92 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



but makes no honey or wax. The Xicotli or Xicote, is 

 a thick, black wafp, with a yellow belly ; which makes 

 a very fweet honey, in holes made by it in walls. It is 

 provided with a ftrong fting, which gives a very pain- 

 ful wound. The Cuicalmiahuatl^ has likewife a fting ; 

 but whether it makes honey or not, we do not know. 



The ^auh xicotli y is a black hornet, with a red tail, 

 whofe fling is fo large and ftrong, as not only to go 

 through a fugar cane, but even to pierce into the trunk 

 of a tree. 



Among the flies, befides the common fly which is 

 neither fo troublefome, nor in fuch numbers as in Italy 

 during fummer (^), there are fome luminous as the 

 glow-worm. The Axayacatl is a marfli-fly, of the 

 Mexican lake, the eggs of which being depolited in im- 

 menfe quantities, upon the rufhes and corn-flags of the 

 lake, form large mafles, which are taken up by fiflier- 

 men and carried to market for fale. This caviare called 

 AhuauhtU^ which has much the fame tafte with the 

 caviare of fifli, ufed to be eaten by the Mexicans, and is 

 now a common difh among the Spaniards. The Mexi- 

 cans eat not only the eggs, but the flies themfelves 

 made up together into a mafs, and prepared with falt- 

 petre. 



Gnats, which are fo common in Europe, and efpeci- 

 ally in Italy, abound in the maritime parts of Mexico, 

 and in all places where heat, /landing water, and 

 flirubs, encourage their propagation. They are in im- 



menfe 



(a) The fame obfervation has been made before by Oviedo ; " In the iflands,'* 

 faid he, " and in terra firma, there are very few flies ; and in comparifon of 

 " their numbers in Europe, one might almoft fay there are none." Nat. Hift. 

 Ind. cap. 8i. In Mexico, certainly there are not fo few as Oveido fays, but, 

 generally fpeaking, they are neither fo numerous nor fo troublefome as in 

 Europe, 



