Ch.VIí. SOUTH AMERICA. 255 



TwE feas on thefe coaíls abound in excellent fiíh, 

 tlíongh not in lb great a degree as thofe near Juan Fer- 

 nandes. Here are ieen, in particular, a great num- 

 ber of whales, whicli come even into the bay ; alio 

 tunny-filh and fea-wolves. Anriong the amphibious 

 creatures here is one known all along thefe coaíls, and 

 even at Callao. It is called Pajaro Nino, the bird- 

 child. It in lome parts refembles a gooie, except that 

 its neck and bill are not arched, and is fomething 

 larger. It has a thick neck, a large head, and a 

 llrong fliort bill. It legs very fmal!, and in walking 

 the body is in an cred pofition. Its wings are fmall, 

 cartilaginous, and nearly refemble the fins of the feal. 

 Its tail is fo fmall as hardly to be diftinguifhed ; its 

 wings and whole body are covered with a íhort brown 

 hair like that of the fea-wolves, and gt^nerally full of 

 white fpots, though fome are of other colours. So that 

 upon the whole, the bird makes no dilagreeable ap- 

 pearance. It lives promifcuoufiy either in the water or 

 on the land ; on the latter it is-eafily taken, being very 

 flow in its motions-, but when attacked, bites fevc-rejy, 

 though it io obferved never to be the firil aggreffjr. 



C H A P. VIL 



De/cripticn of the City cf SyWTíACO, the Capital of 

 the Kingdom of Chili. 



FTER. giving an account of all the cities and 

 places of note, through v/hich we paiTed, I 

 muft no: omit the capital of the kingdom of Chili. 

 Wc had not indeed occafion to vifit it perfonally ; but 

 by the informations we received from pcrfons beft qua- 

 lified to anfv;er our inquiries, in the ports of its jurif- 

 dii^ion, to which our affairs called us more than 

 once, we are enabled to gratify the curiofity of a ra- 

 tional reader. 



The 



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