ay THE NATURAL HISTORY 
Thefe birds inhabits Cuba, and make great. 
havock amongft the rice plantations ; for rice is 
their favourite food, when it is in its milky flate. 
In avery fhort time they deftroy whole acres of 
In autumn, Fat doing a great deal of “mifchieh , 
in Cuba, the females migrate to Carolina; they 
-. pafS over the fea in immenfe flocks, and are often 

- 
heard by the failors in their paflage. Their - | 
: in Carolina is very fhort, about three weeks, m 
that {pace of time they become fo fat, that wh, | 
they are fhot, they often burft in the fall. 
In the foring, both the male, and the female 
Rice birds, make another fhort vilit to Carolina 5 7 
fome few ftay there the whole year. — 
This bird was never known in Carolina until 
rice was cultivated there. ‘By: a wonderful in- 
“find, they have followed this plant; in the fame 
manner Sparrows have pafied into countries, 
where they were unknown, until they became 
better inhabited, and corn was cultivated ; and 
Partridges have continued to {pread sheetehil 
with the cultivation of corn, in countries where 
before they were utter ftrangers. 
It is not a century fince rice was firft introdue 
4 
eed into Carolina, a {mall quantity of fome that. 
was browght as a fea ftore, in a vellel, was left in 
the 

