1762 Animals of the Puna of Peru. 



wanders into the cold Puna. The hucumari is a large black bear, with "a white muzzle, 

 and light coloured stripes on the breast. 



" Of the numerous Puna birds, the majority of which may be classed as water- 

 fowl, I will notice only a few of the most characteristic. Next to the condor, the most 

 remarkable bird of prey is the huarahuau, or the aloi {Polyborus megalopterus, Cob.) ;*■ 

 one of the gyr-falcon species. This bird, which is a constant inhabitant of the level 

 heights, preys on the carcases of dead horses, mules, &c, but never attempts to meddle 

 with living animals. It is very harmless, and has so little timidity that it suffers it- 

 self to be approached near enough to be knocked down with a stick. The acali or 

 pito (Calaptes rupicola, Orb.) flutters about the mountains ; it is a woodpecker, brown- 

 speckled, with a yellow belly. This bird is seen in very great numbers, and it is diffi- 

 cult to imagine how it procures food in the Puna, where there are no insects. All the 

 other woodpecker species exclusively confine themselves to woody regions. 



" The thickets of rushy grass are inhabited by the pishacas, or yutu, a species of 

 partridge (Tinamotis Pentlandii, Vig.) which the Indians catch by dogs. These dogs 

 of the Puna Indians are a peculiar race (Canis Ingte, Tsch.). They are distinguished 

 by a small head, a pointed muzzle, small erect ears, a tail curling upwards, and a 

 thick shaggy skin. They are in a half-wild state, and very surly and snappish. They 

 furiously attack strangers, and even after having received a deadly wound, they will 

 crawl along the ground, and make an effort to bite. To white people they appear to 

 have a particular antipathy ; and sometimes it becomes rather a venturous undertak- 

 ing for a European traveller to approach an Indian hut, for these mountain-dogs 

 spring up to the sides of the horse and try to bite the rider's legs. They are snarlish 

 and intractable even to their masters, who are often obliged to enforce obedience by 

 the help of a stick. Yet these dogs are very useful animals for guarding flocks, 

 and they have a keen scent for the pishacas, which they catch and kill with a single 

 bite. 



u There is a very curious little bird in the Puna, about the size of a starling. Its 

 plumage is exceedingly pretty, being on the back brown, striped with black ; on the 

 throat gray, with two dark stripes, and on the breast white. This bird has the re- 

 markable peculiarity of making a monotonous sound at the close of every hour during 

 the night. The Indians call it the Ingahuallpa, or cock of the Inga (Thirocerus 

 Ingcc, Tsch.), and they associate many superstitious notions with its regular hourly 

 cry. The Puna morasses and lagunas are animated by numerous feathered inhabi- 

 tants. Among them is the huachua (Chloephaga melanoptera, Eyt.), a species of goose. 

 The plumage of the body is dazzlingly white, the wings green, shading into brilliant 

 violet, and the feet and beak of a bright red. The licli (Charadrius resplendens, Tsch.) 

 is a plover, whose plumage in colour is like that of the huachua, but with a sort of 

 metallic brightness. There are two species of ibis which belong to the Puna, though 

 they are occasionally seen in some of the lower valleys. One is the bandurria (The- 

 ristocus melanopis, Wagl.), and the other is the yanahuico (Ibis Ordi, Bonap.). On 

 the lagunes swim large flocks of quiullas (Lams serranus, Tsch.), white mews, with 

 black heads and red beaks, and the gigantic water-hen (Fulica gigantea, Soul.). The 

 plumage of the latter is a dark gray, and at the root of the red beak there is a large 

 yellow blotch, in the form of a bean, whence the Indians give this bird the name of 

 anash sinqui, or ' bean nose.' Among the few Amphibia found in these region one is 



