The _fauna_ of the country embraces fifty-two varieties of mammal
quadrupeds, including three species of large felidae--the jaguar, the
puma, or cougar, and the ocelot, a carnivorous cat-like animal, whose
name is derived from the native Mexican word _ocelotl_. There are five
varieties of monkeys in the tropical forests, as well as a sloth. There
are forty-three classes of reptiles, including alligators and turtles,
and several kinds of venomous serpents, and the great boa-constrictor.
Upon the plateau and mountain ranges wolves and wild-cats abound, and
the coyote is the wild inhabitant of the desert plains most in
evidence. There are several kinds of bears, and the wolf, skunk, bison,
and tapir are found.

Mexico cannot be said to offer a field for hunters of big game, and the
term "a sportsman's paradise" which is sometimes applied to it, is
something of an exaggeration. Nevertheless, there is considerable sport
to be had, and certain kinds of game abound. Among animals may be
enumerated the peccaries, or _javilines_, deer, rabbits, hares; of
reptiles, alligators, turtles, and iguanas; whilst whales, seals, and
sea-lions are encountered upon the Pacific coast. Alligators are
numerous in the estuaries of the rivers of both the Gulf and the
Pacific sides, as well as turtles and tortoises. Of birds for the
sportsman may be mentioned the wild turkey--which, indeed, was
introduced to Europe from Mexico--partridges, quail, and wild pigeons.
The armadillo, beaver, martin, otter, and others are among the Mexican
_fauna_. Of noxious reptiles and insects the rattlesnake is much in
evidence, as well as the tarantula, centipede, _alacran_, or scorpion,
and varieties of ants. Of birds of beautiful plumage the Mexican
tropics abound with life, and they are famed for their fine feathers,
and as songsters. They are an example of Nature's compensating
circumstances; for in the hot lowlands they are more distinguished for
their bright plumage than their voice; whilst in the uplands they are
of much more modest dress, but higher singing capacities. More than 350
species of birds have been enumerated throughout the country, and among
these are fifty varieties of humming-birds, which range throughout the
whole colour-scale, from blue and green to scarlet. The _zenzontle_, or
mocking-bird, is a well-known bird in Mexico.

Such are, in brief, the natural conditions of geological structure,
climatic conditions, and the organic world conse