Ch. VII. SOUTH AMERICA. 255 

 The feas on thefe coafts abound in excellent fifh, 

 though not in fo great a degree as thofe near Juan Fcr* 

 nandes. Here are feen, in particular, a great num- 

 ber of whales, which come even into the bay ; alfo 

 tunny-lifh, and fea wolves. Among the amphibious 

 creatures here is one known all along thefe coafts, and 

 even at Callao. It is called Pajaro Nino, the bird- 

 child. It in fome parts refembles a goofe, except that 

 its neck and bill are not arched, and is fomething 

 larger. It has a thick neck, a large head, and a 

 ftrong fhort bill. Its legs very fmall, and in walking 

 the body is in an ered pofition. Its wings are fmall, 

 cartilaginous, and nearly refemble the fins of the feal. 

 Its tail is fo fmall as hardly to be diftinguiftied ; its 

 wings and whole body are covered with a fhort brown 

 hair like that of the fea-wolves, and generally full of 

 white fpots, tho' fome are of other colours. So that 

 wpon the whole, the bird makes no difagreeable ap^ 

 pearance. It lives promifcuoufly either in the water or 

 on the land ; on the latter it is cafily taken, being very- 

 flow in its motions ; but when attacked, bites fcverely, 

 though it is obferved never to be the firft aggrcflbr. 



CHAP. VII. 



Defcription of the City Santiago, the Capi- 

 tal of the Kingdom of Chili. 



AFTER giving an account of all the cities and 

 places of note, through which we pafled, I 

 muft not omit the capital of the kingdom of ChiH. 

 We had not indeed occafion to vifit it perfonally but 

 by the informations we received from perfons beft qua- 

 lified to a.nfwer our inquiries, in the ports of its jurif- 

 didbion, to which our affairs called us more than 

 once, we are enabled to gratify the curiofity of a ra- 

 tional reader. 



4 The 



