Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/198

 speckled, and of a different colour: there are also great store and plenty of Herons, and those so familiar and tame, that wee beate them downe from the trees with stones and staues, but such were young Herons: besides many White Herons, without so much as a blacke or gray feather on them; with other small birds so tame and gentle, that a man walking in the woods with a sticke, and whistling to them, they wil come and gaze on you, so neare that you may strike and kill many of them with your sticke; and with singing and hollowing you may doe the like. There are also great store of Tortoses, (which some call Turtles) and those so great, that I haue seene a bushel of egges in one of their bellies, which are sweeter then any Henne egge: and the Tortose it selfe, is all very good meate, and yeeldeth great store of oyle, which is as sweete as any butter; and one of them will suffice fifty men a meale, at the least: and of these hath beene taken great store, with two boates, at the least forty in one day. The Country yeeldeth diuers fruits, as prickled peares, great aboundance, which continue greene vpon the trees all the yeare; also great plentie of Mulberries, white and red: and on the same are great store of silke-wormes, which yeeld tods of silke, both white and yellow, being some course, and some fine. And there is a tree called a Palmito tree, which hath a very sweet berry, vpon which the hogs doe most feede; but our men finding the sweetnesse of them, did willingly share with the hogs for them, they being very pleasant and wholsome, which made them carelesse almost of any bread with their meate; which occasioned vs to carry in a manner all that store of flower and meale, we did or could saue for Virginia. The head of the Palmito tree is very good meate, either raw or sodden, it yeeldeth a head which waigheth about twenty pound, and is farre better meate, then any cabbidge. There are an infinite number of Cedar trees, (the fairest I thinke in the world) and those bring forth a very sweet berry and wholsome to eate. The Country (for as much as I could find my self, or heare by others) affords no venimous creature or so much as a Rat or Mouse, or any other thing vnwholsome. There is great store of Pearle, and some of them very faire, round and Orientall; and you shall finde at least one hundred seede of Pearle in one Oyster; there hath beene likewise found, some good quantity of Amber Greece, and that of the best sort. There are also great plenty of Whales, which I conceaue are very easie to be killed, for they come so vsually,