48 September 1748, 



the greateft towns in America fliould in a fhort 

 time {land clofe up to it. 



"Sept. yth. Mr. Peter Cock, a merchant of 

 this town, aflured me that he had laft week 

 himfelf been a fpe<5tator of a fnake's fwallowing 

 a little bird. This bird, which from its cry has 

 the name of Cat bird, (Mufcicapa Carolinenfis 

 Linn.) flew from one branch of a tree to another, 

 and was making a doleful tune. At the bottom 

 of the tree, but at a fathom's diftance from the 

 ftem, lay one of the great black fnakes, with its 

 head continually upright, pointing towards the 

 bird, which was always fluttering about, and 

 now and then fettling on the branches. At firft 

 it only kept in the topmoft branches, but by de- 

 grees it came lower down, and even flew upon 

 the ground, and hopped to the place where the 

 fnake lay, which immediately opened its mouth, 

 caught the bird, and fwallowed it; but it had 

 fcarce finifhed its repaft before Mr. Cock came up 

 and killed it. I was afterwards told that this 

 kind of fnakes was frequently obferved to purfue 

 little birds in this manner. It is already well 

 known that the rattle-fnake does the fame. 



As I walked out into the fields I found feveral 

 European and even Swedifh plants growing there. 

 But thofe which are peculiar to America, are 

 much more numerous. 



THE Virginian maple grows in plenty on the 

 fhores of the Delaware. The EngKJh in this 

 country call it either Buttonwood, or Water beech* 

 which latter name is mod ufual. The Swedes 

 call it Wattenbok, or Wajbok. It is Ltnn&us's 

 Plat anus occidentals , See Catejby's Nat. Hift. of 



Carolina* 



