A true & exact history of the island of Barbados

by Richard Ligon

Another there is, not much unlike a Wren, but big as a Thrush; and this is as merry and jolly, as the other is sad; and as she sits on a stick, jets, and lifts up her train, looking with so earnest and merry a countenance, as if she would invite you to come to her, and will sit till you come very neer her. This bird I never heard sing. The next is Black-bird, with white eyes, and that so ill becomes her, as she is accounted an unhandsome bird; her voice harsh, somewhat like our Jay in England; they go in great flocks, and are harmefull birds, for they are great devourers of corn, and blossomes of trees, and the Planters wish them destroyed, though they know not which way. They are a kinde of Stares, for they walk, and do not hop as other birds. One thing I observe in these birds, which I never saw in any but them, and that is, when they flie, they put their train into severall postures; one while they keep it straight, as other birds; sometimes they turn it edge-waies, as the tail of a fish, and by and by put it three square, with the covering feather a top, and the sides downwards. The next is of the colour of a Feldefare, but the head seemes too big for her body, and for that reason they call her a Counsellor; her flying is extream wanton; and for her tune, ’tis such as I have not heard any like her, not for the sweetnesse, but the strangenesse of it; for she performes that with her voice, that no instrument can play, nor no voice sing, but hers; and that is, quarter notes, her song being composed of five tones, and every one a quarter of a note higher then other. Mr. John Coprario, a rare composer of Musick, and my dear friend, told me once, that he was studying a curiosity in musick, that no man had ever attempted to do; and that was, of quarter notes; but he not being able to go through with it, gave it over: But if he had liv’d to have gone with me to the Barbadoes, this bird should have taught him. Under this size, there are none considerable; Sparrowes, Haysocks, Finches, yellow Hamers, Titmise, and divers others of that sort, for which I have no names. But the last and strangest of all, is, that which we call the huming Bird, much lesse then a Wren, not much bigger then a humble Bee, her body long, her wings small and sharp, of a sullen sad green, no pleasant colours on her; her manner of feeding is, just as a Bee, putting her bill into a blossome or a flower, tastes as lightly as a Bee, never sitting, but purring with her wings, all the time she staies with the flower; and the motion of her wings are as nimble and swift, as a Bee: We have no way to take her, but by shooting sand out of a gun at her, which mazes her for the present, that you may take her up; but there is no way to keep her alive, her feeding being such, as none can give her but her selfe. Now for the Birds that live upon the outward verge of the Iland, I have not much to say. Sometimes Teals come to our Ponds, three or four couple together, but never go away; for when we see them, we take a gun, and comming neer, shoot them, and the report of the gun frights, and makes those that are alive flie away, and fetch one turn, and come back to see their fellowes dead, and alight to them, and so we shoot and shoot again till all be kill’d; for they will alwaies come back to see their dead friends. The like we do with those birds we call Oxen and Kine, which come to us in like manner. Small Swallowes we have now and then, but somewhat different from ours in colour.

But there is a Bird they call, a Man of war, and he is much bigger than a Heron, and flies out to Sea upon discoveries, (for they never light upon the Sea) to see what ships are comming to the Iland; and when they return, the Ilanders look out, and say, A ship is comming, and finde it true. I have seen one of them, as high as I could look, to meet us twenty leagues from land; and some others, almost as big as Ducks, that in an evening came in a flock of twenty, or there about, and they made divers turnes about the ship, a little before Sun-setting; and when it grew dark, they lighted upon the ribs of the ship, and with little nooses of packthred, the saylers caught them; they were very fat and good.

Though the Bat be no Bird, yet she flies with wings, and alwaies a little before Sunsetting, at which time they come out of holes, chimneys, and hollow trees, and will raise them to a great height, feeding themselves with flies that they finde in the aire, at that time of the evening.

Of lesser Animals and Insects.

Having done with Beasts and Birds, we will enquire what other lesser Animalls or Insects there are upon the Iland, of which, Snakes are the chiefe, because the largest; and I have seen some of those a yard and a halfe long. The only harme they do, is to our Pigeon houses, and milk panns; so that if we leave any hole in the bottom of the house, where they can come in, they will get to the nests, and devour the young Pigeons, if they be not over big. And yet ’tis strange to see, what great morsells they will swallow; slide they will up against a wall, if it be but perpendicular; but if it be declining outward, they cannot get up, but will fall back ten foot high, if they be hindred by any stooping of the wall; for which reason we make jetties, neer the top of such roomes, as we will keep them out of; they have climbed six foot high upon the outside of a wall, come in at a window, down on the inside, skim our milk pannes, and away again: Till we took one of them there, we knew not by what means our pannes were thus skim’d. They never sting any body, nor is there any venomous beast in the Iland. The next to these are Scorpions, of which, some of them are as big as Ratts, smooth, and coloured like a Snake, somewhat blewer, their bellies inclining to yellow, very nimble and quick to avoid their pursuers: yet, the Snakes will now and then take them, between whom there is a great conflict, before the quarrell be decided; for, the Scorpions that are large, are very strong, and will maintain the fight sometimes halfe an houre; I have seen them wrastle together a good part of that time: But in conclusion, the Snakes get the better, and devour the other. These Scorpions were never known to hurt man or beast. Toads or Frogs we have none.

Lizards we had in great plenty, but the Cats kill them so fast in the houses, as they are much lessened in their number. This little Animal loves much to be where men are, and are delighted to stand and gaze in their faces, and hearken to their discourse. These with us, I think, are different from those of Europe; the bodies of ours are about four inches long, the tail neer as much, headed not much unlike a Snake; their colour, when they are pleased, a pure grasse-green on the back, blewish toward the side, and yellowish on the belly; four leggs, and those very nimble: When they see at distance some of their own kinde, that they are angry with, they swell a little bigger, and change their colour, from green to russet or hair-colour, which abates much of their beauty; for, their green is very pleasant and beautifull: Cold they are as Frogs. Next to these are Cockroches, a creature of the bignesse and shape of a Beetle; but of a pure hair-colour, which would set him off the better, if he had not an ugly wabling gate, but that makes him unhandsome. He appears in the evening when ’tis dark, and will, when he pleases, flie to your bed, when he findes you sleeping, and bite your skin, till he fetch blood, if you do not wake; and if you take a Candle to search for him, he shifts away and hides himselfe, as the Puneses do in Italy. The Negres, who have thick skins, and by reason of their hard labour, sleep soundly at night, are bitten so, as far as the breadth of both your hands together, their skins are rac’t, as if it were done with a currie-comb. Next to these tormentors, are Musketos, who bite and sting worse then the Gnats and Stouts, that sting Cattle in England, (and are commonly felt in marish ground). And next to them Meriwings, and they are of so small a sise, and so thin and aereall, as you can hardly discern them, but by the noise of their wings, which is like a small bugle horn, at a great distance: Where they sting, there will rise a little knob, as big as a pease, and last so a whole day; the mark will not be gone in twenty four hours. Caterpillars we have sometimes in abundance, and they do very great harme; for, they light upon the leaves of our Potatoes, which we call Slips, and eat them all away, and come so low, as to eat of the Root too: And the only remedy we have, is, to drive a flock of Turkies into the place where they are, and they will devour them. The harmes these vermine do us, is double; first, in the slips, which is the food we give our Horses, and is cast into the rack; and in our Potatoes, being the root of these slips, which we our selves feed upon.

Flies we have of so many kindes, (from two inches long with the great hornes, which we keep in boxes, and are shewed by John Tredescan amongst his rarities) to the least Atome, as it would be a weary work to set them down; as also the sudden production of them, from Nothing to Maggets, from Maggets to Flies; and there is not only a race of all these kindes, that go on in a generation, but upon new occasions, new kindes; as, after a great downfall of rain, when the ground has been extreamly moistned, and softned with the water, I have walk’d out upon a drie walk (which I made my selfe) in an evening, and there came about me an army of such flies, as I had never seen before, nor after; and they rose, as I conceived, out of the earth: They were as big bodied as Bees, but far larger wings; harme they did us none, but only lighted on us; their colour between ash-colour and purple.

The next of these moving little Animalls, are Ants, or Pismires, and those are but of a small sise, but great in industry; and that which gives them means to attain to their ends, is, they have all one soul. If I should say, they are here or there, I should do them wrong; for they are every where, under ground, where any hollow or loose earth is, amongst the roots of trees, upon the bodies, branches, leaves, and fruit of all trees, in all places without the houses and within, upon the sides, walls, windowes, and roofes without; and on the floores, side-walls, sealings, and windowes within; tables, cupbords, beds, stooles, all are covered with them, so that they are a kind of Ubiquitaries. The Cockroaches are their mortall enemies, and though they are not able to do them any mischiefe, being living, (by reason they are far stronger and mightier then a hundred of them, & if they should force any one of them with multitudes, he has the liberty of his wings to make his escape) yet, when they finde him dead, they will divide him amongst them into Atomes; and to that purpose, they carry him home to their houses or nests. We sometimes kill a Cockroach, and throw him on the ground, and mark what they will do with him; his body is bigger then a hundred of them, and yet they will finde the means to take hold of him, and lift him up; and having him above ground, away they carry him, and some go by as ready assistants, if any be weary; and some are the Officers that lead and shew the way to the hole into which he must passe; and if the Van curriers perceive, that the body of the Cockroach lies crosse, and will not passe through the hole, or arch, through which they mean to carry him, order is given, and the body turned endwise, and this done a foot before they come to the hole, and that without any stop or stay; and this is observable, that they never pull contrary waies.

Those that are curious, and will prevent their comming on their Tables, Cupbords, or Beds, have little hollowes of timber, fill’d with water, for the feet of these to stand in; but all this will not serve their turne; for they will some of them, goe up to the sieling, and let themselves fall upon the teasters of the Beds, Cupbords, and Tables.