4000003871

Royal

Commentaries._

Birds which are black, calfed by che

Jndian1

Fuyur.tu,

.and by che

Spaniard1Ga!Íina•

"'ª

;

cheyare greac devourers of Fleíh, and

fo rave

nous, that

U-

chey find any car–

rion de:id in the Fields, they gorge themfelves wich i~ to fuch a degree, that they

are notable to Ay; and when they find thernfelves in chat rn~dicion purfued

Men, they run away on their legs, helping their flight.with the fluttering of their

Wings, vomicing up ali rheir meat as they run; that it is pleafanc to obfei:ve how

they fpue up th~ir prey with che fame eagernefs as that with which they devoureJ

t : Howfoever,

they are hardly purfued, tbey rnay be taken and killed ; butMen

forbear to deíl:roy rhem, coníidering rhat they are not good for mear ; and being

a filly Bird, doth' no hure, bue onely ferves to devour carrion, ahd cleanfe che ftreéts

«nd

way~from filthinefs. ·

Acofta

is of an opinion chat it is a forc of Crow..

There is afortof Sea-Birds which refemble thefe; fuch as che

Spaniards

ca:11

.Alca.

mw,

(

in Engliíh Sea-Mews) chey are lefs than Bufiards ;· they Jive upon

Fiíh ;

and

is pleafant ro fee how chey takethem. At cercain hours of the Morning ·

or Evening, when che Fiíh ufually play and rife upon the furface of che water,

which are the rimes alfo chat thefe Birds'are moíl: hungry; -they raife themfelves

high

upon che Wirig, from whem:e obferving where che Filh move, th€y clap their

Wings clofe, and

fall

with fuch a foop, Jike aHawk, that they never

mifs

oftheir

prey ; and fometimes dive with fuch·agili

cy under w

ater, follówing the lboals of

Fil11,

that they arif (} again with th~ir prey croffi:d.in their beak

,and

then moun–

ting in the Air, devour the Fiíh, .and then try 'for others.

Ié is very pleafant to

fee

them íl:oop,

and g

ive blows upori the wat~r;,and dive into

ir, orhers

be.

che

fame timein-tbt:

A.ir,

wacching theiropportunity; others having

miíred

their firoke;

rife'again:

n ího

rt,'± to

fee

at the fume tin:ie·

z bo

Hawks ftooplng, andmoun–

ting, like the Hammers of an IronMill. Befides thefe, there,afe flo~ks

Sea.,

birds ofa leíTer fott -; howfoever, fome ar.e greater, and fome are le&

;tl)UC

in füch

incredihle numbers,

that

they

will

fometimes coverthe Se.a·of

Zur

for two orth.ree

Leagues in length, and

fly

dofe cogerher, thac

for

fuch

compafs

they

éven

darken the Sky :

And

hereby wem:y admire t~e..Pwvidence

of die

Et~rn.a.l

Ma·

jeíl:y, wbo ha,rh cr.eated

fuch a

multicude

Creacures,

ande

thetéwith

fuffident

provilion-of

Fifh,

wherewith to fupport and ma,intain thern2 And .thus much

for

Sea-fowl.

Now as to Water-fow.l wluich belong to Rivers and

Lake.s

Peru,

they are in

gi-eat numbers

; foch ias Herons, .Wild-duoks, aod Bran-g~efe, and chofe which we

call:Shov.e.lers;

heiides many other~of a.differemc kind,

:whlch

we caonot exaétly

-defcr

ibe, by reafonthat we have nót obferved their variety with due attehtion

They have alfo .Swans wbich live ..upan Fiíh, and are very whité, wichout any

mixtur-e of black ; rheyhave long legs, very beautifull, and go always in ::ouples,

-or pairs, but are in no great number.

CH A P.

335