Harts.
But no Beasts are more plentiful here than Harts and Stags, which feed up and down in great Herds: when they are Hunted by Wolves or Men, they immediately take the next River, where they are caught several together, by being cross’d in their Swimming, and affrighted by the Eccho which comes from the Mountains, made by the Hunters hollowing on the other Shore, which makes them fearful of Landing: whilst the Huntsmen joyning several pieces of Wood together get upon them, and Rowing towards these Deer, intercept them, being tir’d and out of breath.
Musk-Cats.
Moreover, this Countrey breeds many Musk Cats, especially in Marshy Grounds. These Beasts are beautiful to the Eye, having black speckled Skins, their Mouths, full of sharp Teeth, and their Tails being long trail after them.
Many of the Learned maintain a Dispute concerning Civet, Whether it be the Seed of the Civet-Cat? the Affirmative, which Cardanus maintain’d, is contradicted by Julius Scaliger. Matthiolus, an Author of no little credit, supposes that Civet is the Sweat of the Cat, because it is most chiefly taken when these Beasts are exceedingly vex’d and wearied: But since the Sweat runs from all parts of the Body, which nevertheless do not all produce Civet, it is impossible that Sweat should be Civet. Others account Civet to be the Dung of the Cats; which last seems to come nearest to truth: for certainly it is nothing else but an Excrement in the fleshy parts about their Pizzle, or near the Fundament. The Cats being in pain to be discharg’d of this Civet, free themselves from it by rubbing a Tree; and also fawn on those which take it from them with a Spoon.
Plin. lib. 32. cap. 3.
Besides all other wild Creatures, the Countrey according to Adrian Vander Donk, produces yearly eighty thousand Beavers. Pliny relates, that these Beasts bite off their Pizzles and throw them to the Hunter, which are an exceeding good Medicine to help Abortion, stop the Monethly Flowers, Giddiness in the Head, Gout, Lameness, Belly and Tooth-ach, Rhumes, Poyson, and the Evil. But Pliny makes a great mistake herein, for the Beavers have a small Pissel fasten’d to their Back-bone, in such a manner, that they cannot loose them but with hazard of their lives: They live in the Water, and on the Shore, in great companies together, in Nests built of Wood, which deserve no small admiration, being made after this manner: The Beavers first gather all the loose Wood, which they find along the Banks of the Rivers, of which, if there be not enough, they bite the Bark off from the Trees in the neighboring Woods, then with their Tusks, of which two grow above, and two below in their Mouths, they gnaw the main body of the Tree so long, till it drops asunder: Their Nests very artificial, are six Stories high, cover’d on the top with Clay to keep out Rain; in the middle is a passage which goes to the River, into which they run so soon as they perceive a Man; to which purpose one of them stands Sentinel, and in the Winter keeps open the Water from freezing, by continual moving of his Tail, which is flat without Hair, and the most delicious Meat that can be had. The Beavers go big sixteen Weeks, and once a year bring forth four young, which suck and cry like young Children, for the Dam of them rises on her hinder Feet, and gives her Teats, which grow between the fore-legs to two of her young, each of them one; the foremost legs of a Beaver resemble those of a Dog, the hindermost those of a Goose; on each side of the vent are two swellings within two thin Skins; out of their vent runs generally an Oily moysture, with which they anoint all the parts of their body which they can reach, to keep them from being wet; within they are like a cut-up Hog; they live on the Leaves and Barks of Trees; they love their young ones exceedingly; the long Hairs, which shining, stick out on the back, fall off in Summer, and grow again against Harvest; they have short Necks, strong Sinews and Legs, and move very swiftly in the Water, and on the Land; if incompass’d by Men or Dogs, they bite most severely; the right Castoreum, so highly esteem’d by Physicians, is a long Vesica, not unlike a Pear, within the body of the female Beaver, the Indians mince the Cods of the Male Beavers amongst their Tobacco, because they produce no Castoreum.
Fowls in New York.
This Country abounds also with Fowls; for besides Hawks, Kites, and other Birds of Prey, there are abundance of Cranes, of several sorts, some grey, some brown, others quite white; all of them have firm Bodies, and Bones without Marrow, Claws of a finger long, strong and crooked Bills, their Brains dry, their Eyes little and hollow, hard Features, the left Foot lesser than the right, both deform’d, their Blood thick, and the Excrements of a horrid smell; they breed most in old Woods, whose ground is without Brambles, and also near the Water, for they feed on Fish, and devour all sorts of Fowls, nay, snatch up Hares, Rabbets, Tortels, and several other sorts of Animals, which they carry away with them in the Air; nay, when hungry, they seize on one another; some of them fly abroad for their prey about noon, others at Sun-rising; they fall like Lightning on what e’re they pursue; they drink little, except the Blood of those Creatures which they devour; they are very libidinous, coupling above thirty times a day, not only with their like, but also with the Hens of Hawks, and other Birds; they lay their biggest Eggs in thirty days, and the lesser in twenty days; they generally bring forth three young; those of them that cannot endure to look full against the Sun, are thrown out of their Nests; the young ones when they begin to be fledg’d, are by the old carry’d into the Air, and let flie, but supported by them; their sight is wonderful quick; for though they flie as high as ever they are able to be discern’d, yet they can see the least Fish that is in the Water, and a Hare lying in the Bushes: their Breath stinks horribly, wherefore their Carcases suddenly rot; though they are libidinous, yet they live long; most of them die of hunger, because their Bills when they grow old, grow so crooked, that they cannot open the same, wherefore they flie up into the Air against the Sun, and falling into the coldest Rivers, loose their Feathers and die.