In the woods which surround some of the plantations in the valleys of Lima, wild boars (Chanchos Simarones) are occasionally found. They are of immense size. At the plantation called the Hacienda de Caraponga, one was killed, of which the head alone was an ordinary burthen for a mule.
The number of birds in this very extensive quarter of Peru (the marine and river fowl being excepted) is very inconsiderable. The scarcity of woods and high trees may probably account for this. Besides the carrion vulture, condors collect in great numbers on the shore to prey on the stranded whales. Falcons seldom appear, except the small Sparrow Hawk (Falco sparverius, L.), which is very numerous in Peru. One of the most common birds is the little Earth Owl (Noctua urucurea, Less.), which is met with in nearly all the old ruins scattered along the coast. The Pearl Owl (Strix perlata, L.) is bred in several plantations, as it is found useful in catching mice. Swallows are not very common; they do not nestle on the housetops, but on walls at some distance from towns. The Peruvians give them the euphonious name, Palomitas de Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa's little pigeons). Among the singing-birds the Crowned Fly King (Myoarchus coronatus, Cab.) is the most distinguished. The head, breast, and belly of this bird are deep red, the wings and back very dark brown. He always plants himself on the highest point of a tree, flies perpendicularly upward, whirls about in the air singing, and drops down again straight to his former perch. The Limeños have given this elegant bird a very unbecoming name, which I need not repeat here. On some parts of the coast it is called Saca-tu-real (draw out your real), because his song sounds like these words. Some fine Tanagers (Tanagra frugilega, Tsch.; Tanagra analis, Tsch.) visit the fruit gardens round Lima. I saw two birds, of the starling species, the red-bellied Picho (Sturnella militaris, Viell.), and the glossy-black Chivillo (Cassicus palliatus, Tsch.), which are kept in cages on account of their very melodious song. Three kinds of parrots, which abound in the valleys on the coast, commit great depredations in the maize fields. The largest (Conurus tumultuosus, Tsch.) is green, with a red forehead, and some red feathers scattered over the body. A second sort builds its nest chiefly on the sides of rocks (Conurus rupicola, Tsch.), and only occasionally visits the plantations. The third is the smallest, but at the same time the most beautiful of the whole (Conurus sitophaga, Tsch.). A fine green overspreads all the upper part of the body, a blue fringe borders the feathers of the wings; and a bright citron-yellow is diffused over the forehead, neck, breast, and belly. It is only seven inches long. Pigeons, large and small, swarm in such multitudes over the corn-fields, and in the environs, that they may almost be called the great plague of the country. One of the finest is the little Turtuli (Chaemepelia gracilis, Tsch.), on the wing of which there is a row of very beautiful shining violet spots. The Cuculi, one of the largest pigeons, is a great favorite. It is kept much in cages. Its song, which is monotonous, yet very melodious, is kept up from the earliest hours of the morning until midday, and it begins again nearly at sunset. The song consists merely of a threefold repetition of cu-cu-li. After a pause, it resumes the song again. There are, however, some of those birds which repeat the cuculi oftener than thrice, and their price increases according to the number of their uninterrupted repetitions, which seldom exceed five or six. In Cocachacra, however, I heard one of these birds which repeated its cuculi fourteen times. The owner would not sell it under fourteen gold ounces.
The amphibia on the Peruvian coast are proportionally much better represented than the two foregoing classes. The gigantic tortoises (Chelonia imbricata and Ch. midas, Schweig.) visit in great numbers the few little frequented inlets. The elephant tortoise (Testudo Schweigeri) is often found on some islands, and in the marshy mouths of several rivers.
Two kinds of Crocodiles (Champsa sclerops and Ch. fissipes, Wagl.) inhabit the Rio de la Chira. They grow to the length of fourteen or fifteen feet.
Among the lizard class of reptiles, very large bright green Iguanas are found on the south coast; for instance, in the Caletas near Merillones, &c.; but there are great numbers of the land Agama, of which I found several new species, viz., Steirolepis tigris, thoracica, quadrivittata, xanthostigma, Tsch.; Liolaemus elegans, Tsch.; Ctenoblepharys adspersa, Tsch., &c., &c. I have already mentioned the Gecko, called the Salamanqueja.
Serpents upon the whole are rather seldom seen. They belong to different kinds, some poisonous, some innoxious (for example, Zacholus, Psammophis, Oxyrrhopus, Siphlophis, Ophis, Elaps, &c., &c.). A very poisonous viper (Echidna ocellata, Tsch.) inhabits the sugar-cane fields. Its bite is almost instantaneously mortal.
The genuine frog is not to be found on the coast, and of the bladder frog only two kinds are known (Cystignathus roseus and nodosus, Dum. Bibr.). I have found three amphibia of the toad class. The Thorn toad (Bufo spinulosus, Wiegam.), which has its body thickly covered with a thorny kind of warts. The beautiful red spotted toad (Bufo thaul), and a very curious and ugly kind with a round, swelled out body, a loose skin, and a large bladder under the chin (Anaxyrus melancholicus, Tsch.). At night the cry of this animal is a discordant melancholy howl.
FOOTNOTES:
[49] Elias is eminent not only as an extensive landowner and cultivator, but as a statesman. During the revolution of 1843 and 1844, he was called upon to place himself at the head of the government. He discharged the duties of that high office with singular judgment and moderation. He and his lady are distinguished for their courteous and liberal hospitality; and many foreign visitors, like myself, look back with pleasure on the happiness they derived from the friendship of Don Domingo Elias.
[50] An odre is a goat-skin prepared for carrying wine.