stayed at any time at Javita, or has even passed through it."

From a communication received from the Royal Geographical Society it
appears that the first complete survey of this river (a compass traverse
supplemented by astronomical observations) was made (1907-8) by Dr.
Hamilton Rice, starting from the side of Colombia, and tracing the whole
course of the river from a point near the source of its head-stream. The
result showed that the general course of the lower river was much as
represented by Wallace, though considerable corrections were necessary
both in latitude and longitude. "I am assured by authorities on the Rio
Negro region," writes Dr. Scott Keltie to Mr. W.G. Wallace, under date
May 21, 1915, "that your father's work still holds good."

In May, 1852, Wallace returned to Para, and sailed for England the
following July. The ship took fire at sea, and all his treasures (not
previously sent to England) were unhappily lost. Ten days and nights
were spent in an open boat before another vessel picked them up, and in
describing this terrible experience he says: "When the danger appeared
past I began to feel the greatness of my loss. With what pleasure had I
looked upon every rare and curious insect I had added to my collection!
How many times, when almost overcome by the ague, had I crawled into the
forest and been rewarded by some unknown and beautiful species! How
many places, which no European foot but my own had trodden, would have
been recalled to my memory by the rare birds and insects they had
furnished to my collection! How many weary days and weeks had I passed,
upheld only by the fond hope of bringing home many new and beautiful
forms from these wild regions ... which would prove that I had not
wasted the advantage I had enjoyed, and would give me occupation and
amusement for many years to come! And now ... I had not one specimen to
illustrate the unknown lands I had trod, or to call back the