, Annual Reports of Academy of 
It is of course impossible to present a detailed account of a tiip 
so crowded with incidents and we shall therefore touch only upon 
such localities, or happenings that are of exceptional interest. 
After eight hours passage through the I anama C anal, our 
vessel the “Huallaga” entered the beautiful bay of Panama, 
steamed past Taboga Island, and headed southward for that much 
maligned city, Guayaquil. 
Guayaquil lies about sixty miles up the sultry Guayas River. 
The houses of the city are built of painted plaster on a framework 
Chimborazo, Ecuador 
of bamboo, so that the general effect is that of a stage scene, rather 
than of substantial residences. Beyond the city, the houses are 
built entirely of bamboo, but supported on stilts. 
There is a railroad from Guayaquil to Quito, the capital, situated 
on the plateau in the interior. A small river steamer takes one 
across the wide Guayas River to Duran. After passing through 
dense tropical growths, in which plantains are most in evidence, 
the train begins the ascent to Riobamba, one of the more important 
towns on the plateau. This part of Ecuador is quite picturesque. 
The roads are hedged with cactus, and on clear days one may 
obtain fine views of Chimborazo, Altar, and Tunguragua. The 
plateau from Riobamba to Quito was called the Avenue of Vol- 
