[i6] 



it has a soft Note, feeds on the Ground, and, as I remember, has 

 the specifical character of a long Heel ; it is more inclined to yel- 

 low, and has a large half Moon on its breast of yellow ; if it have 

 not a long Heel, ^ticere, whether a Species of the Yellow-hammer. 



There be wild Turkies extream large ; they talk of Turkies 

 that have been kill'd, that have weigh'd something better than 38 

 Pound ; they have very long Legs, and will run prodigiously fast. 

 I remember not that ever I saw any of them on the Wing, except 

 it were once : Their Feathers are of a blackish shining Colour, 

 that in the Sun shine like a Dove's Neck, very specious * * * 



Partridges there are much smaller than ours, and resort in 

 Covies as ours do ; their Flesh is very white, and much excels 

 ours in my mind, Sed de gustlbus non est disputandum. Their 

 Turtle-Doves are of a duskish blue Colour, much less than our 

 common Pigeon ; the whole Train is longer much than the Tails 

 of our Pigeons, the middle Feather being the longest. There is 

 the strangest Story of a vast Number of these Pigeons that came 

 in a Flock a few Years before I came thither ; They say they 

 came thro' New England^ New York and Virginia^ and were 

 so prodigious in Number as to darken the Sky for several Hours 

 in the place over which they flew, and brake massie Boughs 

 where they light ; and many like things which I have had asserted 

 to me by many Eye-witness of Credit, that to me it was without 

 doubt, the Relators being very sober persons, and all agreeing in 

 a Story : Nothing of the like ever happen'd since, nor did I ever 

 see past ten in a Flock together that I remember. I am not fond 

 of such Stories, and had suppressed the relating of it, but that I 

 have heard the same from very many. * * * 



The Snow-bird, which I take to be much the same with our 

 Hedge-sparrow ; this is so called because it seldom appears about 

 Houses but against Snow or very cold Weather. 



The humming Bird that feeds upon the Honey of Flowers : 

 I have been told by some Persons that they have kept of these 

 humming Birds, alive and fed them with Water and Sugar : they 

 are much the smallest of all Birds, have long Bills and curious 

 coloured Feathers, but differ much in Colour. Herons three or 

 four several sorts, one larger than the English^ feathered much 

 like a Spanish Goose. Another sort that only comes in Summer 



