Ch.III. south AMERICA. ^ij 



fea or land, except in ftormy wea-her ; nor is it known 

 where they hide themfelves when it is fair, that they 

 Ihould fo immediately cover, as it were the lea, when 

 their natural inftind informs them of the approach di 

 a wind. 



This bird exceeds the Ilze of a large duck, has a 

 fliort thick arched neck, with a large head, and a 

 thick but Ihort bill, a fmall tail, a rifmg back, large 

 wings, and fmall legs. They are by their plumage, 

 divided into two different kinds, one being white, fpot- 

 ted with dark brown, and the upper part of its wing^ 

 entirely of the latter colour : the breaft of the other^, 

 pgether with the infide of the wings, the whole 

 head, and the lower part of the neck is white 5 but 

 the back, the upper parts of the wings and neck of 

 _a very dark brown, and are hence called lamo pricto, 

 black-backs. The lail kind are, by the pilots, ac- 

 counted the moft certain fign, the others being often 

 feen without any alteration of weather immediately 

 fuccceding. I well knew a pilot here, who v/as a 

 native pf C^Hao, a man of indefatigable curioli ty and 

 exadnefs, never omjtting to infert in his journals the 

 moft minute circumflances. His name was Bernardo 

 de Mendofa, and with him thefe fovv'ls were confider- 

 ed as fo fure a fign, that when he was in any of tliefc 

 ports, and hig fliip ready to put to fea, it was his 

 conftant cuftom to take a walk on the Ihore, to fee 

 whether he eould perceive any of them in the 

 offing ; and if he did, he continued in the harbour 

 till the tempeft was over^ and he afiPured me, that his 

 conforming to this obfervation had been of the 

 greateil advantage to him ; relating, in confirmation 

 of his opinion, that being once at Baldivia, the 

 governor fo far from regarding his apprehenfions 

 from fucji prefages, turned them into ridicule, and 

 infifted on his putting to fea ; but was foon convinced 

 that thefe omens were not chimeras, for the vefTel was 

 hardly out of the harbour when a florm at N. came 



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