HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



53 



throws it back upon its neck, while it flirinks under its 

 fcaks or fliell (h). 



But it refembles no animal more than the turtle, al- 

 though many parts of its form are totally dilTimilar, 

 We might give it the name of the teftaceous quadruped. 

 When this animal happens to be chaced on level ground, 

 it has no means of efcaping from the hands of its purfu- 

 ers ; but as it chiefly inhabits the mountains, when it 

 meets with any declivity it coils itfelf up in the form of 

 a globe, and by rolling itfelf down the defcent fools the 

 hunter. 



The Techichi^ which had elfewhere the name of Alco^ 

 was a quadruped of Mexico, and other countries of 

 America, which from its refemblance to a little dog was 

 called by the Spaniards Perroj which fignifies dog. It 

 was of a melancholy afpe61: and perfectly dumb, from 

 whence the fabulous account propagated by many au- 

 thors flill living arofe, of dogs becoming mute when 

 tranfported from the old to the new world. The flefli of 

 the Techichi was eaten by the Mexicans, and if we may 

 credit the Spaniards who eat it, was agreeable and nou- 

 rifhing food. After the conqueft of Mexico, the Spa- 

 niards having neither large cattle, nor flieep, provided 

 their markets with this quadruped ; by which means the 

 fpecies was foon extin(51;, although it had been very nu- 

 merous. 



The Tlalmototli^ or land-fquirrel, called by BufFon 

 Svizzero^ is like the real fquirrel in the eyes, in the tail, 



in 



(;&) Ajotochtli is a word compounded of Ajotli^ the back part of the head, 

 and I'dcbtli^ rabbit. BufFon numbers eight fpecies of them under the name of 

 Tatous^ eftimating their difference from the number of fcales and moveable fub- 

 flances which cover them. I cannot exadlly fay how many fpecies there may 

 be in Mexico, having but a few individuals ; as I did not think at the time of 

 writing on this fubjedt, I was not curious to count their fcales, nor do I kno"# 

 of any body who ever attended to fuch a ftrange kind of diftinition. 



