330 



had little fear of the presence of man ; and in 

 herds of thirty or forty we observed several, that 

 were entirely white. This variety, common 

 enough among the large stags of the cold cli- 

 mates of the Andes, surprised us in these low 

 and burning plains. I have since learnt, that 

 even the jaguar of the hot regions of Paraguay 

 sometimes affords albino varieties, the skin of 

 which is of so uniform a whiteness, that the spots 

 or rings can be distinguished only in the sun- 

 shine. The number of matacani, or little deer *, 

 is so considerable in the Llanos, that a trade 

 might be carried on with their skins. A skilful 

 hunter would kill more than twenty a day ; but 

 the indolence of the inhabitants is such, that 

 often they will not give themselves the trouble 

 of taking the skin. The same thing happens in 

 the chace of the jaguars, or great American 

 tigers, the skin of which fetches only one piastre 

 in the steppes ofVarinas, while at Cadiz it costs 

 four or five. 



The steppes that we traversed are principally 

 covered with grasses of the genera killingia, 

 cenchrus, and paspalum $L At this season, near 



* Venados de tierra caliente. 



f This trade is carried on, but on a very insignificant scale, 

 at Carora and at Barquesimelo. 



X Kyllingia mortocephala, k. odorata, cenchrus piiosus, vilf'a 

 tenacissima, andropogon plumoms, panicum micranthum, poa 



