290 November 1748. 



fingle bird upon them ; about fixty or fe- 

 venty years ago, a fingle perfon could kill 

 eighty ducks in a morning ; but at prefent 

 you frequently wait in vain for a fingle 

 one. A Swede above ninety years old, 

 allured me that he had in his youth killed 

 twenty-three ducks at a mot. This good 

 luck no body is likely to have at prefent, 

 as you are forced to ramble about for a 

 whole day, without getting a light of more 

 than three or four. Cranes* at that time 

 came hither by hundreds in the fpring : at 

 prefent there are but very few. The wild 

 "Turkeysy and the birds which the Swedes 

 in this country call Partridges and Hazel- 

 hens were in whole flocks in the woods. 

 But at this time a perfon is tired with 

 walking before he can ftart a lingle bird. 



The caufe of this diminution is not dif- 

 ficult to find. Before the arrival of the 

 Europeans, the country was uncultivated, 

 and full of great forefls. The few Indians 

 that lived here feldom difturbed the birds. 

 They carried on no trade among themfelves, 

 iron and gun powder were unknown to 



them. 



*When Captain Amadas, the firft Englijhman that ever 

 landed in North America, fet foot on fhore (to ufe his own 

 words) fuch afiocke of Cranes (the maft part white J arofe under 

 us ivith fuch a cry, redoubled by many ecchoes y as if an armie of ' 

 men had Jhowted altogether. 



