New y^ffrjy Raccoon. 73 



went down to Penris Neck, and returned 

 in the evening. 



Snow lay yet in feveral parts of the 

 wood:;, efpecially where the trees flood very 

 thick, and the fun could not make its 

 wa>' : however it was not above four inches 

 deep. All along the roads was ice, efpe- 

 cially in the woods, and therefore it was 

 very difficult to ride horfes, which were 

 not marp inoed. The people who are fet- 

 tled here know little of fledges, but ride 

 on hcrkback to church in winter, though 

 the fnow is fometimes near a foot deep. It 

 lays feldom above a week before it melts, 

 and then fome frefh fnow falls. 



A fpecies of birds, called by the Swedes, 

 maize-thieves, do the greateft. mifchief in 

 this country. They have given them that 

 name, becaufe they eat maize, both pub- 

 licly and fecretly, juft after it is fown and 

 covered with the ground, and when it is 

 ripe. The Englijh call them blackbirds. 

 There are two fpecies of them, both de- 

 icribed and drawn by Catejby *. Though 

 they are very different in fpecies, yet there 



is 



* See Cattfby's rat. hill, of Carolina, vol. i. tab. 12. 

 7 'he purple daw, and tab. 13. the red-winged Jlarling : but as 

 both thefe drawings are in a very expensive work, we have, 

 from fpecimens lately brought over from America, made 

 a new drawing, which repref^nts them both, and it is 

 engraved here, Cab. I. F, 



