36 SIX MONTHS IX MEXICO. 



(brandy) was sold. Near one Indian hut we 

 saw hanging the skin of the Mexican cat {the 

 felis paradcdis of Lin. and the ocelot of Cu- 

 vier) recently killed ; and near another that 

 of the felis discolor of Lin. le couguar of 

 Cuvier, commonly called the Puma or Ame- 

 rican Lion, which shows that it would not be 

 quite safe to travel through this country 

 unarmed or in the night. The birds through- 

 out this day^s journey were very tame, and we 

 shot some, but as we had no means of pre- 

 serving them, they were lost. We passed 

 several districts which had been set on fire for 

 the purposes of destroying the rank grass and 

 fertilizing the land, and the flames spread 

 with great rapidity; — on the outskirts we 

 observed several vultures waiting for the 

 animals which might be driven out by the 

 fire, and upon their appearance pouncing 

 upon, and devouring them with their cha- 

 racteristic voracity. We saw many different 



