They are taken comonlie in this sort. In some
Ilands or places where they are, being hunted for, as soone as they haue
spiall of a man they presently run awaie, & then being chased they clime
and get vp the next tree they can, from whence with arrowes they are
shot downe starke dead, or with those wounds that they may after easily
bekilled; we sometime shotte them downe with our caleeuers.
I haue the names of eight & twenty seuerall sortes of beasts which I
haue heard of to be here and there dispersed in the countrie, especially
in the maine: of which there are only twelue kinds that we haue yet
discouered, & of those that be good meat we know only them before
mentioned. The inhabitats somtime kil the 'Lyon' & eat him: & we somtime
as they came to our hands of their 'Wolues' or 'woluish Dogges', which I
haue not set downe for good meat, least that some woulde vnderstand my
iudgement therin to be more simple than needeth, although I could
alleage the difference in taste of those kindes from ours, which by some
of our company haue been experimented in both.
'Of Foule.'
'Turkie cockes' and 'Turkie hennes': 'Stockdoues': 'Partridges':
'Cranes': 'Hernes': & in winter great store of 'Swannes' & 'Geese'. Of
al sortes of foule I haue the names in the countrie language of
fourescore and sixe of which number besides those that be named, we haue
taken, eaten, & haue the pictures as they were there drawne with the
names of the inhabitaunts of seuerall strange sortes of water foule
eight, and seuenteene kindes more of land foul, although wee haue seen
and eaten of many more, which for want of leasure there for the purpose
coulde not bee pictured: and after wee are better furnished and stored
vpon further discouery, with their strange beastes, fishe, trees,
plants, and hearbes, they shall bee also published.
There are also 'Parats', 'Faulcons', & 'Marlin haukes', which although
with vs they bee not vsed for meate, yet for other causes I thought good
to mention.
'Of Fishe.'
For foure monthes of the yeere, February, March, Aprill and May, there
are plentie of 'Sturgeons': And also in the same monethes of 'Herrings',
some of the ordinary bignesse as ours in England, but the most part
farre greater, of eighteene, twentie inches, and some two foote in
length and better; both these kindes of fishe in those monethes are most
plentifull, and in best season, which wee founde to bee most delicate
and pleasaunt meate.
There are also 'Troutes, Porpoises, Rayes, Oldwiues, Mullets, Plaice,'
and very many other sortes of excellent good fish, which we haue taken &
eaten, whose names I know not but in the countrey language; wee haue of
twelue sorts more the pictures as they were drawn in the countrey with
their names.
