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Show H 1 .s T 0 R y 0 F I M E X I 0 (i). BOOK t. the contrary, the Coze2aqu~uhtli Is .far ft'Olii (purtt~rou~ and is. pe- ~ culiar to tho warmer climateS alone. The latter bird• 1S laJrger than the Zopilot, has a red- head and .feet w_ith ~ bea~ of a deep red .(;Olour, except . towards its exttetmty wh~~h 1s whtte. Its. feathers are brown except upon the neck and pa.rts aboat tlle brealt, which arc of a reddifh black. The wings are of an aih colour upon the .infidc, and upon the outfide!are variegated with black and tawny. The Cozcaqttaubtli is called by the Mexicans, king of the Zopi/ otJ (y); ancl they fay, that when thefe two fpecies happen to meet together aooLJt the fame carrion, the Zopilot never begins to cat till the Cozcaquauhtli has tall:ed it. The Zopilot is a moil: ufeful bird to that ommtry, for they not only clear the field s, but attend the .crocodiles and defiroy the eggs which the females of thofe dreadful amphibious animals leave in the fand to be hatched by the heat of the fun. The ddhuetion· of fuch a bird ought to be prohibited under fevere penalties. Among the night bi!id , are feveral kinds of owls, to which we may add the bats, although they do not properly belong to the clafs of birds. There are great numbers of bats in the warm and woody countries; f01~'\e of them will draw blood, with dreadfu~ bites, from horfes and other ·animals. In fome of the very hot countries bats arc found of a, prodigious fize, but not fo large as thofe of the Philippine Ifies, and other parts of the Eaft. Under the title of aquatic birds I !hall comprehend, not only the PabmjJedu.s which fwim and live generally in the water, but the HimrmtopfJdr:s alfo; with other fiiliing birds which live chiefly uport ~he fea ihore, upon the fides of lakes and rivers1 and feek their food . (y) The bird which now goes by the name of King~( tht Znpi!ots, in New Spain, fcems ci~ftercn~ from the one we are now dcfcribing. This modern king of the Zopilots is a i1mng bard, ol the fi1.c of a common eagle· with a 1lately air· flrong claws· fine piercinrr eyes · • • • ' J ' ' 1.' ' · nd :1 l>eauuful black, wlute, and tawny plumage. It, is remark:1ble, particularly, for a ccrta~n fcarl e~ coloured, flefi1y fubnancc, which furround~ its neck like a collar, and comes q~cr ItS head 111 the form _of a little crown. I have had this dtoftription of it from a perfon ol knowledge and veracaty, who affurcs me that he has fcen three difft:rent individuals of lj~is fprcica: and pal'lic ularl~ that o_ne wJ1ich was fent from Mexico, in 17 50, to tho c:ltbolic k~ng, Ferd.mand _YI. He f arth~r tnforms m<', th;tt there was a g-en uine drawing of a his bard, publafi1ed m a work called, the American Gazetteer. The Mexican name Coz ctt- 91'a~<btli, which mc;ms Ring Engle, is certainly more applicable to this bird than to the oth.cr. The ,figu J;S! e:lhibitcd in our plate, is copied ftom ,tl1:1t of the Amcrioan G:li~emcr. 10 , . ' H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. in the water. Of birds of this kind there is a prodigious number of geefe, at leaft twenty fpecies .of ducks, feveral kinds of herons and egrets, with· vaft numbers of fwans, gulls, water-rails, divers, king's fi!hers, pelicans, and others. The multitude of ducks is fometimes fo great as quite to cover the fields, and to appear, at a diftance, like flocks of lheep. Among the herons and egrets, fome are a!h-coloured, fome perfeCtly white; and others o~ which t~e plumage of the body is .white, while the neck, w~th the t~ps and .upper ~art of the wmgs, and a part of the :tall, are enhvened w1th a bnght fcarlet, or a beautiful blue. The Pellican, or Onocrontal~s, kn?~n to the Spaniards of Mexico by the name of Al~atraz, 1s . fuffic1~ntly. known by that great pouch or venter, as Plmy calls It, which 1s under its bill. · There are two fpecies of this bird in Mexico; the one having a fmooth bill the other a notched one. Although the Europeans are acquainted wit~ this ~ird, I do not know whether they are equally well acquamted w1th the fingular circumltance of its affifting the fick or hurt of its own fpecies; a circumfiance which the Americans [ornetimes t~kc ad.v~ntage of,. to ~rocure .fifh without trouble. They take a hve pelican, break Its wmg, and after tying it to a tree, conceal themfelves in the neighbourhood; there they watch the coming of the other pelicans with their. pro_yifions, and as foon as they fee t?efe throw up the fifh from the1r pouch, run in, and after leaving a httle for the captive bird, they carry off the reil:. But if the Pelican is admirable for its attention to the others of its fpecies, the Ycalquachilli, is no lefs wonderful on account of the arms with which the Creator has provided it for its defence. This is a !inall aquatic bird; with a long, narrow neck, a fmall head; a long, yellow bill, long legs, fee.t, and daws, and a fhort tail. The legs and feet are a!h-coloured; the body is .black, with fomc yellow feathers about the . belly. Upon its head is a little circle or coronet of a. horny fubftance, v~hich is divided into three very {harp points; and It has two others upon the forepart of the wings ( z). ~n the other clalfes of birds fome are valuable .upon acco,unt of . their fiefh, fome for their plumage, and fome· for their fong; (z) In Bmfil, alfo, there is an aquatic bird with weapons of this kh•d · but which in other refpcets, is a very different bird. 1 1 ' · VoL. I. H while BOOK r. |