70 



HISTORY OF MEXICO, 



and marked with numerous black fpots. The wings 

 are white and brown on the under-fide, and upon the 

 upper-fide variegated with black, white, blue, green, 

 and tawny-colour. Its feet are of a yellowifli red ; its 

 head brown and tawny-coloured, and partly purple, 

 with a beautiful white fpot betwixt the eyes and bill : 

 the eyes are black ; and the tail is blue above, brown 

 below, and white at its extremity. 



The Tlauhtototl is extremely like the Tlacuiloltototl in 

 its colours, but is fmaller. The Huacamaye and the 

 Cardinals, fo much prized by the Europeans, upon 

 account of their fine colours, are very common in this 

 country. 



All thefe beautiful birds and others peculiar to Mex- 

 ico, befides fome which have been brought thither from 

 the countries adjacent, are of great value to the Mexi- 

 cans, in their fingular works of Mofaic, which we fliall 

 mention in another place. Peacocks have been carried 

 there from the old continent, but they have not been 

 attended to; and have, therefore, propagated very 

 llowly. 



Many authors, who allow to the birds of Mexico a fu- 

 periority in the beauty of their plumage, have denied 

 them that of fong : but we can with perfect confidence 

 affirm, that that opinion has not been formed upon real 

 obfervation, but has proceeded from ignorance, as it is 

 more difficult for Europeans to hear the Mexican birds 

 than to fee them. 



There are in Mexico, as well as in Europe, gold-finches 

 and nightingales, and at leaft two-and-twenty fpecies be- 

 fides, of finging birds, which are little or nothing infe- 

 rior to thefe ; but all that we are acquainted with are 

 furpaffed by the very famous Centzontli^ fo named by 



the 



