58 A FLYING TRIP TO THE TROPICS. 



surface, iiicliuling that of the wmgs {Ceryle torqiiata); the next in 

 size was marked like ours, but was glossy green instead of blue 

 (C. amazona) ; the third was a miniature of the second, about the 

 size of a large sparrow (C. mnerlcana). We saw all three kinds 

 enter and come out from holes in the river-banks. The first two 

 were very abundant, the third scarcer. We saAv quantities of hawks 

 and large flocks of parrakeets, and I saw a single water-turkey or 

 snake-bird {Anhhuja anlihuja) flying high in the air. When the 

 crew were taking on wood at one place, they killed a couple of 

 slender snakes which were among the lower courses, but they were 

 thrown into the w^ater before I could examine them. 



In the afternoon, whilst we were stopping at a small village, a 

 native came up with a lot of fish in a dug-out canoe. They were 

 of two kinds : the first, a scale fish somewhat like a perch and of 

 about one pound in weight, he called " boca chica," little mouth ; 

 the other, a slender catfish, a " bagre," had the same smooth skin, 

 fleshy dorsal fin and beards that ours has, but its head Avas pro- 

 longed into a shovel shape almost like a duck's bill {Platy- 

 stoma s/;.). 



It was cloudy at times and hot, with a heavy storm at night. 



Saturday, June 25, 1892. When I went out on deck this morn- 

 ing, I found that we were unloading freight at the town of Ma- 

 gangue. This is quite a busy little place, known for its annual 

 fairs. It lies in a strip along the river-bank with no high land 

 near. At this time many of the cross streets were flooded for a 

 portion of their length, and our boat lay alongside the sidewalk. 

 In a native canoe here I saw a skin very much like that of our otter. 

 The owner called it a " niitria," which is the Spanish for otter. 



A short distance below Magangue the Magdalena separates into 

 two portions, inclosing a long island. Magangue is on the western 

 channel some leagues below the mouth of the Cauca. On the east- 

 ern channel is the town of Mompos, which was formerly of more 

 importance, but now, being inaccessible by steamers during the sea- 

 son of low water, it has lost a good deal. Upon leaving Magangue, 



