Part 4

The Humming Bird.

The Humming Bird, the least of all Birds, little bigger than a Dor, 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.

The Troculus, 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.

The Pilhannaw or Mechquan, much like the description of the Indian Ruck, a monstrous great Bird, a kind of 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 upon Fawns and Jaccals: She Ayries in the Woods upon the high Hills of Ossapy, and is very rarely or seldome seen.

The Turkie.

The Turkie, who is blacker than ours; I have heard several credible persons affirm, they have seen Turkie Cocks that have weighed forty, yea sixty pound; but out of my personal experimental knowledge I can assure you, that I have eaten my share of a Turkie Cock, that when he was pull’d and garbidg’d, weighed thirty {9} pound; and I have also seen threescore broods of young Turkies on the side of a marsh, sunning of themselves in a morning betimes, but this was thirty years since, the English and the Indians having now destroyed the breed, so that ’tis very rare to meet with a wild Turkie in the Woods; But some of the English bring up great store of the wild kind, which remain about their Houses as tame as ours in England.

The Goose.

The Goose, of which there are three kinds; the Gray Goose, the White Goose, and the Brant: The Goose will live a long time; I once found in a White Goose three 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 in Virginia was sore troubled for a long time with the Bloody-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 the Fat 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.

The Gripe, which is of two kinds, the one with a White Head, the other with a black Head, this we take for the Vulture. They are both cowardly Kites, preying upon Fish cast up on the shore. In the year 1668 there was a great mortality of Eels in Casco Bay, thither resorted at the same time an infinite number of Gripes, 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. The Quill Feathers in their Wings make excellent Text Pens, and the Feathers of their Tail are highly esteemed by the Indians for their Arrows, they will not sing in flying; a Gripes Tail is worth a Beavers Skin, up in the Country.

A Remedy for the Coldness and pain of the Stomach.

The Skin of a Gripe drest with the doun on, is good to wear upon the Stomach for the Pain and Coldness of it.

{11} The Osprey.

The Osprey, 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.

The Wobble, an ill shaped Fowl, having no long Feathers in their Pinions, which is the reason they cannot fly, not much unlike the Pengwin; 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 for Aches) 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.

The Loone is a Water Fowl, alike in shape to the Wobble, and as virtual for Aches, which we order after the same manner.

The Owl.

The Owl, Avis devia, which are of three kinds; the great Gray Owl with Ears, the little Gray Owl, and the White Owl which is no bigger than a Thrush.