As To A Right Knowledge Thereof,
I Say, When Another Age Is Come, The Ingenious Then In Being
May Stand
Upon the Shoulders of those that went before them,
adding their own Experiments to what was delivered down to them
By their Predecessors, and then there will be something
towards a complete Natural History, which (in these days)
would be no easie Undertaking to any Author that writes
truly and compendiously, as he ought to do. It is sufficient at present,
to write an honest and fair Account of any of the Settlements,
in this new World, without wandring out of the Path of Truth,
or bespattering any Man's Reputation any wise concern'd
in the Government of the Colony; he that mixes Invectives
with Relations of this Nature rendering himself suspected of Partiality
in whatever he writes. For my part, I wish all well, and he that has received
any severe Dealings from the Magistrate or his Superiours,
had best examine himself well, if he was not first in the Fault; if so,
then he can justly blame none but himself for what has happen'd to him.
Having thus gone thro' the Insects, as in the Table, except the Eel-Snake,
(so call'd, though very improperly, because he is nothing but a Loach,
that sucks, and cannot bite, as the Snakes do.) He is very large,
commonly sixteen Inches, or a Foot and half long; having all the Properties
that other Loaches have, and dwells in Pools and Waters, as they do.
Notwithstanding, we have the same Loach as you have, in Bigness.
This is all that at present I shall mention, touching the Insects,
and so go on to give an Account of the Fowls and Birds,
that are properly found in Carolina, which are these.
{Birds in America more beautiful than in Europe.}
Birds of Carolina.
Eagle bald.
Eagle gray.
Fishing Hawk.
Turkey Buzzard, or Vulture.
Herring-tail'd Hawk.
Goshawk.
Falcon.
Merlin.
Sparrow-hawk.
Hobby.
Ring-tail.
Raven.
Crow.
Black Birds, two sorts.
Buntings two sorts.
Pheasant.
Woodcock.
Snipe.
Partridge.
Moorhen.
Jay.
Green Plover.
Plover gray or whistling.
Pigeon.
Turtle Dove.
Parrakeeto.
Thrush.
Wood-Peckers, five sorts.
Mocking-birds, two sorts.
Cat-Bird.
Cuckoo.
Blue-Bird.
Bulfinch.
Nightingale.
Hedge-Sparrow.
Wren.
Sparrows, two sorts.
Lark.
Red Bird.
East-India Bat.
Martins, two sorts.
Diveling, or Swift.
Swallow.
Humming Bird.
The Tom-Tit, or Ox-Eye.
Owls, two sorts.
Scritch Owl.
Baltimore bird.
Throstle, no Singer.
Whippoo Will.
Reed Sparrow.
Weet bird.
Rice bird.
Cranes and Storks.
Snow-birds.
Yellow-wings.
{Water Fowl.}
Water Fowl are,
Swans, called Trompeters.
Swans, called Hoopers.
Geese, three sorts.
Brant gray.
Brant white.
Sea-pies or pied Curlues.
Will Willets.
Great Gray Gulls.
Old Wives.
Sea Cock.
Curlues, three sorts.
Coots.
Kings-fisher.
Loons, two sorts.
Bitterns, three sorts.
Hern gray.
Hern white.
Water Pheasant.
Little gray Gull.
Little Fisher, or Dipper.
Ducks, as in England.
Ducks black, all Summer.
Ducks pied, build on Trees.
Ducks whistling, at Sapona.
Ducks scarlet-eye at Esaw.
Blue-wings.
Widgeon.
Teal, two sorts.
Shovelers.
Whistlers.
Black Flusterers, or bald Coot.
Turkeys wild.
Fishermen.
Divers.
Raft Fowl.
Bull-necks.
Redheads.
Tropick-birds.
Pellican.
Cormorant.
Gannet.
Shear-water.
Great black pied Gull.
Marsh-hens.
Blue Peter's.
Sand-birds.
Runners.
Tutcocks.
Swaddle-bills.
Mew.
Sheldrakes.
Bald Faces.
Water Witch, or Ware Coot.
{Bald-Eagle.}
As the Eagle is reckon'd the King of Birds I have begun with him.
The first I shall speak of, is the bald Eagle; so call'd, because his Head,
to the middle of his Neck, and his Tail, is as white as Snow.
These Birds continually breed the Year round; for when the young Eagles
are just down'd, with a sort of white woolly Feathers, the Hen-Eagle
lays again, which Eggs are hatch'd by the Warmth of the young ones
in the Nest, so that the Flight of one Brood makes Room for the next,
that are but just hatch'd. They prey on any living thing they can catch.
They are heavy of Flight, and cannot get their Food by Swiftness,
to help which there is a Fishawk that catches Fishes, and suffers the Eagle
to take them from her, although she is long-wing'd and a swift Flyer,
and can make far better way in her Flight than the Eagle can. The bald Eagle
attends the Gunners in Winter, with all the Obsequiousness imaginable,
and when he shoots and kills any Fowl, the Eagle surely comes in for his Bird;
and besides, those that are wounded, and escape the Fowler,
fall to the Eagle's share. He is an excellent Artist at stealing young Pigs,
which Prey he carries alive to his Nest, at which time the poor Pig
makes such a Noise over Head, that Strangers that have heard them cry,
and not seen the Bird and his Prey, have thought there were
Flying Sows and Pigs in that Country. The Eagle's Nest is made of Twigs,
Sticks and Rubbish. It is big enough to fill a handsome Carts Body,
and commonly so full of nasty Bones and Carcasses that it stinks
most offensively. This Eagle is not bald, till he is one or two years old.
{Gray Eagle.}
The gray Eagle is altogether the same sort of Bird, as the Eagle in Europe;
therefore, we shall treat no farther of him.
{Fishing-Hawk.}
The Fishing-Hawk is the Eagle's Jackal, which most commonly
(though not always) takes his Prey for him. He is a large Bird,
being above two thirds as big as the Eagle. He builds his Nest
as the Eagles do; that is, in a dead Cypress-Tree, either standing in,
or hard by, the Water. The Eagle and this Bird seldom sit on a living Tree.
He is of a gray pied Colour, and the most dexterous Fowl in Nature
at Catching of Fish, which he wholly lives on, never eating any Flesh.
{Turkey-Buzzard.}
The Turkey-Buzzard of Carolina is a small Vulture, which lives on
any dead Carcasses.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 55 of 106
Words from 56134 to 57134
of 110081
