MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. ■ 379 



hi3 Body, though his Mouth water at the Eggs and Prey within ; yet it is 

 strong enough to bear the hanging habitation of the ingenious Contriver, free 

 from all the Assaults of its Antagonists, and all the Accidents of Gusts and 

 Storms ; hundreds of these Pendulous "Nests may be seen on these trees.' 

 After the full moon in August " our Europe Ships, if they save their Passage 

 about the Cape, venture to make in here, by the directions of the Yellow 

 Bellies of the formerly mentioned Water-snakes, who are a warning to them 

 of adventuring too near the Shore, till the open Weather appear." In the 

 cold weather Fryer went to Surat. " To this place,'' he writes, " belong two 

 sets of Vermin, the Flease and the Banyans ; the one, harbouring in the Band, 

 fasten upon you as you pass ; where'tis some Pastime to see what Shift the 

 Banyan makes ; being bit by them, he dare not kill them, for fear of unhous- 

 ing a soul, according to their Notion of Transmigration ; but giving them a 

 severe Pinch will put them to shift for themselves, in a Nest of Cotton-wool. 

 The other Vermins are the Banyans themselves, that hang like Horse-leechea 

 till they have sucked both Sanguniem and Succom (I mean Money) from you ; 

 * * '^ Hunting of Tigers is sometimes a Pastime, at others a Tragy- 

 comedy; for besetting a Wood where Tigers lurk, with Men and Horses and put- 

 ting a Set of their loud Musick to strike up in the middle of it ; they rouze at 

 the unaccustomed Noise and rushing forth seize the first in their way, if not 

 shot or launced, to prevent them : Wild Bulls and Buffolas are as dangerous, nor 

 is the Boar less fierce than any of them. Antilopes are set upon by Leopard, 

 in this wise ; they carry the Leopards on Hackeries, both for less suspicion 

 and to give them the advantage of their spring ; which if they lose, they 

 follow not their Prey, being for a Surprize ; Therefore the Hackeries wheel 

 about at a distance, till they come near enough to apprehend them, they 

 feeding fearless of the Hackeries ; then with three or four Leaps, after a small 

 chase, seize them, and easily become their Masters. The great Men have 

 Persian Greyhounds, which they cloathe in the Cold Weather, and some few 

 Hawks ; a Colum may be hunted with a Greyhound, as we do Bustards, being a 

 great Fowl and long in rising. Buffollas animated by their Keepers, fight with 

 great Fury ; their Horns, being reversed, are useless ; but they knock Foreheads 

 with a force adequate to such great Engines, till they are all of a gore, and 

 follow their blow with such vigour, the stronger will hardly permit the 

 weaker to go back to return with his force, but pressing on him, endeavours 

 to bear him down ; then foiling one another they are a long time before they 

 will yield. Persian Rams set together in this manner, are not parted without a 

 bloody Catastrophe, which are kept on purpose for the Sport of their great 

 Men as likewise are Elephants who engage at the will of their Masters," In 

 the English House Fryer saw " an Unicorn's Horn not that of the Rhinoceros 

 of which cups are made and profered for Sale here, and are relied on to 

 discover Poyson if poured into them." Also two skins of Lab^an asses 

 streaked with a dark grey upon a white ground, upon the back direct in other 

 parts waving towards their length, and various kinds of piegons (with blubbered 



