The Birds are, the Fregates, Fauves, Craw-fowl, or Grandgawsiers, Flammans, Swallows of America, Arras, Canides, Parrots, Parroquito’s, Tremblo’s, Sparrows of America, Eagles of Orinoca, Manstenys, Colibrys, besides what are common amongst us, as Herons, Coots, or Moor-hens, Black-birds, Feldivars, Thrushes, Turtles, Woodquists, Pintado’s, &c.
Reptiles.
The Reptiles are, Anotis, Zoquets, and Maboujats (of which farther mention will occur in the Isle of St. Christopher) Globe-mouches, nam’d by the Caribbeeans, Oulleouma, Scorpions, and several sorts of Lizards, call’d by the Caribbeeans, Ouamayaca; by the Brasilians, Senembi; and by other Indians, Jaquanas.
Insects.
The Insects are, besides these common with us, as Glow-worms, Palmer-worms, Spiders, Bees, &c. the Cucuyos, mention’d in Hispaniola, and the Flying Tyger.
Fishes.
The Fishes are, Sea-Parrots, the Dorada, by some call’d The Sea-Bream, by others, The Amber-fish; the Bonite, the Needle-fish, the Epadon, or Sword-fish, the Marsovin, the Requiem, the Remora, the Lamantin, the Becune, the Sea-Urchin, the Sea-Woodcock, besides Whales, and a certan Fish call’d, for its hideous shape, The Sea-Devil, and lastly, the Sea-Unicorn, with a particular Description of which we shall conclude, as having it from Monsieur du Montel, who was an Eye-witness thereof.
Description of the Sea-Unicorn.
“This Unicorn (saith he) was pursuing a Carangue, or some other lesser Fish, with such earnestness and impetuosity, that not considering that it needed a greater depth of Water than the other, it stuck with half the Body dry on a Sand-bank, whence it could not recover the deeper Waters ere it was destroy’d by the Inhabitants: It was about eighteen Foot in length, being at the largest part of its Body about the bigness of a Barrel: It had six great Fins like the ends of Galley-Oars, whereof two were plac’d near the Gills, and the other four on the sides of the Belly at equal distances; they were of a Vermilion red colour: All the upper part of the Body was cover’d with great Scales, about the bigness of a Crown-Piece, which were of a blue colour, intermix’d with several Spangles of Silver; near the Neck the Scales were closer, and of a dark colour, seeming as it were a Collar; the Scales under the Belly were yellow, the Tail forked, the Head somewhat bigger than that of a Horse, and near the same figure: It was cover’d with a hard and dark-colour’d Skin; and as the Land-Unicorn hath one Horn in his Fore-head, so this Sea-Unicorn had a very fair one issuing out of the fore-part of his Head, about nine Foot and a half in length; it was as streight as could be, and from the place whence it came out it grew smaller and smaller to the very Point, which was so sharp, that being thrust hard, it would enter into Wood or Stone, or some more solid Substance; it was at the place where it came out of the Head, about sixteen Inches about, and from thence to two thirds of the length it was like a Screw, or, to say better, made waving like a wreath’d Pillar, save that the Channels grew smaller and smaller, till they gently ended in a Point, which was two Inches beyond the fourth Foot: All the lower part had over it an Ash-colour’d Skin, which was all over cover’d with a small soft Hair, short as Plush, and of the colour of a wither’d Leaf, but under that it was as white as Ivory: As to the other part, which seem’d naked, it was naturally polish’d, of a shining Black, mark’d with certain small white and yellow Strokes, and of such solidity, that a sharp File could hardly get a little small Powder from it: It had no Ears standing up, but two spacious Gills, as the other Fishes; the Eyes were about the bigness of a Hens Egg; the Ball, which was of a Skye-colour Enamell’d with Yellow, was encompass’d with a certain Vermilion, which had beyond it another as clear as Crystal: The Mouth was wide enough, and furnish’d with several Teeth, whereof those before were extreamly sharp, and those towards the Throat in both Jaws were broad, and a little knobbed: The Tongue was of a length and thickness proportionable, and cover’d with a rough Skin of a Vermilion colour. What was further remarkable, is, that this Fish had upon the Head a kind of Crown, rising above the Skin about two Inches, and made oval-wise, the Extremities whereof ended in a Point. Above three hundred Persons of that Island did eat of the Meat of it, and that plentifully, and thought it extreamly delicate; It was interlarded with Fat, and being boyl’d it came up in flakes like fresh Cod, but it had a much more excellent taste.
“Those who had seen this rare Fish alive, and had with great Levers broken the Back of it, affirm’d, That he had made prodigious Attempts to thrust them with his Horn, which he turn’d with an inexpressible dexterity and nimbleness, and that if he had had as much Water under him as would have born him up, he would have been too hard for them all. When the Entrails were taken out, it was found that he liv’d by Prey; for there were within him the Scales of several kinds of Fish.