e I
give in the Appendix a memorandum of about one hundred birds observed
by him in that country, which are also found within the United States,
and have been figured and described by Wilson, Bonaparte, Audubon, and
Nuttall; of others, which are well known to the scientific world for
their striking brilliancy of plumage, having been observed in different
parts of South and Central America, but are known only by skins
prepared and sold in the country, and whose habits have never been
described; and a third class, more important to the naturalist than
either of the others, comprising birds entirely unknown until
discovered by him in Yucatan. The memorandum is accompanied by a few
notes referring to the places and circumstances under which they were
procured; and in referring to them in the Appendix, I would take
occasion to say that some of the most really important matter in this
work is to be found in that place, for the sake of which I have
considered it expedient materially to abridge my narrative.

But to resume. We stopped that night at Tixmeach, eight leagues
distant, a neat village with a well one hundred and forty-four feet
deep, at which every woman drawing from it left a handful of maize for
a cantaro of water, and we paid a medio for watering our horses; and
setting out before daylight the next morning, at half past nine we
reached Peto, where we found Mr. Catherwood and our luggage on the
hands of our friend Don Pio Perez.

Peto is the head of a department, of which Don Pio Perez was gefe
politico. It was a well-built town, with streets indicated, as at
Merida, by figures on the tops of the houses. The church and convent
were large and imposing edifices, and the living of the cura one of the
most valuable in the church, being worth six or seven thousand dollars
per annum.

At this place we found letters and packets of newspapers from home,
forwarded to us from Merida, and, except attending to them, our time
was devoted almost exclusively to long and interesting conversations
with Don Pio on matters connected with the antiquities of the country.
I cannot sufficiently express my obligations to this gentleman for the
warm interest he took in facilitating our pursuits, and for the labour
he bestowed ungrudgingly in our behalf. Besides preparing a series of
verbal forms and other illustrations of the grammar of the Maya
language, according to memoranda made by the same distinguished
gentleman before referred t