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from such a cold place, and not the A. laminirostris. The pale

blue spilorhynchus is undoubtedly the handsomest of all this

beautiful group. They range up to a much higher altitude on

the Eastern side than the Western side. The trade winds

blowing from the Atlantic right across Brazil, strike the great

chain of the Andes, and the moisture they bring causes the

forest to grow up to a much higher altitude on that side.


Papallacta is an Indian village standing 11,500 ft. above

the sea level. We had a sharp touch of frost every night during

our stay there, and the days, too, were cold and miserable if the

sun did not shine. It lies in the bend of a spur of Autisana,

the third in height, and the most glorious of all the great Andes

of the Equator. Its situation is most romantic and verdant, but

the Indians there have a bad reputation among the Ecuadorians.

Physically they are fine, handsome fellows, and I can only speak

well of them for we met with much kindness during our stay

among them. The village is much cut off from everywhere else

owing to the dreaded Guamani Pass, which has to be crossed at

an altitude of 16,000 ft. to get there. The Pass is only open part

of the year, when the snows are somewhat melted, and is always

dangerous as I know to my cost, for I crossed it three times. We

procured many rare birds from Papallacta, and sixteen specimens

of a beautiful new species of Humming Bird, the Helianthia

hamiltoni ; still we were rather glad to shake the dust (or rather

mud) of this village from our feet. It was from here we had to

start 011 our long journey on foot down to Napo, and the day

before we reached that river, I met a Napo Indian with a pretty

little specimen of the curiously-coloured Reinwardt’s Toucan,

Sclenideia reinwardti. Just as he had consented to let me have

it. I repented of my bargain and thought what a trouble it

would be on the rest of the journey. I have always regretted

since that I did not have it, for we never met with them ourselves

and this was the only specimen I have ever seen alive. It had

evidently been brought up by hand.


By far the commonest Toucan along the Napo was the

White-breasted Toucan, R. toucanus. “ Dumbiqui ” they were

called by the Napo savages who slaughter them by the hundreds.

Many tribes almost live on these birds, and the wonder is that

they have not been exterminated long ago. Their flesh is

decidedly not to be despised, it is far superior to Parrot, and cut

open and fried they made quite a tasty dish. I once saw a canoe

on the Napo which had over a thousand skins on board of these

Toucans alone. The Indians use them for making their dresses



