4000003871

Royal

Commentaries.

BóOK

VIII.

be ready with their Boats and Canoes, whith rhey rye

rhe branches of Trees

fave themfelves, uncill thofe Flouds ·are over, having no ocher place·wherein

fecure chemfelves : le falls inco che Sea about rhe deg'ree af rhircy five, being ·

about thirty Leagues wide ar the rnouth ; and yet here below it is narro_wér rhan

it is eighcy Leagues above, where- it is fifty Leagues broad ; fo that joyning che

breadth af chefe four Rivers togecher ac tbe places where they fall inca the

Sea

we inay

fay,

that rhey m~afure ane hundred and thirry Leagues in breadrh, and

may be_reckaned amangíl: the Miracles an'c:l VVanders of

Pm,.

Belides chefe four

greac Rivers, there are multitudes af ather.fmaller Rivers, which every-where

fall inca rhe Sea, as we rnay fee defcribed in rhe Waggoners, and Sea-Maps, có

which I refer my felf; which if jayned cogether, would make greacer Rivers chan

,any we have hitherta rnentioned.

And naw in fuch vaíl: Rivers we might ratiaoally conclude, that great plenty

ofFiíh were produced in them; but it isquite atherwife, namely

inPeru,

which is

the Countrey I chiefly treat af; for with other pares I meddle noc.

Sorne. am:i–

bute the caufe

(')f

chis fcarcity af Fiíh in thofe Rivers co tbe rapidnefs of their

füeams, which are too violent for Fifh

remaii., in ; and there are very few

, places in thoíe Rivers, where the

aters are

íl:ill,

ar colerably quier. More~

aver it is obfervable, that the Fiíh which is bred there, is of anather and diffe–

rnnt fort ta·chat

Spain;

they feem

be all of one kind, without fcales,

che

Head being broad and fmooth, in faíhion af a Toad, wirh a.wide Mouch : How–

foever,

is very favoury, and pleafant to eat; and che skin

fo delicate and

fweet, that it is che beíl: Mear ofali : they cal! them

Challua,

which fignifies Fifh.

Another reafon why rhefe Rivers df

Peru,

which fall into the Sea, are fo ill íl:ored

with Fifh may be, becaufe the Waters are fhallow, as wdl as rapid ; and yet in

che W~ter they are too deep

be waded over.

rhe "eat Lake of

Titicac-a

are greac quantities óf Fifh, which though they are

of che fame quality and form wirh chofe in che Rivers, yet che

Jndians,

to difün–

guifh chem from others, give them che name of

Suchi :

chey are

fac, chat when

· they are fryed, or íl:ewed, they need no ocher greafe chan cheir own. There is

likewife in this Lake another fort of Fifh, which che

Spani~rds

call

Boga.,

che

In~

dian

word for them I have forgot ; it is a little fmall Fifh, of a bad caíl:e, and a

wo¡fe íhape ; and if I am not greacly miíl:aken, they have fcales, and rnighc well

be called

Harrihuela.,

or Sprats, for che fmallneís of rhem : boch forts of thefe

Fifhes breed abundancly in that greac Lake, having room enough

fpaw·n

in,

and

have fufficiency of feeding, which is brought clown by che Rivers which fall into

ir.

And thus

much fhall ferve to have fpoken of Rivers, and of che Fiíh which

the

Wacers.of

thac Countrey afford.

1 .

C HAP.