Travels in Ncrih America loi 



bitants with two Sorts of Manna, as we may call it, which are 

 a great Support to them. From ^ehec to Trois Rinjieres, they 

 take in the River 4 prodigious Quantity of great Eels, which 

 come down, as they fay, from Lake O?itario, where Éhej 

 are bred in fome Marfhes, on the Side of the Lake ; but as they 

 meet, as I before remarked, with white Porpoifes, which chafé^ 

 them, the greatelt Part flri\'e to return a^ain, and this is the 

 Reafon they take fuch a great Number. They fiiîi for them in 

 this Manner : Upon a Part of the Shore which is covered at 

 high Water, and which is left dry when the Tide falls, they 

 place Boxes at certain Diftances, and £x them agaitîfl: a Fence 

 of Ozier Hurdles, which leaves no Paffage open for the Eels. 

 Large Nets, or Bafkets of the fame. Matter, are fixed by the nar- • 

 roweil End into thefe Boxes, and the other End, which is very 

 wide, lies againil the Hurdles, upon which they place at Inter- 

 vals feme Bunches of Greens. When all is covered with the 

 Tide, the Eels, which always run to the Side, and which are en- 

 ticed by the Greens, come in great Numbers along this Fence, 

 and enter into the Bafkets, which condud them to the Prifons 

 prepared for them. '^And often in one Tide the Boxes are 



filled. ' v^ ;; - 



Thefe Eels are biggeî' than cur's, and yield a great deal of 

 Oil. I have already obferved, that with whatfoever Sauce they 

 are eaten, they always retain a rank Tade, to which we can- 

 not reconcile ourfelvcs but with Difficulty : Perhaps this is the 

 Fault of our Cooks. Their Bones all terminate in a Point a 

 little bent, which I do not remember to have feen in thofe of 

 France. The bell: Method of dreffing this Filh is to hang it up 

 in the Chimney, and there let it roaft ilowly in its Skin : This 

 Skin comes off of itfelf, and all the Oil runs out» As they pro- 

 vide great Store of them dtiring the three Months that the 

 Fifhery lafls, they fait them, and put them in Barrels like Her- 

 rings. The other Manna I fpoke of, is a Kind of Wood-Pi-? 

 geons, which com^ here in the Months of May and June, It 

 is faid that formerly they darkened the Air by their Multitudes, 

 but it is not the fame now. Neverthelefs, there ftill comes into 

 the Neighbourhood of the Towns a pretty large Number to reft 

 upon the Trees. They commonly call them Tourtes, and they 

 differ in Fadl: from Wood-Pigcons, Turtles, and the common 

 Pigeons of Europe, enough to make a fourth Species. They 

 are fmaller than our largeft Pigeons of Europe ; but have their 

 Eyes, and the like Clouds of their Neck. Their Plumage is of a 

 dark brown, except their Wings, where they have fome Feathers 

 of a very fine blue. 



One would think that thefe Birds fought to be killed, for if 

 there is any dry Branch on a Tree, they chufe that to perch 



upon I 



