_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._[35]
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._[36]
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._[37]
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._[38]
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_,[39] 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._[40]
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.[41]
_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_.[42]
_The Turkie Buzzard._
The _Turkie Buzzard_, a kind of _Kite_, but as big as a _Turkie_,
brown of colour, and very good meat.[43]
_What Birds are not to be found in_ New-England.
Now, by what the country hath not, you may ghess at what it hath;
it hath no _Nightingals_, nor _Larks_, nor _Bulfinches_, nor
_Sparrows_, nor _Blackbirds_, nor _Mag_{13}_pies_, nor _Jackdawes_,
nor _Popinjays_, nor _Rooks_, nor _Pheasants_, nor _Woodcocks_, nor
_Quails_, nor _Robins_, nor _Cuckoes_, _&c._[44]