90 September 1748. 



in the clay-pits, which were at prefent filled with 

 water from a little brook in the neighbourhood.. 

 Thefe mufcles feem to have been waflied into 

 that place by the tide, when the water in the 

 brook was high. For thefe clay-pits are not old,, 

 but were lately made. Poor boys fometimes go 

 out of town, wade in the water, and gather great 

 quantities of thefe {hells, which they fell very 

 eafily, they being reckoned a dainty. 



THE Virginian sizar ok, with a red fruit, or 

 Linn&uss Lrat^gus Crus galli, is a fpecies of haw- 

 thorn, and they plant it in hedges, for want of 

 that hawthorn, which is commonly ufed for this 

 purpofe in Europe Its berries are red, and of the 

 fame fize,(hape, and tafle, with thofe of our haw- 

 thorn. Yet this tree does not feem to make a 

 good hedge, for its leaves were already fallen, 

 whilft other trees frill preferved theirs. Its fpines 

 are very long and iharp ; their length being two 

 or three inches. Thefe fpines are applied tO'fome 

 inconfiderable ufe. Each berry contains two 

 ftones. 



MR. Bar tram affured me, that the North Ame- 

 rican oak cannot refift putrefaction for near fuch 

 a fpace of time as the European. For this rea- 

 fon, the boats (which carry all forts of goods 

 down from the upper parts of the country) upon 

 the river Hudfon, which is one of the greateit in 

 thefe parts, are made of two kinds of wood. 

 That part which muft always be under water, is 

 made of black oak; but the upper part, which is 

 now above and now under water, and is there- 

 fore more expofed to putrefaction, is made of red 

 qedar, or Juniperis Virginiana, which is reckoned 



the 



