preys upon the smaller animals and inflicts much loss upon stock farmers through the destruction of calves, lambs, &c., but it very rarely ventures to attack man or any of the larger animals. The eagle common to Ecuador is the _Morphnus taeniatus_, and possibly the _M. guaianensis_ on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The harrier-eagle (_Herpetotheres cachinnans_) is also to be found throughout this part of the continent. An eagle with buzzard-like habits, the _Leucopternis plumbea_, is likewise common in Ecuador. Among the vultures the turkey-buzzard group (_Rhinogryphus_ or _Cathartes_), including the _R. aurus_, _burrovianus_ and _perniger_, is common everywhere. The carrion crow, or black vulture (_Catharista atrata_), is also common to every part of the country, and is the general scavenger. The carrion hawks are represented by the _Polyborus tharus_, popularly called the "caracara," and the _Phalcobaenus carunculatus_; the falcons by the _Aesalon columbarius_; and the kites by the _Gampsonyx swainsoni_. The Ecuadorean owl is the _Bubo nigrescens_. An interesting species of the song birds is popularly known as the "flautero" (flute-bird), which inhabits the eastern forests. Its notes are marvellous imitations of "the most mellow, sweet-sounding flute," but the singer itself, according to Mr Simson, is "a very insignificant-looking little, greyish-coloured bird," which "always dies in captivity." The most interesting group of the smaller birds is that of the hummingbirds, of which the number and variety is astonishing. Some of these have a very wide range, while others are apparently limited to a small district, or to a certain altitude. The best-known fish of Ecuador is the insignificant _Pimelodus cyclopum_, the only fish found in the streams and lakes of the plateau region. Its fame rests on Humboldt's publication of the tradition that great numbers of this tiny fish had been thrown out during the eruptions of Imbabura and other volcanoes. Mr Whymper's explanation of the phenomenon is that the fish are scattered over the land by the sudden overflow during volcanic eruptions of the rivers and lakes which they inhabit. The rivers of the eastern plains are probably stocked with the fish found in the Amazon. On the coast, the Ancon de Sardinas bay is so named from the multitude of small fish (_sardinas_) which inhabit its waters. Elsewhere there are no fisheries of importance, except those of the Galapagos Islands.