276 THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 



LIB. iv. discovered by a natural! instinct (as Plinie reporteth of 

 riin.,iib. some),, or peradventure falling into the water when they 

 were weary of flying, and after beganne their flight anew 

 when they had a little rested. As for the fowles which we 

 see in the Hands where there are no beasts, I beleeve cer 

 tainly that they passed by one of the foresayde meanes. 

 But for other birdes which we finde vppon the maine land, 

 especially those whose flight is shorte, it is more credible 

 that they came thither as the beasts did, which are of the 

 same kindes that wee have in Europe. For at the Indies 

 there are great birds, very heavy, as ostriches, whereof 

 there are many in Peru, which doe vse sometimes to terrifie 

 the Indian sliecpo as they do goe with their burthens. 



But leaving these birds that govern themselves without 

 the care of man, except onely for hawking, let vs now speake 

 of tame fowle ; I wondered at hennes, seeing there were 

 some at the Indies before the Spaniards came there, the 

 which is well approoved, for they have a proper name of the 

 country, and they call a henne Hualpa, 1 and the egge Ronto, 2 

 and they vse the same proverb wee doe, to call a coward a 

 henne. Those that were at the discovery of the Hands of 

 Soloman do report that they have seene hennes there like 

 vnto ours : wee may conceive that the henne being so tame 

 a fowle and so profitable, men might carry them with them 

 when they passed from one place to another, as we see at 

 this day the Indians in their travel carry their henne with 

 them, or chicken, vpon the burden they have on their 

 shoulders : and likewise they carry them easily in their 

 cages of reedes or wood. Finally, there be at the Indies 

 many kindes of beasts and birds such as we have in Europe, 

 as I have specified, and other sortes which I leave to others 

 to discourse of. 



1 See, on this subject, G. &amp;lt;le la Vcc/a, ii, pp. 482 to 485. 



2 llimtn is the Quiclma for an egg. 



