THE MAGDALENA BIVER. 



61 



pedestal in a basin of water, and to examine it every few lionrs to 

 see that the water has not evaporated. After breakfast, we pre- 

 pared our birds as the boat went along, shot at alligators from time 

 to time, and tried fishing when the boat stopped, but got no bites. 

 We saw birds in great abundance, and, among new ones, some large 

 green parrots. They, like macaws, fly in pairs ; but their manner 

 of flight is as different as possible. Tliey have a rapid, tremulous 

 wing-beat, exactly like that of our leather-wing bat. Speaking of 

 bats, there are a great many along the river, and at nightfall we 

 saw them flying about close to the surface of the water. Some are 

 much larger than ours, with longer and more pointed wings. 



Late in the afternoon we reached Mompos, and shortly after had 

 the chagrin of seeing the mail-steamer, Avhich left Barranquilla the 

 day after we left, pass us on her way up. Mompos is an old town, 

 with some ruins of an ancient cathedral. We bought here from 

 Indian women who came on board some dulces, guava jelly, limes 

 preserved in syrup, etc. An Indian offered to sell me for fifty 

 cents a half-fledged blue and yellow macaw ; but whilst I was think- 

 ing it over the bird uttered one of its horrible squawks, which 

 decided me to do without it. It was apparently full-sized, and had 

 a few blue feathers above, but beloAv was naked. I saw in Mompos 

 a leper, the first I had seen, although I had heard that there were 

 many in the country. At a number of places along the river we 

 saw a form of skin disease which was called " carate." In some 

 cases the dark skins of the Indians were covered with light spots 

 and blotches ; in others the spots were bluish black. The hands 

 were more affected than other portions of the body. There was 

 nothing malignant about this, simply a discoloration of the skin 

 similar to scars left by scalding, without any contraction. 



We ran all night. It was hot during the day, and hotter at 

 night. 



Sunday, June 26, 1892. We woke this morning early, at a 

 place called Banco. It is a small village, with the usual cathedral, 

 situated on a hill or bluff of red clay. There was a crowd of 



