1833.] CURIOUS BREED OF OXEN. 145 



nil sign their names:" with this they seemed to think every 

 reasonable man ought to be satisfied. 



18th. Rode with my host to his estancia, at the Arroyo do 

 San Juan. In the evening we took a ride round the estate : it 

 contained two square leagues and a half, and was situated in 

 what is called a rincon ; that is, one side was fronted by the 

 Plata, and the two others guarded by impassable brooks. There 

 was an excellent port for little vessels, and an abundance of 

 small wood, which is valuable as supplying fuel to Buenos Ayres. 

 I was curious to know the value of so complete an estancia. Of 

 cattle there were 3000, and it would well support threo or four 

 times that number; of mares feOO, together with 150 broken- in 

 horses, and 600 sheep. There was plenty of water and lime- 

 stone, a rough house, excellent corrals, and a peach orchard. 

 For all this he had been offered 2000/., and he only wanted 500/. 

 additional, and probably would sell it for less. The chiel 

 trouble with an estancia is driving the cattle twice a week to a 

 central spot, in order to make them tame, and to count them. 

 This latter operation would be thought difficult, where there are 

 ten or fifteen thousand head together. It is managed on the 

 principle that the cattle invariably divide themselves into little 

 troops of from forty to one hundred. Each troop is recognised 

 by a few peculiarly marked animals, and its number is known : 

 so that, one being lost out of ten thousand, it is perceived by its 

 absence from one of the tropillas. During a stormy night the 

 cattle all mingle together ; but the next morning the tropillas 

 separate as before ; so that each animal must know its fellow 

 out of ten thousand others. 



On two occasions I met with in this province some oxen of a 

 very curious breed, called nata or niata. They appear exter- 

 nally to hold nearly the same relation to other cattle, which bull 

 or pug dogs do to other dogs. Their forehead is very short and 

 broad, with the nasal end turned up, and the upper lip much 

 drawn back ; their lower jaws project beyond the upper, and 

 have a corresponding upward curve ; hence their teeth are always 

 exposed. Their nostrils are seated high up and are very open ; 

 their eyes project outwards. When walking they carry their 

 heads low, on a short neck ; and their hinder legs are rather 

 longer compared with the front legs than is usual. Their bare 



