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DISSERTATION IV. 



Of the Animals of Mexico. 



ONE of the arguments mod infifted on by Buffon 

 and de Paw, to illuftrate the unhappy nature of 

 the American foil, and the malignity of its clime, is the 

 pretended degeneracy of animals, both of thofe which 

 are native to that land, and thofe which have been trans- 

 ported there from the ancient continent. In the prefent 

 DhTertation we mail examine their proofs, and detect 

 fome of their errors and contradictions. 



SECT. I. 



Of the Animals proper to Mexico. 



ALL the animals which are found in the new, have 

 palfed there from the old world, as we have eftabliftied 

 in the firft DifTertation > and it is confelfed alfo by Mr. 

 Buffon himfelf, in the twenty-ninth volume of his Natu- 

 ral Hiftory ; and it ought likewife to be credited, if we 

 rely on the authority of the facred writings in this point. 

 We call thofe animals proper to Mexico which were 

 found there by the Spaniards ; not becaufe they draw 

 their origin from that land, as we are given to underftand 

 by Mr. de Paw in all his work, and by Mr. Buffon in 

 the firft twenty-eight volumes of his Hiftory ; but only 

 to diftinguifh thofe animals which, from time immemori- 

 al, were bred in thofe countries, from thofe others 

 which were afterwards tranfported there from Europe : 

 we mail therefore call the latter European^ the former 

 American. 



The 



