Of the rabbits and hares.

Translated by Kendal Simmons ’23

There are rabbits and hares throughout many parts of the Mainland, and in the Cueva region[1] in Castilla del Oro. They have the back and fur of a hare, while the rest of the body is white around the stomach and flanks; the arms and legs are somewhat brown and, in my opinion, share more similarities with the arms and legs of a hare, despite overall being smaller than the rabbits found in Spain. They are hunted most often when the mountains are burned, as well as with traps. In Nicaragua there are also many rabbits similar to the ones from Spain, many of which I have eaten. The Indians salt them and store them for long periods of time as cured meat for when they lack fresh meat. Using the same process, the Indians also make good deer jerky and keep it stored for a long time. They also make good cured meat from dogs that they call xulos[2]; they raise these dogs for meat, but also keep them in their homes domestically and value them greatly. The Indians use these cured meats as goods to be sold since all of the animals mentioned here are found in abundance.

[1] Today this region is known as the Darién region or Darien Gap in Panama; at the time it was referred to as the lengua de Cueva or the Cueva isthmus, after the Cueva Indians that occupied that region in Eastern Panama.

[2] Also known as aon in other Indian languages and perro mudo (mute dog) by the Spanish; Oviedo dedicates chapter V of this book to this breed of dog, where he mentions how tasty they are and the fact that they do not bark.