Now that I have made a rehearsall of the birds and fethered Fowles, which participate most of aire, I will give you a description of the beasts; and shew you what beasts are bred in those parts, and what my experience hath gathered by observation of {74} their kinde and nature. I begin with the most usefull and most beneficiall beast which is bredd in those parts, which is the Deare.

There are in this Country three kindes of Deare, of which there are greate plenty, and those are very usefull.

First, therefore, I will speake of the Elke, which the Salvages call a Mose:[345] it is a very large Deare, with a very faire head, and a broade palme, like the palme of a fallow Deares horne, but much bigger, and is 6. footewide betweene the tipps, which grow curbing downwards: Hee is of the bignesse of a great horse.

There have bin of them seene that has bin 18. handfulls highe: hee hath a bunch of haire under his jawes: hee is not swifte, but stronge and large in body, and longe legged; in somuch that hee doth use to kneele, when hee feedeth on grasse.

Hee bringeth forth three faunes, or younge ones, at a time; and, being made tame, would be good for draught, and more usefull (by reason of their strength) then the Elke of Raushea.[346] These are found very frequent in the northerne parts of New England: their flesh is very good foode, and much better then our redd Deare of England.

Their hids are by the Salvages converted into very good lether, and dressed as white as milke.

Of this lether the Salvages make the best shooes; and use to barter away the skinnes to other Salvages that have none of that kinde of bests in the parts where they live. Very good buffe may be made of the {75} hids. I have seene a hide as large as any horse hide that can be found. There is such abundance of them that the Salvages, at hunting time, have killed of them so many, that they have bestowed six or seaven at a time upon one English man whome they have borne affection to.

There is a second sort of Deare[347] (lesse then the redd Deare of England, but much bigger then the English fallow Deare) swift of foote, but of a more darke coloure; with some griseld heares, when his coate is full growne in the summer season; his hornes grow curving, with a croked beame, resembling our redd Deare, not with a palme like the fallow Deare.

These bringe 3. fawnes at a time,[348] spotted like our fallow Deares fawnes; the Salvages say, foure; I speake of what I know to be true, for I have killed in February a doe with three fawnes in her belly, all heared, and ready to fall; for these Deare fall their fawnes 2. moneths sooner then the fallow Deare of England. There is such abundance of them that an hundred have bin found at the spring of the yeare, within the compasse of a mile.

The Salvages take these in trappes made of their naturall Hempe, which they place in the earth where they fell a tree for browse; and when hee rounds the tree for the browse, if hee tread on the trapp hee is horsed up by the legg, by meanes of a pole that starts up and catcheth him.[349]

Their hides the Saluages use for cloathing, and will give for one hide killed in season, 2. 3. or 4. beaver skinnes, which will yeild pounds a peece in that Coun{76}try: so much is the Deares hide prised with them above the beaver. I have made good merchandize of these. The flesh is farre sweeter then the venison of England: and hee feedeth fatt and leane together, as a swine or mutton, where as our Deare of England feede fatt on the out side: they doe not croake at rutting time, nor spendle shafte, nor is their flesh discoloured at rutting. Hee, that will impale ground fitting, may be brought once in the yeare where with bats and men hee may take so many to put into that parke, as the hides will pay the chardge of impaleinge. If all these things be well considered, the Deare, as well as the Mose, may have a principall place in the catalogue of commodities.

I for my part may be bould to tell you, that my howse was not without the flesh of this sort of Deare winter nor summer: the humbles was ever my dogges fee, which by the wesell[350] was hanged on the barre in the chimney, for his diet only: for hee has brought to my stand a brace in a morning, one after the other before sunne rising, which I have killed.

There is likewise a third sorte of deare,[351] lesse then the other, (which are a kinde of rayne deare,) to the southward of all the English plantations: they are excellent good flesh. And these also bring three fawnes at a time; and in this particular the Deare of those parts excell all the knowne Deare of the whole world.

On all these the Wolfes doe pray continually. The best meanes they have to escape the wolfes is by swimming to Islands,[352] or necks of land, whereby {77} they escape: for the wolfe will not presume to follow them untill they see them over a river; then, being landed, (they wayting on the shore,) undertake the water, and so follow with fresh suite.

The next in mine opinion fit to be spoaken of, is the Beaver;[353] which is a Beast ordained for land and water both, and hath fore feete like a cunny, her hinder feete like a goese, mouthed like a cunny, but short eared like a Serat. [He feeds on] fishe in summer, and wood in winter; which hee conveyes to his howse built on the water, wherein hee sitts with his tayle hanging in the water, which else would over heate and rot off.

Hee cuts the bodies of trees downe with his fore-teeth, which are so long as a boares tuskes, and with the help of other beavers, (which hold by each others tayles like a teeme of horses, the hindmost with the logg on his shoulder stayed by one of his fore feete against his head,) they draw the logg to the habitation appoynted, placing the loggs in a square; and so, by pyling one uppon another, they build up a howse, which with boghes is covered very strongly, and placed in some pond, to which they make a damme of brush wood, like a hedge, so stronge that I have gone on the top of it crosse the current of that pond. The flesh of this beast is excellent foode. The fleece is a very choise furre, which, (before the Salvages had commerce with Christians,) they burned of the tayle: this beast is of a masculine vertue for the advancement of Priapus,[354] and is preserved for a dish for the Sachems, or Sagamores; who are the princes of the people, but not Kings, (as is fondly supposed.)

{78} The skinnes are the best marchantable commodity that can be found, to cause ready money to be brought into the land, now that they are raised to 10. shillings a pound.[355]

A servant of mine in 5. yeares was thought to have a 1000. p. in ready gold gotten by beaver when hee dyed;[356] whatsoever became of it. And this beast may challenge preheminence in the Catalogue.

The Otter[357] of those parts, in winter season, hath a furre so black as jett; and is a furre of very highe price: a good black skinne is worth 3. or 4. Angels of gold. The Flesh is eaten by the Salvages: but how good it is I cannot shew, because it is not eaten by our Nation. Yet is this a beast that ought to be placed in the number amongst the Commodities of the Country.

The Luseran, or Luseret,[358] is a beast like a Catt, but so bigg as a great hound: with a tayle shorter then a Catt. His clawes are like a Catts. Hee will make a pray of the Deare. His Flesh is dainty meat, like a lambe: his hide is a choise furre, and accompted a good commodity.

The Martin[359] is a beast about the bignes of a Foxe. His furre is chestnutt coloure: and of those there are greate store in the Northerne parts of the Country, and is a good commodity.

The Racowne[360] is a beast as bigg, full out, as a Foxe, with a Bushtayle. His Flesh excellent foode: his oyle precious for the Syattica:[361] his furre course, but the skinnes serve the Salvages for coats, and is with those people of more esteeme then a coate of beaver, {79} because of the tayles that (hanging round in their order) doe adorne the garment, and is therefore so much esteemed of them. His fore feete are like the feete of an ape; and by the print thereof, in the time of snow, he is followed to his hole, which is commonly in a hollow tree; from whence hee is fiered out, and so taken.

The Foxes are of two coloures; the one redd, the other gray:[362] these feede on fish, and are good furre:[363] they doe not stinke, as the Foxes of England, but their condition for their pray is as the Foxes of England.

The Wolfes are of divers coloures;[364] some sandy coloured, some griselled, and some black: their foode is fish, which they catch when they passe up the rivers into the ponds to spawne, at the spring time. The Deare are also their pray, and at summer, when they have whelpes, the bitch will fetch a puppy dogg from our dores to feede their whelpes with. They are fearefull Curres, and will runne away from a man, (that meeteth them by chaunce at a banke end,) as fast as any fearefull dogge.[365] These pray upon the Deare very much. The skinnes are used by the Salvages, especially the skinne of the black wolfe, which is esteemed a present for a prince there.

When there ariseth any difference betweene prince and prince, the prince that desires to be reconciled to his neighboring prince does endeavour to purchase it by sending him a black wolfes skinne for a present, and the acceptance of such a present is an assurance of reconciliation betweene them; and the {80} Salvages will willingly give 40. beaver skinnes for the purchase of one of these black Wolfes skinnes:[366] and allthough the beast himselfe be a discommodity, which other Countries of Christendome are subject unto, yet is the skinne of the black wolfe worthy the title of a commodity, in that respect that hath bin declared.

If I should not speake something of the beare,[367] I might happily leave a scruple in the mindes of some effeminate persone who conceaved of more dainger in them then there is cause. Therefore, to incourage them against all Feare and Fortifie their mindes against needles danger, I will relate what experience hath taught mee concerning them: they are beasts that doe no harme in those parts; they feede upon Hurtleburies, Nuts and Fish, especially shell-fish.

The Beare is a tyrant at a Lobster, and at low water will downe to the Rocks and groape after them with great diligence.

Hee will runne away from a man as fast as a litle dogge. If a couple of Salvages chaunce to espie him at his banquet, his running away will not serve his turne, for they will coate him, and chase him betweene them home to theire howses, where they kill him, to save a laboure in carrying him farre. His Flesh is esteemed venison, and of a better taste then beefe.[368]

His hide is used by the Salvages for garments, and is more commodious then discommodious; and may passe, (with some allowance,) with the rest.

The Muskewashe[369] is a beast that frequenteth the ponds. What hee eats I cannot finde. Hee is {81} but a small beast, lesse then a Cunny, and is indeede in those parts no other then a water Ratte; for I have seene the suckers of them digged out of a banke, and at that age they neither differed in shape, coloure, nor size, from one of our greate Ratts. When hee is ould, hee is of the Beavers coloure; and hath passed in waite with our Chapmen for Beaver.

The Male of them have stones, which the Salvages, in uncaseing of them, leave to the skinne, which is a most delicate perfume, and may compare with any perfume that I know for goodnesse: Then may not this be excluded the Catalogue.

This Country, in the North parts thereof, hath many Porcupines,[370] but I doe not finde the beast any way usefull or hurtfull.

There are in those Northerne parts many Hedgehoggs, of the like nature to our English Hedghoggs.[371]

Here are greate store of Conyes[372] in those parts, of divers coloures; some white, some black, and some gray. Those towards the Southerne parts are very small, but those to the North are as bigg as the English Cony: their eares are very short. For meate the small rabbit is as good as any that I have eaten of else where.

There are Squirils of three sorts,[373] very different in shape and condition; one[374] is gray, and hee is as bigg as the lesser Cony, and keepeth the woods, feeding upon nutts.

Another is red, and hee haunts our howses and will rob us of our Corne; but the Catt many times payes him the price of his presumption.

{82} The third is a little flying Squirill, with batlike winges, which hee spreads when hee jumpes from tree to tree, and does no harme.

Now because I am upon a treaty of the beasts, I will place this creature, the snake, amongst the beasts, having my warrant from the holy Bible; who, (though his posture in his passage be so different from all other, being of a more subtile and aidry nature, that hee can make his way without feete, and lifte himselfe above the superficies of the earth, as hee glids along,) yet may hee not bee ranked with any but the beasts, notwithstanding hee frequents the water, as well as the land.

There are of Snakes divers and of severall kindes, as be with us in England; but that Country hath not so many as in England have bin knowne.[375]

The generall Salvage name of them is Ascowke.[376]

There is one creeping beast or longe creeple, (as the name is in Devonshire,) that hath a rattle at his tayle that does discover his age; for so many yeares as hee hath lived, so many joynts are in that rattle, which soundeth (when it is in motion,) like pease in a bladder; and this beast is called a rattle Snake; but the Salvages give him the name of Sesick,[377] which some take to be the Adder; and it may well be so, for the Salvages are significiant in their denomination of any thing, and [it] is no lesse hurtfull than the Adder of England, nor no more. I have had my dogge venomed with troubling one of these, and so swelled that I had thought it would have bin his death: but with one Saucer of Salet oyle powred downe his throate he {83} has recovered, and the swelling asswaged by the next day. The like experiment hath bin made upon a boy that hath by chaunce troad upon one of these, and the boy never the worse. Therefore it is simplicity in any one that shall tell a bugbeare tale of horrible, or terrible Serpents, that are in that land.[378]

Mise there are good store, and my Lady Woodbees black gray-malkin may have pastime enough there: but for Rats, the Country by Nature is troubled with none.[379]

Lyons there are none in New England:[380] it is contrary to the Nature of the beast to frequent places accustomed to snow; being like the Catt, that will hazard the burning of her tayle rather than abide from the fire.