The locust is one of the insects sometimes seen in multitudes on the aroma trees of the warm valleys, which they strip of every leaf in a very short time; just as the cauliflowers are devoured by caterpillars and swarms of butterflies of great beauty. The glow-worm often shines among the groves and avenues in a warm and dark night; and at Tarma, celebrated for the fine texture and beautiful tints of its _ponchos_, the cochineal insect is reared on beds of cacti, planted for the purpose, all round the town.—Translator. [59] The Indians of North America called God the Great Man. See Jefferson’s note on Virginia, page 56. [60] See Garcilaso, t. i. page 313. [61] It is evident, from the concluding query and remark of Dr. Unanue, that he suspected some speculators in the science of geology of no small share of credulity; and it also appears that he had not himself examined the bony fragments to which he alludes. Had these come to his hands, it is probable that he might have been able to ascertain such specific and distinct characters as should have served to satisfy him that the teeth in his possession were not only by report, but in fact, parts of those skeletons from among which they appear to have been picked up. We may believe that they were conveyed to Lima chiefly on account of their more portable size; while the other more unwieldy bones would have been considered too heavy for being removed so far, by persons who may not have known their scientific value to the geologist.—Translator. [62] The periods of the great earthquakes of Peru are thus recorded by Dr. Hipolito Unanue. Arequipa. Lima. Quito. In the year 1582 1586 1587 1604 1630 1645 1687 1687 1698 1715 1746 1757 1784 1806 1797 The same author also mentions the following epochs of volcanic explosions. In Quito. Cotopaxi, 1534, 1742, 1744. Pichincha, 1539, 1566, 1577, 1660. In Arequipa. Quinistacas, 1600. [63] Each “_topo_,” that is, an extent of 5,000 square yards of this soil, is valued at 1,000 dollars; and every six weeks a harvest of “_salitre_,” or the sub-carbonate of soda, is reaped by the owners. [64] Vitor, here alluded to by Mr. Rivero, is one of the chief valleys in the vicinity of Arequipa. It extends from inland, in a north-west direction, to the large and well-watered valley of Quilca on the coast, and to the north of Islay: on the other hand, to the south-west, is the extensive, rich, and populous valley of Tambo.