An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)Dobrizhoffer, Martin
History
An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)
Dobrizhoffer, Martin
Abipon Indians; Jesuits -- Missions; Paraguay -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account