACE. |
| Physical Conformation of the Australians—Their Low State of Civilisation—Their Superstitions—Their Wars—Singing and Dancing—The Corrobory—Division of the Nation into Great Families—Rules Regulating the property of Land and the Distribution of Food—Skill in Hunting the Kangaroo and the Opossum—Feasting on a Whale—Moral Qualities and Intelligence of the Australians | 466 |
| CHAPTER XXXVII. |
| THE SLOTH. |
| Miserable Aspect of the Sloth—His Beautiful Organisation for his Peculiar Mode of Life—His Rapid Movements in the Trees—His Means of Defence—His Tenacity of Life—Fable about the Sloth refuted—The Ai—The Unau—The Mylodon Robustus | 477 |
| CHAPTER XXXVIII. |
| ANT-EATERS. |
| The Great Ant-Bear—His Way of Licking up Termites—His Formidable Weapons—A Perfect Forest Vagabond—His Peculiar Manner of Walking—The Smaller Ant-Eaters—The Manides—The African Aard Vark—The Armadillos—The Glyptodon—The Porcupine Ant-Eater of Australia—The Myrmecobius Fasciatus | 482 |
| CHAPTER XXXIX. |
| TROPICAL BATS. |
| Wonderful Organisation of the Bats—The Fox-Bat—The Vampire—Its Blood-Sucking Propensities—The Horse-Shoe Bats—The Flying Squirrel—The Galeopithecus—The Anomalurus | 490 |
| CHAPTER XL. |
| APES AND MONKEYS. |
| The Forest Life of the SimiÆ—Excellent Climbers, Bad Pedestrians—Similitude and Difference between the Human Race and the Ape—The Chimpanzee—Chim in Paris—The Gorilla—The Uran—The Gibbons—The Proboscis Monkey—The Huniman—The Wanderoo—The Cercopitheca—A Plundering Party—Parental Affection of a Cercopitheca—The Maimon—‘Happy Jerry’—The Pig-Faced Baboon—The Derryat—Wide Difference between the Monkeys of both Hemispheres—Distinctive Characters of the American Monkeys—The Stentor Monkey—The Spider Monkeys—The LaÏmirit—Friendships Between Various Kinds of Monkeys—Nocturnal Monkeys—Squirrel Monkeys—Their Lively Intelligence—The Loris and Makis | 496 |
| CHAPTER XLI. |
| THE AFRICAN NEGROES. |
| Causes of the Inferiority of Negro Civilisation—Natural Capabilities of the Negro—Geographical Formation of Africa—Its Political Condition—Physical Conformation of the Negro—Fetishism—The Rain-Doctor—The Medicine-Man—Religious Observances—Gift-Offerings—Human Sacrifices—Ornaments—The PelÉle—The Bonnians—Their Barbarous Condition—The Town of Okolloma—Negroes of the Lake Regions—The Iwanza—Slavery—A Miserable Group | 518 |
