The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

Bool\ VIII. Royal Commentaries-. XVII. !1 ' _ 1r , Of their wil1 C~ttel, and Vermine.· B Efore the time that the Spaniards carne into Peru, , the Ínr/i11ns had n~ other di;; íl:inétion or variety of tame Cattel, but onely of tbe Paco ·and Hua1Mcu; as we have before fpecified. Of rheir wild Cattel they had much more variety,. of which they made notwithílanding the fame beneñt, and ufe, as they did of the rarne , ;iccordmg as we have fpecified , in. the Chapter of rheir Humings, which rhey performed at their cerrain feafons. One for~ ·of this wild Cattel was called Huanacu, for the likenefs it had to that of the greater kind, which was tarne; rhe Flefh of which was very excellent and favoury, though not fo good as chat ofche rame; in !bote, rhey refembl~ eac:h other very rpuch, both in Co. lour, Wool, Sha~e, an~ every. rhing elfe. The Males .of t?efe Creatures always keep warch on high H1lls, wh1Ia the Females are feedmg ~n the lower Paíl:ures; which fo foon as they efpie people coming t9wat;ds rhem, they prefemly make a bleating, (which refembles the neighing of a Horfe) to·give warning to them to fly and fave themfelvess and then the Males íl:ay untill their Females come up,. which they put befor~ them, and rem¡lin themfelves in rhe rere. . The W ool of this wild Huanacm is fhort and courfe ; howfoever the Indians made ufe of it for their clothing; and in my time the Spaniards ufea to cake them with th~r Grey- hounds. The Picunna, which is another fort of wild Cartel, refembles the P11co; and is a neat Creature, but very lean, and yields great' abundance of ·fine Wool. Acofta wrires of the many medicinal Virtues which belong to this Creature; and as he defcribes the Beaíls and Fowl ofall the new World, fo in reading of bisWrirings we ought to diíl:inguilh thofe:. of Peru frbm other parts. The PicHníla is long leg- ged, and higher rhan che biggeíl: Goat; che colour o(irs Wool is of a light Chef. pue, or as fome call it, Lion-coloured ; they are fo nimble and (wifr, that no Grey-hound can take rhern, and therefore they killthern wirh Guns, or take rhem in toils, as they pra&i.fed in the times of thelnc.u. They feed commonly in the higheíl: pares ofthe mounrains near the Snows; the Flefh may be e? ten, rhough ic , b~ :nor fo favoury as that of the Huanacu; and though ir be lean and tough, is yec eíl:eemed by rhe Indians. · . They have Fallow Deer and Stags in Pcru, though they are much lefs rhan \thoCe in Spain, the Indians call them T_aruca.; rhey were in fuch numbers, in rhe times of the Inc r.u, that rhey were common and tame, and would come inco the Villages; arid. from ·all thefe wild Beaíl:s ~bey now take out the Bezar-ll:oñe, though in my time ir was a rhing not imagined, or'fought for. They have certain forrs of wild or,, moumain Caes, which they call Owlto, belng of two or three kinds. . Their Foxes are much lefs rhan thofe in Spain, . which rhey call Atoe~ chey have alfo orher li~rle Anirnals, leffer rhan our Houfe-cars, which rhe Indians call Ann'M; and the Spaniards ZorrinM; if rheir Smell were f weer, as it is íl:inking, it¡would fürpafs rhe Musk or Amber; but as it is fetulent, it is the rn0íl: offenfive finell in the World, and rhe. llínk of it is fo íl:rong, rhat ir may· be fmelt at che diftante of a hundred paces, and though che Doors and Window~ are Omr, yet ~he funk is fo fubrile, .char ie will find ·.an entrance at the Crevices: le is well rhar chefe Crearures· are nbt in great numbers, for if rhey were, rhey were able to p,ejfort and íl:en~h upa whole Coqntrey.. They have boeh tame and wild Conies, diffe- rent from each other, borh in colour and raíl:e; rhey qll them Coy ; fome tame Conies have been broaghr from Spain, rhough tbe India'ns will ·give,lirt1e for them ;' and yer becaufe rheir Coumries ·do not aboqnd in .Flefh, they eíl:eem thei_n for great Delicacies, and eat them wirh much deligJ1t. Theye is anorlrer/orr ofCa- ney which rhey have called Viz:,cacha, it harh a long Tail like aCar, and is ¡,q~d in rhe Mounrall)s where che Snows lie. In rhe Reign of the Inc&, and ma9;r;years afrer, uñcill rhe rimes that I remember rhey made great ufe of.rhe Skins of thefe · V v z · · Conies1