ANNOTATIONS AND ADDITIONS. 147 



Japan or China, were supposed to have been found on the coasts of 

 the northern Dorado (called Quivira and Cibora), at the beginning 

 of the 16th century (G-omara, Hist, general de las Indias, p. 117). 

 Our knowledge of the languages of America is still too limited, 

 considering their great variety, for us as yet entirely to relinquish 

 the hope of some day discovering an idiom which may have been 

 spoken, with certain modifications, at once in the interior of South 

 America and in that of Asia; or which may at least indicate an 

 ancient affinity. Such a discovery would certainly be one of the 

 most brilliant which can be expected in reference to the history of 

 mankind. But analogies of language only deserve confidence when 

 the inquirer, not resting in or dwelling on resemblances of sound in 

 the roots, traces the analogies into the organic structure, the gram- 

 matical forms, and into all which in languages shows itself as the 

 product of the human intellect and character. 



( 30 ) p. 35. u Many other forms of animals." 

 Whole herds of the Cervus niexicanus wander over the Caraccas 

 Steppes : the young stag is spotted, and resembles in appearance the 

 roe-deer of Europe. We saw among them many entirely white 

 a singular circumstance in the torrid zone. The Cervus mexicanus 

 is not found at greater elevations on the mountain-slopes of the 

 Andes under the Equator than from 700 to 800 toises (4476 to 5115 

 Eng. feet) ; but a larger, and also often white, stag which I could 

 hardly distinguish from the European by any specific characters is 

 met with up to 2000 toises (12,789 Eng. feet). The Cavia capybara, 

 called in the province of Caraccas "chiguire," is an unfortunate 

 animal; being pursued in the water by the crocodile, and on the 

 plain by the tiger or jaguar. It runs so badly that we could often 

 catch it with our hands. Its extremities are smoked for hams, but 

 their taste is very disagreeable from the smell of musk; and on the 

 Orinoco we willingly ate monkey hams in preference. The beauti- 

 fully marked animals which have so disagreeable an odor are the 

 Viverra mapurito, Viverra zorilla, and Viverra vittata. 



( 31 ) p. 35. The Guaranis, and the fan-palm, Mauritia" 

 The small coast tribe or nation of the Guaranis (called in British 



