New jferjey, Raccoon. 49 



up proviiions. In mild weather, they were 

 ufed to carry away apples, and other provi- 

 lions : therefore, we could always conclude, 

 with certainty, when the rats made an uncom- 

 mon noife at night, or were extremely greedy, 

 that a fevere cold would enfue. I have al- 

 ready obferved in the preceding volume, 

 p. 312, that the grey fquirrels in this coun- 

 try have the fame quality. When thefe, 

 and the common mice, eat maize, thev do 

 riot confume the whole grains, but onlv 

 the loofe, fweet and foft kernel, and leave 

 the reft. 



January the 21ft. The cold now equalled 

 that of Sweden, though this country is fo 

 much more foutherly. The Celfian or Swe- 

 di(h thermometer was twenty- two degrees 

 below the freezing point, in the morning. 

 As the rooms are without any fhutters here, 

 the cracks in the walls not clofed with mofs, 

 and fometimes no fire-place or chimney in 

 the room, the winters here muft be very 

 difagreeable to one who is ufed to our Swe- 

 dijh warm winter- rooms. But the greatefl 

 comfort here is, that the cold is of a very 

 fhort duration. Some days of this month, 

 the room which I lodged in was fuch, that 

 I could not write two lines before the ink 

 would freeze in my pen. When I did not 

 write, I could not leave the ink-fland on the 



Vol. II. D table; 



