62 LAGUNAS DE SALINAS. [1839 



and between that river and the Rio Negro, there are numer- 

 ous salt lakes — lagunas de salinas — upon which the salt 

 collects in incrustations. It is obtained in great quantities 

 after a severe rain, when the soil, which seems to be highly 

 impregnated, has been the most thoroughly disturbed. The 

 water soon evaporates, and the white salt, perfectly pure, 

 and finely crystallized, appears in its stead. It is sold on 

 the Colorado and Rio Negro, for twenty cents per bushel. • 



On the right bank of the Paraguay, a small plant is found, 

 called matte, which is used as a substitute for tea. It is 

 sometimes called Paraguay tea. Sarsaparilla and vanilla 

 likewise abound in the country. 



Most of the animals seen in Brazil exist in Buenos Ayres. 

 There are deer in abundance, in the neighborhood of the salt 

 lakes ; ostriches are quite common on the prairies ; tapirs, 

 cabials, and other species of the cavy genus, frequent the 

 grassy hummocks on the banks of the streams ; and ducks, 

 partridges, pheasants, cassowaries, and wild geese, gratify, 

 alike, the ambition of the sportsman, and the appetite of the 

 epicure. The guanaco, an animal belonging to the same 

 genus with the llama, is also frequently seen ; and in the 

 northern section of the country there is a very pretty species 

 of hare, called tapeti. Porcupines and armadillos a , found 

 in every thicket. 



(4.) Ever since the lirst settlement of Buenos Ayres, the 

 white population have been more or less annoyed by the 

 savage Indian tribes of the interior, — the off-shoots of the 

 great Araucanian family, whose descendants still occupy the 

 southern part of Chili. North of the Colorado are the Ran- 

 gueles Indians ; between that river and the Rio Negro, are 

 the Pehuenches ; and on its southern bank are the Tehuili- 

 ches, or Patagonia ns, who are said, though on doubtful au- 

 thority, to be of gigantic stature, but mild and inoffensive in 

 their dispositions. The most formidable enemies of the 

 whites, are the Chilenos Indians, who inhabit the mountain 

 fastnesses separating Chili from the pampas of Buenos 

 Ayres. The usual weapons of the Indians are a long lance, 



