dismal country to look at; but the poor Indians liked it, because it was their home, and they knew of no better country. How long since the only people in Massachusetts were Indians? What is said of the size and appearance of the Indians? What was their dress made of? What sort of houses had they? How did they get a living? What were their tools made of? What is said of their towns? How many Indians were there in Massachusetts? LETTER XLV. THE large animals, which the Indians used to hunt, were the moose, the deer, and the bear. The moose and the deer are very beautiful animals. Their flesh is good to eat, and is called venison. They feed upon grass and herbs in the summer, and upon the buds and bark of trees in the winter. They are very fond of the beautiful white lilly, that grows in ponds, called the pond lilly. There used to be great herds of them in Massachusetts, feeding in the summer, on the meadows along the rivers. The moose is as tall as a horse, and has small straight legs, with hoofs like a sheep. He can run very fast, and when he runs his hoofs make a loud clattering noise. He has a long slender neck and a handsome head. The male has very large branching horns, and what is very remarkable, the horns fall off every year and new ones grow out again. The female has no horns, and is much smaller than the male. The moose is of a dark gray, or black color. The deer that used to be in this State was the red deer; its shape was much like that of the moose, but it was much smaller, and more slender. The moose and the deer were very useful to the Indians. Their flesh was excellent food; their skins were used to make moccasons, belts, and other articles of clothing; and their horns were made into spoons and ladles. There were two kinds of bears in Massachusetts, the black bear and the brown bear. They were as large as a hog. The black bear had short legs and was generally very fat. He did not eat flesh; but lived on tender roots and plants, corn, berries, and grapes. The brown bear is sometimes called the ranging bear. He had long legs, and a leaner body than the black bear. He used to catch the deer and other smaller animals and feed on their flesh. The bears of both kinds were very fond of honey. The Bear. The bear has a coarse shaggy hide, his form is rude, and his step heavy and awkward. His feet have sharp claws, and he can climb the highest tree with great ease. With his fore paws he can strike a dreadful blow. He can rear himself upright on his hind feet, and can squeeze a man to death by clasping him with his fore feet. The bear loves to be alone, and chooses his den in some lonely mountain or deep forest. Here he passes the greater part of the winter, without stirring out. He lies and sleeps, and sucks his paws all winter long, and comes out very lean in the spring. The flesh of the bear is good, and his skin was very useful to the Indians. They caught the bear in a trap made of two logs. What large animals did the Indians use to hunt? What is said of the moose? What is said of the deer? What use did the Indians make of their skin? Of their horns? How many kinds of bears were there? What is said of the black bear? What is said of the brown bear? Where does the bear choose his den? LETTER XLVI, BESIDES the animals which I wrote about in my last letter, there were many others that lived in the woods, when there were no people in Massachusetts but the Indians. His The wolf used to be very common. color was a sort of yellowish gray with a dark stripe on the back. His shape was like that of the dog. He used to catch other animals like the ranging bear. When the white people first came into Massachusetts, the wolf and ranging . bear were very troublesome. They would catch lambs, calves, and pigs, and sometimes children; but at last, the woods were chiefly cut down, and the bears and wolves were killed, or driven away. The most terrible of all the wild beasts of Massachusetts, was the catamount. He was nearly as large as the bear. He looked like a monstrous great dark colored cat. He had large, shining eyes, sharp teeth, and great paws with long sharp nails. He could not run very fast, but he could leap to a great distance with astonishing swiftness. He used to climb trees and jump upon the deer as they passed by. He would kill them and suck their blood. The catamount, the wolf, the ranging bear, and many other beasts are called beasts of prey, because they feed on other animals. Of the smaller wild animals, such as the fox, the wild cat, the rackoon, the otter, the mink, the muskrat, the rabbit, the squirrel, there |