Its Products, Animals and Birds. 143 



13. You now see how Spain came to own so much of 

 North and South America by discovery and conquest. 

 In time, however, the Spanish descendants in Mexico and 

 South America rebelled against Spain, and they have ever 

 since ruled in all those countries ; except in Brazil, which 

 belongs to the descendants of Portuguese, and in Guiana, 

 which belongs to the British, Dutch and French. Except- 

 ing Guiana and British America, all the countries of the 

 Western Continent are now independent. 



14. From Brazil we get nearly all our coffee 

 and India rubber, and in Peru and Chili pota- 

 toes were first found. They grow wild there 

 now. 



15. Millions of wild cattle roam over the 

 great grassy plains of the Argentine Republic. 

 These animals are caught by means of the 

 lasso; and the leather of which your shoes, 

 boots and book-straps are made is probably 

 made from their skins. (See Chapter XIX.) 



1 6. South America has the largest bird of 

 flight in the world the Condor and the 

 largest snake, the Boa Constrictor. Besides 

 these there are the Jag-u-ar 7 or American Tiger, 

 the Ta'pir, Llama (lak'mafi), Monkey, the 

 American Ostrich, Toucan (too'kari), and vast 

 varieties of beautiful birds and insects. 



You will learn about all these in Chapters XVIII, 

 XIX and XX. 



