ion: Amazon Indians.]

There are great forests along the banks of this river. They run back
from the river for hundreds of miles. They are the largest forests in
the world.

A great many kinds of trees grow in these forests. Some of the trees
are very high. Often the trees are covered with vines on which
beautiful flowers grow.

Wax-palm trees, breadfruit trees, and rubber trees are found in these
forests. Wax is taken from the leaves of the wax palm.

We make rubber from the rubber tree. A cut is made in the side of the
tree with a knife. From this cut a white juice flows. This juice is
like milk. It is caught in a cup. After a while the juice gets hard.
Then it is rubber.

A great many strange animals and birds are found in these forests.
There is the sloth, which lives in the trees. It has hooked claws for
holding on to the branches. It hangs on to a branch with its back
downward. When it goes to sleep, it rolls itself up like a ball. It
moves very slowly, and that is why it is called the sloth.

[Illustration: A Sloth.]

These forests are full of monkeys and parrots. Perhaps you have seen a
parrot. I dare say you have not seen more than two or three parrots at
one time. But in these forests there are flocks of parrots. They fly
from tree to tree, and are very wild.

[Illustration: A Parrot.]

There are many kinds of them. Some are red, some are green, some are
blue, and some are all these colors.

Monkeys chatter and parrots screech. What a noise they must sometimes
make!

But besides the parrots and the monkeys, there are humming birds and
butterflies. You know that the humming bird is a very small bird, but
humming birds are found in these forests no larger than a bee. The
butterflies are the most beautiful in the world.

The people who live in these forests are called Indians. They do not
often let white men come among them. Their skin is copper color, like
the Indians of our country. Their hair is black and straight. They
are not as tall as our Indians, but their bodies are finely formed.
They have large, full chests. Their hands and feet are small and
nicely shaped.

They keep themselves very clean. The men and women, the boys and
girls, are all fond of bathing. The first thing they do in the morning
is to take a bath in the nearest river.

Strange to say, some of them paint their faces and bodies. They take
the juice of a tree which will stain a blue black.