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.

•I · Royal Commentaries. BooK VIII. be ready with their Boats and Canoes, whith rhey rye ro rhe branches of Trees to fave themfelves, untill thofe Flouds ·are over, having no other place ·whereih to fecure rhemfelves : lt falls into the Sea abour rhe deg'ree of rhirty five, being ' about thirty I:eagues wide at the rnouth ; and yet here below it is narrowér than it is eighty Leagues above, where- it is fifty Leagues broad ; fo that joyning the breadth of thefe four Rivers toge ther ar tbe places where they fall imo the Sea w~ rnay fay, that rbey m~afure one hundred and thirty Leagues in breadrh, ancl may be reckoned amongíl: tbe Miracles an'd Vv onders of Pm1. BeGdes thefe four great Rivers, rhere are multitudes of other.fmaller Ri vers, which every-where fall into the Sea, as we may fee defcribed in the Waggoners, and Sea-Maps, to which 1 refer my felf; which if joyned togerher, would make grearer Rivers rhan ,any we have hitherto menrioned. . And now in fuch vaíl: Rivers we might ratiooally conclude, that great plenty of Fiíh were produced in them ; but it isquite otherwife, namely in Peru, which is the Counrrey 1chiefly treat of; for with other parts 1 medd)e nor. Sorne. ami- bute the caufe óf this fcarcity of Fifh in thofe Rivers to tbe rapidnefs of their frreams, which are too violent for Fifh fo remaiH in ; and rhere are very few , places in rhoíe Rivers, where the ~N arers are füll, or tolerably quier. Moi:e- over it is obfervable, rhat the Fifh which is bred there, is of another and diffe- rent fort to'that in Spain; they feem to be all of one kind, without fcales, the Head being broad and fmooth, in faíhion of a Toad, wirh a.wide Mouth: How- foever, it is very favoury, and pleafant to eat; and the skin is fo delicate and faeet, that it is the beíl: Mear of ali : they cal! them Challua, which Ggnifies Fifh. Another reafon why thefe Rivers df Peru, which fall into the Sea, are fo ill íl:ored with Fifh may be, becaufe the Waters are fhallow, as wdl as rapid ; and yet in che W~ter rhey are too deep to be waded over. In rhe ~eat Lake of Titicacn are great quantities óf Fifh, which rhough they are of the fame quality and form with chofe in the Rivers, yet the Jndiam, to difün. guifh them from others, gi\'e chem the name of Suchi : they are fo fat, that when · chey are fryed, or íl:ewed, they need no other greafe than their own. There is likewiíe in this Lake another fort of Fifh, which che Spani11rds cal! BogM, the ln- dian word for them 1have forgot ; it is a little finall Fifh, of a bad cafre, and a· worfe fhape ; and if 1 am not greatly miíl:aken, they have fcales, and mighr well be called HarrihuelM, or Sprats, for the fmallnefs of them : both forts of thefe Fifhes breed abundantly in that great Lake, having room enough to fpawn in, and have fufficiency of feeding, which is brought down by the Rivers which fall into it. And thus much fhall ferve to have fpoken of Rivers, and of che Fifh which the Wacers ,of that Countrey afford. · I • C HAP.