Description | Copy list of 26 bird specimens sent to the Royal Society, headed: 'A Short Description of the Birds in a Box marked No.24'. Each specimen - often male and female of the species with nests and eggs - is described in a brief paragraph, occasionally with phonetically rendered Native American names. The listing is followed by general comments from Marten and answers to queries, including on the changes of winter coat colour in rabbits and hares, the aurora borealis as observed at Albany and York Forts, and on the depth of snow and frozen ground.
Humphrey Marten (c.1729-1790/1792) was a Chief Factor to the Hudson's Bay Company. |