340 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I02 



Chapter XX 



Continuing the Description of the Preceding Theme. 



1022. The iguana is built Hke a Hzard, only larger and uglier. It 

 lives in the water and on trees, and nests in the sand in ravines and 

 along streams ; and though that is a country of sudden rains which 

 cause floods and freshets in the rivers, the iguanas have such sure 

 instincts that at the time they choose for hatching their eggs, the 

 sky is clear and the river smooth and peaceful. These iguanas are 

 eaten roasted or fricasseed or in other ways, and you would think 

 you were eating chicken or rabbit. 



1023. There are certain birds from whose notes the Indians derive 

 their auguries, and some Spaniards also ; one of them is the bird 

 which in that country they call the Valdivia bird, and in other regions, 

 the guacagua. They call it the Valdivia bird because when the savages 

 burned down the fort and massacred this gentleman and the Span- 

 iards who were with him, these birds kept calling importunately 

 for 3 or 4 days ; they are held to be harbingers of people's approach- 

 ing death and of misfortunes. There are animals known as memeyes 

 which utter melancholy notes at night, but nobody has even seen 

 this animal, nor is it known what it looks like, nor has it ever been 

 caught. 



1024. The Rio Cauca is very full of fish, particularly in summer, 

 when quantities come up from the marshes of the Rio Magdalena 

 to spawn in its shallows. The best fish in rivers tributary to the 

 Cauca is the sabaleta (shad) which looks and tastes like trout. There 

 are fish called donzellas, barbudos, bagrecillos white and small, others 

 very large ; dorados, picudas, getudos, and bocachicos. After the 

 Rio Nichi falls into the Cauca, it turns W. and unites with the Rio 

 de La Magdalena 9 leagues below the town of Mompos. It has 

 navigable tributaries, one being the Rio de San Jorge, which will 

 be described later. 



Chapter XXI 



Of the City of Zaragoza, of Its Rich Gold Mines, and Other 

 Features of Its District. 



1025. The city of Zaragoza is built on the banks of the Rio Nichi, 

 5 leagues below where this river is joined by the Rio Porci. In 

 ancient times this country was the home of the Yamicies tribe of 

 Indians, but since it was subjugated by the Spaniards, they have 

 completely died out and disappeared, partly through voluntary action 

 on their part, since rather than be subject to the Spaniards they 



