OCR Text |
Show :292 DTSSERT. 1 v. ~ H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. other fpecies. But this clafs of quadrupeds, fo famous for their mil:_ ery, is common to both continents. Count de Buffon will not believe it, becaufe it does not fuit his fyftem, and fays, that if any !loth is found in Alia, it mu!l: have been tranfported there from America; but whatever he may f.1y, it is certain, from the atteftations of Klein, Linnmus, Briilon, the publifher of the Cabinet of Seba, and above them all Vofmaer, a learned and diligent naturalifi: of Holland (a), that the Unau, one of the fpecics of flotl)s, is an Afiatic animal. The Unau of Bengal, which has been fcen, bred, and exaCtly dcfcribed by this naturalifi, cannot have been tranfportcd from America ; for no commerce between South America and Afia has ever fubfifted. Befides, the Unau of Bengal differs from that of America: the former has five, the latter only two toes to its feet. If the count de Button is perfuaded that the climate of Afia could incrcafe the number of toes of the American quadruped, we would then fay to thofe quadrupeds that the climate of the old continent WOLlld be capable of refi:oring the tails, horns, and tufks, of which the pernicious climate of America has deprived them. Whoever will read the eloquent defcription given of the American floth by the count de Buffon, nnd compare it with that given by Mr. Vofmaer of the !loth pentadatlylus of Bengal, will foon perceive that this Aiiatic quadruped is as miferable as thofe of America. But let us philofophically examine what thofe authors f.:'ly refpeCl:ing the fuppofcd irregularity of thofe quadrnpeds. Real irregularity in animals is fome difproportion of their limbs, or fingularity in the form, or in the difpofitions of fome individuals with refpcCl: to the generality of their fpecies, not that which is obferved in a new fpecics compared with one which is known. It would be extremely abfurd to confider the techr'chi an irregular animal, becaufe it does not bark. This is an American qu<ldruped, which, from its rcfemblance to European dogs, was called dog by the Spaniards: not hecaufe it was of the f.1me fpecies : and from thence rofe the fable propagated by not a few authors, that in America dogs were mute. Wolves are extreme- (6) Dtfi·riptiPTI d.· plufrur; A11i111aux. A work printed at Amftcrdam. ly : H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. ly fimilar Co dogs, but they do not bark. If the .firft: Spaniards who went to. Mexico had not feen wolves in Europe, when they .f.'lw thoft: of ~ex1co they would have reported, that there were large dogs there wh1ch could not be tamed, and that they did not bark but howled. And this would have furnifhed count de Bufton and Mr. de Paw with a new argument to prove the degeneracy and irregularity of American animals. The argument of Mr. de Paw concering American o!l:riches has no more weight. The 'l'ouyou is an American bird fpeci.fically different from the oll:rich; bnt becaufe it is large, {lnd very fimilar to that African bird, it has been vulgarly called oihich. This is fuBi~ cicnt to make Mr. de Paw affirm that there is irregularity in thofc Am.erican birds; but if we ihould allow that the Touyou is truly an ofl:nch he could not make out his poiition. He would make us be~ lieve the At.nerican oftrich in:egular, becaufe inftead of having only two toes umted by a membrane like the African, it has four fcparate toes. But an American might .fi1y that the African oftrich is rather irregular, becaufc inftcad of having four feparate toes, it has only two, and thofc united by means of a membrane. "No," Mr. de ~a.w would re~ly in rage, " it is not fo: the irregularity is certainly m your oftnches, becaufc they do not conform with tho[e of the " old world which are the original fpecics; nor with th ~ reprefentation " which the moil: f.'lmous naturaliO:s of Europe have left us· of fuch " 'u·.1 rd s . " " 0 ur wor ld , " t I1 e A mer1.c an wou ld return, " which you " call new, becaufe three centuries ago it was not difcovered by you1 " is as ancient as yours, and our animals are cotemporary with yours. " They are under no necet1lty of conforming with your animals, nei" their are we to blame that the fpecies of our animals have been un" known to your naturalifts, or confounded by a fuper.ficial know.~ " ledge of them. Therefore either your oftriches are irregular be" caufe they do not conform with ours; or at leafi ours ought not " to be called irregular becaufe they do not conform with yours. " Until you demonftrate to us by inconteftible proofs, that the firft " ofhiches carne from the hand of the Creator with only tw.o toes (c) In Pcrn the oftrich is known hy the name of Suri. " united 2 93 DISSERT. IV. '-v---J |