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Show BOOK I. ~ HIS T 0 R Y 0 F ME X I c ·o. The tflauhquechol is an aqua~ic bird of fome fize, with feathers of a beautiful fcarlet colour, or a reddiili-white, except thofe of the .neck, which are black. It lives upon the fea-ihores, and by the fides of nvers; and lives only ~pon live fi(h, never touching any thing that is dead. The Nepapantototl, is a wild duck which frequents the lake of Mexico, and feems to have all the colours together alfembled in its plumage. . . . . The 'l'lacui!o!tototl, or pam ted bud, Jufi:ly deferves tts name; for its beautiful feathers are variegated with red, blue, purple, green,. and black. Its eyes are black, with a yellow iris ; and the feet a!h-coloured. The 'l'zinizcan is of the fize of a pigeon, with a fmall, crooked,. yellow bill. The head and neck are like thofe of a pigeon, b~t adorned with fhining green feathers; the breafi: and belly are white except near the tail, which is variegated with white and blue; the tail is green upon the upper fide, and black underneath ; the wings are partly black, and partly white; and the eyes are black,. with · reddifh yellow irides. This bird lives upon the fea-coa{ls. The Mezcanauht!t~ is a wild duck, about as large as a domeftic fowl, but of fin gular beauty. Its bill is pretty long and broad,. azure above, and black upon the underfide; the feathers of the body are white, and marked with numerou!i black fpots. The wings are white and brown on the under-fide, ahd upon the upper-fide variegated with black, white, blue, green, and tawny-colour. Its feet are of a yellowifh red ; its head brown, and tawny-coloured, and partly purple, with a beautiful white fpot . betwixt the eyes and .bill; the eyes are black; and the tail is blue above, brown below, and white at its extremity. I The 'l'lauhtototl is extremely like the 'flacuiloltototi in its colours, but is fmaller. The Huacamaye and the Cardinals, fo much prized hy the Europeans, upon account of their fine colours, are very common in this country. All thefe beautiful birds and others peculiar to rviexico, befidcs fome which have been brought thither from the countries adjacent, ••her parts of America, it ~~ called Chupaf/or, Pkajlor, 'l'omilujo, Colilm, &c. Among the l'Ull\erous ·~urhors who defcnbe 1his precious little bird, no one give1 a better Klc01 of tlrre 'beauty of 1ta plu.w,.ge than Acofin, , are .. H I s T 0 R. y 0 IF M E X I c o. are of great value to the Mexicans. in their fingular works of Mofaic, which we lhall mention in another place. Peacocks have been car~ ied there from the old continent, but they have not been attended to; and have, therefore, propagated very fiowly. Many authors, who allow to the birds of Mexico a. fuperiority in the beauty of their plumage, have denied them that of fong: but we can with perfect confidence affirm, that that opinion has not been formed upon real obfervation, but has proceeded from ignorance, as it is more difficult for Europeans to hear the Mexican birds than to fee them. There are in Mexico, as well as in Europe, gold-finches and - nightingales, and at leafl: two-and-twenty fpecies befides, of finging birds, which are little or nothing inferior to thefe; but all that we are acquainted with are furpafied by the very famous Cmtzont!i, fo named by the Mexicans to exprefs the wonderful variety of its notes (d). It is impoi1.1ble to give any idea of the fweetnefs and mellownefs _ of its fong, of the harmony and variety of its tones, · or of the fa ility with which it le,\rns to imitate whatever it hears. It counterfeits naturally, not only the notes of other birds, but even the different eoifes of quadrupeds. It is of the fize of a common thruG1. 1 ts body is white upon the under-fide, and grey above,; with fome white feathers, efpecially about the head and tail. It eats any thing, but delights chiefly in flies, which it will pick from one's finger with figns of pleafure. The Centzontli is to be found every where in great numbers; yet they are fo n)uch efi:eemed, that I have feen five-and-twenty crowns paid for one. Attempts have often been made: to bring it to Europe, but I do not know if they ever fucceeded: and I am perfuaded that, although it could be brought to Europe alive, yet it could not be, without injuring its voice and other qualifications, by a chang~ of climate and the hardfhips of a voyage. (d) Cmtzo11!latotlr, ~for that ~s the real name, n&Hl CtJliZotitli is but an abbreviation) me:\IIS t~e mnny-votced. 1 he Mex1cans ufe the word Ct!IIIZ01At/i (four hut1drcd) as the ·Latins dul mille & fe.\wllti, to exprefs an indefinite and innlllneraulc multit ude. The Greek name of Polyglolla, · which fome modem Ornithologifis :tpply to it, corrcfponJs to the MCllicnn ., name. S.ce f unhcr what we fay of Cemr.o11tli, it1 our diffenations. ' The • 1 I C 53 ' BOOK I. l ~ .., I |