i, 



HISTORY MEXICO. 29 



pulino, Guava, or Ciiaxinicuil, Pitahaya, Papaya, Gua- 

 nabana, Noce Encarcelado, Plums, Dates^ Chajoti, Ti- 

 lapo, Obo or Hobo, Nance, Cacahuate, and many others 

 unimportant to be known by the reader. Mofl: of thefe 

 fruits are defcribed in the works of Oviedo, Acofta, Her- 

 nandez, Laet, Nieremberg, Marcgrave, Pifon, Barrere, 

 Sloane, Ximenes, Uiloa, and m.any other naturalifts ; we 

 fhall therefore only take notice of thofe which are the 

 leafl; known in Europe. 



All the fruits comprehended by the Mexicans under 

 the generic name of Tzapotl, are round or approach to 

 roupdnefs ; and all have a hard ftone fbj. The black 

 Zapote, has a green, light, fmooth, tender bark ; a black, 

 foft, and mofl exceeding favoury pulp, which at firft fight 

 looks like the CalTia fcj. Within the pulp, it has flat, 

 blackifli (tones, not longer than a finger. It is perfectly 

 round, and its diam.eter from one and a half, to four or 

 five inches. The tree is of a moderate fize and thicknefs, 

 with fmall leaves. Ice of the pulp of this fruit, feafoned 

 with fugar and cinnamon, is of a mofl: delicate tafte. 



The white Zapote, which from its narcotic virtue, was 

 called by the Mexicans Cochitzapotl, is fomething fimilar 

 to the black, in fize, figure, and colour of the bark ; al- 

 though in the white the green is m.ore clear ; but in other 

 refpe£i:s they are greatly diflerent. Its ftone, which is 

 believed to be poifonous, is large, round, hard, and 



white. 



(h) The fruits comprehended by the Mexicans under the name of Tzapotl, 

 are the Mammei Tetzotrfzapoff^ the Chirinioya Mafzapotl, the Anona ^anbt- 

 zapotl, the black Zapotl Tiiltzapotl, &c. 



(c) Gemelli fays, the black Zapotl has alfo the tafte of the Cafiia : but this is 

 very far from being true, which all who have tafted it muft know. He fays 

 alfo, that this fruit when crude, is poifon to fifti, but it is wonderful that fuch a 

 fa6l Ihould be known only to Gemelli, who was not more than ten months in 

 Mexico. 



