Mice in the beech woods.
Geese in pine trees.
Game birds.
a representation, so palpably erroneous and unjust.
The same species of mice are frequently to be met with on the adjacent parts of the Continent, where they occasionally do considerable mischief, in those particular districts which happen to be in the neighbourhood of tracts of beech-wood forest. Though the mice may sometimes partially injure the crops, yet there are many years successively in which none are to be seen on the Island, and no person wno is well acquainted with it, is under any serious apprehension of injury from them, and as the beach-wood forests are diminished, so will the number of mice decrease. It being well known their increase is owing to the great crops of beech mast, produced occasionally in certain districts, as a proof of which is observable, that in those parts that are remote from any quantity of that wood, no injury to the crops has ever been known to happen. [pp. 6769]
Hare (lepus timidus.) Hares are in great plenty all over the Island, they are chiefly taken in winter,
The Musquash (castor zibethicus) builds a cabin of mud and sticks in fresh water ponds, he is not very shy being frequently seen swimming about the ponds. lp. 69]
The Mink ( ) is an amphibious animal, and burrows in the earth by the side of rivers. Its fur is more valuable than the musquash, it is a mischievous little animal, making its way into out-houses, and destroying poultry and eggs.
Of squirrels we have three species. The red squirrels (sciurus f/avus.) The striped squirrel (sciurus striatus.) The flying squirrel (sc/urus volans) this is a beautiful lively little animal, its fur is extremely delicate and fine, but it is not so common as the other two species, squirrels increase vastly like the mice, after an abundant crop of beech mast, particularly the striped squirrel.
The only mamillary biped which we have is the Bat (vespert/l/Ib murinus) they are to be seen in great plenty on summer evenings in the neighbourhood of houses and at the edge of the woods. [p. 70]
The Wild or Black Goose Anas canadensis they sometimes chuse to lay their eggs in the old deserted nest of the bald eagle, on the top of a dead Pine tree, eighty or ninety feet from the ground, [p. 73]
The partridge is very common in our woods, and like the mice and squirrels, become very plentiful, the year after a great crop of beech mast; the flesh is as white as that of a pheasant, when disturbed the whole covey fly upon the nearest tree, where they often sit quietly till they are all successively shot; It has been found necessary to prohibit the killing of partridges between the first of April and the first of September, by an act of the legislature; [p. 75]
Wild Pigeon (co/umba migratoria.) Wild Pigeons come in the spring from the southward in great plenty, and breed in the woods during the summer months: some years they are in greater numbers than others, when the corn is cut and in shocks, they come out of the woods in greater numbers than could be wished, and are particularly troublesome in fields near the woods. lp. 77]
Mosquitos and the small black or Sand Fly are very troublesome in summer, but they decrease much as the country is cleared [p. 90]
83