The Mattrise is a Creature whose head and fore-parts is shaped somewhat like a Lyons, not altogether so big as a house-cat, they are innumerable up in the Countrey, and are esteemed good furr.
The Sable is much of the size of a Mattrise perfect black, but what store there is of them I cannot tell, I never saw but two of them in Eight years space.
The Martin is as ours are in England, but blacker, they breed in holes which they make in the earth like Conies, and are innumerable, their skins or furr are in much request.
The Buck, Stag, and Rain-Dear are Creatures that will live in the coldest climates, here they are innumerable, bringing forth three Fawns or Calves at a time, which they hide a mile asunder to prevent their destruction by the Wolves, wild-Cats, Bears, and Mequans: when they are in season they will be very fat; there are but few slain by the English. The Indians who shoot them, and take of them with toyls, bring them in [p. 88.] with their suet, and the bones that grow upon Stags-Hearts.
The Moose or Elke is a Creature, or rather if you will a Monster of superfluity; a full grown Moose is many times bigger than an English Oxe, their horns as I have said elsewhere, very big (and brancht out into palms) the tips whereof are sometimes found to be two fathom asunder, (a fathom [p. 89.] is six feet from the tip of one finger to the tip of the other, that is four cubits,) and in height from the toe of the fore-foot, to the pitch of the shoulder twelve foot, both which hath been taken by some of my sceptique Readers to be monstrous lyes. If you consider the breadth that the beast carrieth, and the magnitude of the horns, you will be easily induced to contribute your belief.
What would you say, if I should tell you that in Greenland there are Does that have as large horns as Bucks, their brow Antlers growing downwards beyond their Musles, and broad at the end wherewith they scrape away the snow to the grass, it being impossible for them other-wayes to live in those cold Countries; the head of one of these Does was sometime since nailed upon a sign-post in Charter-house-lane, and these following verses written upon a board underneath it.
Like a Bucks-head I stand in open view,
And yet am none; nay, wonder not, ’tis true;
The living Beast that these fair horns did owe