344 DESCRIPTION OF SAVU CHAP, xv 



that not one would believe them to be sheep till they heard 

 their voices, which are precisely the same as those of European 

 ones. Their flesh was like that of the buffaloes, lean and 

 void of flavour, to me the worst mutton I have ever eaten. 



Their fowls are chiefly of the game breed and large ; but 

 the eggs are the smallest I have ever seen. 



Besides these animals there are great plenty of dogs, 

 some cats and rats, and a few pigeons, of which I saw three 

 or four pair. Nor are any of these animals exempted from 

 furnishing their part towards the support of polyphagous 

 man, except the rats, which alone they do not eat. 



Fish appeared to us to be scarce, indeed it was but little 

 valued by these islanders, none but the very inferior people 

 ever eating it, and these only at the time when their duties 

 or business required them to be down upon the sea beach. 

 In this case every man was provided with a light casting- 

 net, which was girt round him and served as part of his 

 dress ; with this he took any small fish which might happen 

 to come in his way. Turtles are scarce ; they are esteemed 

 a good food, but are very seldom taken. 



Of the vegetables most are well known. The sweet sop 

 is a pleasant fruit well known to the West Indians. Blimbi 

 alone is not mentioned by any voyage- writer I have met with : 

 it is a small oval fruit, thickest in the middle and tapering a 

 little to each end, three or four inches in length, and scarcely 

 as large as a man's finger ; the outside is covered with very 

 thin skin of a light green colour, and in the inside are a few 

 seeds disposed in the form of a star ; its flavour is a light, 

 but very clean and pleasant acid. It cannot be eaten raw, 

 but is said to be excellent in pickles ; we stewed it and made 

 sour sauce to our stews and bouilli, which was very grateful 

 to the taste, and doubtless possessed no small share of anti- 

 scorbutic virtues. But what seems to be the genuine natural 

 production of the island, and which they have in the greatest 

 abundance and take the most care of, is the fan-palm or toddy- 

 tree (Borassus flcibellifer). Large groves of these trees are 

 to be seen in all parts of the island, under which other crops, 

 as maize, indigo, etc., are planted, so that in reality they take 



