222 The Natural Historg 



wild Horses, leaping now and then above the Water. Some 

 make use of them^ and especially the French^ who esteem them 

 good Food, and eat them both fresh and salt. These as well 

 as the Porpoise, are often heard to puff and blow very strong, 

 as they are Swimming. 



I hope it will not be unpleasing to the Reader, to give an 

 Account what I saw done by these Fishes, viz. In our Pass- 

 age through Painticoe Sound, we had very good Diversion 

 with them, which were in gTeat I^umbers about the Ship ; 

 one of our Company shot amongst them, with a Brace of 

 Balls, and happened to wound one of them, which we could 

 plainly discover from some of it's Blood in the Water, the 

 Weather being very calm ; which was no sooner done, but all 

 the rest left us in pursuit of the one that was wounded, and 

 w^e could often see it leaping above the Water, for near half an 

 Hour, still striving to avoid the rest, 'till at last it was quite 

 Silent, (as we supposed) for we could not perceive it any 

 longer leaping out of the Water. The Master of the Vessel 

 assured me, that the rest devoured it, which they always do 

 with those Avounded, still pursuing the Blood, like a Pack of 

 Dogs after a Deer. They are very fat and produce good Oil. 



The Porpoise, or Sea-hog, is large, being above four Feet 

 long and two and a half thick, the Figure is somewhat long 

 and round, continually tapering towards the Tail. It is cov- 

 ered with a slender thin Skin, of a blackish colour, and has 

 only three Fins like the Dolphin. It has a large Head, small 

 Eyes, and a forked Tail. They are frequently to be met with 

 all over the Ocean and Rivers that are salt. We have a fresh- 

 water Lake in the great Sound of North Carolina, tliat has 

 Porpoises in it, Avith several other sorts of unknown Fish (as 

 the Indians report) that we are intire Strangers to. As to the 



PorpoiseSj 



