Royal Society. 103 
The Cuntur 0/ Peru, and the Coffee-flirub 5 hy 2)r. Sloane 
Phil. Trani: N° 208. p. (Ji. 
TH E magnitude afcribed to the Cuntur or Condor of ^erut 
as well as its great force and ftrcngth, have been the caufe, 
that many have doubted of its reality : Cap. J. Strongs com- 
mander of a fhip, which went into the South Seas thro' the 
Str eight i of Magellan gives this account of it 3 ^^iz. that on the 
coall of Chilh they had met with this bird in about 33° S. Lat. 
not far from Mocha^ an ifland in the South Seas^ that his men 
were much amazed at its bignefs, and that after they had killed 
it, it meafured 16 foot from one wing to the other, that they 
were told by the Spaniards that it was the Cuntur^ and that they 
were afraid of this bird, leaffc it ilaould prey upon, or injure their 
children 3 one of its feathers was two foot four inches long, the 
quill-part 5 \ inches, and i \ inch about in the longeft part; it 
weighed three dram 17 I grains, and was of a dark brown colour, 
very hollow or concave on one fide, and convex on the other: 
I'he feamen fliot it as it fat on a cli£f by the lea-fide, and eat it, 
taking it for a fort of turkey. 
Mr. J&'Ja'. Clyve^ the firit who brought a dried branch of the 
coffcfe fhrub A A Fig. i. Plate V. from Mecca in Arabia Feli^^ 
gives this account thereof; this branch was taken off a tree 7 or 
8 foot high, was about 5 foot long, and covered with a grey fmooth 
bark ; the wood was white, and the pith not very large ; the 
twigs were covered with a dark-coloured fmooth bark and role 
oppoiite to each other in pairs, coming out of oppolite fides of 
the branch, and cutting each other at right angles; in the fame 
manner the leaves flood on the twigs, as the twigs did on the 
branches, at the diflance of an inch and fometimcs two inches 
from each other ; the leaves had f inch foot-ftalks, being about 
4 inches long, and two broad in the middle where broadefl, 
whence they decrealed to both extremities, ending in a point - 
they were fmooth, entire, and without any incilures on their ed- 
ges, fomewhat like the leaves on a bay; the fruit comes e^ alii 
folionwiy hanging to the twig by ■§: inch long firings or fbotflalks- 
with one, two or more in the lame place: Thefe flirubs arc 
planted in great numbers in Arabia Felix^ called Jaman^ in a 
rich mould, and are watred in times of drought, by artificial ca- 
nals cut on purpole from rivers; and after 3, 4, or more years 
bearing, they are forced to plant new fhrubs, becaufe the old 
ones are not fo fruitful after that -time; they dry them in ;he fun, 
and afterwards take off the outer huH: of the berries by means ot 
N hand- 
