94 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



or 1739, upon the coafts of Xicayan. From this caufc 

 a great famine was lately occafioned in the Peninfula of 

 Yucatan : but no country has been vifited by this 

 dreadful fcourge fo often as the wretched California (c^. 

 Among the land-infedls, belides the common ones, 

 about which nothing occurs to me worthy to be men- 

 tioned, there are worms of feveral kinds, fcolopendrce, 

 fcorpions, fpiders, ants, nigua chegoes or jiggers, and 

 the cochineal. 



Of the worms, fome are ufeful, and others pernici- 

 ous ; fome ferved as food to the ancient Mexicans, and 

 others in the way of medicine, as the j4xm and the Foi- 

 ling which we lhall fpeak of in another place. The 

 Tleocui/in or burning worm, has the fame qualities with 

 the Cantharides : its head is red, the breaffc green, and 

 the reft of the body is of a tawny-colour. The ^ ma- 

 huani^ is a worm covered with yellow venomous pric- 

 kles. The Temi^lli refembles the filk-worm, both in its 

 operations and its metamorphofes. The filk-worm was 

 brought from Europe, and was propagated with fuccefs. 

 Great plenty of good filk was made, efpecially in Miz- 

 teca (d)^ where it became a great article of trade ; but 

 the Miztecans being afterwards, from political caufes, 

 forced to abandon it, the rearing of the worms was like- 

 wife negle6led ; and at this time very few are employed 

 in that bufmefs. Belides that common fiik, there is 

 another excellent kind, very white, foft, and ftrong, 

 which is often to be found upon trees, in feveral woods 



upon 



{c) In the hiftory of California, which will be publiflied in a few months, 

 will he found a great many obfervations with refpedl to locufts, made by the 

 Abbe D. Mich, del Barco, who lived upwards of thirty years in that country, 

 a country not more famous than undeferving of the fame it has acquired. 



{d ) Some places in Mizteca Hill preferve the name which they obtained for* 

 merly, upon account of that trade ; as filk St. Francis, filk Tejjexe* 



