1G8 



CALABOZO — CATTLE. 



CHAP. XV. are richest on the banks of the rivers, and under the 

 rit^caT" ^^^^'^^ of corypha pahns. These trees were singularly 

 uniform in size ; their height being from twenty- one to 

 twenty-five feet, and their diameter from eight to ten 

 inches. The wood is very hard, and the fan-like leaves 

 are used for roofing the huts scattered over the plains. 

 A few clumps of a species of rhopala occur here and 

 there. 

 Excessive The philosophers suffered greatly from the heat in 



liuat. crossing the Mesa de Calabozo. Whenever the wind 



blew, the temperature rose to 104° or 106°, and the air 

 was loaded with dust. The guides advised them to fill 

 their hats with the rhopala leaves, to prevent the action 

 of the solar rays on the head, and from this expedient 

 they derived considerable benefit. 

 Caiaboza At Calabozo they experienced the most cordial hospi- 



tality from the administrator of the Real Hacienda, Don 

 Miguel Cousin. The town, which is situatad between 

 the Guarico and the Urituco, has a population of 5000. 

 The principal wealth of the inhabitants consists of cattle, 

 of which it was computed that there were 98,000 in the 

 neighbouring pastures. M. Depons estimates the number 

 in the plains, extending from the mouths of the Orinoco 

 Nv.mi.eiof to the Lake of Maracaybo, at 1,200,000 oxen, 180,000 

 cjttic horses, and 90,000 mules ; and in the Pampas of Buenos 



Ayres, it is believed that there are 12,000,000 of cows 

 and 3,000,000 of horses, not including cattle which have 

 no acknowledged owner. In the Llanos of Caraccas, the 

 richer projirietors of the great hatos, or cattle-farms, 

 ])rand 14,000 head every year, and sell 5000 or 6000. 

 The exportation from tlie whole capitania-general 

 amounts annually to 174,000 skins of oxen and 11,500 

 of goats, for the West India Islands alone. This stock 

 was first introduced a])Out 1548 1)y Christoval Rodriguez. 

 They are of tlic Spanish breed, and tlieir disposition is 

 80 gentle tliat a traveller runs no risk of being attacked 

 or j)ursucd by them. The horses are also descended from 

 ancestors of the same country, and are generally of a 

 brown colour. There were no sheep in tlie plains. 



