52 The Natural Historg 



buy hundreds in the Season: Their method of killing, is 

 generally to shoot them in the Fields, or in the Penfolds ; 

 then they cut off the Head and Feet, and take out the Intrails, 

 which they throw away as useless, except the Fat, (which 

 they carefully preserve.) After this manner they continue 

 killing all the Year, as they have Occasion. 



If the Cattle be suffered to live to a proper Age, their 

 Beef proves as large and fat as any in the neighbouring 

 Colonies. They kill vast Quantities of Beeves in October, 

 and the other cool Months, especially when they intend them 

 for Salting and Exportation, for at those Seasons they are in 

 their prime of Flesh, and best preserved. The Exportation 

 of this Commodity is one of the greatest Branches of their 

 Trade. 



It may perhaps seem very strange to some Europeans, how 

 the Planters can have such large Stocks of Cattle, where 

 there are such Numbers of Wolves, Tygers, Panthers, and 

 other Beasts of Prey ; but I can assure them that they give 

 themselves no further trouble than what I have already ob- 

 served, few or no wild Beasts ever daring or attempting to 

 kill either Calves or Foles, fearing their Dams, who vigor- 

 ously defend them. When a Cow hath once espied a Wolf or 

 any other voracious Beast near, she gives a Signal by bellow- 

 ing and roaring, upon which all tlic Black Cattle within her 

 hearing will run to her assistance, and most resolutely de- 

 fend their own Species. 



There are great Numbers of those Cattle wild, which con- 

 tinually breed in the Woods, (so are there of Horses and 

 Mares) here you shall see great Droves feeding promiscously 

 in the Savannas amongst the Deer, fifty or Sixty "Miles dis- 

 tant from any Inhabitants. This sociable Disposition 

 amongst Beasts of different kinds we observed in our Travel- 

 ing 



