Ch. I. SOUTH AMEPvíCA. rir 



meat may be, the fight of them is, I think, enough 

 to make the appetite abhor them; for, when dead, 

 they are fealded in order to take off the hair, whence 

 the Ikin is contra^'iled by the heat, and when tho- 

 roughly cleaned, looks perfbi'rtly white, and very 

 greatly refembles a ehild of about two or three years 

 of age, when crying. This n.'fcnib)ance is fhocking 

 to humanity, yet the f arcity of otlier food in m?.ny 

 parts of America renders the ilelh of thefe creatures 

 valuable; and not only the Negroes, but the Creoles 

 and Europeans, themlelves, make no fcruple of eat- 



ing it. 



Nothing, in my opinion, can excel the profpecis 

 which the rivers of this country exhibit. The moil 

 fertile imagination of a painter can never equal the 

 magnificence of the rural landfeapes here drawn by 

 the pencil of Nature. The groves which fliade the 

 plains, and extend their branches to the river ; the 

 various dimenfions of the trees, which cover the emi- 

 nences ; the texture of their leaves ; the figure of 

 their fruits, and the various colours they exhibit, form 

 a moft delightful fcene, which is greatly heightened 

 by the infinite variety ofcrealures with which it is di- 

 vcrfified. The different fpccies of monkies, Ikipping 

 in troops from tree to tree, rianging from the branches 

 and in other places fix, eight, or more of them linked 

 together, in order to pals a river, and the dams with 

 t!)cir young on their ihoulders, throwing themfelves 

 into odd poftnres, making a thoufiind grimaces, will 

 perhaps appear ficititious to thote who have not 

 adnally teen it. But if the birds are confidered, our 

 reatbn for admiration will be preatlv augmented : 

 for, befides thofe already mentioned (Book Í. chap. 

 vii.), and which, from their abundance, feem to 

 have had their origin on the banks of this river, here 

 are a great variety of others, alio eatable ; as the 

 wild and royal peacock, the turtle-dove, and the 

 heron. Oí the latter there are four or five Ipecies ; 



I fo«« 



