NORTH AMERICA* 
iBl 
refemblance to the nails of the human fingers, five 
on the fore feet; the hind legs or feet appear as if 
truncated, or as flumps of feet, armed all round 
with fharp, flattilli ilrong nails, the number unde- 
termined or irregular ; the head is of a moderate 
fize ; the upper mandible a little hooked, the edges 
hard and fharp; the eyes are large; the nofe pick- 
ed ; the noftrils near together and very minute ; 
the general colour of the animal is a light afh or 
clay, and at a diflance, unlefs it is in motion, 
any one would difregard or overlook it as a flone 
or an old flump. It is aflonifhing what a weight 
one of thefe creatures will bear; it will eafily carry 
any man Handing on its back, on level ground. 
They form great and deep dens in the fand hills, 
calling out incredible quantities of earth. They are 
efleemed excellent food. The eggs are larger than 
a mufket ball, perfe&ly round, and the fihell hard. 
After croffing over this point or branch of the 
mar fhes, we entered a noble forefl, the land level, 
and the foil fertile, being a loofe, dark brown, coarfe 
fandy loam, on a clay or marley foundation : the 
forefl confifled of orange groves, overtopped by grand 
magnolias, palms, live oaks, juglans cinerea, mo- 
ms rubra, fagus fylvatica, tilia, and liquidambar; 
with various kinds of fhrubs and herbaceous plants, 
particularly callicarpa, halefia, fambucus, zanthoxy- 
Ion, ptelea, rhamnus frangula, rudbeckia, filphi- 
um, polymnia, indigo fera, fophora, falvia graveo- 
lens, &c. We were cheerfully receiyed in this 
hofpitable fliade, by various tribes of birds; their 
fprightly fongs feemed a prelude to the vicinity of 
human habitations. This magnificent grove was a 
wing of the vafl forefls lying upon the coafl of the 
great and beautiful lake of CufcowiUa, at no great 
N 3 diilanct 
