442 A VOYAGE TO Book VL 



of this creature are of an enormous dispropor- 

 tion, being of the size of a hen's egg. It is a 

 very fierce enemy to all tame birds, and does a great 

 ileal of damage in the maize fields. The Indians eat 

 the flesh, and say it is not at all disagreeable : but few 

 Europeans have much veneration for their taste or 

 cookery. 



CHAP. IX. 



PhcKnoniejia observed in the mount al no its Deserts 

 and other Parts of this Province. Hunting 

 Matches. Dexterity oj the American Horses. 



TO the before-mentioned particulars of the moun- 

 tainous deserts, I shall subjoin the ])hienomena 

 seen there, as subjects equally meriting the curiosity 

 of a rational reader. At first we were greatly sur- 

 prized with two, on account of their novelty ; but 

 frequent obser\ ations rendered them fainiliar. One 

 "we saw in Pambamarca, on our first ascent thither ; it 

 "was a triple circular iris. At break of day the whole 

 mountain was encompassed with very thick clouds, 

 which the rising of the sun dispersed so far as to leave 

 only some vapours of a tenuity not cognizable l)y the 

 sight : on the opposite side to that where the sun 

 rose, and about ten tenses distant from the place where 

 we were standing, we saw, as in a looking-glass, the 

 image of each of us, the head being as it were the 

 centre of three concentric iris's : the last or most ex- 

 ternal colours of one touched the first of the follow- 

 ing ; and at some distance from them all, Avas a fourth 

 arch entirely white. These were perpendicularto the 

 horizon; andas the person moved, thephienomenon 

 moved also in the same disposition and order. }3ut 

 what was most remarkable, though we* were six or 

 seven together, every one saw the pha3nomenon with 



regard 



