406 
OTJK TBAVELLING HEUAGEEIE. 
began. The small number of missions founded, or rather 
re-established, since that period, owe their existence to the 
Fathers of the Observance ; for the soldiers now distributed 
among the missions are dependent on the missionaries, or 
at least are reputed to be so, according to the pretensions 
of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. 
The Indians whom we found at San Francisco Solano 
were of two nations; Pacimonales and Cheruviehahenas. 
The latter being descended from a considerable tribe settled 
on the Bio Tomo, near the Manivaa of the Upper Guainia, I 
tried to gather from them some ideas respecting the upper 
course and the sources of the Bio Negro ; but the interpreter 
whom I employed could not make them comprehend my 
questions. Their continually-repeated answer was, that the 
sources of the Bio Negro and the Inirida were as near to 
each other as “two fingers of the hand.” In one of the 
huts of the Pacimonales we purchased two fine large birds, 
a toucan (piapoco) and an ana, a species of macaw, seven- 
teen inches long, having the whole body of a purple colour. 
We had already in our canoe seven parrots, two manakins 
(pipa), a motmot, two guans, or pavas do monte , two mana- 
viris (cercoleptes or Yiverra caudivolvula), and eight mon- 
keys, namely, two ateles,* two titis,t one viudita, j two 
douroucoulis or nocturnal monkeys, || and a short-tailed 
cacajao. § Father Zea whispered some complaints at the 
daily augmentation of this ambulatory collection. The 
toucan resembles the raven in manners and intelligence. 
It is a courageous animal, but easily tamed. Its long and 
stout beak serves to defend it at a distance. It makes 
itself master of the house, steals whatever it can come at, 
and loves to bathe often and fish on the banks of the river. 
The toucan we had bought was very young; yet it took 
delight, during the whole voyage, in teasing the cusicusis, 
or nocturnal monkeys, which are melancholy and irritable. 
I did not observe what has been related in some works of 
natural history, that the toucan is forced, from the structure 
* Marimonda of the Great Cataracts, (Simia belzebutb, Brisson.) 
+ Simia sciurea, the saimiri of Buffon. 
J Simia lugens. 
|| Cusiensi, or Simia trivirgata. 
§ Simia melanocephala, ( monofeo .) These last three species are new. 
