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Show 6o BOOK f. ~ H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. communicates that kind of poifon called by the ancients Hemorrboo.r~ h'ch occafions the blood to burft from the mouth, nofe, and eyes w J • 'd 1 of the perfon who h:ts received it. There arc ccrta111 ant1 otes, lOW-ever, which prevent thefe virulent cffetl:s. . . . The Cuicuilcoatl, fo named from the vancty of 1ts colours, 1s not quite eight inches long, and of the thickne{s of th~ little finger; but its poifon is as active as that of the Teot1acoz.auhqu~. " The 'l'ei.rmimmi is that kind of fer pent wh'1ch Pliny calls 'J aculum. It is of a long flendcr form, with a grey-coloured bac.k and a pu.rple belly. It moves always in a il:raight line, and neve~· co1l~, but fpnngs from the trees upon paffengers, and has thence denved 1ts name ( n). Thefe fnakes are to be found in the mountains of ~auhnahuac, and io other hot countries; but I never knew any inftance of fuch a thing happening to any traveller, although I lived fo n:any y~af's in .that kingdom ; and I can fay the fame, thing of the ternble eftetl:s afcnbcd to the Ahueyatl:li. 1 The Cencoatl ( o), which is alfo a poifonous ii1ake, is about five feet long, and eight inches round at the thickcft part. The moil: remarkable quality of this fnakc is its fhining in the dark. Thus does the provident Author of nature, by varjous imprefiions on our fenfes, at one time upon our ears by the noife of a rattle, at another time upon our eyes by the impreffions of light, awake our attention to guard againil: approaching danger. Among the harmlefs fnakes, of which there arc fcveral kinds, we cannot pafs over the 'I'zicatlinan, and the Maqut'zcoatl. The Tzimtlinan is very beautiful, about a foot in length, and of the thickne:C() of the little finger. It lives always in ant-hills; and it takes fo much pleafure in being among ants, that it will accompany thefe infects upon their expeditions, and return with them to their ufual neft. The Mexican name 'I'zt'catlinan, lignifies mother of ants, and that is the name given it by the Spaniards ; but [ fufpetl: that all the attachment which this little fnake !hews to ant-hills, proceeds only from its living upon the ants themfelves. (11) 1 he Mexicans give this fnakc the name alfo of MicMtl; the Spaniards that of S.-cti/1(1, both lignifying the fame thing with the Jflndum of the Latins. (o) There are feme other fpccies of fn :ikcs which having the fame colours with the CcJJcontl, go by the fame name, but they arc all of a harrnlefs natme. The , .. l-I I S 't 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. / The Maquizcoat/ is about the fame fize but of a iliining filvery hue. The tail is .thicker than the head, and this fnake can move progreffively with either extremity at pleafure. It is called by the Greeks, Amphi.foecena (p); it is a very rare fpccies, and has nev r been fecn as filr as I know, in any other place than the valley of Toluca. Of all the variety of fi1akes which are found in the unfrequented woods of that kingdom, I believe that no viviparous fpecies has been difcovered, except the acoatl or water-fi1ake~ which too is only fuppofcd, but not certainly known, to be viviparous. That fn ake is about tWCllty inches long and one thick: its teeth are exceeding fmall,. the upper part of the head is black, the fides of it are blue, and the under part yellow. The back is ftriped with blue and black, the b lly is entirely blue. The ancient Mexicans who took delight in rearing all kinds of an imals, and who by long familiarity ]oft that horror which fuch animals naturally infpire, ufcd co catch in the fields a little green harmlefs fi1ake, which being brought up at home, and well fed, would fometimes grow to the .fize of a man. It was. generally kept in a tub, which it never left but to receive its food from its maft~.r's hand ,. which it would take, either mounted upon his {boulder or coiled about his legs. , If from the land we now turn our eyes to the rivers, lakes, and feas of Anahuac, we fhall find in them a much greater variety of creatures. Even the known fpecies of their fi(h are innumerable; for of thofe only which ferve for the nouri!hment of manr I have counted upwards of a hundred fpecies, without reckoning the turtle, crab, lobil:er, or any other teftaceous or cruil:aceous animal. Of the fi£11, fome are common to both the feas; fome are peculiar to the Mexican gulf alone, others to the Pacific Ocean ; and fome are to· be found. only in the lakes and riversr 6r BOOK I .. '--v--1 The fi[h common to both the feas are whales, dolphins, fword-fi£11, faw .. fiOl, tiburones, manatis, mantas, porpoifes, bonitas, cod, mullets, (p) Plin~, in lib. viii. cap. zJ, gives the Amphi}btd!na two hends; but the Greek name ~1cans noth1ng more than the double motion. Thr. two-headed ferpcut of Pliny has been fccn 111 Europe, and fame have af\e rted that it is to be met with in Mexico, hllt I do not know that th at any one has fcen it. If it has been found in thnr country, it cannot be wnlldcred ns :1 nntural fpeci es, but r:tther as a monfler, like the two-headed eagle found a few years fincc in SEcT.XIIf .. The fifh of the fens, ri~ vcrs, and lakes of A· nahuac. Oaaca, :mel fcnt to the Catholic kiltg:.' I thorn backs, |