1832.) - THROWING THE BOLAS. 45 
balls no sooner strike any object, than, winding round it, they 
cross each other, and become firmly hitched. The size and 
weight of the balls varies, according to the purpose for which 
they are made: when of stone, although not larger than an 
apple, they are sent with such force as sometimes to break the 
jeg even of a horse. I have seen the balls made of wood, and as 
large as a turnip, for the sake of catching these animals without 
injuring them. The balls are sometimes made of iron, and these 
can be hurled to the greatest distance. The main difficulty in 
using either lazo or bolas is to ride so well as to be able at full 
speed, and while suddenly turning about, to whirl them so 
steadily round the head, as to take aim: on foot any person 
would soon learn the art. One day, as I was amusing myselt 
by galloping and whirling the balls round my head, by accident 
the free one struck a bush; and its revolving motion being thus 
destroyed, it immediately fell to the ground, and like magic 
caught one hind leg of my horse; the other ball was then jerked 
out of my hand, and the horse fairly secured. Luckily he was 
an old practised animal, and knew what it meant; otherwise he 
would probably have kicked till he had thrown himself down. 
The Gauchos roared with laughter; they cried out that they 
had seen every sort of animal caught, but had never before seen 
a man caught by himself. 
During the two succeeding days, I reached the furthest point 
which I was anxious to examine. The country wore the same 
aspect, till at last the fine green turf became more wearisome 
than a dusty turnpike road. We everywhere saw great numbers 
of partridges (Nothura major). These birds do not go in coveys, 
nor do they conceal themselves like the English kind. It appears 
a very silly bird. A man on horseback by riding round and 
round in a circle, or rather in a spire, so as to approach closer 
each time, may knock on the head as many as he pleases. . The 
more common method is to catch them with a running noose, or 
little lazo, made of the stem of an ostrich’s feather, fastened to 
the end of a long stick. A boy on a quiet old horse will fre- 
quently thus catch thirty or forty in a day. In Arctic North 
America* the Indians catch the Varying Hare by walking spirally 
= Hearne’s Journey, p. 383. 
