The Hi/lory of Book I. 



COOT. 



THelflands called the Virgins are of the Caribbies the beft 

 furnifhed with abundance of Sea and Land-Fowl: for 

 befides the forementioned , whereof they have good ftore, 

 there is a kind of Coot, or Moor-hen, admirable for the beauty 

 of its feathers : they are no bigger then Pigeons, but have a 

 much longer beak of a yellow colour, are higher fet, and their 

 legs and feet are of a bright red .* the feathers of the back, 

 wings and tail are of a Alining carnation intermixt with green 

 and black, which ferves for a foil to fet off the beauty of the 

 other colours .* Under the wings and on the belly their fea- 

 thers are of a golden yellow «* their neck and breaftsare ador*- 

 ned with a delightful mixture of all the colours they have 

 about their bodies ; and their head, which is very fmall, and 

 befet with two little fparkling eyes, is crowned with a tuft of 

 feveral little feathers of feveral pleafant colours. 



FLAMMANS. 



THe Ponds and fenny places which are not much frequen- 

 ted are the retreats of feveral great and beautiful Birds 

 about the bignefs of wild Geefe, and of the fame figure with 

 thofe which the Dutch call Lepelaer, from the form of their 

 beak, which hath the refemblance of ajf oon : They have long 

 necks, and their legs are of fuch length, that their bodies are 

 about three foot from the ground : But they differ as to co- 

 lour , inafmuch as when they are young their feathers are 

 white, as they grow it becomes of a murrey colour, and when 

 they are old of a bright carnation 3 from which colour the 

 French took occafion to call them Flammans : There are of 

 thefe Birds feen neer Monty elier in France, which have the low- 

 er part of their body and under their wings of a carnation co- 

 lour, the upper part black .* there are in like manner in thefe 

 Iflandsfome that have a mixture of black and white feathers in 

 their wings. 



They are feldom feen but in great companies , and their 

 hearing and fmelling is fo perfect, that they fmell the Hunts- 

 men and Fire-arms at a great diftance .• To avoid all (urprifes 

 they pitch in open places, and in the midft of Fens, whence 

 they may at a great diftance perceive their enemies 3 and there 

 is always one of th&party upon the guard while the reft are 

 fearching in the waters for their livelihood 3 and as foon as he 

 hears the leaft noife, or perceives a man, he takes his flight, and 

 gives a cry for a fignal to the reft to follow him .• when the 

 Hunts-men who frequent Hijpanioh would kill fome of thefe 

 Birds, which are there very common, they take the wind of 



them, 



