58 A V O Y A G E T O Book I. 



thefe birds found in fuch hot climates, is an excellent 

 ..proviiion of nature, as otherwife the putrefa-fcion 

 cauled by the conftant and excellive heat would render 

 the air infupportable to human life. At firfl they fly 

 heavily, but afterwards dart up out of fight. On the 

 ground they hop along with a kind of torpor, though 

 their legs are itrong and well proportioned. They 

 have three toes forward turning inwards, and one in 

 the infide, turned a little backwards ; i'o that, the feet 

 ' interfering, they cannot walk with any agility, but are 

 obliged to hop or ilcip. Each toe has a long and 

 thick claw. 



W HEN the gallinazGS find no food in the city, their 

 hunger drives them into the country, among the beafts 

 in the pallures and on feeing any one with a fore on 

 the back, they immediately alight on it, and attack the 

 part aBe6ied. It is in vain for the poor beaft to en- 

 deavour to free itfelf from thefe devourers, either by^ 

 rolling on the ground, or hideous cries; for they ne- 

 ver quit their hold, but W'ith their bills fo widen the 

 Vvound that the creature foon expires. 



There is another kind of gailinazos, fomewhat 

 larger than thefe, only to be met with in the country, 

 in iome of thefe the head and part of the neck are 

 white, in fom.e red, and in others a mixture of both 

 thefe colours. A little above the beginning of the 

 crop, they have a ruff of white feathers, Thefe are 

 equally herce and carnivorous v;ith the former; and 

 called the kings of the gailinazos ; probably becaufe 

 the number of them is but few : and it is obferved, that 

 when one of thefe has fallened on a dead beaft, none 

 of the others approach till he has eaten the eyes, with 

 which he generally begins, and is gone to another 

 part, when they ail flock to the prey. 



Bats are verv common all over the country •, but 

 Carthagena is infeiled with fuch multitudes of them, 



are fcMona above a fortnight in making a &eIeton of a large 

 whale. A. 



■ I ' that 



