Page:A voyage to New Holland - Dampier.djvu/63

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Birds and Beasts of I. Mayo.
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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 Flamingo's I have already describ'd at large, [Vol. I. p. 79.] They have also many other sort of Fowls, viz. Pidgeons and Turtle-doves; Miniota's, a sort of Land-fowls as big as Crows, of a grey colour, and good Food; Crusia's, another sort of grey-colour'd 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. Rabek's, a sort of large grey eatable Fowls with long Necks and Legs, not unlike Herons; and many kinds of small Bitds.

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 lessen'd the number of those; not having spar'd the Inhabitants them∣selves: for at my being there this time the