56 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Ail the fpecies of monkies in that kingdom, are known 

 by the Mexicans under the general name of Ozomatliy 

 and by the Spaniards under that of Moms, They are of 

 different fizes and figure, fome fmall and uncommonly di- 

 verting ; fome middling, of the fize of a badger ; and 

 others large, flout, fierce, and bearded, which are called 

 by fome Zambos, Thefe when they fland upright, which 

 they do upon two legs, often equal the ftature of a man. 

 Amongft the middling kind there are thofe which from 

 having a dog's head, belong to the clafs of the cynoce- 

 phali, although they are all furniihed with^a tail (ni). 



With refpe^l to the ant-killers, that is, thofe quadru- 

 peds which are fo fingular for the enormous length of 

 their fnout, the narrownefs of their throat, and immode- 

 rate tongue, with which they draw the ants out of their 

 ant-hills, and from whence they have got their name ; 

 I have never feen any in that kingdom, nor do I know 

 that there are any there ; but I believe it is no other than 

 the aztacojotl, that is, cojote, ant-killer, mentioned, but 

 not defcribed by Hernandez ( ri). 



The quadrupeds which peculia rly belong to the land 

 of Anahuac, whofe fpecies I do not know to have been 



found 



{m) The Cynocephalos of the ancient continent has no tail as every one 

 knows. There having been monkies found in the New World, which have 

 the head of a dog, and are furniihed with tails, Brifibn, in his clafs of apes, 

 juftly applies to them of this clafs the name of Cinocephali Ccrcopitechi, and 

 divides them into two fpecies. BufFon, amongft the many fpecies of monkies 

 which he defcribes, omits this one. 



(«) We call thofe quadrupeds, ant-killers, which the Spaniards term Hormi- 

 gueros, and the French FourmilUer ; but the bear, ant-killers, defcribed by Oviedo, 

 are certainly different from the Fourmilliers of BufFon ; for although they agree 

 in the eating of ants, and in their enormous tongue and fnout, they are neverthe- 

 Icfs remarkably diftinguilhe^ from each other as to tail, for thofe of Buffbn have 

 an immenfe tail, but Oviedo's none at all. The defcription which Oviedo gives 

 of their way of hunting the ants is moft fingular and curious. 



