506 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



conclude the canon, "-which is the Way of the 

 Inca," to be the upper part of the Rivera de los 

 Llanganatis. This canon can hardly be artificial, 

 like the hollow way I have seen running down 

 through the hills and woods on the western side ot 

 the Cordillera, from the great road of Azuay, nearly 

 to the river Yaguachi. "Guayra," said by Valverde 

 to be the ancient name for a smelting -furnace, is 

 nowadays applied only to the wind. The conclud- 

 ing clause of this sentence, "que son tachoneados de 

 oro," is considered by all competent persons to be 

 a mistake for "que es tachoneado de oro." 



If Margasitas be considered the first mountain 

 of the three to which Valverde refers, then the 

 Tembladal or Bog, out of which Valverde extracted 

 his wealth, the Socabon and the Guayra are in the 

 second mountain, and the lake wherein the ancients 

 threw their gold in the third. 



Difference of opinion among the gold-searchers 

 as to the route to be pursued from Margasitas 

 would appear also to have produced quarrels, for 

 we find a steep hill east of that mountain, and 

 separated from it by Mosquito Narrows (Chushpi 

 Pongo), called by Guzman " El Penon de las 

 Discordias." 



If we retrace our steps from Margasitas till we 

 reach the western margin of Yana-cocha, w r e find 

 another track branching off to northward, crossing 

 the river Zapala at a point marked Salto de Cobos, 

 and then following the northern shore of the lake. 

 Then follow two steep ascents, called respectively 

 " La Escalera " and " La Subida de Ripalda," and 

 the track ends suddenly at the river coming from 

 the Inca's Fountain (La Pila del Inca), with the 



