THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 



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of the feast, and being angrily driven away, rise all together 

 on the wing. The Chileno Guaso then knows there is a lion 

 watching his prey — the word is given— and men and dogs 

 hurry to the chase. Sir F. Head says that a Gaucho in the 

 Pampas, upon merely seeing some condors wheeling in the 

 air, cried " A lion ! " I could never myself meet with any one 

 who pretended to such powers of discrimination. It is as- 

 serted that, if a puma has once been betrayed by thus watch- 

 ing the carcass, and has then been hunted, it never resumes 

 this habit ; but that, having gorged itself, it wanders far away. 

 The puma is easily killed. In an open country, it is first 

 entangled with the bolas, then lazoed, and dragged along the 

 ground till rendered insensible. At Tandeel (south of the 

 Plata), I was told that within three months one hundred 

 were thus destroyed. In Chile they are generally driven up 

 bushes or trees, and are then either shot, or baited to death 

 by dogs. The dogs employed in this chase belong to a par- 

 ticular breed, called Leoneros : they are weak, slight animals, 

 like long-legged terriers, but are born with a particular 

 instinct for this sport. The puma is described as being very 

 crafty: when pursued, it often returns on its former track, 

 and then suddenly making a spring on one side, waits there 

 till the dogs have passed by. It is a very silent animal, 

 uttering no cry even when wounded, and only rarely during 

 the breeding season, 



Of birds, two species of the genus Pteroptochos (mega* 

 podius and albicollis of Kittlitz) are perhaps the most con- 

 spicuous. The former, called by the Chilenos "el Turco," 

 is as large as a fieldfare, to which bird it has some alliance ; 

 but its legs are much longer, tail shorter, and beak stronger : 

 its colour is a reddish brown. The Turco is not uncommon. 

 It lives on the ground, sheltered among the thickets which are 

 scattered over the dry and sterile hills. With its tail erect, 

 and stilt-like legs, it may be seen every now and then pop- 

 ping from one bush to another with uncommon quickness. 

 It really requires little imagination to believe that the bird is 

 ashamed of itself, and is aware of its most ridiculous figure. 

 On first seeing it, one is tempted to exclaim, " A vilely stuffed 

 specimen has escaped from some museum, and has come to 

 life again ! " It cannot be made to take flight without the 



