The Beasts Of Prey Are,
Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Hyenas, And Wolves.
The apes are
innumerable.
Deer, wild boars, hares, rabbits, ferrets, weazels,
moles, and camelions, are also found in great numbers. Horses and
cattle of all kinds are sold at very low prices.
Among the feathered tribe most common here, are, very large eagles,
hawks, partridges, quails, wild pigeons, and wild fowl of every kind,
turtle-doves, and a variety of small birds; among which the capsa
sparrow is remarkable for the elegance of its plumage and the
sweetness of its notes, in which it excels every other bird: this
beautiful little creature cannot live out of its native country. I
had almost forgotten to mention the storks and cranes, which are seen
here in great numbers, and so extremely tame, from being perfectly
unmolested, that they build their nests and rear their young in the
very centre of the towns and villages, and on the tops of the towers
of their mosques. Of the reptile kind, venomous spiders, scorpions,
vipers, and enormously large serpents, are common in Barbary.
The greatest natural curiosities of this country are the salt-pits
(which in some places are immensely large), and several hot springs,
possessing such a great degree of heat, that an egg being put in for a
short time will become quite hard. The face of the country itself is a
natural curiosity; the vallies, which are several leagues in extent,
and the mountains, which reach as far as the deserts of Suz, Tafilet,
and Gessula, interspersed with forests or corn-fields, and rich
meadows, are remarkably curious.
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