sandy soil, yet fertile, as being well watered, and produces many excellent trees and fruits.  It produces many turnips, rapes, and other such herbs and roots; likewise abundance of flags, rushes, herbs, and flowers, of so loose and tender a texture, that the leaves drop off on the slightest touch.  Among these herbs and fresh flowers, the natives often dwell without beds or houses, even like cattle in the fields, and some of them have tails[92].  These people are gross, and wear long hair, but have no beards; and they speak divers languages.  One of the plants of this region called aipo, resembles rue, and bears a yellow flower, which cures all kinds of rotten sores; yet, if applied to sound flesh, will eat it to the bone.

They say that these mountains abound in tigers, lions, bears, wolves, wild-cats, foxes, dantes, ounces, hogs, and deer; and with many birds, both ravenous and others, most of them being black; while under the north, both birds and beasts are mostly white.  There are also great numbers of large and terrible snakes, which are said to have destroyed a whole army of one of the Incas, that was marching this way:  Yet, according to report, an old woman did so enchant them, that they became quite harmless and gentle, insomuch that they would allow people to sit upon them.  It is reported that, from Tumbez to Chili, there are no peacocks, hens, cocks, nor any eagles, hawks, kites, or other ravenous birds; but there are many ducks, geese, herns, pigeons, partridges, quails, and many other kinds of birds.  There is likewise a certain fowl like a duck, which has no wings, but is covered all over with fine thin feathers.  A certain species of bitterns are said to make war upon the sea-wolf or seal; for when this bird finds them on land, it tries to pick out their eyes, that they may not see their way back to the water, and then kills them; and the fight between the bitterns and the seals is said to be a pleasant sight.

Those who live on the tops of the Andes, between the cold and the heat, are mostly blind of one eye, and some are totally blind; so that hardly can two men be found but one of them at least is half blind.  Notwithstanding the great heat of the sand in Peru, it yields good crops of Maize and Potatoes, and an herb called cocoa, which the natives carry continually in their mouths, as those in the East Indies do Betle, and which they say satisfies both hunger and thirst.  It is affirmed that, from Tumbez southwards, for the space of 500 leagues, there is neither rain, thunder nor lightning, with only some light showers.  In Peru, there are certain animals, called xacos[93] by the natives, and sheep by the Spaniards, because they are covered with wool; but their shape resembles that of deer, and they have saddle backs like a camel, and are capable of carrying burdens of about a hundred weight each.  The Spaniards ride upon them; and, when weary, they turn their heads backward, and void a wonderfully