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Show 36 .HISTORY OF ME X I C 0. BOOK r. midling tree, the leaves of which ar~ round, and_ the bark .rcdt.liG1. --... ,---' There are two inferior fpecies of 1t, the one ytelds a whtte gum, which, when put in water, gives it a milk colour. The_ other drops a reddi{h gum; they are both very fcrviceable in dyfentenes. . 15 ECT. X. ~adrupcds of the king"' dom of Ana. huac, In this clafs of plants we ought to give a place to the fir, the Htguerz'l/ 4 (which refembles the fig), and the Ocot_e, a ce_rtain fpeci~ s of pine that is very aromatic, on account of the 01ls wh1ch they y1eld ; o.nd Brafil wood, Iogwood, indigo, and many others, on account of their juices ; but feveral of thefe plants are already known in Europe, and the others we {hall have occafion to treat of elli.!where. The fmall part of the vegetable kingdom of Anahuac which we have here communicated, revives our regret that the accurate knowledge, which the ancient Mexicans acquired of natural hiil:ory, has almoil: totally difappeared. We know its woods, mountains, and vallies are fcattered with innumerable plants, valuable and ufeful, yet hardly one naturaliil: has ever fixed his attention on them. Who cm1 help lamenting, that of the immenfe treaiures whicg the period of two centuries and a half has difcovered in its rich mines, no par~ {hould have been deil:ined to the foundation of an academy of N::rturali! bs, who might have purfued the fteps of the celebrated Hernandez, and imparted to fociety the knowledge of thefe precious· gifts which the Creator has there fo liberally difpenfed r The animal kingdom of Anahuac is not better known, althotrgh it was attended to with equal diligence by Doctor Hernandez. The difficulty of diflinguiiliing the fpecies, and the improp.riety of appelLItions taken from analogy, have rendered the hi11:ory of animals per-plexed and indi11:inet. The fir11: Spaniards who gave them names, were tnore fkilful in the art of war than in the fl:udy of nature. Inftead of retaining the terms which the Mexicans ufed, which would have been the moft proper, they denominated many animals, tygers, wolves,. bears, dogs, fquirrel s, &c .. although they were very difterent in kind, merely fro~ fo~ne _refem?lance. in the colour of their !kin, or figure, or fotne fir:ulanty 111 the1r. hab1ts and difpofition. I do not pretend to corre~ theu· errors, and fttlllefs to illufl:rate the natural hifiory of that vaft kmgdom ;_ but onl! to give my readers tome flight idea of the quadrupeds, bu·ds, repttles, fifl1es, .and infects, whkh inhabit the land and waters of Anahuac. Of |