sit upon the horse, and whilst they wound his back with their bills, create a gentle breeze by the continual motion of their wings, lulled by which the horse makes no resistance, and suffers his blood to be sucked by the bat. The wound that remains, unless it be sprinkled with hot ashes, soon swells, and by degrees becomes ulcerated, which clearly proves that bats are in some measure venomous. Showers continuing day and night, for many weeks, necessarily deluge the whole plain country with water, and the horses can find no dry land whereon to place their feet. Hence, from feeding so long, immersed in water, their hoofs are softened to such a degree, that being unable to stand on their feet, and to seek pasture, they perish, though perfectly healthy in other respects. Sometimes horses labour under strangury, or dysury. A Spaniard saddles a horse afflicted with such a disease, instead of physicking him, and spurs him to a full gallop, till he is covered with sweat. Nor is there any occasion to repeat the operation. A horse, which was in a dying condition a little before, soon recovered, for he inundated the plain. Sometimes horses are seized with convulsion of the nerves, or with rheumatism, so that they cannot stand on their legs; on such occasions the Spanish soldiers tie their feet with a rope, and lay them on the ground, then throw plenty of urine on their legs, and kick them several times with their heels; when untied they mount and compel them, however unwilling, to run. This violent, but speedy method of healing, I found, to my surprize, attended by the desired effect. As Paraguay swarms with horses, in as great number as insects, she cares very little about curing them when they are sick. In Europe, where horses are scarcer and more valuable, we cannot wonder at their having many physicians and many medicines. What if I should say that, in Paraguay, both are unnecessary? For there it is plain that horses are afflicted with less frequent and less heavy complaints; because they generally enjoy their full liberty, wander up and down the plains at will, breathe the pure air of Heaven, feed on the fresh grass, drink and bathe at pleasure in running streams, are never employed in bearing burdens and drawing carts, and are consequently more healthy and spirited than European horses, which, during the greatest part of their lives, are chained, like thieves, in dark stables, which resemble dungeons, are obliged to fill rather than refresh their stomachs, with hay dryer than a stone and straw harder than a board, taste oats seldomer and more sparingly than country people do cakes, and endure frequent and long hunger and thirst, sometimes through the dishonesty or laziness of servants, sometimes through the avarice of their masters, who are more anxious about employing than about feeding their beasts; not to mention the continual annoyance they undergo from the putting on and taking off