First, Of Birds.[34]
The Humming Bird.
TheHumming Bird, the least of all Birds, little bigger than aDor, of variable glittering Colours, they feed upon Honey, which they suck out of Blossoms {7} and Flowers with their long Needle-like Bills; they sleep all Winter, and are not to be seen till the Spring, at which time they breed in little Nests, made up like a bottom of soft, Silk-like matter, their Eggs no bigger than a white Pease, they hatch three or four at a time, and are proper to this Country.
The Troculus.[35]
TheTroculus, a small Bird, black and white, no bigger than a Swallow, the points of whose Feathers are sharp, which they stick into the sides of the Chymney (to rest themselves, their Legs being exceeding short) where they breed in Nests made like a Swallows Nest, but of a glewy substance, and which is not fastened to the Chymney as a Swallows Nest, but hangs down the Chymney by a clew-like string a yard long. They commonly have four or five young ones, and when they go away, which is much about the time that Swallows use to depart, they never fail to throw down one of their young Birds into the room by way of Gratitude. I have more than once observed, that against the ruin of the Family these Birds will suddenly forsake the house and come no more.
{8}The Pilhannaw.[36]
ThePilhannaworMechquan, much like the description of theIndian Ruck, a monstrous great Bird, a kindof Hawk, some say an Eagle, four times as big as a Goshawk, white Mail’d, having two or three purple Feathers in her head as long as Geeses Feathers they make Pens of the Quills of these Feathers are purple, as big as Swans Quills and transparent; her Head is as big as a Childs of a year old, a very Princely Bird; when she soars abroad, all sort of feathered Creatures hide themselves, yet she never preys upon any of them, but uponFawnsandJaccals: She Ayries in the Woods upon the high Hills ofOssapy, and is very rarely or seldome seen.
The Turkie.[37]
TheTurkie, who is blacker than ours; I have heard several credible persons affirm, they have seenTurkieCocksthat have weighed forty, yea sixty pound; but out of my personal experimental knowledge I can assure you, that I have eaten my share of aTurkie Cock, that when he was pull’d and garbidg’d, weighed thirty {9} pound; and I have also seen threescore broods of youngTurkieson the side of a marsh, sunning of themselves in a morning betimes, but this was thirty years since, theEnglishand theIndianshaving now destroyed the breed, so that ’tis very rare to meet with a wildTurkiein the Woods; But some of theEnglishbring up great store of the wild kind, which remain about their Houses as tame as ours inEngland.
The Goose.[38]
TheGoose, of which there are three kinds; theGray Goose, theWhite Goose, and theBrant: TheGoosewilllive a long time; I once found in aWhite Goosethree Hearts, she was a very old one, and so tuff, that we gladly gave her over although exceeding well roasted.
The Bloody-Flux Cured.
A Friend of mine of good Quality living sometime inVirginiawas sore troubled for a long time with theBloody-Flux, having tryed several Remedies by the advice of his Friends without any good effect, at last was induced with a longing desire to drink theFat Dripping{10} of a Goose newly taken from the Fire, which absolutely cured him, who was in despair of ever recovering his health again.
The Gripe and Vulture.
TheGripe, which is of two kinds, the one with a White Head, the other with a black Head, this we take for theVulture. They are both cowardlyKites,[39]preying uponFish cast up on the shore. In the year 1668 there was a great mortality of Eels inCasco Bay, thither resorted at the same time an infinite number ofGripes, insomuch that being shot by the Inhabitants, they fed their Hogs with them for some weeks; at other times you shall seldom see above two or three in a dozen miles travelling. TheQuill Feathersin their Wings make excellentText Pens, and the Feathers of their Tail are highly esteemed by theIndiansfor their Arrows, they will not sing in flying; aGripesTail is worth aBeaversSkin, up in the Country.
A Remedy for the Coldness and pain of the Stomach.
The Skin of aGripedrest with the doun on, is good to wear upon the Stomach for the Pain and Coldness of it.
{11}The Osprey.
TheOsprey, which in this Country is white mail’d.
A Remedy for the Tooth-ach.
Their Beaks excell for the Tooth-ach, picking the Gums therewith till they bleed.
The Wobble.[40]
TheWobble, an ill shaped Fowl, having no long Feathers in their Pinions, which is the reason they cannot fly, not much unlike thePengwin; they are in the Spring very fat, or rather oyly, but pull’d and garbidg’d, and laid to the Fire to roast, they yield not one drop.
For Aches.
Our way (for they are very soveraign forAches) is to make Mummy of them, that is, to salt them well, and dry them in an earthern pot well glazed in an Oven; or else (which is the better way) to burn them under ground for a day or two, then quarter them and stew them in a Tin Stewpan with a very little water.
{12}The Loone.
TheLooneis a Water Fowl, alike in shape to theWobble, and as virtual for Aches, which we order after the same manner.[41]
The Owl.
TheOwl,Avis devia, which are of three kinds; the greatGray Owlwith Ears, the littleGray Owl, and theWhite Owlwhich is no bigger than aThrush.[42]
The Turkie Buzzard.
TheTurkie Buzzard, a kind ofKite, but as big as aTurkie, brown of colour, and very good meat.[43]
What Birds are not to be found inNew-England.
Now, by what the country hath not, you may ghess at what it hath; it hath noNightingals, norLarks, norBulfinches, norSparrows, norBlackbirds,norMag{13}pies,norJackdawes, norPopinjays, norRooks, norPheasants, norWoodcocks, norQuails, norRobins, norCuckoes,&c.[44]