OCR Text |
Show ,c; f'.Cl', XI. ~1 rd s of .1\lcxi.co. HIS-TORY O,F MEXICO. 'The -cacomizile is a quadruped., exceedingly ~ike> the martin m · f 1·c It is of · the fi.ze and form of -a ' common cat; JtS wny o ue. . .. . .but its body is larger, its hrur · }G>nger, ·1ts ~egs f?orter, ~nd Its a1 •p eenL. m ore w1' ld and fierce • .I ts voice is • a fha• r.19 cry, a.n • d 1ts •fIo· o. d. is · poultry and other little antmals. f I·t 1nl1abtts, and1 bt mgs up Its young in places l~fs frequented :than houfes. ll~t day it fees little,, and does not come out of its hidi1:}g-·place but .a. t mght, to fearch fo. r fooc.L The Tlamatzin, as well as the C acwnzt!e, are to be feen m [orne of the houfcs of>the capital (t). ' · Beiides thefe quadrupeds,. there w.ero othet'S in the. Mexican empire, which I 1 know not whether t~ cbnfider · a~ peculiar to that country, or as common to other parts of Arn~nca ; . fuch as the Jtzcuincuani or dog-eater; the Tla/ocelotl or little l.ton; and the· Tlalmiztli or little tiger. Of thofe, which although not belonging to the kingdom of Mexico are to be foun'd in' other 'parts of North Amecica fubjeet to .the Spaniards, we {hall ta.ke notice in our Difiertations. We fl1ould find the birds a more .difficult talk than the quadnt -' peds, 1£ we !hould attempt to give an enumeration of their different fpecies,t with a- defcription of their forms and manners. Their prodigious numbers, their variety, and many valuable qualities, have occafioned fome authors to obferve that, as Africa is the country of bea!l:s, fo Mexico is the country of birds. Hernandez, in his Na .• tural Hi!l:ory, defcribcs above two hundred fpecies peculiar to that kingdom, and yet pflfies over many that deferve notice, fuch as the Cuitlat"OCbi, the Zacua, and the Madrugador. We fl1all content ourfelves with running over fome clafies of them, .and point out any peculiarities, here and there, as they occur. Among the birds of 1 rey there are ke!l:rels, gofshawks, and feveral fpecies of eagles, talc0ns, and fparrow-hawks. The naturalift already mentioned, allows the birds of this clafs a fuperiority over thofe of Europe; and the excellence of the Mexican falcons was fo' remarkable, that (t) I do not know 1hc true Mexican name of the Cacomiztle, and have therefore ufcd the name which 'the Spaniards in that kingdom, gave it, Hernandez docs not mention th is -quadruped. lt is true he defcl'ibcs one, nnder the name of Cac~miztli but this is evi· ~e'ntlj an' error of the prcfs, 1 .. by Ji. ISTORY OF MEXICO. by the •defire of Philip the Second, a hundred were every year fertt to Spain. The largeft, the moft beatttiful~ and the moll: .valua?Ie among the eagles is that named by the Mexicans, l tz1uauhtlt, whtch not only purfues the larg.er birds and hares, but will even attack men and beafl:s. There are two kinds of keftrel; the one called Ccnotzqui is particularly beautiful .. The Ravens of Mexico, called by the Mexicans Cacalot/, do not, as in other countries, clear the .fields of carrion, but are only em .. ployed in ftealing the ears of corn. The bufinefs of clearing the fields there, is referved principally for the Zopilo!J,. known in South America by the name of Gallinazzi ; in other places, by that of A ure; and in fome places, though very improperly,. by that of 1·avens (u}. There are two very different fpecies of thefe birds; tha one, the Zopilote properly fo called, the other called the Cozcaquauhtli :· they are both bigger than the raven. Thefe two fpe cicg rcfemble each other in their hooked bill and crooked claws, and by having upon their head irifl:ead of feathers,. a wrinkled membrane with fome curling hnirs. They fly fo high, that although they a.rc p1·ctty hrge, they are lotl: to the fight; and efp ecially before a llai} ftorm th y will be· fecn wheeling, .in vall: numbers, under the loftieft clouds, till they entirely dif.1ppcar. They feed upon carrion, which· they difcover by the acntencfs of their fight a.)Jd fmell, from the greatefl: height, and defcend upon it with a majefl:ic flight, in a great fpiral courfe. T hey are both almo{l; mute. T he two ij)ecies are difl:inguilhable, however, by their fizc, their colour, their num-· 'bers, and fome other peculiarities. The Zopilots, properly {o called, have black feathers, with a brown head, bill, and feet ; they go ofterr in flocks, and rooft together upon trees ( ~· ) . This fpccies is. very numerous, and .is to be found .in all the di fferent climatc.>s ; while on. (rt) Hernnnde1. 1\as, without :tny hditntion, made tile Zopilote a fpcrics of raven; but they :u e, CC1'tni11ly, very' dificre'nt birds, not on ly·in the ir fi .u, but in the fhape of the head ; in• the ir flight, and in th eir voict·. Bomarc fay s, that the Aura is the C~(yuautb of lew Spain, and the 7i·opii1Jt of the l nd i nn~ ; fo that the (.'oz<'ttqum~htli, as well ns the. ~zopilotl~ nre MexKnt\ nat,lCs ufcd by the I n d t:.lll~ , to denote not one bu·d only, bu t two dtllcrenr klllcls •. :Some g1 vc the one fp ccics the name of Atlrn, and rhc othet· that of Zopilot.-, or Gollilwzzo, (.1·) T he Zopit'ots cont rad i ~ the general rul e, laid down by Pliny, lib . ix. cap. 19 . U11cos *".~ucJ bnbr11tia o11mi111J 11011 cMK•·rgatl/ur, & jibi fjlll!t}'IL' prn:rlcmtw·, The r ule :w 0 1 ly apply 111-i<:tiy to rcnl bir ds of prey, fu ch as engles , vul turcR, falcon·, fpan'Ow4 hawks, &c. tho 47 BOOK T .. .. ' |