Of All Animals. 23

# CONCERNING DUCKS

A certain species of duck, named the *Xlepapantotl*, frequents the Mexican marshes. Its beak tapers to a sharp point, and Nature has denied it no color; the variety of its plumage bestows a great beauty upon it, and indeed, it is known everywhere as the "beautiful bird."

Furthermore, there is a bird common to the Mexican regions named the "Hoarse One" because of the sound of its voice. Some classify it as a species of kingfisher, while others categorize it among the wild ducks, as its meat provides nourishment and a flavor not unlike that of a wild duck; it is, however, slightly smaller than a wild duck. It has a beak a span long and three fingers wide in the middle, which then tapers to a point suitable for biting; it is black on top, white underneath, and pale around the sides. The eyes are black, with an iris that is red around the pupil, then pale, and finally turning white. A greenish-pale band extends from the eyes to the base of the beak. The legs and feet, which are split into toes, are greenish on the outside but incline toward a pale color on the inside. The color of the whole body is largely white, interspersed with tawny feathers. However, the upper parts are more dusky, while the lower parts are white. The under-wings are ash-colored, blackish toward the tips on top, then turning a reddish-tawny, and finally pale; the tail is short and black. It feeds on fish and is easily tamed. In spring, it settles among the reeds to care for its young. It is a marvel that it possesses a neck which, in comparison to the rest of its body, is very long; nonetheless, it frequently contracts it to a surprising shortness.

Finally, in the Faroe Islands—which seem to have acquired the common name "Ferroyer" from their abundance of feathers—there are many web-footed birds. Among these, many should be referred to as wild ducks, especially those that the inhabitants call Landas, Alkas, and Iomuvias, which are preferred over the other birds of these islands both for their numbers and for the use of their feathers. The Landa has a reddish beak, a somewhat broad white breast, a black back, and red wings and feet; in body size, it is smaller than a duck. This is undoubtedly the bird that Carolus Clusius, in his *Exotics*, called the "Arctic Duck," which nests in the caverns of high cliffs and lays eggs equal in size to those of hens. It returns every spring, but where it goes in the winter remains unknown.

The aforementioned Alka is somewhat larger, with a wide black beak and a similarly black body, except that it is white under the lower breast and wings. Its feet are black, its head is brown, and a white line runs from each eye to the part nearest the beak. Like the Landa, it nests on the highest cliffs and produces eggs mottled with white and black.

The Iomuvia is the largest of these; its whole body is black, except for the breast, which is white. Its feet are black, and its beak is black, sharp, and elongated. It likewise hatches its eggs on the more prominent cliffs; these are cyan in color but variegated with markings of different hues.

# CONCERNING WATER CROWS

Setting aside the history of the Indian Crow, which is called the *Cacalotl*—a bird clothed in some white feathers, varied with three colors, and twice as large as the European variety—we turn our attention to the water crow native to the Mexican region. From the tip of its tail to the point of its beak, it is nearly four spans long and of moderate width. Its legs are a span and a half long, and its beak, curved like a bow, is two palms long and moderately slender. Its feet are divided into four toes, armed with the blackest claws; the legs are less black than the

toes,