Chap. XVIII. AMEBIC A. 



" his joy at their return by certain merry Notes . when he had fported himfelf till 

 « they were weary of him, he went away, and perch'd himfelf on the top of the 

 "Houfe, and there he talk'd, fung, and play 'd a thoufand tricks, laying his Fea- 

 " thers in order, and dreffing and cleaning himfelf with his Beak. He was eafily 

 « kept ; for not onely the Bread commonly us'd in that Ifland, but all the Fruits 

 « and Roots growing there, were his ordinary Food \ and when he had more gi- 

 « yen him than he needed, he carefully laid up the remainder under the Leaves 

 « wherewith the Houfe was cover'd, and took it when he had need. In a word, I 

 « never faw a more loving or more amiable Bird \ 'twas a Prefent for any Prince 

 « if he could have been brought over the Sea. This Bird had been brought from 

 " the Qaribbee Iflands to Monfieur ^odenborck, then Governor of the Fort and Dutch 

 €i Colony, which is in the Ifland of Corajfao. 



Sect. XX. 



37? 



D 



ommico. 



AT fifteen Degrees and thirteen Minutes, lies the Ifland Vominkojo call'd be. wi*,* 

 caufe it was difcover'd on a Sunday, about thirty Leagues longhand not *"***' 

 much lcfs in breadth, and diverfifi'd with high Mountains, and'exceeding 

 deep Valleys . of which the Caribbeeans that dwell there relate, That formerly in 

 one of the deepeft of them, a huge and monftrous Serpent had an Army of Ser- 

 pents to defend an invaluable Carbuncle which he had in his Head 5 which being 

 cover'd with a thin Skin, was onely difcernable when he drank or p'lay'd, for then 

 the luftre thereof lightned the whole Valley. 



When firft the French approach'd this Coaft with their Ships, the Iflanders go- 

 ing Aboard in their Canoos, barter'd Provifions for Coral, Cryftal, and other 

 Trifles. 



On this Ifle alfo grows the famous Manchenile-Ttce, which bears long Leaves, ^m*** 

 and fweet fmelling Fruit, ftreak'd red, and tailing like a Hazle-Nut, but bringing l * 1 ^ 

 a deadly Sleep upon thofe that eat of it . it feldom rots though it fall into the Sea, 

 or any frefti Rivers, but is crufted over with a Shell refembling Salt-petre, and poy- 

 fons the Water infuch a manner, that all the Fifli dying, are feen floating upon it j 

 in the Trunk and Boughs thereof is a milky Juice, which dropping upon the Body, 

 caufes it to break out in Scabs, and if it chances to touch the Eyes, it takes away the 

 Sight for nine days : and not lefs hurtful is the Moifture which drops from the 

 Tree. 



The Caribbeeans dip their Arrows in this poyfonous Juice, againft which Nature 

 hath provided an excellent Medicine, being as followeth : 



There are amongft the other Reptiles of America a fort of Snails, which creep a Mediae 

 into the Legs of dead Crabs, to keep themfelves from the Weather 5 when taken Sw*. 

 they make a noife, and being laid before the Fire they come forth . the Water ***** 

 fqueez'd out of them, or the Oyl drawn from them by the Sun, cures the Parts 

 poyfon'd by the Mancbemle*Txce. 



Sect. 



