406
OUR TRAVELLING
MENAGERIE.
began. T h e small n u m b e r o f missions f o u n d e d , o r rather re-established, since that period, o w e their existence t o t h e l a t h e r s o f the O b s e r v a n c e ; for the soldiers n o w distributed a m o n g t h e missions are d e p e n d e n t on t h e missionaries, o r at least are reputed to he so, according to the pretension! o f t h e ecclesiastical hierarchy. T h e Indians w h o m w o found at San F r a n c i s c o Solano w e r e o f t w o n a t i o n s ; Pacimonales and Cheruvichahenas. T h e latter b e i n g descended from a considerable tribe settled on the Rio T o m o , near the M a n i v a s o f the U p p e r Guainia, I tried to gather from them s o m e ideas respecting t h e u p p e r c o u r s e and the sources o f the Rio N e g r o ; b u t the interpreter w h o m I e m p l o y e d c o u l d n o t make them c o m p r e h e n d my questions. T h e i r continually-repeated answer was, that t h e sources o f the Rio N e g r o and the I n i r i d a w e r e as near t o each other as " t w o fingers o f the h a n d . " I n o n e o f the huts o f t h e Pacimonales w e purchased t w o fine large birds, a t o u c a n ( p i a p o c o ) and an ana, a species o f macaw, seventeen inches long, having the whole b o d y o f a purple c o l o u r . "We had already in our canoe seven parrots, t w o manakins ( p i p a ) , a m o t m o t , t w o g u a n s , or pavas de monte, t w o manaviria ( c e r c o l e p t e s or Viverra c a u d i v o l v u l a ) , and eight m o n keys, n a m e l y , t w o ateles,* t w o t i t i s , t one viudita, ‡ t w o d o u r o u c o u l i s o r n o c t u r n a l monkeys,|| and a short-tailed cacajao. § F a t h e r Z e a whispered s o m e c o m p l a i n t s at t h e daily a u g m e n t a t i o n o f this ambulatory collection. The toucan resembles the raven in manners and intelligence. It is a c o u r a g e o u s animal, b u t easily tamed. Its l o n g and s t o u t beak serves t o defend it at a distance. I t makes itself master o f t h e h o u s e , steals whatever it can c o m e at, and loves to bathe often and fish on the banks o f t h e river. T h e t o u c a n w e had b o u g h t was v e r y y o u n g ; y e t it t o o k delight, during t h e whole v o y a g e , in teasing the cusicusis, o r nocturnal m o n k e y s , which are melancholy and irritable. I did n o t observe what has b e e n related in s o m e works o f natural history, that the t o u c a n is forced, from t h e structure of the Great Cataracts, (Simia belzebuth, Brisson.) + Simia sciurea, the saimiri of Button. ‡ Simia lugens. || Cusiensi, or Simia trivirgata. § Simia melanocephala, (mono feo.) These last throe species are new. * Marimonda