New Jerfey, Raccoon. 373 



hay from Penfyhania, and even from Old Eng- 

 land. The maize-thieves have enemies befides 

 the human fpecies. A fpecies of little hawks live 

 upon them, and upon other little birds. I faw 

 fome of thefe hawks driving up the maize-thieves, 

 which were in the greateft fecurity, and catching 

 them in the air. Nobody eats the flefh of the 

 purple maize-thieves or daws (Gracula quifcula)} 

 but that of the red -winged maize- thieves, or 

 flares (Oriolus Phceniceus) is fometimes eaten. 

 Some old people have told me, that this part of 

 America* formerly called New Sweden, ftill con- 

 tained as many maize-thieves as it did formerly. 

 The caufe of this they derive from the maize, 

 which is now fown in much greater quantity 

 than formerly , and they think that the birds can 

 get their food with more eafe at prefent. 



The American whortleberry, or the Vaccinium 

 bifpiduhim, is extremely abundant over all North 

 America, and grows in fuch places where we 

 commonly find our whortle-berries in Sweden. 

 The American ones are bigger, but in moft things 

 fo like the Swedijh ones, that many people would 

 take them to be mere varieties. The Engli/h 

 call them Cranberries, the Swedes Tranbtzr, and 

 the French in Canada Atopa, which is a name they 

 have borrowed from the Indians. They are 

 brought to market every Wednesday and Saturday 

 at Philadelphia, late in autmn. They are boiled 

 and prepared in the fame manner as we do our 

 red whortle-berries, or Vaccinium vitis id<za ; and 

 they are made ufe of during winter, and part of 

 fummer, in tarts and other kinds of paftry. But 

 as they are very four, they require a deal of fugar^ 



B b 3 but 



