A true & exact history of the island of BarbadosLigon, Richard
History
A true & exact history of the island of Barbados
Ligon, Richard
Barbados -- Description and travel; Plants -- Barbados; Sugar -- Manufacture and refining -- Barbados
We have here, but very few; and those do not like well the pasture,
being very unfit for them; a soure tough and saplesse grasse, and
some poysonous plant they find, which breeds diseases amongst them,
and so they dye away, they never are fat, and we thought a while the
reason had been, their too much heate with their wool, and so got
them often shorne; but that would not cure them, yet the Ews bear
alwayes two Lambs, their flesh when we tried any of them, had a very
faint taste, so that I do not think they are fit to be bred or kept
in that Countrey: other sheep we have there, which are brought from
_Guinny_ and _Binny_, and those have haire growing on them, instead
of wool; and liker Goates then sheep, yet their flesh is tasted more
like mutton then the other.
[Sidenote: _Goates._]
We have in greater plenty, and they prosper farre better then the
sheep, and I find little difference in the taste of their flesh, and
the Goats here; they live for the most part in the woods, sometimes
in the pasture, but are alwaies inclos’d in a fence, that they do
not trespass upon their neighbours ground; for whosoever finds Hog
or Goat of his neighbours, either in his Canes, Corne, Potatoes,
Bonavist, or Plantines, may by the lawes of the Iland shoot him
through with a Gun, and kill him; but then he must presently send to
the owner, to let him know where he is.
[Sidenote: _Birds._]
The Birds of this place (setting two aside) are hardly worth the
pains of describing; yet, in order, as I did the Beasts, I will set
them down. The biggest is a direct Bussard, but somewhat lesse then
our grey Bussards in _England_, somewhat swifter of wing; and the
only good they do, is, sometimes to kill the Rats. The next to him
in bignesse, is the larger Turtle Dove, and of them, there is great
store in the Iland: ’tis a much handsomer bird, both in shape and
colour, then ours in _England_, and is very good meat. Next to her
is the lesser Turtle, a far finer bird then she, but of a contrary
shape; for this is of the shape of a Partridge, but her plumidge
gray, and a red brown under the wings; a pretier bird I do not know,
of so few glorious colours; her tune like the other. The next is
a bird like a Thrush, of a melancholly look, her feathers never
smooth, but alwaies ruffled, as if she were muing, her head down, her
shoulders up, as if her neck were broke. This bird has for three or
four notes, the loudest and sweetest, that ever I heard; if she had
variety, certainly no bird could go beyond her; she lookes alwaies,
as it she were sick or melancholly.
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