Journey through Colombia and Ecuador. 303 



cultivation where the mountainous nature o£ the country 

 admits of it. Consequently, with one or two exceptions, 

 we saw but few birds. These exceptions were Crotophaga 

 ani, Milvulus tyrannus, and Tyrannus melancholicus , which 

 abound all through the Cauca Valley. After the first day the 

 road winds entirely through the mountains, and consists of a 

 series of arduous ascents and descents into small valleys, 



Popayan is a sleepy, clean old town, without auy trade, 

 and in Colombia is considered quite an aristocratic residence. 

 There are certainly many old and wealthy families living in 

 this isolated place, all of which possess large, if somewhat 

 neglected, " haciendas '' up in the Central Cordillera. The 

 town itself lies at the foot of the central range, and is backed 

 by the very active volcano of Purace, altitude 17,000 feet, 

 which we ascended. For many miles to the west stretches 

 a level valley to the clearly-outlined Western Andes, and 

 nowhere else did we see the different parallel ranges so 

 distinctly defined. The climate is, perhaps, as perfect as a 

 climate can be, neither too hot nor too cold, but cooler than 

 one would expect for the position and altitude, which is only 

 5800 feet. The vegetation, moreover, is not at all tropical- 

 looking ; indeed, the fields, surrounded by well-kpet hedges, 

 reminded us of home. We spent nearly two months there 

 and in the neighbouring mountains, and made a fair col- 

 lection of birds, but we were disappointed to find Humming- 

 birds extremely scarce. We were told that September was 

 the best month for them, when many kinds of trees are in 

 bloom. Unfortunately none of the residents in the town 

 were able to indicate the best collecting-grounds in the 

 neighbourhood; thus much time was wasted in exploring 

 profitless places, and it was not until we were just leaving 

 and had made all arrangements for our journey south to 

 Pasto, that we discovered the exact localities of which we had 

 been in search. I think, however, it would scarcely repay any 

 collector to go to these parts, for, besides the expense, the 

 ti'avelling is most difiicult. Even more difficult is the country 

 between Popayan and Pasto, which is an eight days' ride, the 

 whole intervening country being one vast jumble of mountains. 



