One of them is called by the Savages Ouinascou; [162] our French call it the whistler or Nightingale.[22] They have given it this name, because although it belongs to terrestrial animals, yet it sings like a bird; I might say that it whistles like a well taught Linnet, were it not that I think it only knows one song; that is to say, it has not a great variety of tones, but it says very well the lesson that nature has taught it. It is about the size of a Hare and has a reddish skin. Some have assured me that it rolls itself into a ball, and, like the Dormouse, it sleeps all Winter, it being impossible to awaken it. I have only seen this animal in the Summer; it is excellent eating, and excels the Hare.
L'autre est vn animal basset, de la grandeur des petits chiens, ou d'vn chat, ie luy donne place icy, non pour son excellence, mais pour en faire vn symbole du peché; i'en ay veu trois ou quatre, il est d'vn poil noir assez beau & luisant, il porte sur son dos deux rayes toutes blãches, qui se ioignãs vers le col & proche de la queuë, font vne ouale qui luy dõne tres-belle grace; la queuë est touffuë & [163] bien fournie de poil, cõmme la queuë d'vn Regnard, il la porte retroussée, cõme vn Escurieux, elle est plus blanche que noire, vous diriez à l'œil notãment quant il marche, qu'il meriteroit estre nommé le petit chien de Iupiter; mais il est si puant, & iette vne odeur si empestée, qu'il est indigne d'estre appellé le chien de Pluton, il n'y a voirie si infecte; ie ne l'aurois pas creu si ie ne l'auois senty moy mesme, le cœur vous manque quasi quand vous en approchez, on en a tué deux dans nostre court; plusieurs iours apres il sẽtoit si mal par tout nostre maison, qu'on n'en pouuoit supporter l'odeur. Ie croy que le peché que sentit saincte Catherine de Sienne, deuoit estre de mesme puanteur.
The other is a low animal, about the size of a little dog or cat. I mention it here, not on account of its excellence, but to make of it a symbol of sin. I have seen three or four of them. It has black fur, quite beautiful and shining; and has upon its back two perfectly white stripes, which join near the neck and tail, making an oval which adds greatly to their grace. The tail is bushy and [163] well furnished with hair, like the tail of a Fox; it carries it curled back like that of a Squirrel. It is more white than black; and, at the first glance, you would say, especially when it walks, that it ought to be called Jupiter's little dog. But it is so stinking, and casts so foul an odor, that it is unworthy of being called the dog of Pluto. No sewer ever smelled so bad. I would not have believed it if I had not smelled it myself. Your heart almost fails you when you approach the animal; two have been killed in our court, and several days afterward there was such a dreadful odor throughout our house that we could not endure it. I believe the sin smelled by sainte Catherine de Sienne must have had the same vile odor.
Le troisiéme est vn Escurieux volant, il y en a icy [316] de trois especes. Les vns sont communs, & sont non si beaux que ceux de France, les autres que nos François nomment Suisses, pour estre bigarrez sur le dos, sont tres-beaux & fort petits; les Escurieux volans sont assez beaux, leur excellence consiste en ce qu'ils volent; ce n'est pas qu'ils ayent des aisles, mais ils ont vne certaine peau aux [164] deux costez, qu'ils replient fort proprement contre leur ventre quand ils marchent, puis l'estendent quand ils volent. Leur vol n'est pas à mon aduis de longue haleine, i'en ay veu voler vn, il se soustenoit fort bien en l'air, mon hoste me l'auoit donné; ie le voulois enuoyer à V.R. mais la mort, la deliuré d'vn si lõg voïage.
The third is a flying Squirrel. There are three kinds of squirrels here. The first are the common squirrels, which are not so beautiful as those in France. The others, which our French call Swiss, because they are spotted upon the back, are very beautiful and quite small. The flying Squirrels are rather pretty, but their chief merit lies in their flying. Not that they have wings, but they have a certain piece of skin on [164] both sides, which they fold up very neatly against their stomachs when they walk, and spread out when they fly. I do not think they take long flights; I saw one of them flying, and it sustained itself very well in the air. My host gave me one; I would send it to Your Reverence, but death has freed it from so long a voyage.
Le quatriéme se nomme de nos François l'oiseau mouche, pource qu'a peine est il plus gros qu'vne abeille, d'autres l'appellent l'oiseau fleur, pource qu'il se nourrit sur les fleurs, c'est à mon iugement l'vne des grãdes raretez de ce païs cy, & vn petit prodige de la nature, Dieu me semble plus admirable en ce petit oiseau qu'en vn grand animal, il bruit en volans comme vne abeille; ie l'ay veu quelquefois se soustenir en l'air, becquetant vne fleur, son bec est longuet, son plumage me sembloit d'vn verd paré; ceux qui l'appellent l'oiseau fleur diroient mieux en mon iugement, le nommant la fleur des oiseaux.
The fourth is called by our French the fly-bird, because it is scarcely larger than a bee; others call it the flower-bird, because it lives upon flowers. It is in my opinion one of the great rarities of this country, and a little prodigy of nature. God seems to me more wonderful in this little bird than in a large animal. It hums in flying, like the bee; I have sometimes seen it hold itself in the air and stick its bill into a flower. Its bill is rather long, and its plumage seems to be a mottled green. Those who call it the flower-bird would, in my opinion, speak more correctly if they would call it the flower of birds.