File:The River Congo from its mouth to Bólobó; with a general description of the natural history and anthropology of its western basin (1895) (14760823341).jpg

Identifier: rivercongofromit00john (find matches)
Title: The River Congo from its mouth to Bólobó; with a general description of the natural history and anthropology of its western basin
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Johnston, Harry Hamilton, Sir, 1858-1927
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: London, S. Low, Marston & Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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the south bank of theCongo, and admirably situated for a naturalist who wishesto study the rich swampy region of the Lower Congo withcomparative ease and comfort. Here I spent three mostpleasant weeks, enjoying the kind hospitality of SenhorEibeiro at the Dutch factory. Indeed I have since re-gretted the shortness of my stay, as there was suchabundant material for study, and at the same time somany facilities for working in the midst of ones field ofresearch without undergoing privations or unnecessaryfatigue. Away from the temporary and feeble clearingsthat the few commercial houses have made is grandmajestic forest towering up into the sky, and displayingthe most splendid effects which a rich and fantastic foliage,a brilliant colouring of varied greens, and a weird archi-tecture of contorted and massive trunks can produce. Our adjectives are too puny to describe fitly the vegeta-tion of such places as Kisange. We want to expressourselves in the tongues of Central Africa, which hav§
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Lissqchilus gicjanteus. 21 A JOURNEY UP THE RIVER CONGO, sometimes seven different terms to express different kindsof forest. Beyond the actual inclosures of the factorieshere, there is a splendour of vegetable growth that defiesan adequate rendering either with the brush or the pen.The hot sun and the oozy mud call into existence a plantlife which must parallel in rank luxuriance and monstrousgrowth the forests of the coal measures, and reproduce forour eyes in these degenerate days somewhat of the majestyof the vegetable kingdom in bygone epochs. In the marshy spots, down near the river shore, aremasses of that splendid orchid, Lissochilus giganteus, aterrestrial species that shoots up often to the height of sixfeet from the ground, bearing such a head of red-mauve,golden-centred blossoms as scarcely any flower in thewTorld can equal for beauty and delicacy of form. Theseorchids, with their light-green, spear-like leaves, and theirtall swaying flower-stalks, grow in groups of forty

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