WATITE SUPERSTITIONS. .385 



the same manner a greater facility for fishing draws the web- 

 footed and long-legged birds from the north to the south, 

 from the Orinoco towards the Amazon. Nothing is more 

 marvellous, and nothing is yet known less clearly in a geo- 

 graphical point of view, than the direction, extent, and term 

 of the migrations of birds. 



After having entered the Eio Negro by the Pimichin, and 

 passed the small cataract at the confluence of the two rivers, 

 \ve discovered, at the distance of a quarter of a league, the 

 in ission of Maroa. This village, containing one hundred and 

 fifty Indians, presented an appearance of ease and prosperity. 

 We purchased some fine specimens of the toucan alive; 

 a courageous bird, the intelligence of which is developed like 

 that of our domestic ravens. We passed on the right, above 

 Maroa, first the mouth of the Aquio,* then that of the Tomo.f 

 On the banks of the latter river dwell the Cheruvichahenas, 

 some families of whom I have seen at San Francisco Solano. 

 The Tomo lies near the Rio Gruaicia (Xie), and the mission 

 of Tomo receives by that way fugitive Indians from the 

 Lower Gruainia. We did not enter the mission, but Father 

 Zea related to us with a smile, that the Indians of Tomo and 

 Maroa had been one day in full insurrection, because an 

 attempt was made to force them to dance the famous " dance 

 of the devils." The missionary had taken a fancy to have 

 the ceremonies by which the piaches (who are at once priests, 

 physicians, and conjurors) evoke the evil spirit lolokiamo, 

 represented in a burlesque manner. He thought that the 

 "dance of the devils" would be an excellent means of prov- 

 ing to the neophytes that lolokiamo had no longer any 

 power over them. Some young Indians, confiding in the 

 promises of the missionary, consented to act the devils, and 

 were already decorated with black and yellow plumes, and 

 jaguar-skins with long sweeping tails. The place where the 

 church stands was surrounded by the soldiers who are dis- 

 tributed in the missions, in order to add more effect to the 

 counsels of the monks ; and those Indians who were not 

 entirely satisfied with respect to the consequences of the 

 dance, and the impotency of the evil spirit, were brought to 



* Aqui, Aaqui, Ake, of the most recent maps. 



f Tomui, Temujo, Tomon. 

 TOL. II. 2 



