observed in the Western Pacific. 209 



on the gable of one of the houses on the beach, so that the 

 passengers by the steamers might have some green object 

 to look at ; but the donkeys were so deceived by the resem- 

 blance that they considered it should have umbrageous 

 qualities, and in endeavouring to crowd under the fancied 

 shade, they eventually rubbed all traces of the tree away ! 

 The Chira river farther up the coast, from which the water 

 is brought to Payta, is, however, well wooded on the banks. 

 A party of officers from the ship, principally midshipmen, 

 camped out on its banks for four or five days, their bag 

 consisting of 83 Pigeons, 77 Parrots, and 44 Squirrels, 

 the latter the chinchilla-coloured animal ; but five of the 

 party were afterwards laid up with fever from sleeping on 

 the ground and not off it ! 



During the months of May and June 1883 we were 

 moored off the town of Guayaquil, about seventy miles up 

 the river of that name, probably one of the hottest and most 

 unhealthy places on the coast ; but fortunately we were there 

 in the dry season. The town being nearly always in a state 

 of siege from civil war, it was impossible to make many 

 excursions. Crocodiles abound in the river, and there is no 

 difficulty in shooting numbers ; but as they generally manage 

 to glide off the muddy banks into the river unless shot dead, 

 it is poor sport, for they are of no use, unless a skeleton or 

 head be wanted, and the strong smell of musk emitted from 

 the skin is unpleasant. In the early morning, and again 

 in the evening, there were numbers of Stertia magnirostris, 

 but I never saw one in the daytime. The pretty spur- winged 

 Parrajacana was also obtained ; and having noticed a flight- 

 line of Parrots coming home from their feeding-grounds in 

 the evening, I had some capital shooting, until they became 

 too wary and raised their line of flight ; they are very good 

 in a pie. In October 1885 I crossed the large bay of La 

 Union in a boat and visited several of the islands, without 

 seeing anything but Pelicans, which were in great numbers. 



Leaving Coquimbo in February 1884, for a cruise in the 

 Pacific, the first island visited, if it may be so called, was Sala 

 y Gomez (26° S.), on the 5th March. It much resembles 



SER. v. VOL. V. p 



