OVER TRAIL AND THROUGH JUNGLE IN ECUADOR 



34' 



the: ecuadorean loom is a crude but most ingenious contrivance 



The yarn is drawn taut by the weight of the woman, who sits in a broad web at the bottom 

 of the loom. Although only simple designs may be woven on this pattern of loom, very 

 harmonious blending of colors and shading are often noted. 



others are strikingly different and certain 

 to arouse interest. 



In common with all tropical countries, 

 Ecuador has an abundance of inverte- 

 brates, hosts of insects and creeping, 

 crawling manifestations of life. 



In the lower elevations mosquitoes are 

 often a serious menace, since both Ano- 

 pheles and Stegomyia, fever-carrying gen- 

 era, are common ; but as soon as any very 

 great elevation is attained, the danger 

 from mosquitoes is practically nil. The 

 hot lowlands are the home also of myriads 

 of ants, in numbers seldom to be found 

 in northern climes. 



The brilliant butterflies seen in so many 

 tropical countries are present in great 

 variety in Ecuador, and one of the pic- 

 tures most apt to be carried away in the 

 memory of the visitor to Ecuador is that 

 of a huge blue Morpho floating aimlessly 

 through the dark-green jungle vegetation. 



The brightest bits of color one sees, 

 however, even vying with the orchids, are 

 those produced by the plumage of some 



of the birds. The avifauna of Ecuador 

 is very rich and it is especially so in 

 species of striking or gaudy coloring. 



HOME OF THE HUMMING-BIRD 



Probably in no other country of the 

 world are there so many species of hum- 

 ming-birds, and nearly every one is beau- 

 tifully marked. Brilliant metallic greens, 

 iridescent blues and purples, clearest crim- 

 son, and snowy white are all to be found 

 in the plumage of these buzzing, meteoric 

 bits of bird life, and their activity is such 

 that they are made doubly conspicuous. 



When one thinks of the Andes the bird 

 which is inevitably associated is the con- 

 dor, the largest of the flying land birds. 

 While the condor is found in Ecuador, it 

 is a bird of the higher elevations, and so 

 is not often seen by the casual traveler. 



Once seen in its native surroundings, 

 the condor will never be forgotten, and I 

 shall ever treasure in my mental picture- 

 gallery the sight of one which passed over 

 our party at a height of less than one 



