IS 



head, which is bare of feathers, eye brown with a silvery iring en- 

 circling the pupil. In the female, — eye only brown, cheeks very bright 

 blue, and the two spots on the back of the head bright red, feet with 

 two toes before and two behind. 



No. 22. — Double crested Jay (29). Climbing Cuckoo (30 & 3l). 



Mr. Swainson has been some time engaged in preparing a work on 

 the Zoology of Mexico, wherein these birds will be more particu- 

 larly described. 



FRUITS, &c. 

 No. 23. — Gourds of various descriptions. 



No. 24. — The top of this case is occupied by a variety of the Mango 

 ( Mangefera Indica J, the elegant fruit of which is hanging in large 

 bunches from the trees. Beneath this is a rare variety of the Sapotse 

 (Achares), known only in the Botanic Garden of the Palace ; its 

 numerous lemon-like fruit clustering round the branches, make, in the 

 whole tree, a most luxuriant appearance. Of all the variety of edible 

 fruits of New Spain, this appeared to me the finest for the table; 

 when divested of its skill, the substance resembled, both in consistence 

 and taste, the clotted cream of Devonshire, mixed with white sugar. 



On the bottom of the case, on the left hand, in baskets, is the 

 common Sapota Blanco, the Granidillo, or water Lemon ( Passiflora )> 

 the Custard Apple, Capsicums, and a curious little plum-like fruit, 

 common in the market in Mexico, called Cirguclas. In the right 

 hand corner of this case is a curious plant, called Flores de Palo, 

 flowers of wood. It was presented by Don Cervantes, Professor of 

 Botany, of Mexico, with the following description : — 



" The flowers of wood, commonly so called by the country people, 

 are ingrafted plants, produced by the Loranthus Americanus of Linnceus, 

 whose berries are eaten by different species of birds, and the un- 

 digested seeds are afterwards deposited, with their excrements, on 

 many species of trees, on whose branches they vegetate, when the 

 rainy season sets in, in the same manner as parasite plants, and by 

 forcing their vegetation through the longitudinal parts of the branches 

 produce these curious figures which we observe, and which pass under 

 the name of wood-flowers. 



" The Loranthus Americanus is a plant producing a fruit that can 

 keep many years : it grows on different species of trees, and par- 

 ticularly on the Alligator-pear tree, (Laurus Perseco, Lin. J and, 



