235 LETTER IX. 



into a Wood, were we found, accidentally, a 

 huge over-grown Toad, whofe Back was cover- 

 ed with milk-white Hairs, that were about half 

 an inch long; thefe Hairs being not fet clofe 

 together like thofe of a Dog, but growing a 

 fmall fpace afunder. That they were real Hairs, 

 I do pofitively aver ; for we rubbed them over 

 many times with a Stick, and viewed them very 

 narrowly. 



12. You told me, the other day, at Cambridge^ 

 that the Shell which I then brought from Nor-- 

 wich to you, was called Pinna Marina, It mea- 

 fured twenty inches in length, before I had the 

 ill fortune to break it ; and the Meat of it fuffi- 

 ced my Brother, with two of his Companions, 

 for a good Meal, at Port Mahone^ where it ftuck 

 to a Rock near the Shore. The reafon why Ma- 

 riners ftile it a Mufcle, is, becaufe the Shell of it 

 is more like an Englifi Mufcle-fliell, than any 

 other kind of Shell whatever, and becaufe the 

 Meat, or Fiih, contained in it, looked, fmelled, 

 and tafted, like that of an Englijh one : But as 

 it was ranker, they were obliged to feafon it 

 high. 



13. It never fell in my way, to meet with 

 a Flamenco^ or Flamingo Bird; but I have dif- 

 courfed with many Perfons, who went down to 

 fetch Lignum Vita^ Iron Wood, &c. from the 

 Maroon uninhabited Iflands^ where there is plenty 



of 



