New Jerfcy> Raccoon. 9 



taken care of, quite cut throughby thefe 

 worms, lo that whole pieces fell out : 

 Sometimes they were fo fpoiled that they 

 could not be mended again. Furs which 

 had been kept in the garret were frequently 

 fo ruined by worms, that the hair went off 

 by handfuls. I am however not certain 

 whether thefe worms were originally in the 

 country, or whether they were brought 

 over from Europe. 



Fleas are likewife to be found in this 

 part of the world. Many thoufands were 

 undoubtedly brought over from other 

 countries ; yet immenfe numbers of them 

 have certainly been here fince time imme- 

 morial. I have feen them on the grey 

 fquirrels, and on the hares which have 

 been killed in fuch defart parts of this 

 country, where no human creature ever 

 lived. As I afterwards came further up 

 into the country, and was obliged to lie at 

 night in the huts and beds of the Indians, 

 I was fo plagued by immenfe quantities of 

 fleas, that 1 imagined I was put to the tor- 

 ture. Thev drove me from the bed, and 

 I was very glad to deep on the benches be- 

 low the roof of the huts. But it is eafy to 

 conceive that the many dogs which the 

 Indians keep, breed fleas without end. 

 E>ogs and men lie promifcuoufly in the 



huts ; 



