iLoS A VOYAGE TO Book V. 



fident of the province v/as Don Dionefio de Alzedo y 

 Herrera, who, befides providing apartments for us 

 in the palace of the Audencia, entertained us ths 

 lirft three days with great fplendor, during which v/e 

 were vifited by the bifnop, the auditors, the canons, 

 the regidores, and all other perfons of any diftindion, 

 who feemed to vie with each other in their civilixles 

 towards us. 



In order to form an adequate idea of this country, 

 St v/ili not be amifs, after being fo particular in de- 

 fcribing the difagreeable parts, and the many dangers 

 . to which travellers are expofed, to add a defcription 

 of the moft remarkable produdiions of nature. The 

 lands between the cuftom-houfe of Babahoyo, or 

 Caracol, and Guaranda, are of two kinds : the firlt, 

 which extends to Tarigagua, is entirely level ; and 

 t4ie fecond, which begins at that part, wholly mountai- 

 nous. But both, and even two leagues beyond Pu- 

 cara, are full of thick forells of various kinds of large 

 trees, differing in the foliage, the difpofition of their 

 branches, and the fize of their trunks. The moun- 

 tains, v;hich form this chain of the Andes, are, on the 

 wed fide, covered with woods but on the eaft en- 

 tirely bare. Among thefe mountains is the fource 

 of that river, which, being increafed on all fides by 

 brooks, makes fo grand an appearance between Ca- 

 racol and Guayaquil, and proves fo advantageous to 

 the commerce of the country. 



In the level part of this v/oody extent, are a great 

 number of animals and birds, of the fame kind with 

 thofe dcfcribed in our account of Carthagena, except 

 that to the laft may be added wild peacocks, buftards, 

 pheafants, and a few others, vv^hich are here in fuch 

 abundance, that, did they not always r^fl on the tops of 

 the trees, where, either from their enormous height, or 

 being covered v/ith leaves, tiiey are fecure, a travel- 

 ler, with a good fowling-piece and am.munition, might 

 at any time procure himfeif an elegant repaft. But 



