a small rising on their crowns,
like a sort of a comb. It is of the colour of a dry walnut shell, and
very hard. They have a small red gill on each side of their heads, like
ears, strutting out downwards; but the hens have none. They are so strong
that one cannot hold them; and very hardy. They are very good meat,
tender, and sweet; and in some the flesh is extraordinary white; though
some others have black flesh: but both sorts are very good. The natives
take them with dogs, running them down whenever they please; for here are
abundance of them. You shall see 2 or 300 in a company. I had several
brought aboard alive, where they throve very well; some of them 16 or 18
months; when they began to pine. When they are taken young they will
become tame like our hens. The flamingos I have already described at
large. They have also many other sort of fowls, namely pigeons and
turtledoves; miniotas, a sort of land-fowls as big as crows, of a grey
colour, and good food; crusias, another sort of grey-coloured fowl almost
as big as a crow, which are only seen in the night (probably a sort of
owls) and are said to be good for consumptive people but eaten by none
else. Rabeks, a sort of large grey eatable fowls with long necks and
legs, not unlike herons; and many kinds of small birds.
Of land animals here are goats, as I said formerly, and asses good store.
When I was here before they were said to have had a great many bulls and
cows: but the pirates who have since miserably infested all these islands
have much lessened the number of those; not having spared the inhabitants
themselves: for at my being there this time the governor of Mayo was but
newly returned from being a prisoner among them, they having taken him
away, and carried him about with them for a year or two.
The sea is plentifully stocked with fish of divers sorts, namely
dolphins, bonetas, mullet, snapper, silver-fish, garfish, etc. And here
is a good bay to haul a seine or net in. I hauled mine several times, and
to good purpose; dragging ashore at one time 6 dozen of great fish, most
of them large mullet of a foot and a half or two foot long. Here are also
porpoises, and a small sort of whales that commonly visit this road every
day. I have already said that the months of May, June, July and August
(that is, the wet season) are the time when the green-turtle come hither
and go ashore to lay their eggs. I look upon it as a thing worth taking
notice of that the tur
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