BEZOAR STONE. 293 



and blacke, neither are they so much approved for the vse 

 of physicke. They draw the greatest Bezoar stones from 

 the Vicunas, and they are grey or white, or of a dark 

 greene, which are helde for the better. They esteem those 

 of the Tarugas for the most excellent, whereof there are 

 some reasonable bigge. They are commonly white, inclining 

 to grey, and they have the filmes commonly ^bigg er an ^ 

 thicker than the rest. 



They finde the Bezoar stone equally both in male and 

 female. All beasts that ingender it chew the cud, and 

 commonly feede vpon the snow and rockes. The Indians 

 reporte and teach by tradition from their fathers and 

 Antients that in the province of Xauxa, and in other pro 

 vinces of Peru, there are many herbs and venomous beasts, 

 which poison the water and the pastures where they eate 

 and drinke, and where they breathe ; amiddest which 

 venomous hearbes there is one very well knowne of the 

 Vicuna by a naturall instinct, and of other beasts that 

 ingender the Bezoar stone which eate this hearb, and by 

 meanes thereof they preserve themselves from the poisoned 

 waters and pastures ; and they say that of this hearb the 

 stone is compounded in the stomacke, whence it drawes all 

 the vertue against poyson and other woonderfull effects. 

 This is the opinion and tradition of the Indians, discovered 

 by men of great experience in the kingdome of Peru, which 

 agrees with reason, and with that which Plinie reports of 

 the mountaine goates, which are nourished and fed vpon 

 poison without suffering any harme. The Indians being 

 demaunded why the sheepe, kine, goates, and calves, such 

 as are in Castille, have not the Bezoar stone, seeing that 

 they feede on the same rockes, their answer is, that they 

 beleeve not that those beasts of Castille eate of that hearb, 

 or that they have found the Bezoar stone in stags and fallow 

 diere. This seemes to agree with our knowledge, for that in 

 New Spaine they find the Bezoar stone, although there be no 



