ANIMALS REACH ISLANDS BY SWIMMING. 63 



the mountaines or on the plaines j which the Indians do, LlB - x - 

 onely to save their hides, whereof they make great traffick, 

 without any regard of the flesh to eate it. Dogges have so 

 increased, as they march by troopes, and endammage the 

 cattel no lesse than wolves, which is a great inconvenience 

 in these Hands. There wants not onely beastes in these 

 Hands ; but also birdes, both great and small. As for 

 Parrots, there are many that flie by flockes ; but, as I have 

 said, there are few of any other kinde. I have not seene 

 nor heard of any Partriges there, as in Peru. Likewise, 

 there are few of those beastes which at Peru they call 

 guanacos, and vicunas, like to wilde goates, very swifte, in 

 whose stomacke they find the bezoar stone, which many 

 do greatly value ; sometimes you shall finde them as bigge 

 as a hens egge, yea, halfe as bigge againe. They have no 

 other kinde of beastes, but such as we call Indian sheepe, 

 the which, besides their wooll and flesh (wherewith they 

 clothe and feede themselves), do serve them as Asses to 

 beare their burthens. They carrie halfe as much as a 

 mule, and are of small charge to their masters, having neede 

 neither of shooes, saddle, nor oates to live by, nor of 

 any furniture, for that Nature hath provided them of all 

 these, wherein she seemes to have favoured these poore 

 Indians. Of all these creatures, and of many other sortes, 

 whereof I will make mention, the maine land at the Indies 

 aboundes. But in the Hands there are not any found, but 

 such as the Spaniards have brought. It is true, that once 

 one of our Friars did see a tiger in an Hand, as hee reported 

 vnto vs vpon the discourse of his peregrination and ship- 

 wracke; but being demanded how farre it was from the 

 maine land, he answered, sixe or eight leagues at the most; 

 which passage tigers might easily swim me over. We may 

 easily iriferre by these arguments, and others like, that the 

 first Indians went to inhabit the Indies more by land then 

 by sea; or if there were any navigation, it was neither great 



