ULLOa's VOVAGE to south AMERICA. 



533 



as to be almofl: out of fight : and by its being feldom feen in low places, a fubtile air 

 feems beft to agree viith it ; though fome, which have been tamed when young, live 

 in the villages and plantations. Like the galinazos, they are extremely carnivorous, 

 and are known frequently to feize and fly away with lambs that feed on the heaths : of 

 this I happened to fee an inftance, in my way down from the fignal of Lalangufo to- 

 ward the plantation of Pul, lying near the bottom of thofe mountains. Obferving, on 

 , a hill adjoining to that where I was, a flock of. fheep in great confufion, I faw one of 

 thefe condors flying upwards from it with a lamb betwixt its claws ; and, when at fome 

 height,* dropt it; then, following it, took it up, and let it fall a fecond time,. when it 

 winged its way out of fight, for fear of the Indians, who, at the cries of the boys arid 

 barkings of the dogs, were running towards the place. 



In fome deferts this bird is common ; and, as it preys on the flocks, the Indians are 

 not wanting in their endeavours to catch them. One of the ways is, to kill a cow, or 

 other beafl:, when of no further ufe, and to rub the flefli with the juice of fome potent 

 herbs, which they afterwards carry away : for otherwife the bird, fenfible of them by 

 natural inftiind, would not touch the flefli. Further, to take off" the fmell, they bury 

 the flefli till it becomes putrid, and then expofe it ; when the condors, allured by the 

 fmell of the carcafe, hafl;en and greedily feed on it, till the herbs operate fo as to ren- 

 der them quite fenfelefs and incapable of motion : the Indians feize the opportunity, and 

 defl:roy them. They likewife catch them with fprings laid near fome flefli : but fuch is 

 the force of this bird, that, with a fl:roke of its wing, it fometimes knocks down the 

 man who approaches it. Their wing alfo ferves them as a fliield, by which they ward 

 off" blows, without receiving any hurt. 



The zumbador, or hummer, is a night bird, peculiar to the mountainous deferts ; 

 and they are feldom feen, though frequently heard, both by the fmging, and a ftrange 

 humming made in the air by the rapidity of their flight, and which may be heard at the 

 difl:ance of fifty toifes ; and when near, is louder than that of a rocket. Their fmging 

 may indeed be called a kind of cry, refembling that of night-birds. In moonlight 

 nights, when they more frequently make their appearance, we have often watched to 

 fee their fize and the celerity of their motion ; and though they paflfed very near us, 

 we never were able to form any idea of their magnitude j all that we could fee, was a 

 white line which they formed in their flight through the air ; and this was plainly per- 

 ceivable, when at no great difl:ance. We promifed the Indians a reward if they would 

 procure us one ; but all they could do was to procure a young one, fcarce fledged, 

 though it was then of the fize of a partridge, and all over fpeckled with dark and light 

 brown ; the bill was proportionate and ft:rait ; the aperture of the nofl:rils much larger 

 than ufual, the tail fmall, and the wings of a proper fize for the body. According to 

 our Indians, it is with the noftrils that it makes fuch a loud humming. This may, in 

 fome meafure, contribute to it ; but the effeft feems much too great for fuch an inftru- 

 ment ; efpecially as at the time of the humming it alfo ufes its voice. 



Among the valleys and plains formed by thefe mountains, are many marfliy places, 

 occafioned by the great variety of fmall fl:reams of water ; and in thefe breed great 

 numbers of a bird called Canclon, a name perfeftly expreflive of its manner of fing- 

 ing. It very much refembles the bandurria, though the fpecies be diff"erent : it exceeds 

 the bignefs of a large goofe, has a long thick neck, and a head fomething refembling 

 that bird. The bill is flraight and thick, and its legs and feet thick and ftrong. The 

 outward feathers of the wing are of a dark brown, thofe of the infide of a pure white; 

 but the other parts of the body fpotted. At the meeting of the wings they have two 

 fpurs, projecting to the length of an inch and a half, as their defence. The male and 

 female are infeparable, whether flying, or on the ground, where they mofl:ly keep them- 



felves, 



