DON FELIX d'aZARA. 61 



a bull. Vedela sent this animal to some of his 

 relatives in Mendoza, who intended to propagate 

 the breed : I am not aware of the result. 



" The Cow supplies here almost all the necessaries 

 of life. Few of the inhabitants eat bread, or any 

 other kind of food except roast-beef. Of the horns 

 they make glasses, spoons, and combs ; and a bung 

 being placed at the larger end, and a hole opened 

 at the tip, they serve as jars. Of the leather, all 

 their ropes and cords, and a great part of their do- 

 mestic utensils are made, such as canisters, chests, 

 &c. Of the raw hide they manufacture a kind of 

 square boat, with which they cross their gi-eat rivers. 

 They sleep on these hides, and make doors and 

 windows, and very often their dwellings. The fat 

 supplies the place of oil ; of the tallow they make 

 candles and soap, and the bones are used instead of 

 other fuel. Their skulls are the only seats and 

 benches. Of the milk, in Paraguay, a gi-eat many 

 stewed dishes are made, as are butter and cheese. 

 From 800,000 to 1,000,000 hides are annually ex- 

 ported. When a supply of these is required, a troop 

 of men on horseback sets forth, and arranging them- 

 selves in two long files which meet at an angle, they 

 hem in the cattle. The individual who comes last 

 in the angle, is called the Cortador, and hamstrings 

 the cattle with a long cutting instrument, shaped at 

 the end like a half moon. When thus engaged, 

 they do not cease galloping ; and when a sufficient 

 number of cattle are obtained, they retrace their 

 steps, and the Cortador kills the animals with his 



