202 LAWSON'S HISTORY 



color; but if you start one of them and pursue 

 her, she takes into a hollow tree, and there runs up 

 as far as she can, in which case the hunter makes 

 a fire, and smokes the tree, which brings her 

 down, and smothers her. At one time of the year 

 great bots or maggots breed betwixt the skin and 

 the flesh of these creatures. They eat just as the 

 English ones do ; but I never saw one of them 

 fat. We fire the marshes and then kill abundance. 

 The English or European Coneys are here found, 

 tho' but in one place that I ever knew of, which 

 was in Trent river, where they boroughed among 

 the rocks. I cannot believe, these are natives of 

 the country, any otherwise than that they might 

 come from aboard some wreck ; the sea not being 

 far off. I was told of several that were upon 

 Bodies island by Ronoak, which came from that 

 ship of bodies ; but I never saw any. However 

 the banks are no proper abode of safety, because 

 of the many minxes, in those quarters. I carried 

 over some of the tame sort from England to South 

 Carolina, which bred three times going over, we 

 having a long passage. I turned them loose in a 

 plantation, and the young ones, and some of the 

 old ones bred great maggots in their testicles. 

 At last the great gust in September 1700, brought 

 a great deal of rain, and drowned them all in their 

 holes. I intend to make a second trial of them 

 in Xorth Carolina, and doubt not but to secure 

 them. 



