New Jerfey, Raccoon. 387 



toe's. When the Indians come down to the coaft 

 and fee the turnips of the Europeans, they like-* 

 Wife give them the name of katnifs. Their kat- 

 ftifs is in an arrow-head or Sagittaria, arid is only 

 a variety of the Shve&Jb arrow-head or Sagittaria 

 f a git t if olia > for the plant above the ground is en- 

 tirely the fame, but the root Under ground is 

 much greater in the American \h&\\ in the Euro- 

 pean. Mr. OJbeck in his voyage to China, men- 

 tions, that the Chinefe plant a Sagittaria, and eat 

 its roots. This fcems undoubtedly to be a va- 

 riety of this katnifs. Further in the north of this 

 part of America, I met with the other fpecies of 

 Sagittaria which we have in Sweden. 



TAW- HO and Taw- him was the Indian name 

 of another plant, the root of which they eat. 

 Some of them likewife call it Tuckab ; but mod 

 of the Swedes ftill knew it by the name of Taw- 

 ho. It grows in moift ground and fwamps. Hogs 

 are very greedy of the roots, and grow very fat 

 by feeding on them. Therefore, they often vifit 

 the places where thefe roots grow; and they are 

 frequently feen rooting up the mud, and falling 

 with their whole body into the water, fo that 

 only a little of the back part was out of the wa- 

 ter. It is therefore very plain, that thefe roots 

 muft have been extirpated in places which are 

 frequented by hogs. The roots often grow to 

 the thicknefs of a man's thigh. When they are 

 frefh, they have a pungent tafte, and are reck- 

 oned a poifon in that frefh flate. Nor did the 

 Indians ever venture to eat them raw, but pre- 

 pared them in the following manner : They ga- 

 thered a great heap of thefe roots, dug a great 



C c 2 long 



