New England Rarities, Of Beasts (part 7)

The Fox.

The Fox, which differeth not much from ours, but are somewhat less; a black Fox Skin heretofore was wont to be valued at fifty and sixty pound, but now you may have them for twenty shillings; indeed there is not any in New-England that are perfectly black, but silver hair'd, that is sprinkled with grey hairs.

The Iaccal.

The Iaccal, is a Creature that hunts the Lions prey, a shrew'd sign that there are Lions upon the Continent; there are those that are yet living in the Countrey, that do constantly affirm, that about six or seven and thirty years since an Indian shot a young Lion, sleeping upon the body of an Oak blown up by the roots, with an Arrow, not far from Cape Anne, and sold the Skin to the English. But to say something of the Iaccal, they are ordinarily less than Foxes, of the colour of a gray Rabbet, and do not scent nothing near so strong as a Fox; some of the Indians will eat of them: Their Grease is good for all that Fox Grease is good for, but weaker; they are very numerous.

The Hare.

The Hare in New-England is no bigger than our English Rabbets, of the same colour, but withall having yellow and black strokes down the ribs; in Winter they are milk white, and as the Spring approacheth they come to their colour; when the Snow lies upon the ground they are very bitter with feeding upon the bark of Spruce, and the like.