Sept. 1833. 



HUNTING PARTY. 



131 



drops. They had nothing to eat excepting what they could ' 

 catch, such as ostriches, deer, armadilloes, &c., and their only 

 fuel was the dry stalks of a small plant, somewhat resembUng 

 an aloe. The sole luxury which these men enjoyed was 

 smoking the little paper cigars, and sucking mate. I used to 

 think the carrion vulture, man^s constant attendant on these 

 dreary plains, while seated on some little eminence, seemed 

 by its very patience to say, "Ah ! when the Indians come we 

 shall have a feast.^^ 



In the morning we all sallied forth to hunt, and although 

 we had not much success, there were some animated chases. 

 Soon after starting the party separated, and so arranged their 

 plans, that at a certain time of the day (in guessing which 

 they show much skill) they should all meet from dilFerent 

 points of the compass on a plain piece of ground, and thus 

 drive together the wild animals. One day I went out hunt- 

 ing at Bahia Blanca, but the men there merely rode in a 

 crescent, each being about a quarter of a mile apart from the 

 other. A fine male ostrich being turned by the headmost 

 riders, tried to escape on one side* The Gauchos pursued at 

 a reckless pace, twisting their horses about with the most 

 admirable command, and each man whirling the balls round 

 his head. At length the foremost threw them, revolving 

 through the air : in an instant the ostrich rolled over and 

 over, its legs fairly lashed together by the thong. 



The plains abound with three kinds of partridge,* two of 

 which are as large as hen pheasants. Their destroyer, a small 

 and pretty fox, was also singularly numerous ; in the course 

 of the day we could not have seen less than forty or fifty. 

 They were generally near their earths, but the dogs killed 

 one. When we returned to the posta, we found two of the 

 party returned who had been hunting by themselves. They 

 had killed a puma, and had found an ostriches nest with 

 twenty-seven eggs in it. Each of these is said to equal in 



* Two species of Tinamus, and Eudromia elegans of D 'Orbigny, which 

 can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits. 



K 2 



