Page:The History and Travels of Hector Maclean, Late Sailor.pdf/11

 We had alo a very odd Animal called an Opoom on Board. This Creature in Shape and Size omewhat reembles our Badger, but of a light dun Colour, with a long Tail like a Rat's, but thicker. The Skin of his Belly is very large, and folded o as to meet like a Pure, where it ecures its Young while little. It was kept in a Cage, and two young ones which went into this fale Belly of the Mother all the Night, and came out again in the Morning. It feeds upon Fih, and breeds in Virginia. Our Captain was offered ix Pounds Sterling for the Animal at Greenock, by a Show-man, but refued to part with it; tho' it was carried off from the Ship afterwards, none could tell how, which the Captain was very angry for.

During the Storm in our Outward bound Paage, we oberved three Crows, which had been driven off the Land by it, which flew around our Ship, and reted upon our Tops; we took Pity on them, and put up Berly for them to feed upon, which they did, and being quite wearied out, we catched them in the Night, and brought them down, clipedclipped [sic] their Wings, and fed them among the Pidgeons, and they became very tame; but one Day, poor Creatures! when the Ship was rolling, they all plumped over Board, and perihed, after all our Hopitality and Attempts to preerve them, and it would have been impoible for us at that Time to have aved the bet Man in Europe, if he had fallen over Board.

Once beating the Windward Paage Home from amaicaJamaica [sic], one of our Hands, a brisk young