New Jerfey, Raccoon. 73 



went down to Penris Neck, and returned 

 in the evening. 



SNOW lay yet in feveral parts of the 

 woods, efpecially where the trees flood very 

 thick, and the fun could not make its 

 way : 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 fharp-fhoed. The people w,ho are fet- 

 tled here know little of fledges, but ride 

 on horfeback 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 mifchiefin 

 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 EngKfb call them blackbirds. 

 There are two fpecies of them, both de- 

 fcribed and drawn by Gate/by *. Though 

 they are very different in fpecies, yet there 



is 



* See Catefifs nat. hiih of Carolina, vol. I. tab. 12. 

 The purple da<w, and tab. 13. the red-winged ftarjing : but as 

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

 from fpecimens lately brought over from America, made 

 a new drawing, which repre&nts them both, and it is 

 engraved here, ab. I. F. 



