An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)

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.

THE CHOPÌ

The chopì, which is about the size of a swallow, and has dusky feathers, but if shone upon by the sun, of a blue colour, goes in flocks like European sparrows, flies up and down houses, and wheat fields, and delights the ear with its pleasing song. Some very small birds, the names of which I am unacquainted with, sing sweetly in gardens, but when taken they cannot long bear the confinement of a cage.

THE QUÎRAPÙ

The quîrapù, a Guarany word, signifying the tinkling bird, so called because its voice is like the sound of a little bell, resembles a pigeon. It is of a grey colour, has very beautiful eyes, a large head, and a green throat, which is inflated when the bird cries. It never stays long in one place, but passes quickly from tree to tree; on which account it is very seldom, and with great difficulty, caught. Other birds of the same name, (quîrapù miri,) but smaller, and of a white colour mixed with dusky, fly in companies, and whilst one utters loud sounds, all the rest are silent.

THE TIÑINI

The bird tiñini imitates the human voice, particularly at night, and not unfrequently alarms strangers sleeping in a wood, who take it for some enemy or spy.

THE TIJERAS

This bird, which is smaller than our sparrow, and entirely white, is called by the Spaniards tijeras, the scissors, because it sometimes opens and shuts its tail, which consists of two long and very white feathers, like a pair of scissors.

VARIOUS KINDS OF WILD DOVES

The apicazù, yeruti, and other kinds of wild doves, wander about in flocks, doing great mischief to fields and gardens, especially to grapes. From their wonderful variety of colours they are pleasing to the eye, but still more so to the palate, when boiled or roasted.

THE IÑAMBÙ

This bird inhabits every part of the plain country. In some respects it resembles a partridge, in others a quail. Its flesh is extremely white and well tasted, but very dry. You will seldom see a stupider bird, or one more easily and more frequently caught. A man on horseback sometimes goes round and round it, and whilst the bird goes round in like manner, knocks it down with the long piece of leather, which they use for a bridle, or with a slender reed. Numbers are daily brought to the city of Buenos-Ayres, and sold at a very low price.

MARTINETES AND GALLINETAS

There are other birds also, thought to be of the partridge kind, which are larger than a common hen, adorned with a variety of colours, and a beautiful crest, and of an agreeable savour.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF PHEASANTS

Birds are found in Paraguay which, in some respects, resemble European pheasants. The commonest species is the yacù. This bird is equal in size to a full grown hen; its feathers are of a very black colour, and its flesh extremely well tasted. It mostly frequents woods near a river or lake. At sun-set or sun-rise, you may find a number of them on one tree. When one is brought down by a gun, the rest do not fly away, but only recede a little farther on the bough which they are sitting upon, and there remain till they are all killed by repeated firings. This I have often witnessed, and wondered much that the birds were neither scared by the report of the gun, nor impelled to flight by the deaths of their companions.

THE MBITUÙ

In the larger class of pheasants, we may with justice place the mbituù, a bird which almost resembles a turkey-cock. Its very black feathers are white at the extremity, but the belly is varied with a colour peculiar to partridges. On the top of its head it has a crest composed of black and white feathers, as soft as silk, which it erects when angry. It is armed with a long, hooked, and blackish beak. Its tail is long and generally expanded. Its beautiful head is adorned with large bright black eyes. Its very long legs are supported on four claws like those of a hen. Its tender flesh is universally commended, and as it is so desirable for the table, I wish it were more commonly met with in the woods by the Indian huntsmen.

VARIOUS KINDS OF PARROTS

The variety and multitude of parrots I might almost call innumerable. Every different species differs distinctly in form, voice, and plumage. Those with which I am best acquainted are the paracauteè, the paracaubaỹ, the iribaya, the aruaỹ, the tuî, the mbaracana, the quaà, or quacamayo, the caninde, the catita, or kikilk; and others whose names have slipped my memory. I will relate what is most remarkable respecting those which I know most of. The paracauteè signifies the true and legitimate parrot, which excels the rest in sense and docility, and can imitate the sounds of men and beasts with greatest ease and success. It is equal in size to a young pigeon: its feathers are green, but yellow, red, and blue on the head, wings, and tail. I had in my possession a bird of this kind, which I called Don Pedro, and which articulately pronounced many words, and even whole sentences, in the Spanish, Guarany, and Abiponian languages, and learnt to sing a little Spanish song admirably. Moreover he could imitate violent coughing, laughing, weeping, barking, and an hundred other things so dexterously that you would have sworn it was a man you heard. Whenever I travelled on foot or on horseback, he sat upon my shoulder, always chatty, always playful. When tired of his noise or his weight, I gave him to one of the Indians to carry – he angrily bit the man's ear, and flew back to me. He laughed very loud for a long time at an old Indian woman, whom we met riding on an ass. Though he reposed all day long on my shoulder, yet about sun-set, like fowls, he felt a desire for rest, began to grow angry, and, by clapping his wings, and repeatedly biting my ear, admonished me to stop the journey. Next day when I mounted my horse again, he was extremely delighted, and did nothing but sing and laugh. When I stayed in the town, he sometimes walked up and down a very long rope suspended from two pillars outside the house. When I entered the dining-room he would fly after me, and whilst we were dining, ran about the table, and always flew angrily to bite the Indian who came to take away the rest of the food with the dishes. He tasted, snatched, and swallowed any food that he could lay hold of. He sometimes walked about the court-yard, rubbing and sharpening his beak in the sand, which he often swallowed by way of medicine. Seeing me caress a smaller parrot of another species, filled with envy he attempted to pierce the bird with his beak; but softened by a little coaxing, he not only suffered it to sleep under his wings, but ever afterwards treated it as a pupil, or rather as a son. What the older bird pronounced with a deep voice, the younger repeated in a slenderer one. The Guaranies tie all their tame parrots, by one foot, to a long pole, to prevent them from flying away. These chains did not please me: I therefore clipped one wing of my parrots a little to prevent them from flying long, or far away, leaving them the full liberty of their legs. This Don Pedro of mine, after continuing many years faithful, took advantage of the circumstance of his feathers having grown a little too much, to fly away and disappear. He was sought by many, but without success. At the end of three days he saw me passing through a wood, and knew me instantly. Without delay he crept swiftly along the boughs by the help of his beak and claws, and flew to my shoulder, repeating the words Don Pedro. But though he lavished unbounded caresses on me, he atoned for this desertion by the mutilation of his feathers. I often wondered to hear this parrot repeat the sentences that he knew so opportunely, as if he understood the meaning of them; for when he was hungry, he cried pobre Don Pedro, poor Don Pedro, in a tone calculated to excite compassion, repeating those words again and again, till eatable roots, bread, or some other food was given him. These particulars, relative to my parrot, the memory of which is still dear to me, I have, perhaps with too much prolixity, related, in order to show you how great is the power of education, even upon brute animals. Female parrots learn to imitate human speech quicker and better than the males. My companion had one which could repeat the Lord's Prayer in the Guarany tongue. I could have fancied I heard a child praying. This circumstance is very surprizing, as we find that the females of other birds are almost mute. I never could understand how parrots, brought by Englishmen or Dutchmen from the remotest parts of Asia, Africa, or America, after travelling about so many months, or years perhaps, learn to pronounce sentences either in German or French, or any other language, when in Paraguay it is thought impossible to teach them to speak, unless they be brought unfledged from the nest; for when full grown we have found them quite indocile. They are most conveniently taught at night, or in a dark room, where no object presents itself to their eyes, no sound to their ears: though, whilst walking on their rope, or on a pole, in the court-yard, they insensibly learn to imitate dogs barking, horses neighing, cows lowing, old men coughing, boys whistling, laughing, or crying – being extremely attentive to every thing. By long experience I have found that parrots of every kind will learn better and more willingly from women and children, whose voices are sweeter, than from men.

The paracaubaỹ is of the same size and form as the paracauteè; but its feathers are almost all green, with but a very sparing admixture of blue ones, and perhaps a little yellow, or red feather here and there on its head, wings, and tail. These birds babble some unintelligible stuff, but never utter an articulate sound.

The aruaỹ, which is somewhat smaller than the former, is of a most lovely shape, adorned with red, yellow, and bright green feathers, and capable of talking a great deal, if instructed.

The iribaya, which scarce exceeds a European linnet in size, is sparingly besprent with a few dark green, red, and blue feathers, and is distinguished from the rest by a white circle round the eyes. Though of a very lively temper, garrulous, restless, and apt to bite, it is unable to learn to talk, and has a harsh voice. Some woods abound to such a degree in these birds, that no other kind of parrot can be seen there.

The mbaracanà, and others of the same kind that are entirely green, being devoid of all beauty and docility, are seldom taught by the Indians. The tuỹs are divided into many species. The greenness of their plumage is praised by every body. The least of them does not exceed a man's little finger in length; they are extremely merry, and more apt to bite than any of the rest.

The largest and most beautiful of all the parrots which Paraguay produces, are the quaà, or quacamayo, and the caninde; the latter of which is adorned in every part with feathers of a Prussian blue, and a dark yellow colour; the former with very red and dark blue ones. Their tail is composed of feathers a cubit in length. They are alike in form and size, in which they far exceed a common cock. Their beak is so strong that it would pierce the hard bark of an almond tree at one stroke; you must be cautious, therefore, in handling them. At home they are tamed sooner than you would believe it possible. In the town of St. Joachim I had in my possession some very gentle quaàs and canindes. They walked every day about the yard, and would never suffer themselves to be separated, but always kept company together, and were always quarrelling, so that you might apply to them the words of the poet, Nec tecum possum vivere, nec sine te. They never learn to speak any thing but their own name, which they articulately and clamorously pronounce with a harsh voice. I had often wished to have an unfledged caninde brought me from the nest, feeling quite sure that I should be able to teach it to speak; but these wishes were vain; for the old Indians who were born in the woods, and had long dwelt there, all replied with one accord, God, the Creator of all things, alone knows where the caninde builds its nest. For it is thought to hide its offspring in the hidden recesses of the wood, and from thence, when they are advanced in age, to fly with them to the open plains. Though so many kinds of parrots are exposed for sale at the shops of Lisbon, or are exhibited in the gardens of the chief people there, yet the caninde, which yields to none of the parrot kind in beauty, is never to be met with out of Paraguay, nor is it found in every part of that province even; for, like the other more elegant parrots which I have described, it only inhabits the northern forests. In the more southern regions, parrots of the largest size, but of a sombre dark green colour, and annoying to the ears by their senseless clamours, fly in crowds about the groves, especially those composed of palm trees; where wander also great numbers of very small parrots, about the size of a lark, adorned with pale green feathers, and called catitas, or kikilk. They are merry, playful, cunning, and may easily be taught to pronounce some words. They are kept in leathern cages. Incredible is the mischief they do to fields sowed with maize. Guards are necessary to keep them off. The Indians know how to change the natural colour of the parrot into any other they choose. They pull the feathers up by the roots, and rub the place from which they have been plucked, till it grows red, and blood flows from it; they then instil and press into the pores or sockets of the old feathers, juice of any colour they like. If the wings or tail be imbued with a yellow, red, or blue colour, yellow, red, or blue feathers will grow there. This was practised amongst the Brazilians, Guaranies, and, according to P. Joseph Labrador, amongst the Mbaya savages. The same Father observed that the Indians performed the operation in the beginning of spring or autumn, that green is very easily turned into yellow, and that yellow feathers, if plucked up, will be succeeded by none but yellow ones. Why might not the experiment be tried upon European birds? A red canary, a yellow nightingale, and a blue lark, would certainly be curious objects.