Kitabı oku: «An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)», sayfa 14

THE AGUARÀ, OR WATER-DOG

In lakes and rivers dwells the water-dog, called by the Guaranies aguarà, and I have often seen it in plains near the shore. Though larger than a mastiff it is afraid of every thing, takes to flight on espying a man at a distance, and is an object of fear to no one. Its ears resemble those of an ass, its head that of a dog. It has plenty of strong and sharp teeth. By night it roars very loud, and lies in wait for lesser animals. The Abipones hunt it for the sake of its skin alone, which is shaggy, of a dark yellow colour, and marked along the back with a black line like an ass. Its hair is extremely soft and much valued by the Spaniards on account of its efficacy in assuaging sciatica, gout, and pains in the bowels. Some lay it upon saddles, finding its warmth extremely salutary. On returning from Paraguay I brought some of it home, but it was stolen from me, a loss which I regret to this day.

THE YGUARÒ, OR WATER-TIGER

This beast, which is larger than a mastiff, is generally concealed under deep water. It is shaggy, with a long tail, ending in a point, and is armed with very strong nails. It lays hold of horses and mules, as they are swimming across rivers, and drags them to the bottom. Shortly after, the bowels of the animal, which it has torn to pieces, are seen floating on the surface of the water. The yguarò generally dwells in deep gulphs of rivers, but digs large caverns in the higher banks, where it can hide both itself and its offspring. On the high shores of the Paraguay, we often heard a tremendous noise in our nightly navigation, and the sailors and soldiers informed me that it proceeded from those caves, which were hollowed by the continual dashing of the water, and had at length begun to gape.

THE AÒ

This dreadful beast, which has a head and claws like those of a tiger, which resembles a mastiff in size, has no tail, and possesses singular ferocity, and equal swiftness, is called by the Guaranies aò, a word signifying clothing, but given to this beast because, from its wool, the Guaranies formerly wove themselves garments. They wander gregariously in pools, marshy places, or woods far from the noise of men. But if one of them chance to meet an Indian hunting, his life is as good as gone, unless he can avoid its cruel fangs, by a very swift flight, or by ascending a tree; though when seated on the very highest boughs he cannot be perfectly secure, for as these ferocious animals are incapable of climbing a tree, they will tear it up by the roots with their claws, and when it falls seize hold of their prey. These things the Indians and Spaniards all agree in relating and believing. For my part, after so many journeys on foot, and on horseback, after traversing so many of the woods, plains and marshes of Paraguay, I never saw even the shadow of such a beast. From which I infer that they cannot be very numerous, nor common to the whole province. Would that they were banished from every part of Paraguay! That ferocious animal which writers call famacosio, most of us think to differ from the aò in name only.

THE CAPIIGUÁRA, OR WATER-PIG

The water-pig inhabits the larger rivers and streams, but not the very largest, although, as it feeds upon grass, it comes out to pasture in the neighbouring plains, not without committing great depredations in the fields. When full grown it resembles a pig of two years old in size, and almost in appearance, except in its vast round head, and the whiskers on its upper lip, which are similar to those of a cat. It has short ears, large, black eyes, a very wide mouth, but rather narrow lips, dusky and very short hair, and no tail. Besides two long, curved tusks, which project from its mouth, it is armed with forty-eight teeth, plain at the top, but hollow beneath. Its feet are like those of a pig; the front ones have four nails, the hind only three. These beasts swim or walk in company, and cross rivers with surprizing expedition. By night they bray like asses, and sometimes alarm travellers unacquainted with America. Their flesh is very like pork, but as it has a fishy taste, is eaten by none but the Indians; though when young they are reckoned a dainty by Europeans even. Capiiguáras may be wounded without difficulty, either with a spear, an arrow, or a ball, but it requires great good fortune to catch them; for on receiving a wound, as they are excellent swimmers and divers, they immediately hide themselves under water, and extract the arrow or spear which is sticking in their flesh. The Abipones, who frequently employ themselves in hunting these animals, after wounding a pig, swim after it and overtake it in the water. The skin of the capiiguára is very thick, and were it properly dressed, would be useful in various ways.

THE OTTER

Otters swarm in the lakes and rivers of Paraguay. If I mistake not, they differ from those of Europe in no other respect than in being somewhat smaller. They are most numerous in the Abiponian territories, and those adjacent to the cities of Sta. Fè, Cordoba, and Corrientes. In the distant hordes of the Mocobios and Abipones, towards the north, there are no otters, or very few at least. The savages make use of them in various ways. They feed upon their flesh, and make cloaks of their skins.

When the lakes and rivers are almost exhausted by a long drought, the Abipones go out to hunt otters. If the water is shallow enough to ford, hounds are sent forwards, and many hundreds killed with stakes in one day, though they are extremely apt to bite, and have very sharp teeth, on which account, in killing them, both the Indians and their dogs often receive wounds which are not cured in a few days.

THE YGUANÀ

The yguanà, an animal of the lizard kind, closely resembles the dragon which St. George is represented overthrowing. It is sometimes more than an ell long. Its belly is large, its skin clothed with green, white, and yellow scales, elegantly varied with red. From the head to the extremity of the tail, the spine of the back is surmounted by a denticulated fin. Its thick and very long tail is marked with kinds of black rings, intermixed with red ones, and ends in a very slender point. It is furnished with large black eyes, a nose spreading as wide as the lips, short teeth, a cloven tongue, which, when irritated, it moves very quickly, four feet, and lower down five nails, wide like the sole of the foot, and covered with a thin web, which assists it in swimming; for it sometimes swims in the water, sometimes climbs trees, and sometimes lurks for a long time in corners of houses, being very patient of hunger. It never does harm to any one. It feeds upon honey, little birds' eggs, oranges, sweet citrons, and other fruits. It is incredibly tenacious of life, for after being stripped of its skin, and having received frequent wounds on the head, it will not die, till its head be severed from its body. Though the horrible form of the yguanà inspires all beholders with terror, yet its extremely white flesh delights the palates of many. Deceived by my companion, I ate it for fish, and at another time for chicken, and pronounced it exceedingly savoury. But I never could prevail upon myself knowingly to taste the yguanà, so great was the horror which I conceived of its external appearance. The yguanà lays about forty eggs in as many days; they are round, about the size of a walnut, and of a white or yellowish hue, like hens' eggs. Some people eat them fried. As they abound in their own native fat, water is poured on them instead of oil or butter. They say that little stones are sometimes found in the head of the yguanà, which, when ground to powder, and drunk with a wholesome potion, or simply applied to the body, diminish or remove stone in the kidneys. Others affirm that a stone, an ounce in weight, is found in some other part of this animal's body, which, when reduced to powder, and drunk in tepid water, removes obstructions of the bladder. I never saw any stones of this kind – never tried their efficacy. Besides this, other kinds of lizards, of different forms and colours, are seen in Paraguay, but I have nothing remarkable to relate of them. The chameleon is very seldom seen here. I once saw one jump hastily out of a boat which lay on the ground near the shore, but had not time to examine it closely.

RIVER-WOLVES

Many rivers, and even lesser streams, produce two kinds of wolves, a larger, and a smaller. Sometimes the Abiponian women tame the whelps at home, suckling them like their own children. They also do the same kind office for puppies, although no wife can suckle another person's child without greatly offending her husband, and running the risk of being divorced. These wolves are killed with various weapons by the Abipones, who, though their flesh is not fit for food, make use of their skins, which are of a dusky colour, but yellow at intervals, with extremely soft hair.

SEALS

Seals are remarkable for the size of their bodies, and are very numerous in the river Plata, especially at the mouth by which it enters the sea. They have more fat than flesh, so that hunger alone could induce me to taste them. But their skin, of an elegant yellow colour, marked with a black line on the back, and covered with very soft hair, is much prized by Europeans. Our companions, who, at the command of King Philip the Fifth, sailed to the shores of Magellan, record that seals in that place often exceed a bullock two years old in size; that they often strive with one another on the sandy shore, lifting up their bodies as straight as a pillar, and that many geographers have erred in saying that these seals have a mane, and in giving them the name of sea-lions. This is no affair of mine; let others decide the point. I think the dispute is all about a name.

FROGS AND TOADS

At the end of the amphibious crew come frogs and toads, which swarm in all the rivers, lakes, and marshes, and even the very plains of Paraguay. But what is their use, what their occupation? They go on singing their old complaint in the mud, though in Paraguay they have nothing to complain of; for not being reckoned amongst the number of eatables, and being entirely excluded from the kitchen, they are neither desired nor attacked, and consequently live in the completest security. To destroy the race of frogs, I had long wished that the voracious Indians would take it into their heads to eat them, for whenever we slept in the open air by the side of a river or lake, we were exceedingly annoyed by their croaking. Their voice, as well as colour, is extremely various, for some utter a gentle, clear, sharp sound, others, perhaps the more aged ones, a rough, hoarse, disagreeable croaking. Of toads, horse-leeches, and other insects of that description, we shall speak in another place.

BIRDS

Paraguay has scarcely any European bird, except the swallow, but it abounds in native ones, foreign to Europe. The former excel in the sweetness of their voice, the latter in the elegance of their plumage. Out of many I will describe a few.

THE HUMMING BIRD

The most curious is a bird, which is the smallest, and at the same time the most beautiful of all the winged tribe. The Spaniards have with justice named it picaflor, for it plucks the flowers out of which it sucks juice like a bee. It charms the eye with the exquisite beauty of its colour and plumage. The whole of its little body is scarce bigger than an olive or a nutmeg. Its bill is very long, but slenderer than a needle, its eyes extremely lively, and its tongue broad, but thinner than a silken thread. It sometimes utters a shrill whistle which can hardly be heard. In the country, in a chapel that had long been deserted, I found the nest of one of these birds; scarce bigger than a common walnut, it hung suspended by a horse-hair from two corners of the wall, and in it the mother was then sitting upon two little eggs. Its feathers are sometimes of a bright green, sometimes (for there are nine different species of them in Paraguay) of a blue, sometimes of a fiery red colour; but all seem clothed with most refulgent gold. That brilliant hue which shines in the expanded tail of a peacock, or in a drake's neck, is dull in comparison with the golden resplendence of this little bird. In sucking juice from flowers it does not stand upon its feet, but seems to hang in the air, and is always borne swiftly along, with its feathers suspended and tremulous. Some have caught birds of this kind and brought them home, but though carefully fed upon melted sugar, they never lived more than four days, being always used to the nectar of flowers. With their feathers, which nature has painted with the most exquisite colours, and tinged with gold, the Peruvian Indians are said to have adorned such elegant little images, that you would have sworn them to be formed by the pencil of an artist, and gilded.

THE CONDÒR VULTURE

From the least of birds, let us proceed to the largest. The condòr, a bird of the hawk species, frequently inhabits the very highest summits of the Tucuman and other mountains, whence it flies down to the vallies beneath to prey upon cattle. It is of an almost incredible magnitude; when its wings are expanded, it measures ten feet, (or, according to some, sixteen,) from the extremity of one wing to that of the other. The hollow part of the quill is equal to a man's finger in width. This bird is furnished with talons like those of a cock, and its beak is so strong and pointed, that it can pierce a bull's hide. It is black, sprinkled here and there with white feathers. On its head it has a little crest, like that of a cock, but not so denticulated. It is possessed of amazing strength, and is formidable to all animals, but particularly to new-born calves and foals; for it tears out their eyes with its beak, and then kills and eats them. It is said to carry away lambs in the air. The devastation these birds daily commit amongst the herds and flocks exceeds belief. Several of them always fly together to rapine, and being rendered formidable by their numbers, do not scruple to attack even full grown beasts. When satiated and loaded with meat they are unable to fly back again, and try to relieve their stomachs by vomiting, that they may be lighter and more expeditious in flying. The Spaniards who guarded the estates, having frequently observed this circumstance, place in the way of the condòrs beef sprinkled with plenty of salt, which they eagerly devour, but not being able to vomit, are rendered incapable of flying, and slain with sticks and stones whilst coursing up and down the plain. At other times the condòrs, crowding together, make a tremendous noise by clapping their enormous wings, to the terror of all that hear them. They soar so high in the air as to seem from below no bigger than sparrows.

THE EMU.¹

The emu, a bird extremely common in Paraguay, is so well known in Europe as to render a description of its figure unnecessary. I will however briefly relate its peculiarities, which no one will dislike to be made acquainted with.

The emu is ranked amongst birds, because it is winged, though it makes use of its wings, which are too weak for the weight of so large a body, not to fly with, but to assist itself in walking, like sails and oars, especially when the wind blows in a favourable direction, for when it is contrary they retard its course. To pursue this bird is extremely difficult, for it not only runs with the utmost swiftness, but escapes by turning and winding about. Emus, which fly the very shadow of a man, are seldom caught by persons on foot, unless they be in such numbers as to surround these birds, and take them as it were in the toils. When standing upright, they reach to the head of the tallest man, which is owing to the length of their legs and neck, for their head is very small. They have little eyes overshadowed with large eyebrows. Their body is equal to that of a lamb in weight. Their flesh is much sought and praised by the Indians, and is generally very fat. The Spaniards, neglecting the rest of the flesh, eagerly devour the wings, and think them the best part of the emu. I have eaten them myself sometimes, but a nausea which they created in my stomach gave me a disgust to that food.

The Abipones make themselves bags, purses, and cushions of emus' skins. The skin which covers the rump they use for little hats. Great and various are the uses of their feathers: for of them are made fly-flaps, fans, and skreens, which both the better sort of Spaniards, and the Abiponian women, in riding, place before the sun, that their faces may not be tanned with the heat. To the hinder part of their saddles, the Indians of every nation fasten the longer emu feathers, which, moving as the horse moves, serve to drive away gad-flies, hornets, and gnats. All the female emus of one neighbourhood deposit their eggs in one place, and the chickens are hatched by the sun's heat, without any other care. The young ones are fed by the males, who break the eggs that are still full, and employ them in feeding the chickens already hatched – thus brothers unborn are devoured by those that have but just seen the light. Sometimes more than sixty or a hundred eggs are found in the same nest, and are eaten both by Spaniards and Indians, either fried or boiled, but are digested slowly and with difficulty if wine be not added to the repast. They often afforded me a sumptuous banquet in travelling through deserts. One egg is enough to satisfy many persons, for the contents of thirty hens' eggs may be poured into the shell of one emu's egg. The shell of the emu's egg is strong, and may be used for various purposes as a potter's vessel. Emus feed on grass, wheat, fruits, or any trash they meet with; but if they imprudently swallow iron or bone, they afterward void it quite undigested, and in no way altered. When taken young they are easily tamed, and walk up and down the streets or yards, like dogs and hens, suffer children to play with them without fear, and never run away, though the plain be close by, and in sight. There is scarcely any Indian town in which you do not see tame emus of this kind. You must know, moreover, that emus differ in size and habits, in different tracts of land: for those that inhabit the plains of Buenos-Ayres and Tucuman, are larger, and have black, white, and grey feathers: those near to the straits of Magellan are smaller and more beautiful; for their white feathers are tipped with black at the extremity, and their black ones, in like manner, terminate in white, and make excellent ornaments for the hats and helmets of Europeans. The higher orders amongst the Spaniards, also, greatly prize skreens made of these feathers.

THE TUNCÀ

The tuncà is remarkable on account of its bill, which is as long as its whole body, is as light as paper, of a citron colour, marked at the extremity with a red line, and a black spot, and denticulated at the edges. It has a very long tongue, and rather large eyes, surrounded by a circle of green, and another larger one of yellow. Its feathers are, for the most part, black, except on the neck, which is white, and the tail, which is beautifully red at the extremity; but some are blue instead of black. It is about the size of a pigeon. The tuncà is called by some, the preacher bird, I believe on account of the loudness of its voice. You will scarce ever see this bird in company with any other. It feeds on the ripe seeds of the tree caà, but as those seeds are too glutinous to be digested, it voids them whole, and they produce new trees, and in time woods, to the great profit of the inhabitants. I knew a Yaaucaniga Abipon, who, when going to fight, always tied the huge beak of a tuncà to his nose, in order to render himself more terrible to the enemy.

THE CARDINAL

Cardinals are remarkable for the extreme sweetness of their song, and, in my opinion, would far exceed the canary birds of our country, were they able to trill like them. From the shining purple of their feathers they have obtained the name of cardinals. The top of the head alone is adorned with a small black crest, like a little hat. They are about the size of a linnet. They fly in crowds to the most barren fields, where there are more thistles than grass, and are easily caught by boys, who will give you four or five cardinals in exchange for a single needle, in the city of Corrientes. I have seen cardinals resembling the rest in other respects, but much larger, being equal in size to a starling.