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.

334 Roya~ Commentarie!. ··-' BooK VIII. CH A P. XIX. •' \r .Of the~r Ta11le and Wild-fowl both of Water and Land. T HE Jndians of Peru have no tame fow 1, but o~ely a fo_rt ofDuc~s 1 fo call~~ by the Spaniard1, becau[e they h,ave fome kind of hkenefs w1th thofe m Spain : they are of an ordinary fize, neither fo big, nor fo tall as a Goofe, nor yet fo litt!e as a Duck, but fomething between both ; the lndian1 call them Nuumá, deriving their Name from Nume, which is to fuck, becaufe they draw in theit meat as if they·were fucking; befides which they have no tame fowl in all that Countrey. As to B irds of the Air, and Water-fowl belonging to theSea, ot Rivers, chey are.of fuch variety, as is not poffible for us to declare one quartei: pare of them ; but we íhall mention fome of them which are moíl: common : There are Eagles of all fortS, great ancl final!, chough not fo large as they are in Spain: They have HawkS of divers ·kinds, fome like chofe· in Spain, and otber.s not ; 1 che general word which che Jndian1 bave for tbem is Huam'ltn; che leífer fort ófHªwks have been brought thence into Spain, and are mucb eíl:eemed : Thofe w~ich in my Coumrey are called Nebíin are rnettled Hawks, and long winged, wicb ,Jarg~ talons, and are of a blackiíh colour. At Couo, in th~ year 1551, a certai;p G~ndernan of Sevil, who was a great Faulconer, uíed all h1s Art ro teacb and t~~in up fome of chis Coumrey Hawks for bis paíl:ime; in which he fo far ' proceeded,. as to .make them come to hand, and to .che lure readily ata far ~iílance, bue cquld never teach them to prey upon any game, fo that he gave over hJS hopés of d01r.g any gopd vyith chofe Hawks. There are other Fowls which we lllay ' feckon ·with mofe of ,Prey, which are of a large íize, called Cunt11r, and by the I Spania¡fa corruptedly Condor. Many of chefe fowls having been killed by the :Spa- ' niards,'liad tqeif proportion taken, and from one point of cheir Wing to the other meátw.ed Iifteen or JI?Cteen Foot, which being reduced to Yards, makes five Yards and a iliird : Nature, to cemper :md allay their fiercenefs, denied them the taloós which are given to 1 the Eagle, having their feet tipped with claws like a Hen; po'j'[Qever cheir beak is íl:rong. enough ro tear off che Hide, and rip up .the Bowels of an Oxe ·:, T\VO of them w1ll at;,cempt a C'ow or Bull, and devour h1m ; and it ha~h often happeped,, that one of them alone hath alfaulced Boys of tenor cwelve year~ of Age, a¡~~ ..eacen them : Their colour is black and whire, like aMagpye; it is well that they are but few in number; for if'they were many, chey would very much deílroy the cattel : they have on the fore-pan of their heads a comb, not pointed like that of a Cock, but racher even, in the form of a Razor ; wheo rhey come to alight from the Ai.r, they make fuch a humming noife with the fluttering of their Wings, as is enough to aíl:onifh, or rnake a Man deaf. Acofta treating in his foúrch Book concerning che Birds of che ew World, fµeaks chere particularly of the Cuntur ; to which I refer thofe who are defirous to re:ide and hear of llrange and 'l}'onderfull tbings ; he there hath chefe words : ' , The Fowls which chey cal! Ctmtur are of a vaíl: bignefs, and fo íl:rong, that they ' · are-able to prey upon Sheep and Calves, and do ofren devour chem. Acofta treating alfo of the little Birds which are in Peru, which che Spaniard1 call Tomi- ncios, and the Indians ,fl.y,enti, which are of a golden azure colour, finer and brigbter tban tbat ab.o~t the Neck of a Peacock: they feed like Bees, piercing with thcir lon~ fharp b1ll mto t~e Flowers, and fuck from chence a fweetnefS, and Honey, wirh wh1ch they are nGuníhed: they are fo httle, rhat Acofta fpeaks in this manner of them: " In Peru there is a fbrt of Birds fo little called Tomineios that when I " have feen them upon the Wing, I have much doubred whed~er chey were '' Beesl.or Bu~terflyes. And now that we have given a report of two fom of Birds, fo ·different in che extremes, there is no perfon will \1\-:0nder at what we íha!l fay of thofe which are of a moierate proportion. There is a fort of great . . Birds