302 PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. [aNNO I676. 



them in, as a man does when he swims. At last he shot with his head down- 

 wards, by which means he cast his tail above the water, which exactly resem- 

 bled the tail of a fish, with a broad fan at the end of it. 



As to the timber of this country there are divers kinds, four several sorts o( 

 oak, very tall and smooth. There is also another sort of timber called hickery, 

 harder than any oak. There are also very large and tall poplars, and in some 

 parts of the country great store of pines, fit for masts of ships ; there are like- 

 wise black walnut, cypress, cedar, dogwood, ash, elm, gum-tree, locust, ches- 

 nut, hasel, sassafras, holly, elder, with several others. 



As to the fruit trees of the country it affords great plenty: for there are few 

 planters but that have fair and large orchards, some whereof have twelve hun- 

 dred trees and upward, bearing all sorts of English apples, as pear-mains, pip- 

 pins, russetens, costards, marigolds, kings-apples, magitens, batchelors, and 

 many others, of which they make great store of cider. Here are likewise great 

 peach orchards, yielding such an infinite quantity of peaches, that at some 

 plantations they beat down to the hogs 40 bushels in a year. Here are also 

 great store of quinces, which are larger and fairer than those of England, and 

 not so harsh in taste; of the juice of these they also make quince drink. Here 

 are likewise apricots, and some sorts of English plums, but these do not 

 ripen so kindly as they do in England. There are some sorts of pears, but at 

 very few plantations; I have seen the bergamy, warden, and two or three other 

 sorts, and these are as fair, large, and pleasant, as they are in England. Here 

 grow as good figs as in Spain, but there are few planted as yet. Those that 

 take the pains to plant gooseberries have them ; but I never saw any of our 

 English currants (riberries) there, and it is observed that oranges and lemons 

 will not grow there; though they do in more northern countries. There are 

 also plenty of mulberry-trees about their houses; these were planted at first to 

 feed silk- worms, but that design failing, they are now of little use amongst 

 them. The meanest planter has store of cherries, and they are all over Vir- 

 ginia as plentiful as they are in Kent. The cherry-trees grow more large ge- 

 nerally than they do in England, and bear more plentifully, without any pains 

 taking of digging about them, or pruning them. There grows wild in some 

 places of the woods a plum somewhat like our wheat-plum : but it exceeds it, 

 being much more succulent. In the woods there are abundance of vines, which 

 twine about the oaks and poplars, running up to the top of them; these bear a 

 kind of claret-grapes, of which some few of the planters make wine. It is 

 somewhat smaller than French claret; probably through want of cultivation. 

 There is also in the woods a little shrub, bearing a berry like our elderberry, 

 and is very pleasant to eat. 



