484 A V OY AG ^ to the Book IJ. 
There is a Bird in the Neighbourhood of Cafan and fince that the Czar of Mufcovy paid the Chain of T artary 
jiflracan, about the Bignefs of a Woodcock, whofe Beak Homage, as being obliged by Oath to feed his Horfe 
and Legs are like a Snipe’s, and his Neck like a CoclCs both with Oats out 'of his Cap. The City of Mofcow alfo 
for Feathers and Size : They fight like the Game-Cocks in paid the Y^artarian a Tribute of ten thoufand Coats made 
England j they ftand on their Guard when they put their 
Beaks to the Ground, and when they can do it to Ad- 
vantage they leap at the Enemy with Vigour, and attack 
him as violently as the Englijh Cocks of the Game do. 
They are better to eat than C^iails. Sometimes one may 
catch this Bird near Archangel j where is alfo to be found 
a Bird as big as a Blackbird refembling a Hawk •, like 
him he flies after little Birds, takes them, pulls them, 
cleanfes them, and then eats them. There is another 
Sort of Fowl as tall as a Swan, which is brought from 
Aftracan ; his Body and Feet refembles thofe of a Swan, 
his Neck is fhort, thick, and fo wide, that he will 
fwailow a Fifh fix Inches broad. 
Some Travellers make mention of a Plant in thofe 
Parts called the Eamb j which deflroys all the Herbs that 
grow near it, and then dies ; but as this Quality agrees 
very ill with its Name of a Lamb, fo the Story is ac- 
counted fabulous by Perfons of Judgment. This 
deferves to be more particularly confidered, and 
therefore we lliall take the Liberty of adding fomewhat 
to the Author’s Remarks upon this Subjedt : This vegeta- 
tive Animal is called Boroinetz^ or Barannetz ; the latter 
is the true Name, the Word Baran fignifying, in the Scla- 
vonian Tongue, a Sheep, and the W ord netz being a 
Diminutive makes it fignifies a little Sheep or Lamb : 
The Baron de Heberjiein defcribes it thus : He fays, That 
it is of the Figure of a Lamb, grows to be very large, 
with a very foft Down, and deftroys all the Grafs round it. 
We have Relations of the fame Kind in other Travels, 
which are to the full as ftrong, and fome of them are 
pretended to come from Eye-Witnefles. We lhall per- 
haps have Occafion hereafter to mention fome of thefe 
Accounts in fpeaking of the Countries to which they be- 
long ; but at prefent it may be fufficient to clear up this 
Wonder, with which fo many Naturalifts have been 
puzzled, and fome very ingenious and well-meaning 
Travellers abided. 
The Truth then of the Matter is this : Some People 
in thefe Countries, for the Sake of Gain, have had Re- 
courfe to a moft wicked and barbarous Pradlice; They 
have opened their Sheep when at the very Point of Yeaning, 
and then taking out the Lamb they flea it, cleanfe the 
Wool ; and while the Skin is wet extend it gently, and 
on all Sides, as fall as they are able to Itretch it upon the 
Grafs; and then, by the Afliftance of Dew and four 
Milk, with which they fprinkle it as it grows dry, bleach 
it in the Sun-fhine till it is as white as Snow itfelf By thefe 
Contrivances they obtain a Lamb-fkin wonderfully thin, 
fmooth and foft, and extremely fit for lining the under 
Garments of the Great and Wealthy. But as in all 
Mohammedan Countries, they look upon the Skins of 
Beafts as an impure kind of Cloathing, and therefore 
abftain from them on the Score of Religion, the Peo- 
ple who take all this Pains have been forced to invent this 
Story of a vegetative Lamb, a Kind ol Plant-Ani- 
mal. And Travellers feeing the Skins, and hearing the 
Tale roundly affirmed, have fuffered themfelves to be fo 
far impofed upon as to lend their Authorities to impofe 
this Cheat upon Mankind, than which, without doubt, 
there never was a greater or more groundlefs •, which is 
the Reafon that we have taken the Pains to expofe it ; as 
we lhall not fail to do whatever occurs of the like kind 
in any of the Voyages or Travels that we publifli •, for 
Credulity and Incredulity are alike dangerous, and with- 
out a cautious and judicious Enquiry not eafy ,to be diftin- 
guiflied. As in the prefent Cafe it would be equally wrong 
to believe, that no fuch Skins as Travellers fpeak of were 
ever feen. or met with, as on the other hand it would be 
to fwailow the whole Story upon the Credit of fuch 
Skins having been feen. 
25. The City of Grimy from whence the Prince of 
GGjartary is ftiled the Grand Cham of Crim, the Capital of 
his Empire, is fituated on the Tartarian Sea, built of 
Stone and Brick, and encompaffed with ftrong Walls. 
The "Tartars are tributary to the Turks ; and it is not long 
of Stags-Skins. T)iQMufcovites\vecvt for ten Years paft 
refufed paying it, alledging, that the Tartars made void 
the Treaty by Inroads into Rujia, and Robberies on their 
Borders. Indeed they are very troublefome Neighbours ; 
if they are routed they vanilli in a Moment, and difperfe ; 
notwithftanding which they meet again at Night at the 
Place of Rendezvous, and the next Day renew their In- 
curfions with as much Violence as ever : They will march 
fourfcore Miles a Day, in which time they change Horfes 
thrice, each of them having three or lour Florfes. If 
any one of their Cattle dies, either of Fatigue or Sick- 
nefs, they cut the Flefli out in Pieces and diftribute it 
amongft their Comerades, who eat it with as much Ap- 
petite as we do Beef or Mutton ; they otten devour it raw, 
but their common Way of cooking it is to put it be- 
tween the Saddle and the Back of the Horfe, on which 
the Tartar rides, and that foddens the Flefli enough for 
them to feaft upon. 
Thofe Horfes that are in the Fields are very difficult 
to be caught, becaufe it is almoft impoffible to take them 
horn their Company. If a Tartar falls fick, they give 
him Mares-Milk, and the Blood of a Horfe, whofe Veins 
they open on purpofe. The reafon why they eat no 
Bread nor Salt, is that they believe Bread to be coarfe 
Feeding, which renders fuch as eat it heavy and unac- 
tive ; and that Salt is bad for the Eyes. It is certain 
their Sight is better than any Peoples in the World ; they 
can fee forty or fifty Miles when the Profpect will admit 
it, and can difeern a fingle Man at the fame Diftance 
v/here the Ruffians could not difeern a Troop of T artars. 
They are excellent Horfemen ; they ride with a loofe. 
Rein; lift themfelves up in their Stirrups, and Ihoot back- 
wards on their Enemies that purfue them. The Colmuck 
Tartarsy among whom Tamerlane was born, have a large 
Extent of Territory : They dwell in Tents, and live in 
their Paftures : They are bigger and more fwarthy than 
the Grim Tartars^ and are not at all like them in the 
Face r Some Part of their Country is fubjeft to the Em- 
peror of Ruffia : Their Vfomen are as fit for War, and 
accuftomed to it as well as their Men : Lately an Army 
of them defeated the Grim Tartarsy who had carried 
away fome of their Children into Captivity. 
The Grim T artars are flat-nofed ; their Eyes are little 
and funk into their Heads ; their Foreheads are narrow ; 
their Shoulders low and broad ; they are middle-fized ; 
as to their Shapes and their Make, they are every way fo 
Angular, that it is eafy to difeover a Tartar at firft Sight 
among an hundred other Men. They flat the Nofes of 
their &ildren as foon as they are born, thinking it to be 
a Piece of Folly to let their Nofes ftand in their Light : 
They ^xtTdMohammedans-y they laugh at theWorffiip the 
Mufeovites pay their St. Nicholas ; and maintain that they 
had better adore the Sun, who is a glorious Body, the 
lafe and Light of the World, than fall down before 
wooden Images. “ See, fay they, what your Gods come 
“ to. When the Painting is worn out, you throw them 
“ into the River with a Coptack or two, and a little Bit 
“ of Olibanus ; thus they fail down the Volga to the 
“ Cafpan Sea ; there we take them up, dry them, and 
“ burn them to roaft our Horfe-flefti by the Fire. Are 
“ not they very fine Gods that ferve us inftead of Fag- 
“ gots, and that cannot refift thofe that deftroy them?” 
Before I have done with my Relation of RuffiUy I will 
fay a Word or two of feveral forts of Muffirooms that 
grow there and no where elfe in that Form. There are 
feven which are moft remarkable in their Figures and 
Qualities. The fort RizhieeSy are a little black and 
red, and Ipring up in a Night in the Marfhes. The 
Smitzjkies or Honey Muftirooms, which Gerrard calls 
Fungi farinofiy reckoning them among Poifons, are ex- 
cellent, and very dear in Ruffia ; it is the moft delicate 
Difli that is brought to the Tables of Perfons of the 
higheft Quality ; they put it in Soups and Pies. They 
come up before the other forts in April and May. 
The Gribheys are of a brown Colour, or rather of a 
black Yellow ; the Tail of one is like a Pilafter, and 
fwells 
