Hittorie ofthefndies. lib. 3. 187 



to engender raine forwant of matter- but onely that 

 there be fmall and light vapors, which cannot breede 

 any other then miftes and dewes , as wefee ifi Europe, 

 oftentimes vapors do rife in the morning , which are 

 not turned into iaine,but into miftes only : the which 

 grovves from the fubftance, which is not grofle and fuf- 

 ficient enough to turne to raine . They fay, the reafon 

 why that which happens but fome times in Europe, 

 falles out continually vpon the coaft of Peru, is, for 

 that this region is very drie , and y eeldes no groffe va 

 pors. The drincffe is knowne by the great abundance 

 fof fandes 3 having neither welles nor Ibuntaines , but 

 >ffifteene ftades deepe 3 (which is the heigh t of a man 

 Or more,)and that is neere vnto rivers,the water where 

 of, piercing into the land , giues them meanes to make 

 welles. So as it hath beenibundby experience, that 

 the courfe of rivers being turned,the welles have beene 

 dried vp,vntill they returned to their ordinarie courfe: 

 and they give this reafon for a materiall caufe of this 

 effeft, but they have another efficient, which is no lefle 

 confiderable, and that is the great height of the Sierrc y 

 which comming along the coaft, fhadowes theZ^w- 

 fo as it fuffers no winde to Howe from the land , but 

 Jabove the toppes of thefe mountaines . By meanes 

 whereof, there raincs no winde, but that from the Sea, 

 which finding no oppofite, doth not preffe,nor ftrainc 

 forth the vapors which rife to engender raine* io as the 

 fliadowe of the mountaines keepes the vapors from 

 thickning, and convenes them all in to miftes. There 

 are fome experiences agree with this difcourfe- for that 

 it raines vpon fome fmall hilles alon^ the coaft , which 

 are leaft fhadowed , as the rockes of^t/co and Arec\ui- 

 /M. Ithath rained infomcyeeres*whenas thcNorthern 



or 



