Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2- Appendix): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

176 APPENDIX. No. 24 (a). Extract from the Voyage of Lionel Wafer in 1686, describing the Island of Santa Maria, under the mistaken name of Mocha. " The island afforded both water and fresh provision for our men. The land is ver}^ low and flat, and upon the sea coast sandy ; but the middle ground is good mould, and produces maize, wheat, and barley, with variety of fruits, &c. Here were several houses belonging to the Spanish Indians, which were very well stored with dunghiU fowl. They have here also several horses : but that which is most worthy of note, is a sort of sheep they have, which the inhabitants call ' camero de tierra.' This creature is about four feet and a half high at the back, and a very stately beast. These sheep are so tame that we frequently used to bridle one of them, upon whose back two of the lustiest men would ride at once round the island, to drive the rest to the fold. His ordinary pace is either an amble or a good hand-gallop ; nor does he care for going any other pace during the time his rider is upon his back. His mouth is like that of a hare ; and the hare-lip above opens as well as the maLa-hps, when he bites the grass, which he does verj^ near. His head is much hke an antelope, but they had no horns when we were there ; yet we found very large horns much twisted, in the form of a snail-shell, which we suppose they had shed there lay many of them scattered upon the sandy bays. His ears resemble those of an ass, his neck is small, and resembhng a camel's. He carries his head bendmg and very stately, Hke a swan ; is full- chested, like a horse, and has his loins much like a well-shaped grey- hound. His buttocks resemble those of a full-gro^-n deer, and he has much such a tail. He is cloven-footed, like a sheep, but on the mside of each foot has a large claw, bigger than one's finger, but sharp, and resembhng those of an eagle. These claws stand about two inches above the di%-ision of the hoof; and they ser^-e him m chmb- ing rocks, holding fast by whatever they bear against. His flesh eats as hke mutton as can be : he bears wool twelve or fourteen inches long upon the beUy ; but it is shorter on the back, shaggy, and a httle incHnmg to curl. It is an innocent and very sendceable beast, fit for any drudgery. Of these we killed fortj-three ; out of the maw of one of which I took thhteen bezoar stones, of wliich some were ragged, and of several forms ; some long, resembhng coral ; some