There also are some trees within the island, but none to be seen near the
seaside; nothing but a few bushes scattering up and down against the
sides of the adjacent hills; for as I said before the land is pretty high
from the sea. The soil is for the most part either a sort of sand, or
loose crumbling stone, without any fresh-water ponds or streams to
moisten it, but only showers in the wet season which run off as fast as
they fall, except a small spring in the middle of the isle, from which
proceeds a little stream of water that runs through a valley between the
hills. There the inhabitants live in three small towns, having a church
and padre in each town: and these towns, as I was informed, are 6 or 7
miles from the road. Pinose is said to be the chief town, and to have 2
churches: St. John's the next, and the third Lagoa. The houses are very
mean: small, low things. They build with figtree, here being, as I was
told, no other trees fit to build with. The rafters are a sort of wild
cane. The fruits of this isle are chiefly figs and watermelons. They have
also callavances (a sort of pulse like French beans) and pumpkins for
ordinary food. The fowls are flamingos, great curlews, and guinea-hens,
which the natives of those islands call galena pintata, or the painted
hen; but in Jamaica, where I have seen also those birds in the dry
savannahs and woods (for they love to run about in such places) they are
called guinea-hens. They seem to be much of the nature of partridges.
They are bigger than our hens, have long legs, and will run apace. They
can fly too but not far, having large heavy bodies and but short wings
and short tails: as I have generally observed that birds have seldom long
tails unless such as fly much; in which their tails are usually
serviceable to their turning about as a rudder to a ship or boat. These
birds have thick and strong yet sharp bills, pretty long claws, and short
tails. They feed on the ground, either on worms, which they find by
tearing open the earth; or on grasshoppers, which are plentiful here. The
feathers of these birds are speckled with dark and light grey; the spots