HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



201 



afcribed by him to America is not juft, but different, and 

 even contrary to what he has written in the courfe of his 

 Hiftory, we (hail fuhjoin to this diffenation a lift of Ame- 

 rican quadrupeds taken from that hi (lory, to which we 

 fliall add the quadrupeds which he confounds with others 

 which are different, and thofe which he has entirely 

 omitted ; from which it will appear how far he has been 

 from the truth, in faying that in America there has been 

 a prodigious fcarcity of matter. For in order to deter- 

 mine fuch a fcarcity, it is not enough to know that the 

 fpecies are few in number, but it would beneceffary al- 

 fo to demonftrate that the individuals of fuch fpecies are 

 alfo few in number ; for if the individuals of the feven- 

 ty fpecies of American quadrupeds are more numerous 

 than thofe of the one hundred and thirty fpecies of the 

 old continent, although the nature of them were lefs va- 

 rious, dill it would not prove a greater fcarcity of mat- 

 ter. It would be neceffary, befides, to demonftrate, 

 that the fpecies of reptiles and birds are fewer, and alfo 

 the individuals lefs numerous, as both of thefe ferve to 

 fliew the abundance or fcarcity of matter ; but no one is 

 fo ignorant of the country of America, as to need to be 

 informed of the incredible variety and furprifing num- 

 ber of American birds. We mould wifli to know why 

 nature, which has been fo niggardly of quadrupeds to 

 America, as count de Buffon and Mr. de Paw report, 

 has been fo prodigal of birds ? 



Thefe authors, not contented with diminiming the 

 fpecies of American quadrupeds, attempt alfo to lef- 

 fen their (lature : cs AH the animals of America," fays 

 count de Buffon (/'), " both thofe which have been 

 Vol. III. D d " tranf- 



(?) Hifl. Nat. torn, xviii. 



