"Wild geese and ducks, together with snipes and waterfowl, are very numerous during the winter season. They are unlike those in Switzerland and they are not wild. No hunter will shoot at one or two of them, but they are hunted in uncounted numbers. Partridges are also numerous and tame as one often sees them eating with the chickens. Many of the birds I do not know the name of them because they are unlike the European birds."
"One species is as large as a finch, of scarlet color, another is blue, others green, and others have variegated colors wonderfully mixed. Then there is a little bird, somewhat larger than a hornet, which always hovers over flowers. When one looks at its wondrous colors, one cannot help being surprised. The noxious birds are like a species of blackbird, which do not a little damage when the corn is sown and cut. The come in incredibly large numbers. At such times the fields must be guarded, but that does not help much. When they are chased from one field, they fly to another. They fear people hardly at all. Hence it happens that fields must often be sown three times. They even pick it out of the ground after it has sprouted. The most valuable species, because of their song, is the "mocketbort" [mocking bird] which are sold in England for two guineas and more. They can be compared to the nightingale because they change their sweet song in many ways.
Poisonous animals did not become known to me, except the so-called rattlesnakes species which is large and much feared. They stay most generally at swampy places. When angry they rattle with their tail as if it were a bell. When they bit anybody, he has to die. There is no help for him. Only the Indians know the secret, but they don't want it to make it known. [Robert Beverley make just the opposite statement and said, "The remedies are well known."]
In the hottest part of the summer it is troublesome to travel because of the vermin. [Beverley said there were three problems with Virginia, "Thunder, Heat, troublesome Vermin."] No one can lie or sleep on the ground because so many vermin have crawled over the same. In summer, the mosquitoes are very annoying.
Rains are usually warm and the sun has such power that, when something is planted, it grows in a short time. It is astonishing to see a thing, half grown or half ripe one day, reaching ripeness in a few days. The fruits are all ripe much earlier than in Switzerland. This year, it was very hot in June, July, and August. The cool springs are very refreshing and the water is not inferior to ours. A vessel of cold water is taken and sugar is put in with some vinegar and nutmeg together with some good glasses of rum. Sometimes they put in lemon. It is good drink and they call it Pons [punch].
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.