dy mentioned. It is also of a
gentler disposition than its congener, smaller in size, and never preys
upon other animals. The other does so--frequently making havoc among
the flocks of sheep, and even attacking the cattle and horses of the
_haciendas_. The _ursus frugilegus_ will give battle even to man
himself--when baited, or rendered furious by being chased.

Both these species are supposed to be confined to the Chilian and
Peruvian Andes. This is an erroneous supposition. They are equally
common in Bolivia, and in the sierras of New Grenada and Venezuela.
They are found on both sides of Lake Maracaibo--in the sierras Perija
and Merida. One of them, at least, has also been observed in the
mountains of Guiana--though naturalists have not met with it there.
Humboldt, it is true, saw the tracks of what the natives told him was a
bear on the Upper Orinoco; and, reasoning from their size, he drew the
inference that it must have been a much smaller species than the _ursus
americanus_; but in this matter the great philosopher was led into an
error by a misapplied name. He was informed that the animal was the
"oso carnero," or flesh-eating bear--a title given by the Mission
Indians to distinguish it from two other animals, which they also
erroneously term bears--the "oso palmero," or great ant-eater
(_tamanoir_), and the "oso hormiguero" (_tamandua_). The animal by
whose tracks Humboldt was misled, was, no doubt, one of the smaller
plantigrade animals (_coatis_ or _grisons_), of which there are several
species in the forests of South America.

Our hunters learnt enough from their travelling acquaintance to convince
them that, in whatever latitude they might approach the Andes from the
east, they would be certain to find both varieties of the South American
black bear; but that the best route they could take would be up the
great Napo river, which rises not very far from the old Peruvian capital
of Quito. In the wild provinces of Quixos and Macas, lying to the east
of Quito--and to which the Napo river would conduct them--they would be
certain to meet with the animals they were in search of.

They would have been equally sure of meeting bears in the territory of
Jean de Bracamoros; and this would have been more easily reached; but
Alexis knew that by taking that route across the Cordilleras, they would
be thrown too far to the west for the isthmus of Panama--which it was
necessary they should cross on their way to