Cií. III. SOUTH AMERICA. 217 



sea or land, except iu stormy weatlier; nor is it 

 known vhcre tbcy bide themselves v/hen it is fair, 

 that they should so immediately cover, as it were, the 

 sea, when their natiir.d instinct informs them of the 

 approach of a N. wind. 



This bird exceeds tiie size of a larg-c duck, has a 

 short thick arched neck, with a large head, anda 

 thick, but short bill, a small tail, a rising- back, large 

 wings and small legs. They are by their plumage, 

 divided into two different kinds, one being white, spot- 

 ted v/ith dark brown, and the" upper part of its wings 

 entirely of the latter colour : the breast of the other, 

 together with the inside of the wings, the whole 

 head, and the lower part of the neck is white; but 

 the back, the npper parts of the wings and neck of 

 a very dark brown, and are hence called lamo prieto, 

 black- backs. The last kind are, by the pilots, ac- 

 counted the most certain sign, the others being often 

 seen without any alteration of weather immediately 

 succeeding. I well knew a pilot here, who was a 

 native of Callao, aman of indefatigable curiosity and 

 exactness, never omitting to insert in his journals the 

 raost minute circumstances. His name was Bernardo 

 de Mendosa, and with him these fowls were consider- 

 ed as so sure a sign, that when he was in any of these 

 ports, and his ship ready to put to sea, it was his 

 constant custom to take a walk on the shore, to see 

 whether he could perceive any of them in the offing; 

 and if he did, he continued in the harbour till the 

 tempest was over; and he assured me, that his con- 

 forming to this observation had been of the greatest 

 advantage to him; relating, in confirmation of his 

 opinion, that being once at Baldivia, the gover- 

 nor, so far from regarding his apprehensions from 

 such presages, turned them into ridicule, and in- 

 sisted on his putting to sea; but was soon convinced 

 that these omens were not chimeras, for the vessel was 

 hardly out of the harbour, when a storm at N. came 



on 



