300 ]Mr. W. GooiUeWow—Ofuitholoffical 



XXIV. — Results of an Oruitlwloyical Journey through 

 Colombia and Ecuador. By Walter Goodfellow, F.Z.S. 



(Plate VIII.) 



]Mr. Claud Hamilton and \, liaviug decided upon an 

 ornithological trip to Ecuador^ found ourselves at the port 

 of Guayaquil on the 2nd of February, 1898. It had been 

 our intention to enter South America by Buenaventura, on 

 the west coast of Colombia, and to work the southern j)art 

 of the beautiful Cauca Valley first, so as to reach Ecuador 

 from the north. But happening to arrive in Panama the day 

 after the Buenaventura boat had left, we decided that, rather 

 than wait there for a fortnight, we would take that leaving 

 for Guayaquil on the following day, and thence get another 

 vessel up the coast back to Buenaventura. Unfortunately, 

 we were not able to do much collecting in the neighbourhood 

 of Guayaquil, for Mr. Hamilton met with a serious accident 

 soon after our arrival, and was nearly blinded by the bursting 

 of a bottle containing strong spirits of ammonia. 



The return journey up the coast was very interesting, as 

 our boat called at every port, and I went on shore whenever 

 an opportunity was afforded. On the whole, however, birds 

 seemed scarce in the immediate vicinity of most of the places ; 

 the only exceptions being at Puerto Viejo and Bahia de 

 Caracas, where I noticed them in large numbers, and around 

 Manta, where I saw many examples of Pyrocephalus ruhineus 

 and a few small flocks of Psittacula ccelestls. The country at 

 the back of the two former towns seemed to offer a most 

 inviting field to the naturalist. Although I spent the best 

 part of a day in the forests near Esmeraldas, I came across 

 very few birds, but I shot a fine boa. At the end of some seven 

 days we reached the miserable little port of Buenaventura, 

 where we were acconmiodated at the Cable Station for two 

 days, as the train only leaves for the interior twice a week. 

 The place has an unenviable reputation for unhealthiness all 

 up the west coast, and its character seemed well borne out by 

 the appearance presented by the two or three Europeans 

 living there, and even by the natives themselves, who are 



