8;7» JAMAICA. 



the fedge near the bank of a river, and this was reckoned by the 

 Negroes an uncommonly numerous brood ; fo that, if the fuppofi- 

 tion be true, fcarcely one third of the eggs they lay ever come to 

 maturity, but perifh by fome means or other. The little ones 

 abovementioned were eafily taken up, and while they were held in 

 tlie hand difeovered all the figns of native ferocity; a Negroe hav- 

 ing brought me an egg which was near batching, I broke the ihell 

 very carefully, and found the young one coiled up in this narrow 

 compafs in a moft curious manner ; the fnout was deprefled, and 

 refting upon the bread : the hind feet were drawn up, and the fore 

 crofTed juft below the fnout; the tail extended under one of the 

 fore feet, and turning over the back, the tip refted upon the bend 

 of the fnout; I put him into a fliallow veffel of water, and teized 

 him for fome time with a bit of draw till he grew very angry, and 

 fnapped at it, with great fury. It is faid, the female is guided by in- 

 ftincl to the neft, at the time when her young fhould be delivered 

 from their confinement; that fhe goes to the fpot followed by the 

 male, and, tearing up the fand, begins breaking the eggs, but fo 

 carefully, that fcarce a fingleone is injured [z], and a whole fwarm of 

 little ones are feen crawling about ; that (he then takes them on her 

 neck and back, in order to remove them into the water; UUoa, who 

 gives this relation, fays, that the gallinazos make ufe of this oppor- 

 tunity to deprive her of fome ; that the male, who indeed comes for 

 no other end, devours what he can, till the female has reached the 

 water with the few remaining ; and that even the female eats all 

 thofe which either fall from her back, or do not fwim ; fo that of 

 fuch a formidable brood, not more than four or five efcape. This 

 account has rather an air of the marvellous ; but if we believe that 

 thefe animals prey upon their young, this feems the leafl improbable 

 part of it, fince it is well known, that tbeir brood, in propoitior/ to 

 the number of eggs they lay, is always diminilhed, which cannot 

 be otherwife reafonably accounted for: if it be aPited, why they 

 fliould leave any undevoured, as it would be impoflible for thefe 

 little ones to efcape them ? I anfwer, that the lame queftion may 

 as well be propofed in regard to the fow, the cat, 5cc. who content 

 themfelves with regaling on- a few^ but generally fpare fome, and 



[7;] Oihcr authors rekitc, with rrtoic probability, that flie kills many of her young by the 

 dumfinefs of her feet, ami lluiipneft of hci talous, 



2 doubtlefs 



