ovalle's historical relation of chile. ^9 



The birds called by the Indians, Voycas, are very famous among them, in whofe 

 notes, at certain times and places, they find great myfteries, prognoflicating by them, 

 either their own, or their children's, or their friend's death or ficknefs, or other mif- 

 fortune ; and they remain with great apprehenfion and fear. The Spaniards call thefe 

 birds Pechicolorados, that is, marked on the breafl j becaufe there is no fcarlet deeper, 

 nor brighter, than the red on their breaft : the other feathers of their wings and 

 body are brown. There are other very little ones, called Pinguedas, whofe body is 

 not much bigger than an almond : thefe live upon flowers ; and that they may come 

 at the honey of them, nature has given them a bill, which, when it is fhut, is like 

 a needle to fow with ; and for this reafon they feed flying, like bees, from flower 

 to flower, without lighting but very feldoni on a branch of it, and that very flightly. 

 Thefe birds are of the greatefl; beauty imaginable j for if they were made of poliflied 

 gold, they could not fhine brighter : they have a green mingled with this gold colour. 

 The males are diftinguiflied from the females, in that they have on the head a lively 

 orange colour, which is like fire. Thofe on the other fide of the Cordillera are yet 

 more beautiful, becaufe their tail is alfo of the colour of their head ; and though they- 

 have fo little a body, their tail is a foot long, and two inches broad. 



There is likewife a very odd bird, to which the Spaniards have given the name of . 

 Wood-Pecker ; becaufe, though they are but little, they have fo ftrong and Iharp a 

 bill, that they form their nefls with it in the trees, forming a hollow place fit for them 

 as exadly as if they had an inftrument to do it. Of thefe I have feen but few ; but 

 there are great numbers of a kind of birds, called Condores, which are as white as 

 ermine, and of their fl^ins they make muffs, it being of a very foft touch, and ex- 

 tremely warm ; but the bellies of the buzzards are much more fo, being admirable to 

 make llomachers to cover the pit of the ftomach, and help digeftion. 



I have not feen fuch variety of birds on the other fide of the Cordillera ; and the 

 caufe, I believe, is the drynefs of the land, and the want of that fhelter of woods and 

 groves which are on Chile fide ; but in thofe plains, called the Pampas, there are Fran- 

 colins to be found, which are a fort of wild hens, and as big, but much better meat, 

 and of a higher relifh. There are likewife oftriches, which are a mighty bird, and 

 very numerous there. They often find their nefl:s, and in them fuch a quantity of eggs, 

 as one neft will feed a great company ; one of them alone being beaten and fried, makes 

 a pancake big enough to dine feveral people : their feathers are employed for umbrel- 

 las to keep off the fun, and other good ufes. 



It is a pleafant fight to fee the taking of the Francolins : the Indian, with a fl:ring 

 made at one end into a running knot or noofe, at the other, having a little piece of 

 fharp cane faftened to it, goes out to find them, which, when he has done, he draws 

 gentiy near, fo as not to fright his game ; when he is at a due diftance, he begins to 

 go round the bird, making with the cane feveral circles over his head. The Fran- 

 colin is of its own nature a very fearful bird, and fimple, and dares not rife, 

 becaufe he thinks he is encompafled round, but goes into the middle of the circle ; 

 where the Indian lelfening fl:ill his rounds, follows it, fo that at laft it fquats down upon 

 the ground, and lets the Indian put the noofe over its head ; which, when he has done, 

 touching it on the wing with the fharp end of the cane, the bird flies up, and draws 

 the noofe clofe, and fo is catched like the fifhes by an angling-rod. 



It is not fo eafy to catch the ofliriches ; for though they do not fly, yet they have 

 fuch large wings, that though a greyhound be very fwift, if the bird has law of him, 

 he will hardly overtake him ; but if by chance he comes up with him by furprife, 

 or otherwife, it is wonderful to fee the art the oftrich ufes to avoid his teeth j for 



1 1 when 



