Journey th'ough Columbia and Ecuador. 307 



exception, all places below a certain level are extremely 

 unhealthy, while travelling is most difficult, and all food- 

 supplies must be taken from headquarters. 



During- the latter part of our stay in Quito we were 

 involved in a revolution, and for a time the city was besieged. 

 A great portion of the population took refuge in the various 

 Legations and Consulates; several hundred, including some 

 Cabinet Ministers, came to the British Consulate, where we 

 also stayed when in Quito, All this greatly retarded our 

 arrangements for going to the Napo, which was the most 

 formidable part of our travels in South America and the 

 climax of our experiences. We had never imagined anything 

 so bad as the route. Track there was none, and on the eastern 

 mountains some of the climbs were so steep and so dangerous 

 that it seemed as if mules could never pass. Other spots were 

 all morass, and at times we seemed likely to sink in altogether, 

 and spent hours in extricating ourselves and our animals. 

 The route to be followed from Quito first takes a dip down 

 into the wide and somewhat dry Chillo Valley, Avhich connects 

 the Western and Eastern ranges of the Andes, and forms 

 the northern end of the central highlands of Ecuador. Here 

 it is that among the Humming-birds may be found some 

 intermediate forms between the Western and Eastern 

 varieties. A good example is the well-known Petasophora 

 iolata. We found this bird green on the western range and 

 quite bronzy on the eastern range, whereas all the specimens 

 procured from the connecting Chillo Valley were inter- 

 mediate in colouring. 



When the Eastern Andes were reached, the path rose 

 suddenly and steeply to the dreaded Guamani Pass at 16,000 

 feet. It can only be crossed at certain seasons of the year, 

 when the snows have somewhat melted. Ev^en at this 

 altitude we found bird-life not altogether wanting, for we 

 shot specimens of Mtjiotheretes erythropygius and Musci- 

 saxicola a/pina almost at the summit of the pass. No 

 human habitation is met with for nearly two days, until the 

 small Indian village of Papallacta is reached on the eastern 

 side at 11,500 feet, standing in a romantic and verdant bend 



JL IV 



