of the IfIandofBa.tha.does> 



6i 



much bigger than an humble Bee^her body long, her wings fnlall and 

 (harp, of a fullcn fad green^ no picafant colours on her ; her manner of 

 feeding is^ juft as a Bee, putting her bill into a blolibm or a flower , 

 taftes as lightly as a Bee, never fitting, but purring with her wings, all 

 the tiriiefhe flay cs with the flower 5 andthemotion of her wings are as 

 nimble and fwift, as a Bee : We have no way to take her, but by fhoo- 

 ting land out of a Gun at her, which mazes her for the prefcnt , that 

 you may take her up-)but there is no way to keep her alive,her feeding 

 being fuch, as none can give her but her felf Now for the Birds that 

 live upon the outward verge of the Ifland,! have not much to fay.Some- 

 times Teals come to our Ponds, three or four couple together, but 

 never go away ; for when we fee them,we take a gun,and coming near, 

 ftioot them, and the r'eport of the gun frights , and makes thole that 

 are alive fly away, and fetch one turn, and come back to fee their fel- 

 lows dead, and alight to them, and fb we fhoot and (hoot again till all 

 be kiird 5 for they will alwayes come back to fee their dead friends. 

 The like we do with thofc birds we call Oxen and Kin^ which come 

 to us in like manner. Small Swallows we have now \id then , but 

 fbmewhat different from ours in colour. 



But there is a Bird they call, a Man of war , and he is niuch bigger 

 than a Heron, and flies out to Sea upon difcoveries, (for they never 

 light upon the Sea) to fee what (hips are coming to the Ifland 5 and 

 when they return, thelilanders lookout, and fay, a fhip is coming , 

 and find it true. I have feen one of them, as high as I could look, to 

 meet us twenty leagues from land 5 andfbme others, almoft as big as 

 Ducks, that in an evening came in a flock of twenty, or there about, 

 and they made divers turns about the fhip, a little before Sun-fetting 3 

 and when it grew dark, they lighted upon the ribs of the fhip , and 

 with little noofes of packthred, the Say lets caught them; they were 

 very fat and good, 



Though the Bat be no Bird, yet (he flyes with wings, and alwayes a 

 little before Sun-ietting^at which time they come out of holes, chim- 

 neys, and hollow trees, and will raife them to a great height, feeding 

 themfelves with flyes that they find in the air , at that time of the 

 evening. 



Having done withBea'fts and Birds , we will enquire what other OfleJferA^ 

 leflcr Animals or Infeds there are upon the lOand, of which. Snakes nimds and 

 are the chief, becaufe the largely ; and I have feen fbme of thofe a yard He^s. 

 and a half long. The only harm they do, is to our Pigeon-houfes, and 

 milk-pans 5 fo that if we leave any hole in the bottom of the houfe, 

 where they can come in., they will get to the nefts , and devour the 

 young Pigeons, if they benotovet big. And yet 'tis ftrange to fee^ 

 what great morfels they will fwallow , Aide they will up againft a 

 wall, if it be but perpendicular ; but if it be dechning outward , they 

 cannot get up, but will fall back ten foot high, if they be hindred by 

 any ftoopingofthe wall, for which reafbn we make jetties, near the 

 top of fuch rooms,as we will keep them out of, they haveclimbed 

 (ixfoothigh upon theoutfideofa wall, come in at a vvindovv,dovvn 

 on the infide, skim our milk pans, and away again : Till we took 

 one of them there, we knew not by what means our pans were thus 



R skim'd. 



