Their Flesh Is Well Tasted And Wholesome, And Equal
To The Best Fat Mutton Of Spain; And It Is Accordingly Sold In All The
Butcher-Markets Of Peru.
At the first settlement of the Spaniards in this
country, before the establishment of regular markets, when any person
killed one of these sheep, his neighbours used to participate, and they in
their turns killed others, and divided them among the neighbours.
In some of the level plains of Peru there is a species of ostrich, which
is taken in the following manner. Several horsemen place themselves in
ambush, while others likewise on horseback pursue the ostriches and
endeavour to drive them towards their companions who are concealed. These
birds, although they are unable to rise in flight into the air, go with
astonishing swiftness, partly by running, and partly by means of short
flights close to the ground, insomuch that a man on horseback is
altogether unable to get up with them, so that it requires stratagem to
kill or take them alive.
In Chili there are some rivers which have water only during the day, and
are entirely dry during the night. This is owing to the heat of the sun
melting the snow on the mountains by day, by which temporary rivers, or
torrents rather, are formed by day, which cease again at night when the
cold puts a stop to the melting of the snow. When we have got about 500
leagues along the coast from Peru towards the south, or in the lat.
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