They Are Certainly As Dainty Meat,
As Any In The World.
Their Abode is in all Parts of this Country,
in low, boggy Ground, Springs, Swamps, and Percoarsons.
{Snipe.}
The Snipes here frequent the same Places, as they do in England,
and differ nothing from them. They are the only wild Bird
that is nothing different from the Species of Europe, and keeps with us
all the Year. In some Places, there are a great many of these Snipes.
{Partridge.}
Our Partridges in Carolina, very often take upon Trees,
and have a sort of Whistle and Call, quite different from those in England.
They are a very beautiful Bird, and great Destroyers of the Pease
in Plantations; wherefore, they set Traps, and catch many of them.
They have the same Feather, as in Europe; only the Cock wants
the Horse-Shooe, in lieu of which he has a fair Half-Circle over each Eye.
These (as well as the Woodcock) are less than the European Bird;
but far finer Meat. They might be easily transported to any Place,
because they take to eating, after caught.
{Moorhen.}
The Moorhens are of the black Game. I am inform'd, that the gray Game
haunts the Hills. They never come into the Settlement,
but keep in the hilly Parts.
{Jay.}
Jays are here common, and very mischievous, in devouring our Fruit,
and spoiling more than they eat. They are abundantly more beautiful,
and finer feather'd than those in Europe, and not above half so big.
{Green-Plover.}
The Lap-wing or Green-Plover are here very common. They cry pretty much,
as the English Plovers do; and differ not much in Feather,
but want a third of their Bigness.
{Gray-Plover.}
The gray or whistling Plover, are very scarce amongst us.
I never saw any but three times, that fell and settled on the Ground.
They differ very little from those in Europe, as far as I could discern.
I have seen several great Flocks of them fly over head; therefore, believe,
they inhabit the Valleys near the Mountains.
{Pigeons.}
Our wild Pigeons, are like the Wood-Queese or Stock-Doves,
only have a longer Tail. They leave us in the Summer. This sort of Pigeon
(as I said before) is the most like our Stock-Doves, or Wood-Pigeons
that we have in England; only these differ in their Tails,
which are very long, much like a Parrakeeto's? You must understand,
that these Birds do not breed amongst us, (who are settled at,
and near the Mouths of the Rivers, as I have intimated to you before)
but come down (especially in hard Winters) amongst the Inhabitants,
in great Flocks, as they were seen to do in the Year 1707,
which was the hardest Winter that ever was known, since Carolina
has been seated by the Christians. And if that Country had such hard Weather,
what must be expected of the severe Winters in Pensylvania, New-York,
and New-England, where Winters are ten times (if possible)
colder than with us.
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