1833. | HABITS OF THE GUANACO., 167 
bold, and readily attack a man by striking him from behind with 
both knees. It is asserted that the motive for these attacks is 
jealousy on account of their females. The wild guanacos, how- 
ever, have no idea of defence; even a single dog will secure one 
of these large animals, till the huntsman can come up. In many 
of their habits they are like sheep in a flock. Thus when they 
see men approaching in several directions on horseback, they 
soon become bewildered, and know not which way to run. This 
greatly facilitates the Indian method of hunting, for they are 
thus easily driven to a central point, and are encompassed, 
The guanacos readily take to the water: several timés at 
Port ‘Valdes they were seen swimming from island to island. 
Byron, in his voyage, says he saw them drinking salt water. 
Some of our officers likewise saw a herd apparently drinking the 
briny fluid from a salina near Cape Blanco. I imagine in several 
parts of the country, if they do not drink salt water, they drink 
noné at all. In the middle of the day they frequently roll in the 
dust, in saucer-shaped hollows. The males fight together; two 
one day passed quite close to me, squealing and trying to bite 
each other ; and several were shot with their hides deeply scored. 
Herds sometimes appear to set out on exploring parties: at 
Bahia Blanca, where, within thirty miles of the coast, these 
animals are extremely unfrequent, I one day saw the tracks of 
thirty or forty, which had come in a direct line to a muddy salt- 
water creek. They then must have perceived that they were 
approaching the sea, for they had wheeled with the regularity of 
cavalry, and had returned back in as straight a line as they had 
advanced. The guanacos have one singular habit, which is to 
me quite inexplicable; namely, that on successive days they 
drop their dung in the same defined heap. I saw one of these 
heaps which was eight feet in diameter, and was composed of a 
large quantity. This habit, according to M. A. d’Orbigny, is 
common to all the species of the genus; it is very useful to the 
Peruvian Indians, who use the dung for fuel, and are thus saved 
the trouble of collecting it. 
The guanacos appear to have favourite spots for lying down 
to die. On the banks of the St. Cruz, in certain circumscribed 
spaces, which were generally bushy and all near the river, the 
ground was actually white with bones. On one such spot I 
