J 



an. 28, 1875] 



NATURE 



243 



second hand, that it is often difficult to know where to 

 draw the hne ; and thus one who is simply in search of a 

 trustworthy narrative of observed facts is apt sometimes 

 to feel insecure. 



Moreover, we find from M. St. Martin's work, that 

 " Marcoy " is really a pseudonym, the author's real name 

 being Saint-Cricq. Why a veracious traveller should write 

 under a pseudonym it is difficult to see ; fancy Wallace, 

 or Bates, or Livingstone, or Baker, or Payer, or Meyer 

 doing so. Did " Paul Marcoy " fear the vengeance of the 

 "Count de la Blanche-Epine ?" That M. Marcoy in- 

 tends his narrative to be taken an serieitx is evident 

 throughout, from his elaborate and really valuable disser- 

 tations on the antiquities and original populations of 



Peru, their sources and migrations,' followed up by similar 

 dissertations on the various groups of tribes he passed 

 through, his minute and careful geographical descriptions, 

 especially in connection with the Amazonian river-sys- 

 tem, and the many details he gives concerning the fauna 

 and flora of the extensive region which he traversed. 

 We hope the publishers in the next edition wiU at least, if 

 they can, give the exact date of M. Marcoy's journey ; let 

 them be assured that, instead of detracting from, it will 

 add to the value of the work, even though with regard to 

 Peru and the Amazon there have been later explorers. 



Notwithstanding these blemishes, the work must be 

 regarded as, on the whole, a trustworthy narrative, con- 

 taining a great deal of valuable information, especially on 



the tribes with which the traveller came in contact on 

 the river Ucayali and its tributaries, and on the natural 

 history of the regions he travelled through. 



M. Marcoy's point of departure was the port of Islay, 

 nearly under the 17th degree of south latitude. Retells 

 us that his journey was undertaken as the result of a 

 wager with the captain of an English vessel, that he 

 would reach Para, in Brazil, by crossing the continent, 

 as soon as the captain would sail to the same place 

 round Cape Horn. As might be expected, he lost 

 his wager. Still, considering, or because of, his simple 

 equipment, and taking into consideration the frequent 

 long stays he made at various places on his route, 



his journey, performed in a year and fourteen days, must 

 be regarded as a wonderful feat. At the same time he 

 managed to see a great deal that is worth recording. He 

 went by Arequipa, the north end of Lake Titicaca, Acopia, 

 Cuzco, to Echarati, on the Rio Quillabamba Sta. Ana, as 

 he calls the river marked Urubamba in most maps, even 

 in that of Barrera (1871) prefixed to Mr. Hutchinson's 

 work. M. Marcoy is extremely particular about the 

 courses and names of his rivers, and, as we have said 

 frequently enters into long dissertations on the subject, 

 giving minute details with much confidence. He is par- 

 ticularly confident as to the courses and names of the 

 numerous rivers that unite to form the Ucayali. Near 



