The Roe a kind of Deer, and the fleetest Beast upon earth is here to be found, and is good venison, but not over fat.
The Fox, the male is called a dog-fox, the female a bitch-fox, they go a clicketing the beginning of the spring, and bring forth their Cubs in May and June. There are two or three kinds of them; one a great yellow Fox, another grey, who will climb up into Trees; the black Fox is of much esteem. Foxes and Wolves are usually hunted [p. 83.] in England from Holy-Rood day, till the Annunciation. In New-England they make best sport in the depth of winter; they lay a sledg-load of Cods-heads on the other side of a paled fence when the moon shines, and about nine or ten of the clock the Foxes come to it, sometimes two or three, or half a dozen, and more; these they shoot, and by that time they have cased them, there will be as many; So they continue shooting and killing of Foxes as long as the moon shineth; I have known half a score kill’d in one night. Their pisles are bonie like a doggs, their fat liquified and put into the ears easeth the pain, their tails or bushes are very fair ones and of good use, but their skins are so thin (yet thick set with deep furr) that they will hardly hold the dressing.
Jaccals there be abundance, which is a Creature much like a Fox, but smaller, they are very frequent in Palæstina, or the Holy-land.
The Wolf seeketh his mate and goes a clicketing at the same season with Foxes, and bring forth their whelps as they do, but their kennels are under thick bushes by great Trees in remote places by the swamps, he is to be hunted as the Fox from Holy-rood day till the Annunciation. But there [p. 84.] they have a quicker way to destroy them. See New-Englands rarities. They commonly go in routs, a rout of Wolves is 12 or more, sometimes by couples. In 1664. we found a Wolf asleep in a small dry swamp under an Oake, a great mastiff which we had with us seized upon him, and held him till we had put a rope about his neck, by which we brought him home, and tying of him to a stake we bated him with smaller Doggs, and had excellent sport; but his hinder legg being broken, they knockt out his brains. Sometime before this we had an excellent course after a single Wolf upon the hard sands by the Sea-side at low water for a mile or two, at last we lost our doggs, it being (as the Lancashire people phrase it) twi-light, that is almost dark, and went beyond them, for a mastiff-bitch had seized upon the Wolf being gotten into the Sea, and there held him, till one went in and led him out, the bitch keeping her hold till they had tyed his leggs, and so carried him home like a Calf upon a staff between two men; being brought into the house they unbound him and set him upon his leggs, he not offering in the least to bite, or so much as to shew his teeth, but clapping his stern betwixt his leggs, and leering towards the door would willingly have had his liberty, [p. 85.] but they served him as they did the other, knockt his brains out, for our doggs were not then in a condition to bate him; their eyes shine by night as a Lanthorn: the Fangs of a Wolf hung about childrens necks keep them from frighting, and are very good to rub their gums with when they are breeding of Teeth, the gall of a Wolf is Soveraign for swelling of the sinews; the fiants or dung of a Wolf drunk with white-wine helpeth the Collick.
The Wild-cat, Lusern or luceret, or Ounce as some call it, is not inferiour to Lamb, their grease is very soveraign for lameness upon taking cold.
The Racoon or Rattoon is of two sorts, gray Rattoons, and black Rattoons, their grease is soveraign for wounds with bruises, aches, streins, bruises; and to anoint after broken bones and dislocations.
The Squnck is almost as big as a Racoon, perfect black and white or pye-bald, with a bush-tail like a Fox, an offensive Carion; the Urine of this Creature is of so strong a scent, that if it light upon any thing, there is no abiding of it, it will make a man smell, though he were of Alexanders complexion; and so sharp that if he do but whisk his bush which he pisseth upon in the face of a dogg hunting of him, and that [p. 86.] any of it light in his eyes it will make him almost mad with the smart thereof.
The Musquashes is a small Beast that lives in shallow ponds, where they build them houses of earth and sticks in shape like mole-hills, and feed upon Calamus Aromaticus: in May they scent very strong of Muske; their furr is of no great esteem; their stones wrapt up in Cotten-wool will continue a long time, and are good to lay amongst cloths to give them a grateful smell.
The Squirril, of which there are three sorts, the mouse-squirril, the gray squirril, and the flying squirril, called by the Indian Assapanick. The mouse-squirril is hardly so big as a Rat, streak’d on both sides with black and red streaks, they are mischievous vermine destroying abundance of Corn both in the field and in the house, where they will gnaw holes into Chests, and tear clothes both linnen and wollen, and are notable nut-gathers in August; when hasel and filbert nuts are ripe you may see upon every Nut-tree as many mouse-squirrils as leaves; So that the nuts are gone in a trice, which they convey to their Drays or Nests. The gray squirril is pretty large, almost as big as a Conie, and are very good meat: in some parts of the Countrie there are many of them. The flying squirril is so called, [p. 87.] because (his skin being loose and large) he spreads it on both sides like wings when he passeth from one Tree to another at great distance. I cannot call it flying nor leaping, for it is both.