4000003871

Royal Commentaries.

BooK

VIII.

1 •

X ·X.

,t,

"-~,

i: .

·O{

Part~idges,

Doves,

and

.other

fmaller

Birds•

•

1 '""

Here are two forts ofPartridges

i!1

my Countrey; ~ne is like º?r He'ns which

lay Eggs, and the[e are found m the defarts, wh1Ch the

Indians

call

Puna

;

the other is leffer than our Partridge in

Spain,

bue che flefh

excellent good, and

more favoury than tbe greacer kind ; chey are boch of a greyifh cploqr, cheir bill

and

teet

being white ; chey name them

Tutu

from the found ofche call which they

rnake; che leífer fort are of che farne colour with our Qqails, onely chac cheir beak

differenc; to rnoíl: Birds che

lndians

give Names according

che inarticulace voice

or noife chey make, as we fhall hereafter declare.

I know not whether che Par–

tridges of

Spain

have been tranfporced to

Peru,

rnake a br~ed of them in thac

pare of the World: They have Wood-Pigeons, or Ring-Doves of che fame co–

lour·and bignefs as chey are in

Spain,

they call them

Vrpi;

Houfe-Pigeons have

been brought tbitmer from

Spain,

which che

Indians

call

Caftilla Vrpi ,:

They have

Tnrtles of che .fame co!oúr and bigne~ as chofe in

Spain,_

if,noc fomeching _larg~r ; -

they call chern

CiJcohuay,

from che no1fe chey rnake, whKh founds fomeching hke ·

it.

ihe}WlaÚe

anocher forc ofTurtle abouc che bignefs ofaThrufh, or Lark, and

of.the farne colour, they breed under che Eves ofaHoufe, like our Sparrows, and

fome of,thern imthe Fields, but chofe are few. They have a fort of frnall Birds

greyifh colour, which che

Spaniards

for che likenefs of cheir colour, call Spar–

rows, ·bue are different in their note, for chefe fing fweecly, and chirp not like

the ordinary Sparrow: the

Jndians

call them

P4riapichiu;

chey breed in che Mud–

walls of Houfes, or in Walls covered with Buíhes, and fometimes alfo in che

Field. They have another fort of fmall

Bird,

which we calla Nightingale, by

reafon of ics reddifh colour, bue differs in its note as much as white and black ,

liaving that un_pleafant found, thac the ancienc

Indians

eíleemed it as unlucky as the

croaking of a Raven. They have another forc of fmall Birds of a blackifh co–

lour, which che

Spaniards

call Swallows, bue chey are rather Swifts, chan Swal–

lows, and come at cheir certain feafons ; chey commonly lodge, and rnake cheir

neíls, in places where people do inhabic; for my part, I never faw either Swal–

lows or Martens in che Hilly Councries of

P~ru.

The Birds of che Plains are che

fame with ours, bue their Sea-fowl is much different. They have neicher Plo–

ver, Heach-poucs, nor Thrufhes in tbat Coumrey, nor Cranes, nor Buíl:ards;

howfoever chere rnay be others like them which I cannot remember.

tht Kingdom of

Chili,

which was within the Dominions and Em–

pire of d1e

IncM;

there were Oílridges which che

Inditfns

call

Suri,

bue cheir

Feathers were not fo fine and curious as thofe of

Africa

;

cheir colours 2re com–

monly grey : rhey cake no high flighc, bue making ufe of cheir Wings and Feet,

flutter along, and run faHer chan a Horfe. The

Spaniards

run them fometimes

clown with cheir Horfes, bue chen two or chree Horfemen chafe them from one

anocher, uncill they are tired.

Peru

chey have a forc of Starli.ngs, which fly

in Flocks, and are of a black and grey colour ; che

Indíans

call cbem

Chapa

from

che noife chey make : they have alfo feveral ocher forts of Birds, greater and

leífer , of which, for che variecy of them, I am not able to give an account.

remember chat chey have a kind of Keftrel, or Vvínd-hover, bue of more fpiric

and courage than, thofe whjch we have here, for chofe will advemure

prey

upon fmall Birds.

che Plains of

Yuc"-J

I once

faw

cwo Keílrels fly ac a fmall

Rird, which they had purfued a great way, and ac laíl: lodged her in a call and

thick Tree which is in that Plain. I !efe chaeTree ílanding when

deparced from

chence; which the

~ndia~s

in ~he time of their Gen~iliún held, anrj eíl:eemed for

Sacred, becaufe their Kmgs d1d ofcen fic under che {hadow of ir,

lee che diver–

tifemencs and paíl:imes which were reprefenced in chofe Plains. Thefe Kefhels

following their natural fagacicy, combined againfl: che poor Bird ; and one of

rhem