ifully all
round the island by the seaside, but not far within land. It is hard
wood, of a reddish colour, and very ponderous.

THE FRUITS OF THE ISLAND.

The fruits of this island are guavas, mangoes, jacas, coconuts,
plantains, bananas, pineapples, citrons, pomegranates, oranges, lemons,
limes, musk-melons, watermelons, pumpkins, etc. Many of these have been
brought hither by the Dutch and Portuguese; and most of them are ripe in
September and October. There were many other excellent fruits, but not
now in season; as I was informed both by the Dutch and Portuguese.

THE HERBS.

Here I met with an herb which in the West Indies we call calalaloo. It
grows wild here. I ate of it several times and found it as pleasant and
wholesome as spinach. Here are also parsley, samphire, etc. Indian corn
thrives very well here, and is the common food of the islanders; though
the Portuguese and their friends sow some rice, but not half enough for
their subsistence.

ITS LAND ANIMALS.

The land animals are buffaloes, beeves, horses, hogs, goats, sheep,
monkeys, iguanas, lizards, snakes, scorpions, centumpees, etc. Beside the
tame hogs and buffaloes, there are many wild all over the country, which
any may freely kill. As for the beeves, horses, goats, and sheep, it is
probable they were brought in by the Portuguese or Dutch; especially the
beeves; for I saw none but at the Dutch fort Concordia.

We also saw monkeys and some snakes. One sort yellow, and as big as a
man's arm, and about 4 foot long: another sort no bigger than the stem of
a tobacco pipe, about 5 foot long, green all over his body, and with a
flat red head as big as a man's thumb.

FOWLS. THE RINGING-BIRD.

The fowls are wild cocks and hens, eagles, hawks, crows, 2 sorts of
pigeons, turtledoves, 3 or 4 sorts of parrots, parakeets, cockatoos,
blackbirds; besides a multitude of smaller birds of divers colours, whose
charming music makes the woods very pleasant. One sort of these pretty
little birds my men called the ringing-bird; because it had 6 notes, and
always repeated all his notes twice one after another; beginning high and
shrill and ending low. This bird was about the bigness of a lark, having
a small sharp black bill and blue wings; the head and breast were of a
pale red, and there was a blue streak about its neck. Here are also
sea- or waterfowls, as men-of-war-birds, boobies, fishing-hawks, herons,
galdens, crab-catchers, etc. The tame fowl are cocks, h