G08 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



one hundred and twenty thousand 

 persons are supposed to have pe- 

 rished. There are an infinity of 

 nitrous, sulphureous, vitriolic, and 

 aluminous mineral waters, some 

 of which spring so very hot, that 

 in a few moments any kind of 

 fruit, eggs, or animalfood is boiled 

 in them. There are also abun- 

 dance of petrifying waters. 



Mexico is most singularly fertile 

 in plants, which yield balsams, 

 gums, rosins, and oils ; among 

 these are the huitziloxitl, from 

 which is distilled a balsam no wise 

 inferior to the celebrated balsam 

 of Mecca, and the Mexican tree, 

 xochiocolzotl, from which is ex- 

 tracted that precious rosin, called 

 by the Spaniards amber ; likewise 

 the oil called liquid amber, which 

 is still more odorous and estimable 

 than the rosin. From the Mexi- 

 can tree, copalli, is extracted 

 gum copal; it is used in Europe 

 in medicine and in varnishes, and 

 a great quantity of it is consumed 

 as incense on the altars in Catholic 

 churches. The caragna and the 

 tecamaca are rosins well known to 

 the apothecaries in Europe, and 

 are distilled from two Mexican 

 trees. The thorny shrub, rai''.- 

 quitl, yields the true gum arabic. 

 Gama laca runs in such abundance 

 from a tree like the raizquitl, that 

 the branches are covered with it. 

 Expatli, or dragon's blood, runs 

 from a large Mexican tree, named 

 exquahuitl. Olli, or the elastic 

 gum, distils from the Mexican 

 tree, olquahuitl ; those who gather 

 it can model it to any form : the 

 Mexicans make their foot-balls of 

 this gum, which, though heavy, 

 rebound more than those filled 

 with air. Besides other uses to 



which they apply it, they varnish 

 their hats, their boots, cloaks, and 

 great coats with it, which makes 

 them all water-proof. 



Mexico may be j uslly styled the 

 country of birds, there being up- 

 wards of two hundred species pe- 

 culiar to that kingdom. Among 

 the birds of prey, are several spe- 

 cies of eagles, the most powerful 

 and valuable of which is that 

 named by the Mexicans itzquauh- 

 tli, which not only pursues the 

 larger birds and hares, but will 

 even attack men and beasts. 



The Mexican falcons are so ex- 

 cellent in their nature, that they 

 were sent as presents to the king, 

 and the nobility of Spain. There 

 are two kinds of kestrels, birds of 

 prey ; the one called cenotzqui is 

 particularly beautiful : likewise 

 goss-hawks and sparrow-hawks ; 

 zapilots, or gallinazos, which are 

 larger than the raven ; these not 

 only clear the fields of carrion, 

 which they discover by the acute- 

 ness of their sight and smell, when 

 flying at the greatest heights, but 

 they likewise attend the female 

 crocodiles, and destroy their eggs. 

 It is illegal to kill them. There 

 are upwards of seventy species of 

 birds which afford a wholesome 

 and agreeable food ; amongst 

 which are woodcocks, partridges, 

 snipes, pheasants, cranes, turtle- 

 doves, pigeons, quails, wild tur- 

 keys, &c. with a vast variety of 

 others that are esteemed in Eu- 

 rope. 



Of aquatic and other fishing- 

 birds which live chieflyon the sea- 

 shore, upon the sides of lakes and 

 rivers, and seek their food in the 

 water, the numbers are prodi- 

 gious ; geese in wonderful quan- 



