304 Mr. W. Gootlfellow — Ornithological 



It is impossible to imagine anything finer in tlie way of 

 mountain-scenery, or greater variety, and we saw nothing like 

 it anywhere else — it will for ever be impressed on my memory. 

 There are three routes available between the two towns ; we 

 chose the one by the Patia valley. It is the shortest, but the 

 least frequented and tlie most dangerous. This remarkably 

 situated valley is very little known, and, being so cut off 

 from communication, has never, I believe, been properly 

 explored. I saw many birds and butterflies there which I 

 observed in no other part of the country. The climate is 

 hot and exceedingly unhealthy for most of the year, and the 

 inhabitants (all negroes) have an evil reputation and seem to 

 live mostly by robbery, so that every man's hand is against 

 them. On account of a breakdown in onr transport, we were 

 forced to spend a few days there, until we could get more 

 beasts, and during that time we shot as many birds as we 

 could, among them being two fine kinds of Ibis of the genus 

 Theristicus. Two fairly important towns are passed on the 

 way to Pasto, namely, Mercaderes and La Union; the 

 inhabitants of the latter picturesque little place being solely 

 engaged in making '^Panama" hats, probably the best 

 supplied by Colombia. 



The situation of Pasto is very striking, and it requires 

 no imagination to see that it is built inside what was 

 once the crater of a volcano, and that Galera, which now 

 rises above the town on the S.W., is but a newer vent for 

 the escape of steam. The town is surrounded on all sides 

 except the west })y a continuous line of crags, which on the 

 east are absolutely perpendicular, but the western side was 

 evidently blow^n out many ages ago. The altitude of the 

 town is 8600 feet, and, in spite of its sheltered situation, the 

 climate is cold and miserable, while the houses are comfort- 

 less in more ways than one. Pasto is always seething with 

 rebellion, and most of the periodical revolutions of both 

 Colombia and Ecuador are hatched here. The men are 

 mostly muleteers by trade, but they are always to be hired 

 as fighting men in any cause, or on either side of a revolution. 

 At such times they march forth accompanied by an equally 



