An ox-hide, which measures three ells from the head to the tail, and is called by the Spaniards a legal hide, is bought by merchants at six German florens, though a whole live ox is sold for only two florens amongst the Guaranies, and for four amongst the Spaniards; for the labour employed on hides, even before they are dressed, increases their price. They are carefully fastened to the ground, to be dried, with wooden pegs, under shelter, in a place where the fresh air is admitted; and lest moths should gnaw or strip them of their hairs, for thirteen or, at least, eight days, the dust which ingenders these insects must be diligently beaten from them with a stick. This labour, which was often continued for many months, whilst some thousands of them were disposed of, is rated very high by the Spaniards who sell them. It is incredible what art and industry are employed in stretching hides, which come a little short of three ells, to the usual size, though when made as thin as paper they are totally useless to European curriers, on account of whose complaints this stretching of hides has long since been prohibited. The Spaniards, finding that the trade in hides was by far the most profitable to them of any, were possessed with a blind rage for killing all the oxen they could lay hands on. For this purpose, troops of horse were perpetually traversing those plains which abounded most in wild cattle. The horsemen employed have each separate tasks assigned them. Some furnished with swift horses attack a herd of oxen, and with a long spear, to which is added a sharp semicircular scythe, disable the older bulls by cutting the nerve of the hinder foot; others throw the halter on them whilst they are staggering, and others follow behind to knock down and slay the captive bulls. The rest are employed in stripping the hides off the slaughtered animals, conveying them to an appointed place, fixing them to the ground with pegs, and taking out and carrying away the tongues, suet, and fat. The rest of the flesh, which would suffice to feed a numerous army in Europe, is left on the plain to be devoured by tigers, wild dogs and ravens; and indeed one might almost fear lest the air should be corrupted by such a quantity of dead bodies. In an expedition of this kind, lasting several weeks, the person at whose expense it is undertaken is supplied with some thousands of hides. This custom of hunting and slaughtering oxen, being continued for a whole century, exhausted almost all the plains of wild cattle. You no longer saw those public and immense herds of innumerable oxen, which belonged to no one in particular, but might be appropriated to the use of any. It must be attributed to the extensiveness of the plains, and the fertility of the soil, that in the Paraguayrian estates the number of oxen is still so great that Europe may envy, but cannot hope to equal them. At this day a fat ox may be bought for four florens amongst the