Capt. John Smith's first hand account from his Jamestown, Virginia experience on the wildlife of Virginia circa 1608--note the Old english spelling has not been tampered with,,,,,,decipher accordingly and visualize the variety of predator and prey that existed up and down the Eastern Seaboard at the dawn of European colonization.................Remember that there had been a 100 years of previous European impact on North America through the various Expedtions(Cartier, De Soto, Champlaign, etc, etc, etc)...........which resulted in as much as 90% decimation of Indian populations................perhaps allowing for the re-population and expansion of our wildlife(many historians surmise that Indian populations had grown to "adverse impact" levels by 1500 AD......resulting in extirpation of Wild America).................Wildlife resurgance as human populations plummeted due to European generated small pox, yellow fever, flu, cholera and the like

Capt. John Smith's Map of Virginia: With a Description of the
Countrey, the Commodities, People,
Government and Religion (1612)

 "Of beastes the chief are Deare, nothing differing from ours.
In the deserts towards the heads of the rivers, ther are many,
but amongst the rivers few.

There is a beast they call Arough-cun, much like a badger, but useth to live on trees as Squir-rels doe(fishers and pine marten probably)

 Their Squirrels some are neare as greate as our small-
est sort of wilde rabbits; some blackish or blacke and white,
but the most are gray.

Their Beares are very little in comparison of those of
Muscovia and Tartaria.

 The Beaver is as bigge as an ordinary
water dogge, but his legges exceeding short. His fore feete
like a dogs, his hinder feet like a Swans. His taile somewhat
like the forme of a Racket bare without haire; which to eate,
the Savages esteeme a great delicate.

 They have many Otters,which, as the Beavers, they take with snares, and esteeme the
skinnes great ornaments; and of all those beasts they use to
feede, when they catch them.
    

There is also a beast they call Vetchunquoyes in the forme of
a wilde Cat.(Cougars, bobcats) 

Their Foxes are like our silver haired Conies,
of a small proportion, and not smelling like those in England.

 

Their Dogges of that country are like their Wolves, and cannot
barke but howle; and their wolves not much bigger then our
English Foxes.

 Martins, Powlecats, weessels and Minkes we
know they have, because we have seen many of their skinnes,
though very seldome any of them alive. But one thing is
strange, that we could never perceive their vermine destroy
our hennes, egges, nor chickens, nor do any hurt: nor their
flyes nor serpents anie waie pernitious; where1 in the South
parts of America, they are alwaies dangerous and often
deadly.

 Of birds, the Eagle is the greatest devourer. Hawkesthere be of diverse sorts as our Falconers called them, Sparow-
hawkes, Lanarets, Goshawkes, Falcons and Osperayes; but
they all pray most upon fish. Pattridges there are little bigger
then our Quailes, wilde Turkies are as bigge as our tame. There
are woosels or blackbirds with red shoulders, thrushes, and
diverse sorts of small birds, some red, some blew, scarce so
bigge as a wrenne, but few in Sommer. In winter there are
great plenty of Swans, Craynes gray and white with blacke
wings, Herons, Geese, Brants, Ducke, Wigeon, Dotterell,
Oxeies, Parrats, and Pigeons. Of all those sorts great abun-
dance, and some other strange kinds, to us unknowne by name.
But in sommer not any, or a very few to be seene.

 Of fish we were best acquainted with Sturgeon, Grampus,
Porpus, Seales, Stingraies whose tailes are very dangerous,
Brettes, mullets, white Salmonds, Trowts, Soles, Plaice, Her-
rings, Conyfish, Rockfish, Eeles, Lampreyes, Catfish, Shades,
Pearch of 3 sorts, Crabs, Shrimps, Crevises, Oysters, Codes,
and Muscles. But the most strange fish is a smal one so like
the picture of S. George his Dragon, as possible can be, except
his legs and wings: and the Todefish which will swell till it
be like to brust, when it commeth into the aire.

    A small beast they have, they call Assapanick, but we
call them flying squirrels, because spreading their legs, and so
stretching the largenesse of their skins that they have bin
seene to fly 30 or 40 yards.

 An Opassom hath an head like
a Swine, and a taile like a Rat, and is of the bignes of a Cat.
Under her belly shee hath a bagge, wherein shee lodgeth,
carrieth, and sucketh her young. Mussascus 4 is a beast of the
forme and nature of our water Rats, but many of them smell
exceeding strongly of muske.

Their Hares no bigger then our
Conies, and few of them to be found.