WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 209 



titles of ant bears; they have tapirs (dantas) and so many other 

 species of animals and small creatures that it is impossible to 

 enumerate them, for they are of many kinds and quite extraordinary. 



587. They have varieties of birds different from ours as well as 

 European kinds — peregrine falcons, falcons, white eagles, lanners, 

 sparrowhawks, gerfalcons, sakers, merlins, crested hawks, excellent 

 small falcons of first quality, falcons with one foot webbed and the 

 other with claws ; they go constantly in the water. They have wood- 

 peckers the size of a thrush, black with red dashes on their heads and 

 breasts ; these live on acorns, and when it is the season they hollow out 

 holes in the trees and pines with their bills and they plaster them with 

 acorns so nicely fitted to the holes that they can hardly be pulled out, 

 for them to feed on out of season ; their foresight keeps these birds 

 alive ; to eat them, they get them out from the bark of the trees with 

 their talons, and they keep hammering away and eating the acorns. 

 They have ravens, pigeons, ringdoves, and many kinds of turtledoves — 

 large, medium, and tiny, with tufted feathers and smaller than 

 sparrows. 



Chapter IV 



Of the Varieties of Aromatic Trees and Those of Other Sorts ; 

 the Flowers and Springs and Caves To Be Found in This District 

 of Chiapas. 



588. The liquidambar tree is very tall and handsome ; from a 

 distance its leaves look like pear leaves, but more elaborate, with five 

 points. These trees generally grow along the banks and shores of 

 rivers and watercourses, where there is water running, and nowhere 

 else. These trees have large swellings in which the liquidambar ac- 

 cumulates ; to get it out, they slash the swellings, and the liquidambar 

 trickles out, ruddy as gold and very fragrant ; from each swelling 

 they usually get a half-arroba jug full (i.e., 2 gallons.) 



589. The tacamajaca tree (balsam poplar) is like a medium-sized 

 olive tree and the leaves are similar ; the gum is produced as is usual 

 on trees ; it comes in white and in gray ; its virtues are well known 

 for headaches and migraines and other affections. They have incense 

 trees, and another gum which is very fragrant and white as wax ; 

 the copal resin is of the same nature. They have storax trees and 

 benzoin. The mastic tree is tall and reddish, with frizzly bark ; the 

 virtues and efficacy of mastic are well known. There are also balsam 

 trees, and another tall tree with thick foliage which produces a very 

 fragrant pepper which in New Spain they put into chocolate. 



15 



