48 



SIX MONTHS IN MEXICO. 



took in seeing so great a multitude of animals 

 collected together, he was principally careful 

 of their feathers, not less for the sake of the 

 famous Mosaic images, of which we shall speak 

 hereafter, than of the other works which were 

 made of them. The halls and chambers of 

 those houses were so many in number, as the 

 conqueror above mentioned attests, that they 

 could have accommodated two great princes 

 with all their retinue. This celebrated house 

 was situated in the place where, at present, 

 the great convent of St. Francis stands. 



" The other house, appropriated to the wild 

 animals, had a large and handsome court, with 

 a chequered pavement, and was divided into 

 various apartments. One of them contained 

 all the birds of prey, from the royal eagle to 

 the kestrel, and many individuals of every 

 species. These birds were distributed, ac- 

 cording to their species, in various subterrane- 

 ous chambers, which were more than seven 



