200 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



BufFon, a native of the cold countries of the North, the 

 tepeitzcuintli, of the torrid zone ; the glutton is, accord- 

 ing to count de BufFon, twice as large as the badger. 

 The tepeitzcuintli is, as Hernandez fays, parvi canis 

 magnitudine. The glutton is fo named on account of its 

 incredible and dreadful voracity, which even impels it to 

 dig up dead carcafFes to eat them ; Hernandez fays no- 

 thing of any fuch quality in the tepeitzcuintli, and he 

 certainly would not have omitted what conftitutes its 

 chief character : on the contrary, he affirms that the 

 tepeitzcuintli becomes domeftic, and feeds upon the yolks 

 of eggs and bread foaked in hot water ; but a beafl fo 

 carnivorous as the glutton could never fupport itfelf on 

 fuch diet. In fhort, to omit other arguments of their 

 diverfity, the fkin of the glutton is, as count de BufFon 

 fays, as valuable as that of the zibelline {$) ; but we do 

 not know that the fkin of the tepeitzcuintli was ever 

 efteemed or made ufe of. 



The xoloitzcuintli therefore being different from the 

 wolf and the tepeitzcuintli from the glutton, and thofe 

 four American quadrupeds of the clafs of dogs, being 

 very different from each other in fize, in difpofition, and 

 many other remarkable circumftances, notwithftanding 

 that they couple together, and can procreate a third in- 

 dividual, which is fruitful, we ought to conclude that 

 they are four different fpecies ; and therefore thefe three 

 fpecies, which count de BufFon has unjuftly taken from 

 America, ought to be reftored to it. 



We fhould never finifli if we were to mention all the 

 miftakes of this author refpecling American quadrupeds ; 

 but merely to fhew that the number of feventy fpecies 



afcribed 



(h) Bomare fays, that the flcin of the glutton is more valued by the people of 

 Kamtfchatka than the zibelline ; and that in Sweden it is much in demand, and 

 Very dear. 



