Fruits peculiar to Virginia.
The wild Beasts, Birds, and Fish, are much the same also in this Countrey as are before describ’d in the precedent Description of Mary-land: Nevertheless we shall think it proper not to omit some Fruits, Plants, Beasts, &c. mention’d by the most authentick Describers of New England, as peculiar to that Countrey. The Fruits are, their Putchamines, which are a kind of Damsons; Messamines, a kind of Grapes; Chechinquamins, a sort of Fruit resembling a Chesnut; Rawcomens, a Fruit resembling a Goose-berry; Macoquer, a kind of Apple; Mettaquesunnauks, a sort of Fruit resembling Indian Figs; Morococks, resembling a Straw-berry, besides a Berry which they call Ocoughtanamnis, somewhat like to Capers.
Roots.
Their peculiar Roots are Tockawaugh, good to eat; Wichsacan, of great vertue in healing of Wounds; Pocones, good to asswage Swellings and Aches; Musquaspen, wherewith they Paint their Targets and Mats. Also they have in great request a Pulse call’d Assentamen, and the Plant Mattouna, of which they make Bread.
Beasts.
Their peculiar Beasts are, the Aroughena, resembling a Badger; the Assapanick or Flying-Squerril; Opassum, a certain Beast having a Bag under her Belly, wherein she carrieth and suckleth her Young; Mussascus, which smelling strong of Musk, resembleth a Water-Rat; Utchunquois, a kind of wild Cat.
Their peculiar Fish are Stingrais.
Rivulets.
On the West side of the Bay of Chesapeak, between Cape Henry and the Southerly Bank of the River of Patomeck, are three fair Navigable Rivers, as is before mention’d, into which the other small Rivulets fall, which here we will give some account of, as also of the Indian, or antient Names by which these three principal Rivers were formerly known. The first whereof is Powhatan (now call’d James-River) according to the Name of a large and considerable Territory that lieth upon it. The Rivers that fall into this Southward, are Apamatuck; Eastward, Quiyonycohanuc, Nansamund, and Chesapeak; and Northward, Chickamahania.
The second Navigable River is Pamaunkee, by the English now term’d York-River. The Rivulet that falls into this is Poyankatanck.