60 
the tapir or anta had been tamed bj 
them. He found also the patagons 
with tame huanacos. 
The Diaguitas of Tucuman had 
tamed the ostrich, also geese and 
hens before 1550. See Techo. 
Four species of rabbits, Paca ni- 
gra and Pacafulva , Cavia aguti 
and Cavia acuchi were domesticated 
from the West Indies to Peru and 
Paraguay, under various names, 
Capis and Cuyus in Peru, Papos on 
the Maranon and among the Guara- 
nis as early as 1534. Quinaxes in 
Quito, Jlperea in Brazil, Hutia in 
Hayti, &c. 
Dogs wore found from Canada to 
Chili; some peculiar varieties exist- 
ed: the alco of Mexico had no hair 
and was very good for food: the 
aperuca of Peru was a black dog. 
The Muras or Aymores of Brazil 
and E. Peru had many kinds of tame ^ 
fowls and ducks. Acuna mentions I sociable, has never been tamed, but 
The partridges of Maranon have 
been omitted in the table. They 
must be different from those of Cu- 
ba. The Caribs had tame geese and 
parrots in 1493 at Guadalupe when 
discovered by Columbus. 
In Chiapa a yellow cochinille is 
raised called monteres; seeJuarro. 
The true cochinille of Oaxaca and 
E. Mexico is well known. The same 
or a different kind is also found in 
Guatimala and Guayaquil. 
In Collot’s travels I find that the 
Alitans or Snake Indians of New 
Mexico, keep tame rattle-snakes, 
which they venerate, and feeding 
them on flour only, they lose their 
poisonous property! this is strange 
if true. 
The capibara is tamed in Brazil, 
the coati in Guatimala, the American 
elk is easily kept in parks and folds. 
The beaver alone, so useful and so 
that 200 years ago the tribes of Ma- 
ranon had tame turtles, manati, anta 
or tapir, pecari and paco 
Of the five species of Vicunia, the 
Peruvians had tamed 4, the true 
mountain Vicunia alone remaining 
wild and untamable. They were 
used as, beasts of burthen, for wool 
and food. Sometimes even as horses 
to ride upon by the Achkeres of 
West Brazil in 1540 and the 
mapais, or mbayas of tucuman 
in 1548; they called the lama 
by the name of Amidas. The tribes 
of Chaco had in 1548 tame deer, 
lama, geese, and they cultivated a 
kind of wheat and of rice. See Gili, 
Lozano, Lavega, Schnidel, Pur- 
chas, &c. 
The Panches of Cundinamarca 
kept the large ants or termes in 
yards to breed, using them to make 
a kind of bread. See Piedrahita and 
Touron. 
The Carios of River Parana had 
tame lamas, pecaris and geese in 
1539; see Schnidei’s Travels. 
The Chilians, Araucas and Hue- 
mis or patagons had tame guanacos 
and goats: they cultivated 2 kinds 
of wheat. 
wantonly destroyed, 
Some Indian tribes took care to 
spread and keep the oysters, pearl 
oysters, muscles, clams, &c. The 
palm vrorms esteemed a delicacy in 
Guyana were taken care of, as well 
as 3 kinds of bees. See travels in 
South America. 
The result of this Enquiry will be 
that more animals have been tamed 
than we were aware of, particularly 
in America, and that the Americans 
had little cause to regret lacking the 
horse, camel, ox, sheep, goat and 
hog, since they had for equivalent 
the vicunias, deer, bison, pecarris, 
tapir, &c. 
I have long been convinced that 
the civilization of many American 
nations, such as the Toltecas, Mexi- 
cans, Tarascas, Apalachians, May- 
ans, Quiches of North America, and 
the Muhizcas, Peruvians, Arauca- 
nians of South America, was not so 
low as represented by their tyrants 
and detractors; but equal if not su- 
perior to that of the Spanish invaders 
of 1492: which fact will be easy to 
demonstrate; but this is neither the 
time nor place. I have merely il- 
lustrated one of the many proofs of 
