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Show • '54- BOOK J. ~ X I C 0. t'he birds called Cardinals, are t'lot 1cts deiight'ful to the ear, from the fwcctnefs of their fong, than to 'the fight, by the 'bcanty of their fcm·lct plumage, ·and crcO:. T1\e Mexitan alan~ra fings very fwectly alfo, and its foog re!Cmblcs that of the nightinga~~Its feathers are varied with whi'te, yellow, ::u1d grey. f't weav 'S Jts neD: in a wonderful manner, wi~h hairs p:tfl:cd to0 ethcr with fo(ne kind of vifcid fubfiance, :md fufpending 1ike a little bag, from the bough of a tree. The 7't'gr£/!o, or little 1 igcr, which is l d~ewi !e of 'fome value upon account of its rnufic, is fo named from its fe,\thct's being [potted like the fkin of a tiger. The Cuit/accoc:h£ ncfemblcc; the Centzontli, in the exc llencc of its fi ng, as well as in fizc and colour, as the Coztototl exactly docs the Canary bird, brought thither from the Canaries . The Mexican Sparrows, ca1led Got-rz'ones by the Spani:lrds, are nothing like the real fpap:ows, except in their fize, their manner of .hopping, and in m:1king their nefis in the holes of walls. Their body is white upon the und ,r-fide, and grey upoh the upper; but at a certain age, the heads of fome become red, anti others yellow (e). Their flight is laborious, from the finallnefs of ' their wings, or the wcu.knefs of their feathers. Their fong is moil: <lelightful and various. There are great numbers of thefe fingirrg birds in the capital, and the other cities and villages of Mexico. The talking birds too, or thofe which imitate the human voice, are to be found in equal abundance, in the country of An, huac. Even among the finging birds there are fome which learn a few words; fuch as the celebrated Centzontli, and the Aco!ci.Jicbi, or bird with the red back, which from that mark the Spaniards have called the Commendador. The Cehuan, which is bigger than 'a common thrull1, counterfeits the 1lllman voice, but in a tone that .appears b~rlefqued; and will follow travellers a gteat way. The <fzanahuez refembles the magpie in fize, but is of a different colour. It learns to fpeak, fieals cunningly whatever it can get, and in every refpe~ 1hows a _kind of inftinCl: fuperior to what we generally obferve mother buds. But of all the fpeaking birds, the parrots hold ·the fidl place; of which they reckon, in Mexico, four principal (t) I have henl'd it faid, that the Go,.~iDim with red heads al'(: the males; and thofe wit I• yc:l\ow heads, the females, l 1.. • fpecies, l:f I S T 0 R •Y Q F M ~ X I C 0 .. 55 {p,ecies, n~m,ely, th~ Huacam.a;:a, ~he roznenetl, the Cochotl, and BOOK J .. thq ff<Jtiltoto{l (f). . · ~ The Hu~Gar,na)fa~ t~e lflrgeft of all the parrots, is more '!alnable f01: its qeautif~l feathers than for its fpeaking. It articqlates words ind~ftiq~ly, apd its voice is har4h and q~fagreeab~e. T4e TozneQetl, w}uch lS the heft of th~m all, is about the fizc of a pige~>n; i~S· feathers ~r~ of a. grc~11 colour, except upon the head, ~n.d fore-part of the fmgs, wh1ch m fome of them are red, and in others yellow .. 1t ~earns any words or tune, and imitates them faithfully. It natt.J-rally ~mitatcs the laugh of a man, or otq·er ridjculous founcL tije cri~s of ch1}dren~ and the various noif~s of different animals. There. ;tre three fpecies ?f t~e Cochotl ~iflerin.g. from each other in fife· . and pl~mage, wluch m ~hem all. IS beauttful; and the prevailing. colour JS green. The largeft of the Cocf.;otls is near.l y as. large as th~· Tozt~netl; the two other fpecies, called by tJ1e Spaniards, Ca,terfm,. ;lre ~l)aller. They all learn to t.alk, though not io perfeCtly as the Toznenetl. The !i<.!Jtltototl, is t~e !i11alleH kind of parrot,. and ~he Jeaft val~:~ab1e for fpeaking~ Thefe [mall parrots whofe pluma.ge is of the rpofr beautiful green,. fly always in large flocks, fometimes ll).a.king a great no,ife in the ~jr ;. and at other tir;nes G,Ommittit~g havoc ~mo~g. the_ grain~ When perched upon the trees they can h ardly Pe drfi:mgm(hed, by their colour from the leav~;;s, All the other parrots go generally in pairs, a male and female. The Madrugadr;rcs (g), which we .lhall call the Awakeners or 'Twilight birds,. Ftnd which are called by the Mexicans rz:cua f~though tl~ey are not fo remarkable for beauty o.r fong, deferve par: t1cular notice for fome other qualities. Thefe birds are the lail: among the day birds to go· to. roo11: at night, and the firil: to leave ~t jn the morning, and to. ann?unce the return of the fun. They' never cea[e to 1i 1g and frol1c, tlll an hour after fun-fct; begin .ag.1in. Jong b~fore the dawn, and never (eern fo happy as during the morning (.f) Tht. Toznt nctl and Cochorl, are ca1Jed by the Me.xicnn Spaniards, Pericos and ot·or .The word Hun~nmnyn is from the Ha.itinian language wltid1 was fpoken in Hifpaniola. Loro,· · '~from th!) ~~~.:hoan or .Incnq, and <firz.llellct/1 Cochot/1• and !!!.J1iltototl fr6rn the Mexicnn. (~) Mad'-!'·~ndo,·, in Spanifh means ra•·!r rifer; bm as there is no word in Itnlinn that :m wcr~ to It; the Author has e mploy ~d that of Dl'jlatore or A·:.va~nJCr, He fc cms ro think; h.owc,v,er, that t1hC: ·namc1 of llr:a llo crrflll/:·olare or %.vi/!tJ'ht 'bird, wo !ld be more Atlpli•"lblc , !" r. •• I ' ' ) o\ • "'.! ~• o and ' |