Note 54 — Government Matters

A small bird, native to the island of Cerdeña, whose nest is utilized by the cuckoo. The context, however, suggests that the word may be a misprint for mezquitas, referring to the mezquit (Algarobia) of Nueva España—the writer meaning that along the Quiñgua valley were numerous thickets of some shrub resembling the mezquit. The river is now fringed with clumps of prickly bamboo. It is also possible that mosquitas is simply a misprint for mosquitos (“mosquitoes”).