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 136 TIlE CONDOR VoL. X contains a description of California "from the Spanish of Michael Venegas, a Mexi- can Jesuit, published at Madrid in 1758, and others" Of course we are most in- terested in what he says about animals and birds: "In California are now found all kinds of domeftic animals, commonly ufed in Spain and Mexico; horfes, mules, aftes, oxen, fheep, hogs, goats, dogs, and cats. They. have been imported from New Spain, and thrive here very well; but here are two fpecies of wild animals, not known in Old or New Spain. The firft is that which Californians call 7'aye; it is about the fize of a calf, a year and a half old, and greatly refembles it in figure, except in its head, which is like that of a deer, with very thick horns like a ram; its hoof is large, round, and cloven like that of an ox; its fkin is fpotted like a deer, but the hair thinner, and it has' a short tail like a deer; the flefh is very palatable, and, to fome, taftes delicious. "The other animal peculiar to this country is the C'ayole, or wild dog, very much refembli.ng a fox. Here are alfo leopards, such as they call lions in Mexico; goats, cats, and wild hogs, are frequently found in the mountains, and (Father) Torqttemada obferves, that, about Monte-Rey are very large bears, tigers, an animal fomething like a buffalo, and a creature which he thus describes: it is about the fize of a fteer, but fhaped like a ftag; its hair refembles that of a pelican, and is a quarter of a yard in length; its neck long; and on its head are horns, like thofe of a ftag; the tail is a yard long, and half a yard broad; and its feet cloven, like the feet of an ox." "Of birds there are an infinite variety. Among there, for the table, are turtle- doves, herons, quails, pheafants, geefe, ducks, and pidgeons. The birds of prey are vultures, hawks, falcons, offiphages, horn-0wls, ravens, and crows. Of night- birds, there are owls, and many others of a fmaller kind, not feen in other parts, nor mentioned by any naturalifts; nor have the narratives of the Jefuits fupplied us with a defcription, or even with the names of them. "California has a great variety of tinging-birds, as larks, nightingales, and the like, adorned with beautiful plumages. Torquenada fays, that about the harbour of Monte-Rey are buftards, peacocks, geefe, thrufhes, fwallows, fparrows, gold- finches, linnets, quails, partridges, blackbirds, water-wagtails, cranes, and other birds refembling turkey-cocks, so large as to be 17 palms from the extremity of one wing to that of the other; and alfo a particular fpecies of gulls, that live on pilch- ards and other filth, equal in fize to a very large goofe, their bill a foot long, with long legs refembling a ftork, their beak and feet like thofe of a goofe. They have a raft craw, which in rome hangs down like the leather bottles ufed in Peru for carrying water, in which craws they carry what they catch to their young ones. The friendly difpofition of thefe birds is fomething furprifing, for they affift one another when fick or wounded, and bring that bird provifion that is unable to fearch for it. The Indians profit by this; for, when they want a difh of fifh, they will wound and tie a gull to a particular fpot, conceal themfelves, and, when they think all the provifion is brought them which other gulls defigned, they advance and feize'the contribution: fuch are the mysterious ways of Providence for the fupport of his creatures!" "Father 7brquemada fpeaking of the ifland of St. Catherine, in the neigh- bourhood of California, fays, 'In this ifland are rancherias, or communities, and in them a temple, with a large, level court, where they perform their facrifices; and in one, was a large circular fpace, the place of the altar, with an enclofure of feathers of feveral birds of different colours; which I underftood,' says he, 'were thofe of the birds they facrificed in great numbers: and within the circle, .was an image, ftrangely bedaubed with a variety of colours, reprefenting fome devil, ac-