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NATURAL HISTORY

OF

BIRDS, FISH,
INSECTS, AND REPTILES.

EMBELLISHED AVITH
UPWARDS OF TWO HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS.

IN SIX VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

JLonucnt
PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETOR,

AND SOLD BY H. D. SYM0ND3, PATERNOSTER-ROW.

1S08.
Kniglit and ComptOD, Printers, CIr.th Fair.

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME,

1

Page

The Fhysiology and Structure of Birds

1

The Ostrich

-

-

- 44

The Emu

-

-

- 61

The Cassowary

»

-

- 65

The Dodo -

-

-

- 74

The Solitary and Bird of Nazareth

- 76

Of Rapacious Birds

-

-

- 77

The Eagle f and its affinities

-

-

- 85

The Golden Eagle

-

-

- 98

The Common Eagle

-

-

- ibid

The Bald Eagle -

-

-

- 99

The White Eagle -

-

-

- ibid

The Roughfooted Eagle

-

-

- 100

The White-tailed Eagle

-

-

- ibid

The Erne - - -

-

-

- ibid

The Black Eagle - -

-

-

- ibid

The Sea Eagle - -

-

-

. ibid

The Osprey - - -

-

-

- 101

^(b\

[ iv ]

Page

The Jean le Blanc - - -

- 101

The Eagle of Brasil - - _

- ibid

The Oroonoko Eagle - ^ -

- ibid

The Crozmed African Eagle

- ibid

The Eagle oj' Fo?idicherrj/

- 102

The Condor - - , -

- 103

The Vulture - - - -

- 109

The Golden Vulture - - ,

- 119

The Alpine Vulture - - -

- 120

The Fulvous lUlture. or Grisson

- ibid

The Cinereous Vulture - - -

- ibid

The Hare Vulture _ - -

- ibid

The Ash coloured or small Vulture

- 121

The Carrion Vulture - _ -

- ibid

The Egyptian Vulture - - -

- ibid

The Secretary - » - -

- ibid

The Falcon^ and its affinities -

- 122

The Gyr-Falcon - -

- 125

The Falcon - _ - _

- 126

The Lajiner - - . .

- 127

The Sacre - - - -

- ibid

The Hobby - - - -

- ibid

The Kestril - - - -

- ibid

The Merlin - - - .

- ibid

The Kite

- 137

The Buzzard . - - .

- 139

The Honey Buzzard - - -

- 14Q

( V )

Page.

Moor Buzzard - - - - 140

GosS'hawk - - - - 141

— Sparrow-hawk - - - - 142

The Butcher- Bird - - - - 143

Malabar Shriek - - - 149

The Owl - - - - . ibid

The Great horned Owl - - - 153

Little horned Owl - - - 155

Screech Owl - - - -156

White, or Barn Owl - - . jbid

Brown Owl - - - _ ibid

~ Little Brown Owl - - - 157

• Of the Poultry kind - - - 165

The Bustard - - - - - 172

Little Bustard - - - - 17S

Houbara, and the Rhaad - - ibid

Of the Cock - - - - - 179

Hamburgh Cock - - - 192

— — Wonderful Indian Cock - - 193

Indian Cock - - - _ 194

— — Muscovian Black Game-hen - ibid

The Turkey - - - - - 195

The Peacock ----- 209

— - Peacock of Thibet - - - 212

Japan Peacock . _ - ibid

The Grous and its affinities - - 214
Cock of the Wood - - - 215

VOL.1. b

( vi )

Page.

*" r Black Grous - - - - Ql§

■i ^ ■ Red Grous f or Moor Cock - - 221

•*— Hazel Grous - - - * ibid

' " Pin- tailed Grous - - - ibid

' - Ptarmigan Grous - - - ibid

TAe Pintada, or Guinea-hen - - 222

The Pheasant ----- 225

■ Golden Pheasant ... 232

Silver Pheasant - - - 233

The Pheasant ----- 234

""' ' West India Partridge - - 239

"" Hare-footed Partridge - - ibid

The Quail ----- 241

Of the Pie kind - - - . 245

• ' Raven - - - - . 250

• ^>' Common Carrion Crow - - 255
^' •' ■ Royston Crow - - - - 057

- — ^ JacA: Daw - - *. . ibid

' ' ' ■ Cornich Chough - - - 254

— *-— Rook ibid

— — — Calao, or Horned Indian Raven - 253

-***— iVzg/i^ Raven - - - - 263

''^^" Capricalca - - - . 954

TAe Magpie, and its affinities - - 265

'^'^^Jay - - - - . - 270

-***• Bengal Jay - - - - 271

-^**»-*- Chatterer - - - - ibid

( vii )

Page-

Roller 271

Red-beaked Toucan - - - 27^

The Bird of Paradise - - - 277

The Woodpecker f and its affinities - 282

Green, Woodspite - - - 285

-^— Lesser Woodpeckei' - - - 21)1

Great Black Woodpecker - - 292

Gold Merle . - - - 097

The Cuckoo --*--» 208

— Cuckoo of Carolina - - - S07
— — Cape Cuckoo - - - - 310

The Parrot 314

Maccaw - - - - - 529

— Common Parrot - - - ibid

Lory - * - - - 830

— — Paroquet - - - - - 33i

Directions for placing the Plates in the
FIRST VOLUME,

Page 44 Fig. 1, 2.

98 Fig. 3, 4.

' 126 Fig. 3, 6.

137 Fig. 7, 8, 9.

172 Fig. 10, 13.

179 Fig. 11, 12, 14.

S15 Fig. 15, 16.

225 Fig. 17, 18.

S34 Fig. 19, 20.

250 Fig. 21, 22,23,24.

277 Fig. 25, 26.

284 Fig. 27, 28.

294 Fig. 29, 30, 31, 32.

314 Fig. 33, 34, 35, 36,

NATURAL HISTORY

OF

BIRDS, FISH, REPTILES, ^c.

:.tu:rij.\ Li... . \ -

THE PHYSIOLOGY A]>^D STRUCTURE OF BIRDS.

WHATEVER part of the Universe we
consider, it appears to be replenished
with life, and '^ bursting into birth 5" every part
of Nature abounds with action ; even the yield-
ing air, and those tracts of seeming space,
where man (we had almost said) could never
ascend (unless the discovery of balloons may
militate against the assertion), are found desti-
tute of inhabitants, nor can we proceed one
step without discovering fresh traces of a wis-
dom as inexhaustible in the variety of its plans
as in the richness and fertility of the execution.
A Bird in flight may be styled a mass of
VOL, I, B matter.

FKOnRTY LIERAKr

N. C. State CaUege

2 NATURAL HISTORY

matter, raised aloft in spite of the air, and the
power of gravitation impressed on all bodies,
and which impels them to the earth 5 it is trans-
ported, not by an external impulse, but by a
power of self-motion, accommodated to its pur-
pose, and capable of sustaining it aloft with
graceful vigour for a considerable length of
time. In the anatomy of Birds every part seems
formed for traversing the aerial regions ; some
launch away in repeated springs, and advance by
successive boundings ; others seem to glide
through the air, and cleave it with an equal
and vmlform progress ; the former skim over
the earth, the latter soar up to the clouds ; yet
the^^ can all diversify their flight to avoid the
enemy whom they cannot oppose; they can,
ascend in right, oblique, or circular lines ; sus-
pend themselves, and continue motionless in an
elenipnt hghter than themselves ; then start
into motion, remount, or precipitate in an in-
stant, like a descending stone; or transport
themselves without opposition, or hazard,
wherever their necessities or 'pleasures invite
them. Nothing is more natural to the eye than
the bird which wings the air ; yet to the optics
of reason nothing; is more astonishing.

As.

OP BIRDS, FISH, See. 3

As to the external structure of Birds^ it is
peculiarly adapted for swiftness of motion ; it
is neither extremely massive^ nor equally sub-
stantial in all its parts ; but being designed to
rise in the air, is capable of expanding a large
surface without solidity. The body is sharp
before, to pierce and make its way through that
element j it then gradually increases in bulk,
till it has acquired its just dimensions, and
falls off in an expansive tail.

But whatever wise adaptation of means to
ends may appear in the configuration of the
feathered race, there is still something, more in-
teresting, because, perhaps, more obvious, in
attending to their natural intercourse, or, as a
philosophical poet delicately expresses it, ^^ the
passion of the groves;'^ to the curious mecha-
nism of their nests, the solicitude with which
they attend their eggs, the structure of the egg
itself, their instinct, and the birth and educa-
tion of their young.

Terrestrial animals of the class of quadrupeds-
are brought into the world completely formed,^
and in a state of active existence, like their
maternal parent, and they are termed viviparous;
in opposition to these stand the oviparous, or

B 2 such

4 NATURAL HISTORY

such as conceive eg^s, which they afterwards
bring fortb^ and from which, by the incuba-
tion of the parent, or some other principle of
warmth and fermentation, at length animals
arise; which, after they have consumed the
moisture that surround them, and arrive to a
sufficient bulk, firmness, and strength, break
their shells, and come forth.

When the connubial league is once settled,
they have immediate recourse to the necessary
preparations for their tender offspring ; and here
it is not unworthy of remark, that the same
temper of \t'eather, which raises the general
warmth in the feathered tribe, covers also the
trees with leaves, and the fields with grass, for
their security and protection; and produces
infinite swarms of insects, for the support and
sustenance of their respective broods.

The business of building the nest is the com-
mon care of both parents, and is performed
with no small degree of assiduity and apparent
design ; during its progress nothing is seen but
restless hurr}\ Nor is there, perhaps, less va
riety in the choice of their situation, than in
the architecture of their retreats; some fly to

the holly-hedge, some to the thicket

" Some

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 5

« Some to the rude protection of the thorn

" Commit their feeble offspring ; the cleft tree

" Offers its kind conceahnenc to a few ;

" Their food its infects, and its moss their nest.

" But most in woodland solitudes delight,

" In Unfrequented glooms, or shaggy banks,

" Steep, and divided by a babbling brook

" Whose murmurs soothe them all the live-long day,

" When by kind duty fixedi Among the roots

" Of hazel, pendant o'er the plaintive stream,

" They frame the tirst foundation of their domes :

" Dry sprigs of trees, in artful fabric laid,

" And bound v^'ith clay together."

But wherever they dispose themselves they
always take care to be accommodated with a
shelter, and where a natural one does not offer
itself, they very ingeniously make a covering
of a double row of leaves, down the slope of
which the rain trickles without entering into
the little opening of the nest that lies concealed
below. The nest itself is raised on more solid
materials, and is strengthened with a founda-
tion 5 for this purpose they make use of dry
wood, shivers of bark, thorns, reeds, thick hay,
and compact moss ; and on this first layer,
which seems very shapeless, they spread and
fold in a round all the most deligate materials,
as down, wool, silk, spiders' webs, feathers,

and

6 NATURAL HISTORY

and a hundred other Httle materials^ that arc
all useful in the nest, and which communicate
a convenient warmth to them and their young.

When the ordinary supplies fail them, there
is scarcely any invention to which they have not
recourse for assistance : ^^ This (says the Abbe
de la Plucke) I learnt from some goldfinches
which I bred : — I had only furnished them
with hay for the structure of their nest ; and
the female, for want of raw silk or cotton,
found out an experiment that surprized me: she
began to unplume the breast of the male with-
out the least opposition from him, and after-
wards lined her little apartment very artificially
with the down."

There is another peculiarity observable in
the feathered race, which can only be referred
to that wonderful principle that directs their
general conduct: every different kind of bird
observes a particular plan in the structure as
well as the furniture of its little apartment;
yet all of the same species work after the same
model. Nor is this conduct owing to imita-
tion; for though you hatch a crow under a
hen, and never let it see any of the works of
its own kind, the nest it makes will be the

same.

OF BIRDS, risii, &c. 7

same as all the other nests of the same species,
jeven to the laying of a stick.

We wish not, however, dogmatically to
assert that some variations do not arise from
the circmnstance of place or climate, or the
ability to procure materials. The red-breast
will occasionally make its nest with oak-leaves,
or with moss and hair ; and in the tropical cli-
mates, where the heat of the weather promotes
the process of incubation, the bird is less soli-
citous about its nest than in colder regions.

Thus the ostrich in Senegal, where the heat
is excessive, neglects her eggs during the day,
but sits upon them in the night. At the Cape
of Good Hope, however, where the degree of
heat is less, the ostrich, like other birds, sits
upon her eggs both day and night. In coun-
tries infested with monkies, many birds, which
in other climates build in bushes and clefts of
trees, suspend their nests upon slender twigs,
and thus elude the rapacity of their enemies.

The peculiar architecture of the nest of each
species seems to be adapted to the number of
eggs, the temperature of the climate, or the
dimensions of the little animal's body. In
some, the blackbird and thrush for instance, the
cavity of the nest is exactly fitted to receive the

bodv

9 NATURAL HISTORY

body of the bird, and this is generally the case
with birds that build with sides to their nests^
and make deep cavities : they stand within the
nest while they are at work, and make their
own bodies the gauge of their dimensions iri
building.

Were birds endued with scientific knowledge,
their buildings would doubtless be as various
as ours: but they, have no science, nor have
they any implements of industry, except their
beaks; atid .yet they form works that manifest
all the ingenuity of the architect, arid all the
industry of the mason. Some unite hairs,
moss, and reeds, into one mass with the dex-
terity of the weaver; others connect all the
'J)arts of their nests with a threft^, which they
spin from flue or dowh, as well a? from
hemp and hair, and not unfrequently from the
webs of spiders, which they easily procure when,
these wandering creatures dart flrom place to
"place, and fill the fields with their threads.

Another class again, like the Blackbird and
lapwing, after they have made their nest, rough-
<iast the inside with a slight covering of clay or
mortar, that connects and supports it all be-
low ; this they also temper with moss, and
thus form- a complete wall within ; or, to
^- - - domesticate

OP BIRDS^ FISH> &C. Q

jlomesticate the idea, let us call it an apartf
ment commodiously furnished, and properly
calculated to preserve tfie necessary warmth.

The nests of the swallow and the marten are
9 structure entirely different from all others ;
they neither want wood, hoops nor bands, but
make a kind qf plaster, or rathe): cement, with
which they erect a dwelling equally secure and
convenient for themselves and family. Destitute
of any of those tools by which '^ art worketh
her wonders,*' the simple process they pursue
is to wet their breasts on the surface of the wa-
ter, then shedding thi3 devy ovpr the dust, they
temper and work it up with their bill.

Small birds, whose eggs are generally nu-
merous, make their nests warm, that the ani-
mal heat mfiy be equally diffused ; bu|: the larger
species are legs solicitous in this respect. Again,
the smaller tribes, that live upon fruit and
corn, and are often unwelcome intruders iipon
the labours of man, use every caijtion to con-
ceal their negts from watchful intrusion : while
the only solicitude of the great birds is to ren-
der their refuge inaccessible to wild beasts and
vermin.

It is asserted by Naturalists, that in general
pvery bird resorts to hatch in those climates or

yot, I. C ^ places

\b NATURAL HISTOKY

places where its sustenance is found in gi*catest
plenty, and always at that season when provi-
sions are in the greatest abundance. The large
birds, and those of the aquatic kinds, chuse
places as remote from man as possible, as their
food is in general different from that which is
cultivated by human labour. It is also observed
with respect to climate, that several sorts of
water-fowl, which with us make but a very
slovenly nest, ar« much more exact in this par-
ticular in the colder regions of the north. There
they take every precaution to make it warm 5
and some kinds strip the down from theiF
breasts, to line it with greater security.

The important business of nidification being
now completed, the dam lays her eggs, the
number of which varies according to the spe-
cies ; some have only two at a time j others
four or five, and some e\»en eighteen. When
the eggs are laid, the male and female brood over
them by turns ; though this is generally the fe-
male's province. And here we cannot but ad-
mire the impressions of a superior Intelligenca
that acts upon these little creatures : they have
no certain knowledge either of what their
eggs contain, or of the necessity there is to sit
on them in order to hatch them ; and yet this

animal,

OF 2HRDS, FISHj &C. il

tnlmal., who is st> active and unsettled at other
times, in this liiomeiit forgets her natural dis-
position, and fixes herself on the eggs as long
as it is necessary: she submits to etery re-
straint, renounces all pleasure^ and continues
sometim<is more than twenty days inseparable
from her brood, and that with a tenderness S9
extraordinary as makes her neglect the call^ of
appetite. • -.-o'.*

Nothing can exceed the patience of birds at
this period r neither the demands of hunger,
nor the near approach of danger, can drive
them from the nest. They are often very
fat at the beginning of incubation, yet before
its end they are generally wasted to mere skin
and bone 5 as we see constantly is the case of
domestic fowls. The male, on his part, shares
and alleviates her fatigue ', he brings food to his
faithful mate, repeats his journeys without in-
termission, and waits on her with the collation
ready prepared in his bill : his services are ac-
companied with the politest behaviour, and
if ever he discontinues his assiduity, it is to
entertain her with his warbling : he acts with
so much fire and alacrity, and assumes so many
graces, that it is difficult to know whether
the painful perseverance ©f the little mother,

C 2 or

Ig KATURAL HlSTORV

or the officious inquietude of her spouse, arfe
most to be admired. Often when she is tired
he take's her place, and patiently continues
upon thfe nest Until her return ^ Sometitnes
the eggs acquire a degree of heat too powerful
for the purposes of hatching; in which case
the dam leaves them to cool a little, and then
returns to sit with her usual perseverance and
pleasure.

-The appointed time

With pious toil fulfill'd, the callow young,
Warm'd and expanded into perfect life,
Their brittle bondage break, and come to light,
A helpless family, demanding food
\Vith constant clamour.

But before we enter upon the culture or edu*
cation of the young brood, it may not be im-
proper to give a description of what the egg
contains, as well as of the manner in which
the young is formed in it, and how it iflues
from its confinement.

An Egg is a substance too generally known
to require definition; and a very anatomical
nicety in its analysis would not afford any high
degree of satisfaction : we shall, therefore, sub-
stitute an accurate description, in the place of

both>

O^ BlUDS, tiSH, &C. 1^

both, and in the language of the most indug-
trious and best informed raturalists, Malpighi;
Willoughby, Abbe de la Huche^ &c.
. One may judge of the cgg£ of the smallest
birds by that of a hen, whce the parts are
more apparent. We may e;sily distinguish
the yolk in the centre of the )gg, as likewise
the first white substance the surrounds it.
Besides these, we can see th ligaments that
sustain the yolk towards the cotre of the eo^g ;
and can likewise discover sevral membranes^
one of which enfolds the yolk> another the first
white, a third and fourth encott)ass the whole ;
and, lastly, we see the shell, foned for the de-
fence and preservation of all te rest. What
lies within these inclosures has le first forma-
tion, the shell has the last, ar. hardens from
day to day. It is a. fluxion ofsalts evacuated
from the humours of the dam and which the
heat fixes and consolidates roud the cg:g, to
form a crust, thnt has a doubltfunction ; one
qualifies the mother for disclrging the ego-
without crushing it; the secor preserves the
young from all accidents, till itbe formed and
in a condition to forsake the rg. We may
even say, that the egg performs^ young birds
the office of a breast and milk,,'ith which the

offspring

H

NATUkAL HISTORY

offspring of other animals are "nouHshed ; th^i
etnbryo chick is firft sustained with the white
of the egg, and afterwards with the yblk, wheri
the animal has gathered a Httle strength, and
its parts begin td be fixed.

Under the imiibrane which, surrounds the
yolk, is found a little cicatrice, or white spot,
the punctum salmS) which is the only seed where
the chick residesin miniature* It has all its or-
gans at that tire, but they are involved and
comprehended iria point. If the smallest por-
tion of that vitalfpirit which is destined to ani-
mate the mass, fe then infused into it by a pro-
cess, of which ie have no idea, the chick re-
ceives lif? at thc^aiiie instant, and its whole sub-
stance is rOuseqntO motion. We have no ade-
quate conceptio^ indeed, of a vital spirit ; but
this expression points out a reality, which is
sufficient for oii purpose.

When the ^al principle has hot been in-
fused into this 3feck, which comprehends not
only the first skch but every part of the chick,
the egg will couin nothing more than an un-
prolific nourish ent, and will never become a
living animal. On the cotitrary, should this
enlivening spiri^e transmitted, in the minutest
degree, througkhe pores of tliose membranes

through

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. 15

through which snch a diversity of aliments has
already flowed, it will then (ipen the small ves-
sels of the chick, diffuse a general warmth, and
convey a nutrimental fluid to the heart. The
structure of this little muscle eiables it to open
and dilate, for the reception of what passes into
it on one side, and likewise to contract itself,
for discharging, through another orifice, which
ha& been already received.

The pulsation of the heart hith some analogy
to the pendulum of a clock, fnm whose vibra-
tion the whole machine deryies its motions.
The moment the heart begins b beat, the ani-
mal is- alive, but still continues to receive, by
the mediation of the umbilic oict, a flow of
nutritious juices, which it traritmits into the
other vessels, whose branches distribute this
nourishment through the whole body. All
those little canals, which were flat before, are
now swelled and enlarged ; the whole substance
imbibes a proper aliment, and the chick begin*
to grow.

It is almost impossible to distinguish, amidst
the fluids that surround it, the ns^ture of its
daily progress and changes, till the period when
it issues from the shell. But let us not omi>t
one precaution, equally evident and astonishing,

and

|S NATURAL HISTORY

and which is observ'able in the situation of the
speck, out of wiiich the animal is formed.
This minute and glqbular particle of matter,
which is lodged on the film that enfolds the
yolk, has always its portion near the centre of
the ^ggy and toA^ards the body of the dam, in
order to be impregnated with a necessary
nvarmth. The jolk is sustained by two liga-
ments, visible at the aperture of the egg, an4
which fasten it on each side to the common
membrane gluec to the shell. Should a line
be drawn from one ligament to the other, it
would not exactly pass through the middle of
the yolk, but a>ove the centre, and wouW cut
the yolk ir^to ,wq unequal parts, so that the
smaller part rf the yolk which contains the
seed, is of necessity raised towards the belly
of the bird who performs the incubation; and
the other part, being more gross and weighty,
always descends as near the bottom as the
bands will permit ; by which means, should the
egg be displaced, the young cannot receive any
. injury, and, whatever may happen, it enjoys a
warmth that puts all about it into action, and,
by degrees, completes the disengagement of it?
parts.

As

OF BIRDS, I?1SH, &C. 17

As it is incapable of sliding down, it nourishes
itself in ease, first with this liquid and delicate
white, which is adapted to its condition, and af-
terwards with the yolk, which aflfords a more
substantial food ; and when the bill is hardened,
and the bird begins to be uneasy at his confine-
ment, he endeavours to break the shell, and
<ioes so in effect. After which he issues out,
fully replenished with the yolk, which nou-
rishes him a little longer, till he has strength
enough to raise himself on his feet, and
can march about to look for provisions, or
till the parents themselves come to supply
them.

Birds that nourish their young have generally
very few, and it is further observable that those
lairds which are detrimental to us, and with
"wliose existence we can easily dispense, are the
species that multiply the least; indeed, were
the progeny numerous, both the parents
would be sjaves, and the young but indiffer-
ently supported.

On. the other hand, those birds, the young
of which feed themselves when they first see
the day, have sometinjes twenty in a brood ; the
mother in this case, vi^ho marches in the van of
her progeny, without the solicitude of procuring

VOL. I, D subsistence

18 NATURAL HISTORY

subsistence for them^ can superintend twenty
as well as four. The birds whose flesh is th6
most salutaiy, and whose eggs afford the most
nourishment, are fruitful to a prodigy.

The production of the young seems to be
the great sera of a bird's happiness ; nothing cao
at this time exceed its spirit and industry; it
is rendered sensible of the cares that attend a
family, and the important pursuits of common
subsistence take up its whole care 3 the. war,
biers are silent, it is no longer, a season for
singing, or at least they indulge it less frequent-
ly, and their attachment to their offspring ope-
rates to a degree that even changes their natural
disposition, and new duties introduce new in-
clinations. The most timid become coura-
geous in the defence of their young, and birds
of the rapacious kind, at this season, become
more than usually fierce and active 5 they carry
their prey, yet throbbing with life, to the nest^
and early accustom their young to habits of
slaughter and cruelty. Even .the hen, when
she becomes the parent of a family, no longer
continues the same creature 5 naturally timor-
0US3 and before this period knowing nothing
but flight, she becomes a heroine at the head of
i troop of chickens; she despises danger, cou-
rageous!}'

OF BIBDS, FISH, 8cC. 19

rageously attacks the stoutest dbg in defence of
her brood, and would probably venture to en-
counter even a lion,:-

> '.Eut what shall we say of the principle which
leads them to this conduct ?

EfjuidemcredOf quia sit divirutus illis
. . Ingenium,

" '* -I think their breasts with heavenly souls inspir'd."
But though animals in their generation may
be wiser than the sons of men, yet their wisdom
is confined to a narrow compass, and limited
to a few particulars. The design or conduct
is not in the animal, but in the Creator of the
animal, who directs its operations to their own
good, by what may properly be styled a myste-
rious influence.

^^ With what caution," says the elegant au-
thor of the Spectator, " does the female pro-
vide herself a nest in places unfrequented and
free from noise and disturbance 1 when she has
laid her eggs in such a manner, that she can
cover them, what care does she not take in
turning them frequently, that all parts may
partake of the vital warmth ! when she leaves
them, to provide for her necessary sustenance,
how punctually does she return before they have
time to cool, and become incapable of produc-

D 2 ing

fO NATURAL HrSTQHY

ing an animal ! In the summer you see htt
giving herself greater freedom, and quitting
her care for above two houis together 5 but ia
winter, when the rigour of the season would
chill the principles of life, and destroy the
young ones, she grows more assiduous in her
attendance, and stays away but half the time.
When the birth opproaches, with how much
nicety and attention does she help the chick to
break its prison ! Not to take notice of her
covering it from the injuries of the weather,
providing it proper nourishment, and teaching
it to help itself; nor to mention her forsaking
the nest, if, after the usual time of reckoning,
the young ones do not make their appearance,
A chymical operation could not be followed
with greater art or diligence, than is seen in the
hatching of a chick ; though there are many
other birds that shew an infinitely greater sa-
gacity in all the forementioned particulars.

*' But at the same time the hen, that has all
this seeming ingenuity, which is indeed abso-
lutely necessary for the propagation of the spe-
cies, considered in other respects, is without
the least glimmerings of thought or common
sense. She mistakes a piece of chalk for an egg,
and sits upon it in the sawie manner ; she is in-
sensible

Of BIBDS, PISH, &0. 21

genaible of any increasQ or diminution in the
number of those she lays : she does not distin-
guish between those of another species j and
when the birth appears of never so different a
birdj will cherish it for her own. In all these
circumstances, which do not carry an imme-
diate • regard to the subsistence of herself or
specieSj, she is a very ideot/^

Birds of the same species, as we have before
remarked, unless when restrained by peculiar
circumstances^ uniformly build their nests of
the same materials, and in the same form and
sitxTatton, though they inhabit very different
climates ; and the form and situation are always
exactly suited to their nature, and calculated to
afford them shelter and protection. When
danger, or any other circumstance peculiar to
certain countries, renders a deviation from the
common form or situation of nests necessary,
that deviation is made in an equal degree, and
in the very same manner, by all the birds of
one species ; and it is never found to extend be-
yond the limita of the country where alone it
can serve any good purpose. When removed
by necessity from their eggs, birds return to
them with haste and anxiety, and shift them so
as to heat them equally ^ and it is worthy of

observation.

22 NATURAL HISTORY

obsen-ation, that their haste to return is always
in proportion to the coldness of the dimate.
But do birds reason^ and all of the same species
reason equally well^ upon the nature and ex-
tent of danger, and upon the means by which
it can best be avoided ? Have birds any no-
tion of equality, or do they know that heat is
necessary for incubation ? No : in all these
operations men recognise the intentions of
Nature, but they are hid from the animals
themselves, and therefore cannot operate upon
them as motives.

Yet we have instances of animal sagacity
that seem to indicate something very superior
to what is generally understood to be the ope-
ration of instinct. It is well known that crows
feed upon several kind of shell-fish, when
within their reach, and that they contrive to
break the shell by raising the fish to a great
height and letting it drop upon a stone or
rock. This may, perhaps, be considered as
pure instinct directing the animal to the proper
means of acquiring its food. But what is to
be thought of the following fact, communi-
cated, as we are told, by a gentleman whose
veracity is unquestionable, and who being totally
unacquainted with the theories of philosophers

had

or BIRDS, FISH, Sic. 2S

had of course no favourite hypothesis to sup-
port ?

*^ In the spring of the year 1791 a pair of
crows made their nest in a tree, of which there
are several planted round his garden, and in his
morning-walks he had often been amused hj
witnessing furious combats between them and
a cat. One morning the battle raged more
fiercely than usual, till at last the cat gave way,
and took shelter under a hedge, as if to wait a
more favourable opportunity of retreating to
the house. The crows continued for a short
time to make a threatening noise; but per-
ceiving that on the ground they could do
nothing more than threaten, one of them lifted
up a stone from the middle of the garden, and
perched with it on a tree planted in the hedge,
where she sat watching the motions of the
enemy of her young. As the cat crept, along
under the hedge, the crow accompanied her. by-
flying from branch to branch, and from tree
to tree, and when at last puss ventured to quit
her hiding-place, the crow, leaving the trees,
and hovering over her in the air, let the stone
drop from on high on her back..^' That the
crow, on this occasion, reasoned is self-evident ;
and it seems to be little less evident that the

ideas

24 NATURAL KISTOHY

ideas employed in her reasoning were enlarged
beyond those which she had received from her
senses. By her senses she might have perceiv-
ed that the shell of a fish is broken by a fall 5
but could her senses inform her that a cat
would be wounded or driven off the field by the
fell of a stone ? No ; from the effect of the one
fall preserved in her memory she must have in-
ferred the other by her power of reasomng.

But of the anxiety and courage of birds, in
the preservation of their brood, and their m-
Btinetive discernment, we have a singular in-
stance related by Professor Reimar, and such a
one as perhaps seldom occurred to the observ^a-
tion of Naturahsts.

*^ Two robins (says he) had their nest withiri
a small hollow of a rock, which -was shaded
by a spreading oak : the female had five eggs,
which she hatched with such assiduity that both
I and others often vie^ved her very near, and
even touched her, without her making the least
:motion to avoid the apparent danger.

^^ One day nry lying-in bird was absent, and
I apprehended she had forsaken her nest ; bxrt
tny suspicions were changed on seeing a ciTckoo
hopping along an adjoining descent, and which
finally alighted on a tree near \vha'e I stood,

at

ntHBTUHMXr

K C. Stak CoV^^^

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. 25

at the same time I perceived my robins watch-
ing the cuckoo's motions. It occurred to
me that it is the practice of the female cuckoo
to lay its eggs in the nest of some other small
bird, and such seemed her present intention.
Reason would have taught the robins to post
themselves in the nest^ the better to defend it,
but instinct determined them to keep at a dis-
tance^ and put the enemy on a wrong scent :
accordingly the nearer it approached the nest,
the more alertly the robins strove to mislead
it, by fluttering about with all the marks of
anguish, and using a note highly expressive of
distress 5 the cuckoo at length, after a long
pursuit, returned to a bough much nearer to
the nest than she had yet been 5 a moment was
not, therefore, to be lost : one of the robins
rushed under the feathers of the cuckoo's tail,
and fell to pecking her with unabating fury,
while she kept shivering, her bill open so very
wide, that the other robin, which attacked her
in front, threw herself in so far that no part of
her head was to be seen, and the cuckoo, ap-
pearing to be seized with a find of vertigo, fell
towards the ground, hanging with her claws to
the branch on which she had perched, while
her relentless enemies availed themselves of her
VOL. I. E condition,

26 NATURAL HISTORY

condition, and would probably have put a pe-
riod to her existence had not a sudden storm
put a termination to the combat."

Our little progeny are now brought to that
period, when

lifrht in air

Th' acquitted parents.lee their foariiig race,
And once rejoicing, never know them more. "

As soon as the whole family are fully plumed,
and capable of flying alone, they are led to the
proper places where their food lies, and taught
the necessary art of providing for their own
subsistence; and when they are completely qua-
lified for this important tafk^ all future con-
nection is at an end.

Those birds that are hatched early in the
spring constantly prove the most strong and
vi2;orous offspring ; while the feeble and tender
children of declining summer or autumn are sel-
dom capable of ' sustaining the severities of a
ri""orous winter. But this is a circumstance
that only ha[)pens in consequence of their nests
being repeatedly pillaged, in spite of which they
persevere in their efforts for a new progeny.

Let us now resume our examination of
the structure of birds, and how far they are

adapted

or BIRDS, Fisii, Sec. 27

adapted for the purposes to which they seem
destined.

FiiATiiERs are not less elegant than com-
modious for the inhabitants of the air; not
only a guard against wet and cold, and a
means of hatching and brooding their youno;,
but most convenient for flight ; for which pur-
pose they are neatly placed over the body from
the head towards the tail, to give the bird- an
easy passage. They are inverted behind, and
laid over each other in regular order. That
part of them next the body is furnished with
a warm and soft down; those exposed to the
air and weather are more strongly made, and
more curiously closed, being arrayed with a

double beard in two ranks, and longer at one

end than the other.

The mechanism of the feather is wonderful ;

the quill is firm ; the shaft or rib strong, but

%ht and hollow in proportion to its growth ;

the upper part possessing proportional strength,

but filled with a light parenchyma, or pkh;

and, on the whole, having so much surface with

so little gravity as to place the bird almost in

equilibrium with the airj

The beards, or vanes, of the feather, when

viewed through a microscope, appear to be a

^^ - row

28 NATURAL HISTORY

row of little flat and thin plates, or laminae,
disposed and inserted in a line as perfect as if
their extremities had been cut by the nicest in-
strument. Each of these laminae is again in
itself a quill, or basis, which sustains two new
ranks, of a minuteness that renders them al-
most invisible, and which exactly close up all
the little intervals through which the air might
enter. The feathers are also disposed in such
a manner, that the range of the little beards
of the one slides, plays, and discovers itself
more or less, under the great beards of the
other feather that lies over it. A new range
of lesser feathers serves as a covering to the
quills of the larger. The air is excluded from
every part, and thus the impulse of the fea-
thers on that fluid becomes very strong and
efficacious.

The vanes or webs in the flag part of the
wing are also formed with incomparable nicety :
broad on one side, and narrower on the other ;
the edges of the exterior vanes bending down-
wards, and those of the interior, or wider, up-
wards, by which they catch hold of, and lay
close to each other when the wing is spread ;
and thus not one feather can miss its im-
pulse.

This

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. £9

This (Economy of the construction of the
feathered race is curiously preserved by an ex-
pedient which renders their phimage as impe-
netrable to the water, as by their structure it is
to the air. Whenever the bird feels itself likelv
to be inconnnoded by rain, or its feathers dry,
soiled, and discontinued by gaps, it has recourse
to a gland, situate on its rump, and containing
a quantity of oil which it presses out with its
bill, and then drawing the bill over the greater
part of the feathers, successively anoints and
gives them a lustre that renders them imper-
vious to damp. This care of their plumage
is one of their most constant employments.
Water-fovvls are endowed with such a quantity
of this unctuous fluid, that it even commu-
nicates a degree of rancidity to the taste of
their flesh ; those that inhabit the open air have
less ; and our domestic fowls, which live, in a
manner, under covert, have the least.

Naturalists have varied in their opinions con-
cerning the generation or production of feathers ;
some contend that they are a species of plants,
as having the two great characters of vegetables,
i. e. that they grow and are not sensible ; and
also that they have the characteristic parts of

plants.

so NATURAL HISTORY

plants, as roots, stem, branch, leaves, Sec,
Others seem to be nearer to nature hi making
feathers to be on birds, what hairs are on other
animals.

In effect, feathers appear to be only produc-
tions and expansions of the last extreme fibrillse
of the cutis ', and hence, upon stripping oiF
the cutis, the feathers are likewise taken away ;
just as the leaves arid fruit follow upon pealing
the bark of a tree. Feathers also, as well as
hairs, arise out of pores in the cutis ; which
pores are not merely apertures, or foramina,
but a kind of lagimila^f woven of the fibres of
the skin, which terminate in the oscula of the
internal fibres of the feathers.

The wings of birds are remarkably strong.
The flap of a swan's wing has been known to
break a man's leg 5 and a similar blow from an
eagle has produced instant death. They cor-
respond with the fore-legs of quadrupeds, and
serve to support and poise the body in a fluid
much lighter than itself, as well as to perform
the function of oars to advance the body in any
direction : at their extremities there is an ap-
pendix generally termed the bastard zeing ; the
quills of the wing differ only from the common

feather

OF BIRDS, FISH, Sec. 31

feather in being larger, and springing from a
deeper part of the skin, for their shafts lay al-
most close to the bone.

The instruments of flying are the wings and
tail : by the first, the bird sustains and wafts
himself along ; and by the second he is assisted
in ascending and descending to keep his body
poised and upright, and to obviatQ its irregula-
rities and waverings.'

It is by the largeness and strength of the
pectoral muscles, that birds are so well dis-
posed for quick, strong, and continued flying.
These muscles, which in men are scarce a
seventieth part of the muscles of the body, in
birds exceed and outweigh all the other mus-
cles taken together : upon which Willoughby
makes this reflection, ^^ that if it were pos-
sible for man to fly, his wings must be so
contrived and adapted, that he might make
use of his legs, and not his arms^ in managing

them.'*

The flying of birds is thus effected : the
bird first bends his legs, and springs with a vio-
lent leap from the ground ; then opens or ex-
pands the jointures of his wings, so as to make
a right-line perpendicular to the sides of his
body. Being thus raised a Utile above the ho-
rizon,

S2 NATtRAL HISTORY

rizon^ he vibrates his wings with great force
and velocity, perpendicularly against the air;
which, though a fluid, resists those successions,
and re-acts as much as it is acted on : by these
means the whole body of the bird is protruded.
The sagacity of nature is very remarkable in
the opening and recovering of the wing for
fresh strokes. To do it directly, and perpen-
dicularly, it must needs have a great resist-
ance to overcome : to avoid which the bony
part, or bend of the wing into which the fea-
thers are inserted, moves sideways with its
sharp end foremost; the feathers following it
like a flag.

Ray, WiLLouGHBY, and others, have sup-
posed the tail to do the office of a rudder, in
steering and turning the body this way or that ;
but BoRELLi has shewn it unfit for any such
office. The Jii/ing of a bird, in effect, is quite
a different motion from the sailing of a ship :
birds do not vibrate their wings towards the
tail, as oars are ftruck towards the stern,^ but
waft them downward ; nor does the tail of the
bird cut the air at right angles, as the rudder
does the water, but is disposed horizontally,
and preserves the same situation what way so-
ever the bird turns.

In

In effect, as a vessel in the water Is turned
•about on its centre of gravity to the right, by
a brisk application of the oars to the left ; so a
hivd, in beating the air with its right wing
?tlone, towards its tail, its fore-part will be
turned to the left : as when in swimming, only
%y striking out with the right arm and leg, we
iare driven to the left.

But the tail is most particularly of use in
assisting birds to rise in the air, or to descend,
and to preserve their horizontal position when
flying.

The BONES of birds, though of a solidity
Strfficient to sustain the system of their bodies,
are, nevertheless, so hollow and diminutive,
that they scarce make any addition to the weight
of their flesh.

The CLAWS, LiEGS, WINGS, and beaks of
^11 birds are beautifully adapted to their various
pursuits. Birds of prey that must fly to a con-
^erable distance to obtain their food, are fur-
titshed with large strong wings ; while domestic
'hirds are imiformly the reverse. The genera-
lity of small birds, sparrows for instance, that
harbour near our habitations, and pick up grain
or crumbs from the table, have a small bill,
ivith short legs and neck ', — but the case is dif-

▼ot, I. 5* ferent

34 NATURAL HISTORY

ferent with the woodcock, the snipe, and va-
rious others that seek their aUment very deep in.
the earth, or amidst shme and mud.

The bill of the woodpecker is very long,
and of much strength and solidity ; his tongue
sharp, extremely long, and armed with little
points; this equipage relates to the bird's man-
ner of living and obtaining its prey, which is
chiefly little worms or insects that live in the
heart of many branches, or under the bark of
old wood. The heron, on the contrary, fecd^
on frogs, or whatever small fish he can pick up
in fens, or near the shores of rivers or the sea ;
he is therefore mounted aloft on very long legg
and thighs, almost destitute of plumage ; he haa
a long neck, with an enormous bill, jagged at
the extremity, like hooks, that enable him to
seize and detain his slimy prey. Similar ob-
servations may be applied to the whole of the
feathered race.

The organ of smelling is very large, and
so well provided with nerves as to render thi«
sensation very acute. The raven illustrates this,
who is able to find out his prey at a consider-
able distance, though concealed entirely from
his sight.

The

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 55

The anterior part of the eye, instead of be-
ing globular, as in the human body, turns
suddenly flat, and becomes but half a sphere.
In the British Zoology we are told, that ^^ the
eye of birds is not more agile than that of other
animals, though their sight is more quick.
On the contrary, their eye is quite immove-
able, as is that of most animals and insects of
the quickest sight.*'

As many of these creatures are continually
employed in thickets and hedges, their eyes are
secured from injuries, as well as too much
light, by an elegant mechanism. A membrane
arises from the internal angle, which can, at
pleasure, be made to cover the eye like a cur-
tain. This curtain is neither pellucid nor
opaque, both which would have been equally
inconvenient ; but being somewhat transparent,
allows as many rays to enter as to make any
object just visible, and is sufiicient to direct
them in their progression. By means of this
membrane it is that the easrle is said to look at

o

the sun.

Birds have no external ear, but in place
of it they have a tuft of very fine feathers, co-
vering the auditory passage, which readily al-
lows the sound to pass them, and likewise pre-

F 2 vents

30 NATURAL HISTaRY

ventft dust or insects from getting in : and a
liquor Is secreted from the external part of tha
ear, to lubricate the passage, and obstruct the
entrance of vermin, &c.

We have perhaps been somewhat diffuse on
the external conformation of birds, though the
subject would have borne us out to. a much
greater length : our view of the intemaJ struc-
ture shall be sufficiently concise; as indeed it
could scarcely prove interesting to those who
feaa^e not been accustomed to anatomical re-»
searches.

The gullet runs down the neck of birds, in*
dining a little to the right side, and terminates
in the crop> where the food is macerated and
digested by a liquor separated from the glands,
which abound on the internal surface of tbi»
bag. Passing through the remainder of the
gullet, it arrives at length to the true stomach
or gizzard, which consists of two very strong
jDttu^cles. The use of the gizzard h to com-
peEksate for the want of teeth, which would
be needless, as they swallow the food entire; 5
and it is well fitted for this purpose from the
great strength it possesses.

The digestion of birds is performed merdy
hy attrition, which is assi^ed by the hard bo-r

dies

OF BIRDS, FISB^ &C, S3t

diies they swallow, and which can serve for no.
other purpose than to help the trituration of
their aHnaents. After these pebbles, by be-
coming smooth, are rendered unfit for thisi
office,, they are thrown up by the mouth.
Hence, fowls that are long confined, though
€V^ SQ well fed, turn, lean for want of these
stones to help their digestion.

SpallAoNZ/Vni entertains a different opinion,,
and says, that pebbles are not at all necessary
to the trituration of the food of these animals.
At the same time he does not deny that when
put in motion by the gastric muscles they are
capable of producing some efTect on the con-
tents of the, stomach, but is inclined to believe
that, they are not sought for and selected by
d-esign, as many suppose, but because they fre-
quently happen to be mixed with the food.

The lungs are not loose within the cavity of
the thorax, but fixed to the bone all the way ;
neither are they divided into lobes, as in thos«r
animals. that have a large motion in their spine;
hxt are two. red spongy bodies, covered with a
membrane that is pervious, and wliich com-
municates with the large vesicles, or air-bags,
that are dispersed over their whole abdomen;
some of these are esren lodged in th.e flcsliy

parts.

38 NATURAL HISTORY

parts, and some in the hollow bones. Con-
cerning the use of these cavities, Dr. Hunter
conjectures, that they are a kind of appendage
to the lungs, by serving as reservoirs of air;
and that they assist birds during their flight,
which must be apt to render frequent respira-
tion difficult. Probably this construction of the
organs may assist birds in singing, which the
Doctor thinks may be inferred from the long
continuance of song between the breathings of
a canary-bird.

The migration of certain species of birds, at
various times, is a subject that naturally attracts
curiosity. Some birds delight in cold countries,
others are pleased with temperate climates, or
even the hottest regions. Some content them-
selves with passing from one country to another,
where the air or aliment attracts them at a
certain season : others traverse the seas, and
undertake surprising voyages. The birds of
passage most known are quails, swallows, wild
ducks, plovers, woodcocks, and cranes.

In the spring quails pass from Africa into
Europe, to find a more tolerable and temperate
summer than they could enjoy in the country
whence they came. Towards the close of au-
tumn they return over the Mediterranean to

obtain

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. SQ

obtain in Barbary and Egypt a gentle heat,
corresponding to the cHmate they had aban-
doned, when the sun was on the other side of
the equator. The quails on these occasions
take their flight in troops that resemble clouds ;
they frequently cover ships, into which, ex-
hausted by the fatigue of so adventurous 3
flight, they fall down, and become an easy prey
to the sailors.

Among the feathered emigrants is generally
placed the swallows, which are said to leave us
about the latter end of September, directing
their course towards Senegal and the Morocco
shore 3 and this fatiguing journey they are said
to perform in the space of seven days. But,
however common the opinion may be, that
this bird emigrates

" To distant regions and to warmer climes,"
yet from many circumstances it seems probable
that the house-swallozi) is not a bird of passage ;
on the contrary, that it never quits its natah
$olum, but remains where it was produced dur-
ing the winter months, like many other animals,
in a state of torpor ; and so far from being in-
clined to migrate in search of a more genial cli-
mate, is actually capable of existing through the

winter

40 NATURAL HISTORY

winter months amlto the mud at th^ bottom
of a pond. Omittmg less respectable authority,
"we shall rest the fact on part of a letter com'-
municated by the Hon. Sara. Dexter, Esq. to
the President of the American Academy of Arts
aiid Sciences, in 1785.

^^ You know. Sir, tiiat my house is near a
large river. This river is in many parts shallow,
and has a muddy bottom. A former neigh-
bour of mine, a plain, hanest, and sensible man,
now deceased, ^Vho lived still neai'er to the ri-
ver, used frequently to say to me, as the warm
weather came on in the spring, ^ It ts almo=^
time for the swallows to come out of t^e mud,
where they have laid all the wim-cr.' On my
calling his philosophy once and again in queS"
tion, and saying (as I formerly believed) that,
doubtless, they '^'ere birds of passage, he has
repeatedly assured me, he had in the autumn
•of many years seen great numbers of them
m one day only in each year, and nearly
about, but not alwa}'^ -on the same day of the
month, sitting an the willow bushes (which by
the way they are not wont to rest upon at other
times), on the borders of the ri^'ers, a Kttk
after sun-set 3 that they seemed as if their torpor

had

OF BIRBSj FISH, &C. 41

had already began, as they would not stir
from 'he twigs, which, by the weight of the
swallows, were bent down almost to the water ;
and that although he had never seen them sink
into it, yet he had waited till it was so dark
that he could not discern them at all, and
doubted not of their immersion any more than
if he had been a witness of it, for he had never
observed any flying about afterwards, till the
return of spring. He added, that if, as he
wished, I would carefully look out for their re-
surrection, he believed it would not be in vain.
He had, he said, often taken notice that only a
few appeared at first, and the main body in about
a week after. Although I paid but little re-
gard to it for some years, yet I followed his
advice at length, and watched for their appear-
ance several seasons as carefully as I could.
I have not indeed beheld them rising out of the
water, yet I and mv family have, in more years
than one, seen at the proper time of the spring,
very large flocks of them in my own and in my
neighbour's land, so near the margin of the
river, that from this circumstance, the appear-
ance of the feathers, and their being unable to
use their wino-s as at other times, we concluded
they were ncwlv emerged from the water.
VOL. I. G , When

4S NATURAL HISTORY

When they attempted to fly, they could hot
reach above eight or ten yards before they
settled on the ground, and then might be drove
about like chickens. They appeared unwilling
to be disturbed, and if not frightened by some
noise or motion would cluster together, seeming
to want to rest themselves, as if feeble or
fatigued. They were not entirely recovered
from their stupor ; there was a viscous substance
on and about their wings, or they were too
weak to fly away. We had seen none in those
years before ; but in each of them, after a day
or two, they were flying about as usual in
summer.'*

Wild ducks and cranes also, at the approach
of winter, fly in quest of more favourable cli-
mates: like quails they assemble on a certain
<lav, and all of them decamp at the same time,
generally ranging themselves in a column like
an T, or sometunes in two lines united in a
point like a V reversed : but many suggestions
have been made on the migration of birds by
the fancy of Naturalists, that have never been
confirmed by the sanction of experience : we
must, therefore, dismiss opinions unsupported
by facts.

. The

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 43

The longevity of birds is very considerable :
w€ give the following scale on the authority of
Linnaeus^ BufFon, and other celebrated writers
on Natural History :

An Eagle will live 100 years

A Raven 100

A Goose 70

A Partridge 25

A Turtle-Dove. ... 25

A Peacock 25

A Pigeon 8

G2

44 NATURAL HISTORY

<f»»M»»»^— JHF^^ilFJXHM^IWPMi III I J-TTTT'TT^WP^W*^— ^■^P'Ol^i^M— <0»

THE OSTRICH.

This animal (fig. J) has an undoubted claim
to stand foremost in the arrangement of the
feathered tribe, not only upon account of the
superiority of his size, but because he also ap-
pears to constitute that shade which Nature
has universally adopted throughout animated
beings, and to form the link between birds and
quadrupeds; in the general outline he cer-
tainly resembles the former^ and at the same
time possesses many of the characteristics of
the latter, especially in the internal formation,
which may be said to have as great a similarity
to the one as the other; it is also the same
with the external covering, which, although a
kind of plumage, has as near a resemblance to
hair as to feathers.

Considering him, however, as belonging to
the race of birds, the ostrich is, by far, the
largest of that species; he generally measures
seven feet from the ground to the top of his

head 5

riG.L

The0.fthdi.

The Ca/scwcuy .

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 45

head; his neck, however, which Is shaped
somewhat hke that of a swan, usually measures
three feet, so that reckoning their height by the
top of the back they seldom are more than four
feet; and from this cause it is that they have
been compared by some travellers, when speak-
ing of their height, to that of a man on horse-
back. From the extremity of the head, which,
with the bill, is shaped like that of a duck, to
the origin of the tall, the neck being stretched
out, is full six feet, and the tail about one; the
wings are about a foot and a half each when
destitute of feathers, and nearly three feet when
in full plumage.

'^ They are mostly black and white, though some
have be^n seen of a grey colour, but they are
very few: their largest feathers are at the ex-
tremities of their wings and tails, which arc
commonly white; these arc followed by a row
of black and white, and all the other small fea^
thers are indifferently, some black and others
white. They have no feathers on their sides,
thi2;hs, nor under their winos. Those on the
long part of the neck are also black and white,
and are much smaller than those either on the
back or belly. Their feathers are all of the
.*ame kind a circumstance peculiar to the

ostrich.

46 NATURAL HISTORY

ostrich, for other birds have various sorts,'
some being soft and downy, and others harsh,
hard, and strong: the whole of these, however,
are nearly as soft as down, and therefore
can neither assist the animal in flying, nor de-
fend it from any injury. Another peculiarity
in their feathers is the stem being exactly in the
middle; while all other birds have the webs
broader on one side than the other. The head
and upper part of the neck are covered with
a beautiful fine glossy hair, with a number of
small tufts scattered in different places, com
posed of ten or a dozen hairs, which grow
from a single shaft, not much thicker than a
pin.

They have a strong spur of about an inch
long something resembling the quill of a porcu-
pine at the end of each wing; which are hollow
and of a homy substance. About a foot lower
also on each wing, they have another of these
horny projections, but these are by no means so
large as the others. The skin of the neck is of a
livid flesh colour, so as to have been considered
by some as a light blue; and from not being
covered with feathers, the neck itself has the
appearance of being more slender in proportion
than that of any other bird. They have also,

proportionally

OF BIRDS, FISH, SCC. 47

proportionally a very short pointed bill. The
external form of their eye is like that of man,
the upper eye-lid being furnished with much
longer eye-lashes than those on the under one*
Their tongues are but small, very short, and
composed of cartilaginous ligaments and mem-
branes, intermixed with fleshy fibres 3 some of
them have it about an inch long, and very thick
at the bottom, while in others it is not more
than half an inch, and a little forked at tlic
end.

They have very large fleshy thighs, which
are in general covered with a skin inclining to
red, and so much wrinkled as to have the ap-
pearance of a net whose meshes will admit the
end of a finder: there are some indeed who have
a few scattered feathers on them, and others
whose thighs have neither feathers nor are
wrinkled. Their legs in the front are covered
with very large scales ; their feet are cloven, and
have two large toes, which are also covered
with scales; these toes are not of an equal
?ize, the inside one being by much the largest,
measuring seven inches in length, includ-
ing the claw, which is about three-fourths of
an inch long and broad, whereas the other toe

is

4^ NATURAL HISTOUt'

is not above four inches in length, and without
any claw.

With respect to the internal parts of this
animal, its structure seems to be arranged
with astonishing peculiarity. For instance,
under the skin, at the top of the breast, there
is a substance of fat at least two inches thick 5
and the fore part of the belly is cov^ered with
fat more than half an inch thicker, and which
is there as hard as suet. It has two distinct
stomachs; the first, which is in the natural
situation, and which is the lowest, may, in some
measure, be compared to the crops in other
birds; it is considerably larger than the other,
and is furnished with strong muscular fibres,
which are placed both circular and longi-
tudinally. The second stomach, or gizzard, in
its outward form resembles that of the human
race, and, upon being opened, it is always
found to contain a variety of substances, such
as hay^ grass, barley, beans, hones, and stones,
»ome of which frequently exceed the size of a
pullet's egg. The kidneys of the ostrich are
"eight inches long and two broad, differing from
those of other birds, by not being divided into
Jiabes; the heart and lungs are separated by a

midriff.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 49

midriff^ as in quadrupeds, and with whom also
their generative organs bear a strong resem-
blance*.

The ostrich is a native of the torrid regions
of Africa, and is peculiarly adapted for living
among the scorching sands, and braving the
burning heats, of those inclement deserts, from
which it is scarcely known to wander, being
never met with in climates more mild and tem-
perate. It has, however, been long and well
known, as most travellers in that country have
mentioned it among the other animals; and it
is even spoke of in the Scriptures, where its
flesh is proscribed as improper for food. Like
the elephant it has preserved its race nncon-
taminated, never intermixing with any other;

* Leo Africanus fays that the ostrich is incapable of hearings,

hut he appears possessed of all the organs on which this faculty
depends, and the aperture of the ears is even very great ; hence it
is probible that he is deaf only under certain circumstances, for
esample, during the season of love ; or perhaps that has been at_
tributed to deafness which was, in fact, the effect of stupidity. It
is probably also in the same season that he uses his voice, for this
he does very rarely, and only a few travellers mention it as bar-
ing heard it. The sacred writers compare his cry to a groaning,
and it is even pretended that his Hebrew r\a.me jacnah it formed
from ianah, which signifies to howl. Dr. Brown fays that this
cry resembles the voice of a hoarse child, only that it is more
dull and melancholy. No wonder then that it appears solemn oc
even terrible to travellers who enter upon the immense and track-
less deserts with an impression of fear and horror.

VOL I. H nor

^0 NATURAL HISTORY

nor has it even been known to breed ovit of
those regions whence it drew its origin, and
whose temperature seems so congenial to its
nature. It is in these countries that the ele-
phant, rhinoceros, and camel, more particularly
resort, and therefore it is matter of less astonish-
ment that they should also afford a retreat
for the ostrich; they all prefer the most solitary
deserts, where they are secure from disturbance,
although the surface of the earth is nearly
barren, almost without vegetables, and the rains
never come to refresh it. It is asserted by the
Arabians that the ostrich never drinks, and from
the nature of the place it inhabits we are
almost induced to believe the assertion. In
these tremendous deserts the ostriches roam
about together in considerable flocks, and when
at a distance they have so much the appearance
of men on horseback, that many a caravan has
been alarmed by them, upon the supposition of
tiieir being a regiment of cavalry. There is no
desert, however barren, but what possesses suffi-
cient to supply them with provisions, for they
eat almost any thing, and therefore inhospitable
tracts which are sterile to all other beings afford
them food and security. Of all the species of
animals the ostrich is the most voracious; he
indiscriminately takes up and swallows gravel,
stones, glass, leather, in short;, almost every

thinff

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 51

thing that comes in his way, and his powers of
digestion are equal to his voracity with regard to
such things as are digestible^ but glass, stone,
iron, and other substances which will not soften,
pass whole, and are voided in the same forms
that the animal swallowed them.

It is most certain that any metal being swal-
lowed by an animal, loses part of its weight in
the passage : it is positively asserted that a quar-
ter pistole, which was swallowed by a duck, lost
seven grains of its weight in the gizzard before
it was voided, and it is therefore very probable,
from the strength of the stomach, that the
diminution would be proportionably greater in
that of the ostrich, and thus far it may be said
to digest iron; but even supposing the capa-
bility, these substances do not continue a
sufficient time in the body to undergo such a
dissolution. This vulgar conclusion is in a
great measure confuted by Barbot in his De-
scription of North Guinea, in which he relates
that the ambassador who was sent from Mo-
rocco to the States General of the United Pro-
vinces in the year 1659^ brought over to Hol-
land, among other varieties of those countries,
as a present, an ostrich, which died in Am-
sterdam through swallowing nails, which the
people continually supplied him with, upon
the supposition that it could digest iron like

112 bread;

5'2 NATURAL HISTORY

bread; and as a proof of this being the cause
cf its deaths he states^ that upon being opened
there was about eighty nails found entire in its
stomach. Ranby and VaUsnieri, in several
which they dissected, . always found the sto-
machs overloaded with a variety of substances^
&uch as glass^ stones, iron, wood, &c. nay, the
latter positively affirms, that in one of them he
found a piece of stone which weighed upwards
of a pound. From the whole of the accounts^
there appears some reason to conclude that, in
swallowing these different articles, they are
actuated by the same necessity which obliges
the smaller birds to pick up gravel, namely, to
keep the coats of the stomach asunder ; or it
may possibly arise from a preying desire, which
may keep it perpetually uneasy, unless the great
capacity of its stomach is filled up, and there-
fore to acquire rest, nutritious substances not
being acquirable, it swallows whatever comes
in its way.

From the most authentic accounts it appears
that in their native abodes these animals prin-
cipally feed on vegetables, after which they are
in continual pursuit: there they live an inof-
fensive and social life, and, according to The-
venot, the males and females adhere to each
other with an uncommon degree of connu-
bial

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 53

bial fidelity. They are much inclined to venery,
and the females lay very large eggs, some
of thpm being five inches in diameter, and
weighing upwards of fifteen pounds. The:.
shells of them are extremely hard, and some-
what resemble those of the crocodile, excepting
that the latter are not quite so large, and are
more round. The time of producing, however,
depends in a great measure on the climate ia
which they reside; in the northern parts of
Africa they lay about the beginning of July, and
in the southern not before the latter end of
December. They are exceedingly prolific, and
commonly lay from forty to fifty eggs in a
season.

It has been asserted by most ancient writer*
that the female deposits them in the sand, and
then covering them up, leaves them to be
hatched by the heat of the sun; that she is
totally regardless of her young, and from the
first moment leaves them to shift for them-
selves. But persevering enquiry has proved these
assertions to have but little or no foundation in
tRith, and that no bird watches her eggs with
more care, or attends her young with more ten-
der assiduity. It is true, that she quits her eggs
more frequently, but then it is no less cer-
tain that in those hot climates there camiot be

a real

54 NATURAL HISTORY

a real necessity for constant incubation, and
that they run no hazard of being chilled by the
weather; besides this absence is always in the
day, and she invariably broods over them during
the night; a fact which is fully confirmed by
Kolbe, who also says, that he had frequent
opportunities of seeing them while at the
Cape of Good Hope; that they sit upon their
eggs like other birds, and that the males and
females perform this office by turns. The
charge of their forsaking their young is no
less untrue, and this is most clearly established
by their not being able to walk for several
days after they come out of the shell ; at
this time the old ones attend them with great
attention, assiduously supply them with grass,
and courageously defend them from all danger.
When first hatched they are of an ash-colour,
and covered all over with feathers ; but these
drop off in the course of the first year, and
they afterwards acquire the plumage we have
already described.

It is from the beauty of their plumage that
man has been tempted to harass these harmless
animals, even in the dreary deserts, and to pur-
sue them both with labour and expense. Nor is
this a persecution to which they have been re-
cently subjected ; for the ancients were equally

desirouy

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 55

desirous of obtaining their plumes to decorate
their helmets. The ladies of the east have long
made them an ornament of their dress, and in
modem days they have been esteemed as ele-
gant ornaments by the principal persons in al-
most all parts of Europe. Those who hunt
these animals pluck out their plumes the in-
stant they are caught, as those taken out while
the ostrich is alive are held in most estimation ;
for when drawn after its death, they are dry,
light, and subject to decay.

Some of the savage nations of Africa hunt
them also for their flesh, of which they are
very fond; so much so, indeed, that particular
tribes have acquired the name of Struthophagi
(ostrich-eaters), from their peculiar fondness
for its flesh. Even the Romans appear to have
considered it as a dainty, for Apicius has left a
recipe for making a particular sauce for the
ostrich ; and it is recorded of Heliogabulus that
he had the brains of six hundred of these ani-
mals, at a feast, ser\^ed up in one dish.

The spoils of the ostrich are so valuable, that
it is no v/onder the human race, who reside in
the vicinity of his resorts, have been his de-
clared enemies, and constant pursuers. The
Arabs are so sensible of its value, that they train
up their best and fleetest horses for the purpose

of

56 NATURAL HISTORY

of hunting them, and which, of all the different
sorts of the chace, is perhaps the most entertain-
ing; for the game is always kept in view. The
method they pursue is this: when the hunt-
ers come in sight of their prey, they put
their horses on a gentle gallop, so as just to
keep him in sight, for if they were to alarm
him he would quit the plains for the moun-
tains, which they would not be able to pre-
vent, for of all animals that go upon legs he
is by much the swiftest. Olonzo dc Ovallo,
in his Description of Chili, says, that although
the ostriches do not fly, yet they are so swift
that it is seldom that even the greyhounds can
overtake them 5 and when they happen to be
overtaken by surprise, their art in defending
themselves is no less astonishing than their
■speed, for when the dog is going to seize him
the ostrich lets down one of his wings, fixes
it on the ground, and with it shades his whole
body; the dog, eager of his prey, runs at him
with open mouth, which he entirely fills with
feathers ; the ostrich sets off on the instant, and
before the dog can extricate himself from his
disappointment, has generally got to a suffi-
cient distance to effectuate his escape. But to
return: the ostrich perceiving himself followed,

though

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 5?

though at a distance, sets off at first but at a
gentle pace, as if insensible of his danger, or
sure of escaping. In this running he keeps
his wings, like arms, in a constant motion
exactly corresponding with that of his legs, and
which speed would be perfectly sufficient to
escape from his pursuers, if he went off in a
direct line, but unfortunately for his own safety
he take his course in extensive circles, in which
manner the hunters continue their pursuit, but
on a smaller scale, and by relieving each other
they are constantly coming near ; in this man-
ner they keep him incessantly running for
two or three days together. At last, worn out
by fatigue and hunger, and conceiving it im-
possible to escape by this means, he resolves to
conceal himself from those enemies which he
has so lono; endeavoured in vain to avoid. And
here also he appears to be no less deficient in
faculties than in his mode of exercising his
speed, for his method of concealment is by
covering his head with the sand, or running it
into the first thicket he comes near, and wher«
he patiently waits until he is taken by his pur-
suers. Sometimes, however, they stand upon
their defence, and although naturally one of the
most timid animals in Nature, in this case they
VOL. I. I act

5S NATURAL HISTORY

act with desperation^ and defend themselves
with their beaks, wings, and feet ; and such is
their power, that a man is unable to withstand
their force.

When the Arabians take an ostrich they
immediately cut his throat, and making a li-
gature below the opening, keep the body of the
bird in continual motion for some time, and
then taking off the ligature, there runs out
from the wound a considerable quantity of blood
mixed with the fat of the animal, which they
consider as one of the greatest delicacies. Hav-
ing plucked out its best plumage, they then
take off the skin, which is strong and thick,
and is used by them for various purposes. The
Arabians also seek after their eggs, the con-
tents of one being a sufficient repast for at least
eight men.

A very different method is adapted by the
Struthophagi to take this animal, and whs^t the
Arabian accomplishes by labour they atchieve
by art. Having obtained an ostrich's skin they
cover themselves with it, and putting one of
their arms up its neck, counterfeit all the actions
of a living animal. By this means they ap-
proach the victim of their pursuit without be-
ing suspected, and who, of course falls an east

prey.

OF BIRDS^ FISH, 5CC. IQ

prey. Dogs and nets are also made use of to take
them^ but the most usual methods are those
which we have above described.

They are not, however, always pursued for
immediate destruction, as there are those who
hunt them for the purpose of rendering them
tame, that they may thereby obtain a supply of
those feathers which are held in so much esti-
mation ; and this is accomplished with very lit-
tle trouble. The inhabitants of Dara and Lvbia
keep considerable flocks of them ; and, accord-
ing to the accounts of several travellers, in this
domestic state they are made very useftil. Moore
relates that at Joar in Africa he met a man tra-
velling upon an ostrich ; and M. Adanson
says, that when he was at the factory of Podore
there were two young ostriches, the strongest
of which was much fleeter than the best En-
glish race-horse he ever saw, although he car-
ried at the time two negroes on his back.
Whether this strength and swiftness will ever
render the animal useful to mankind in that re-
spect is a matter of much doubt. It is very
true, says M. de Buffon, that posterity may be
inclined to take advantage of this creature's
abilities, but it is more than probable that it
will be many ages before this will become the

1 2 favourite,

60 NATURAL HISTORY

favourite, although the swiftest mode, of con"
vevance*.

There are many parts of this animal which
are supposed to be very salutary for medicinal
purposes ; the fat is considered to be emollient
and relaxing, so much so that while it relaxes
the tendons it fortifies the nervous system, and
being applied to the region of the loins it eases
the poignant pain of the stone in the kidneys ;
and the -shell, powdered, and taken in proper
quantities, is considered as an excellent specific
for promoting urine and dissolving the stone in
the bladder \ and the substance of the egg itself
has been stated as possessing a peculiar nutri-
tive quality, but this, however, is rejected by
Galen, who, when treating on this subject, says,
'' the eggs of hens and pheasants are good,
but those of geese and ostriches had better not
be eaten."

* Besides the purposes of utility or pleasure for which
the ostrich is hunted, the husbandman also is interested
in the chace of them. These birds do immense mischief
to the harvests; they come in troops to eat the corn, and
leave nothing but the stalk. Their bodies being nearly
upon a level with the grain, they bend their neck to eat,
so that they are not perceptible; but at the leaft noise
they raise it, and take to flight, before the hunter is able
to seize upon them.

OF BIRDS^ FISH, ScC, 6l

THE EIMU.

THIS bird is a native of the New Conti-
nent, and is inferior in size to none but the
ostrich, to which indeed all travellers seem to
have been more desirous of approximating its
affinities than in pointing out its peculiarities.
It is chiefly found along the banks of the
Oroonoko, in Guiana, in the inland provinces
of Bralil and Chili, and in the immense forests
adjacent to the mouth of the river Plata. They
were formerly in many other parts of South
America ; but as population increased and the
inhabitants multiplied, these timid animals, at
least such as could escape the destructive power
of men, fled from the vicinity of their habi-
tations.

The Emu is not only a native but by much
the largest bird in the New Continent ; they are
generally six feet high, measuring from the head
to the feet. Their legs are three feet long, and
their thighs are almost as thick as those of a man.
Their toes differ from those of the ostrich ; they

have

6a NATURAL HISTORY

have three upon each foot, whereas the latter
have but one. This bird has a long neck, small
head, and the bill flatted, like that of the os-
trich ; but in all other respects it more resem-
bles the Cassowary. The form of the body is
an oval, but it appears perfectly round : its
wings are very short, and it has not any tail.
The back and the rump are covered with long
feathers, which fall backward, and cover the
anus : these feathers are grey upon the back,
and white upon the belly. It is very swift in its
motions, and seems assisted in its pace by a
kind of tubercle behind, like a heel, upon
which, on plain ground, it treads very se-
curely ; in its course it uses a peculiar kind of
action, lifting up one wing, which it keeps ele-
vated for a time, and then letting that drop, it
lifts up the other. What particular advantage
it derives in thus keeping only one wing elevat-
ed it is not easy to discover ; whether it serves
the purpose of a sail to catch the wind, or as a
rudder to guide its course, in order to avoid the
arrows of the Indians, yet remains to be ascer-
tained ^ be this however as it may, the emu
runs with such swiftness, that the fleetest does
are thrown out in their pursuit. It is related
of one of them, that finding itself surrounded

bv

OF BIRDS, FISHj &C. 63

by the hunters, it darted among the dogs with
such fury that they made way to avoid its rage ;
and that by its amazing speed it afterwards
escaped in safety to the mountains*.

This bird being but Httle known, travellers
have indulged their imaginations in desc.ibing
some of its actions. '' This animal," says Nie-
remberg, '^ is very peculiar in the hatching of
its young. The male compels several of the fe-
males to lay their eggs in one nest ; he then,
when they have done laying, drives them away,
and places himself upon the eggs ; laking the
precaution, however, of rolling two of the
number to some little distance. When the
young ones comes forth, these two eggs of
course are addled ; which he having foreseen,
breaks one, and then the other ; these attract
multitudes of flies, beetles, &c. which supply
the young brood with a sufficiency of pro-
visions, until they are able to shift for them-
selves.'*

Wafer, on the contrary, asserts that he has
seen great quantities of these animals' eggs
buried in the sand on the desert shores, north of
the river Plata, in order to be hatched by the

* This bird is by fome naturalists called the ostrich of
I
this name.

Magellan. Sonnini in his late edition of Buffou retains

heat

64 NATURAL HISTORY

heat of the cHmate. But both these accounts
may be doubted ; and it is more probable that
it was the crocodiles eggs which Wafer saw^
and which are most assuredly left in the sand
by these animals, and are rendered productive
by the heat of the sun alone.

He also adds, that when the young ones are
hatched, they are so familiar that they will follow
the first person they meet. '^ I have been follow*
ed myself,'' says he, ^*^ by many of these young
ostriches, which, at first, are extremely harm-
less and simple ; but as they grow older, they
become more cunning and distrustful, and run
so swift, that a greyhound can scarcely over-
take them.'* Their flesh, in general, is good to
be eaten, especially if they be young, and it
would be no difficult matter to rear flocks of
them, particularly as they are naturally so fa-
miliar ; and they might be found to answer do-
mestic purposes, like the hen, or the turkey.
Their maintenance could not be expensive, if,
as is positively asserted, they live entirely upon
grass.

OF BlRDSj FISH, &C. 6^

THE CASSOWARY,

THE Cassowary {Jig- 2.) is a native of the
Islands of Sumatra, Banda, and the other ad-
jacent Mokicca Islands 3 it was first brought
into Europe by the Dutch, from Java, in lo<j7,
in the East Indies, and is by them called the
Casuaris*.

Though not so large as the Emu, it yet ap-
pears mere bulky to the eve ; its body being
nearly equal, and its neck and legs much
thicker and stronger in proportion ; this con-
formation gives it an air of strength and force,
which the fierceness and singularity of its coun-
tenance conspire to render formidable. Buf-
fon says, that the one mentioned by the gen-
tlemen of the French Academy was five feet
and an half long, from the point of the bill to
the extremity of the claws, and about three
feet from the breast to the end of the rump, for

* The inhabitants of the country called it Ejne, of which
the Europeans have made Emu; but Cassowary is the
name tliat was given to it by its first importer?, and is now
retained as its proper oar.

VOL. I. K it

(56 NATURAL HISTORY

it has no tail. The head and neck measured
from a foot and an half to two feet ; the legs
were two feet and an half high, from the belly
to the end of the claws ; they were exceedingly
gross, and covered with a yellowish rind 3
their feet were thick, knobbed, and without
spurs ; instead of which they had on the fore-
part three long horny cla^ys : the largest toe,
including the claw, was five inches long, and
the claw alone of the least toe, three inches
and an half in length. Their wings are so
small, that, being hid under the feathers of the
back, they are scarcely perceivable. In other
birds, a part of the feathers serve for flight, and
are different from those that serve for merely
covering ; but in the cassowary all the feathers
are of the same kind, and outwardly of the
same colour, a dark red mixed with black.
They are generally double; having two long
shafts, which grow out of a short one, which
is fixed in the skin. Those that are double,
are always of an unequal length ; for some are
fourteen inches long, particularly on the rump,
while those on the breast, back, and thighs, are
not above three. The beards that adorn the
stem or shaft, are from about half way to the
end, very long, "and as thick as horse hair,

without

OF BIRDSj FISHj ScC. 6?

without being subdivided into fibres. The
stem or shaft is flat, shining, black, and
knotted below; and from each knot there pro-
ceeds a beard, which, as well as those at the
end of the large feathers, is perfectly black ;
towards the roots they are of a grey tawny
colour; shorter, more soft, and throwing out
fine fibres, like down ; so that nothing appears
except the ends, which are hard and black, the
other part, composed of down_, being quite co-
vered. They have feathers on the head and
neck ; but those are so short, and thinly sov/n,
that the skin appears naked, except towards the
hinder part of the head, where they are a little
longer. The feathers which adorn the rump,
are very thick, but do not differ, in other re-
spects, from the rest, excepting their being
longer. The wings, when they are deprived
of their feathers, are but three inches long;
and the feathers are like those on other parts of
the body. The ends of the wings are adorned
with five prickles, of different lengths and
thickness, which bend like a bow : these are
hollow from the roots to the very points, hav-
ing only that slight substance within which is
common to all quills. The longest of these
prickles is eleven inches, and a quarter of an

K 2 inch

68 NATURAL inSTORT

inch in diameter at the root, being thicker there
than towards tlie extremity, and is so bhmt at
the end that the point seems broken off.

This animal, however, is most distinguished
by its head, which is bare of feathers, and ])y
that sort of conical helmet, black before, and all
the rest yellow, which appears on its front, and
rises from its beak to the middle of the head,
and sometimes beyond. Its substance is very
hard, being formed of the elevation of the bone
of the skull, and consists of several plates, one
over another, like the horn of an ox. It has
been supposed by some authors that this was
shed every year with the feathers ; but the most
probable opinion is, that it only exfoliates slowly
like the beak. To the peculiarity of this natural
armour may be added the colour of the eye, the
iris of which is a bright yellow, and the globe
being above an inch and a half in diameter,
gives it an air equally fierce and extraordinary.
At the bottom of the upper eye-lid there Is
a row of small hairs, and over them there is an-
other row of black hairs, which have much the
appearance of eye-brows. The lower eye-lid,
which is the largest, is also furnished with
plenty of black hair. The holes of the ears are
close behind the eyes, are very large and open,

beincr

or EIRD3, FISH, &C. 69

being only covered with small black feathers.
'Jlie sides of the head are destitute of any cover-
ing, and are of a dark blue colour, except the
middle of the lower eve-lid, which is white.
The upper part of the bill is very hard at the
edge above, and the extremity of it is like that
of a turkey-cock. The end of the upper and
lower mandible is slightly notched, and the
whole is of a greyish brown, except a green
spot on each side : the beak admits of a very
wide opening, and which contributes not a little
to the bird's menacing appearance. The neck
is of a violet colour, inclining to that of slate;
with a tincture of red behind in several places,
but chiefly in the middle. About the middle of
the neck before, there are two processes formed
by the skin, which resemble somewhat the gills
of a cock, but that they are blue as well as red.
The skin which covers the fore-part of the
breast, on uhich this bird leans and rests, is
hard, callous, and Vviihcut feathers. The
thighs and legs are covered with feathers, and
are extremely tliick, strong, straight, and co-
vered with a kind of scales, but the leps are
thicker a little above the foot than in any other
place. The toes arc likewise covered with
scales, and are but three in number, all of

which

70 NATURAL HISTORY

which are in the front ; they are severally armed
with claws of a hard and' solid substance, black
without and white within*.

The cassowary has also a very singular in-
ternal conformation, for it unites the double
stomach of animals that live upon vegetables,
with the short intestines of those that live upon
flesh. Its intestines are extremely short, and
its heart is not more than an inch and an half
long, nor above an inch broad at the base.

With some degree of propriety it has been
remarked by a celebrated author, that the cas-
sowary has the head of a warrior, the eye of a
lion, the defence of a porcupine, and the swift-
ness of a courser; and yet though thus formed
for a life of hostility, for terrifying others, and
for its own defence, and from which it misfht
be suspected of being one of the most fierce
and terrible animals of the creation, nothing: is
so opposite to its natural character; it seems
to be solicitous after peace and quiet, and never
gives disturbance to any ; even when attacked,
instead of employing its bill, though so well
calculated for defence, it rather makes use of its

* The wings of the cassowary are smaller than those of
the ostrich, and equally useless for flight; tliey are armed
with points to a greater number than the ostrich's.

legs

OF BlRIiS, FISH, &C. 71

!egs and feet, kicking like a horse, or running
against its pursuer, beating him down to the
ground, and .then endeavouring to make its
escape. It has a strange appearance when run-
ning, for it does not go directly forward, but
kicks up behind with one leg, and then making
a bound onward with the other, proceeds with
such prodigious velocity, that the swiftest racer
would be unable to maintain the pursuit*.

The cassowary is equally as voracious as the
ostrich, and swallows every thing that comes
within the capacity of its gullet. The Dutch
travellers assert that it can devour not only
glass, iron, and stones, but even burning coals,
without testifying the smallest fear, or feeling
the least injury. It is said that the passage of
the food through its gullet is performed so
speedily, that even eggs, which it may have
swallowed, will pass through unbroken, and in
the same form they went down. The aliment-
ary canal of this animal being, as we before ob-
^«erved, so extremely short, it is possible that
many kinds of food are indigestible in its sto-

* The claws of the cassowary are very hard ; Linnaeus
iays, that he strikes with the middle claw, which is vei^
large ; yet from the descriptions and tigures of Brisson, the
rlaw of the interior toe is tlie largest, which in fact it is.

mach.

72 NATURAL HISTORY

mach, as wheat or currants^ \Vhen swallowed
whole, are in those of the human race. Their
eggs, which are not so large nor so round as
those of the ostrich, are of a greyish -ash co-
lour, somewhat inclining to green ; arising
from their being marked with a number of little
tubercles of a deep green : the shell is not very
thick, and the largest measure fifteen inches
round one way, and about twelve the other.

This bird is a native of the southern parts of
the most eastern Indies, and his favourite cli-
mate seems to beoin where that of the ostrich
terminates. The latter has never been found be-
yond the Ganges ; while the cassowary is seen
in the islands of Banda, Sumatra, Java, the
Molucca Islands, and the corresponding parts
of the continents ; and even there they are not
now, by any means, plenty, as it is not long
since that one of the kings of Java made a pre-
sent of one of these birds to the captain of a
Dutch ship, considering it as a very great rarity.
They are spoken of as having been formerly
more numerous, and their present scarcity is
probably ov/ing to the constant persecutions
of man : and thus the species of the cassowary,
like that of many other animals who belong to
inhabited regions, is suffering daily diminution,

while

or BiRDs^ risH^ 8cc. 73

■\\-hile the ostrich, by continuing in the deserts
and unpeopled regions of Africa, still preserves
his race equally numerous, and ranges at large
the unrivalled tenant of his own inhospitable
climate*",

* It is remarkable that the cassowary, the ostrich of Africa,
and that of Magellan (or emu), the three greatest birds that are
known, are all three natives of the torrid zone, which they seem
to divide among themselves, and to keep each to its own terri-
tory ; all three are truly terrestrial, incapable of flying, but run
■with a great velocity ; all three swallow whatever is thrown ta
them, grains, herbs, flesh, bone, stones, flints, iron, &c. ; all
three have the neck more or less long, the feet high and very
strong, fewer toes than the greater part of birds, and the ostrich
■still fewer than the other two ; all three have feathers of a single
sort, different from other birds, and different from each other.
But in spite of these and other affinities these three species are
distinctly separated from each other, and so as to be incapable of
being confounded. The ostrich of Africa is distinguished froai
the cassovvary and the ostrich of Magellan (or emu) by his size,
by his camel's feet, and by the nature of his feathers; it differs
from the cassowary in particular by the nudity of its thighs and
flanks ; by the length and cap'acity of its intestines, &c. ; and
the cassowary differs from the ostrich of Magellan and the os-
trich of Africa, by his thighs covered with feathers and other va-
rieties. The first cassowary (says Sonnini) which appeared in
Europe was brought thither by the Dutch in 1597; and that
which was at the menagerie of Versailles, and which was exa-
mined by the gentlemen of the Academy, was the second of his
species which had been brought.

VOL. 1

7-1 NATURAL HISTORY

THE DODO.

TO juoge of this bird from the characteris-
tics of its feathers, wings, swallowing hard
substances, and some other trifling similarities,
we should be induced to suppose that he has
some pretensions to rank in the ostrich genus,
but with whom, in regard to size, he is a mere
pigmy ; and so far from exciting the idea of
swiftness (an idea which naturally arises in con-
sidering the feathered race) he has the evident
appearance of being one of the most unwieldy
and inactive creatures formed by Nature. Its
body is massive, almost round, covered with
soft, grey feathers, and is supported upon two
short yellow legs, not more than four inches
ong, and as much in circumference, and from
which its head and neck rise in a manner truly
grotesque ; it has a thick clumsy neck, and a
very large head, which consists of two great
chaps, that open far behind the eyes, so that
the animal, when it gapes, seems to be all
mouth. The bill is of an extraordinary length,
not flat and broad, but thick, and of a bluish
white, shaq) at the end, and each chap crooked
in opposite directions,, resembling two pointed

spoons

OF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. 75

spoons that are laid together by the backs.
From all this results a stLij)id and voracious
physiognomy, which is still more increased by
a bordering of feathers round the root of the
beak, somewhat in appearance like a hood, and
from which circumstance it has sometimes been
called the Monkswan. Bulk, which implies
strength, only contributes in this animal to in-
activity. Neither the ostrich nor cassowary
are able to fly, but then they supply that defect
by their speed in running, while the dodo seems
weighed down by its own heaviness, has scarce
strength to urge itself forward, and moves so
slow that it is very easily taken. It seems
among birds what the sloth is among quadru-
peds, an unresisting animal, equally incapabie
of flight or defence. It has small wings, co-
vered with soft ash-coloured feathers, but which
are too short and too weak to assist it in flying*.
Its tail consists of a few small curled feathers,
of the same colour. Its legs are too short for
Tunning, and its body too fat to be strong; it
has four toes upon each foot, three before and
one behind; each of which arc armed with
pretty long claws.

The dodo is a native of the Isle of France ;
and the Dutch, who first discovered it there,
called it, in their language, the nauseous bird,

L 2 not

7G NATURAL HISTORY

not only on account of its disgusting figure,
but from the bad taste of its flesh. However,
succeeding observers contradict this last report,
and assert, that its flesh is good and wholesome
eating, and that three or four of them contain
sufficient substance to dine a hundred men ;
but it is commonly salted and stored up for sea
provisions.

TWO other birds have been mentioned by
travellers, the one under the name of the Sell-
tari/, and the other the Bird of Nazareth;
but there is great reason to believe they are
merely varieties of the species of the dodo. The
first is found in the Isle of Roderique, and its
description scarcely varies from the one we have
just mentioned ; but from being more known,
some particulars are mentioned which have not
been so clearly ascertained as the dodo ; fuch,
for example, that they lay but one egg, and
upon which they sit seven weeks ; that they
hatch towards the end of the year, and are
much sought after by the inhabitants, from
March to September, when they are very fat,
and excellent food.

The nazarhie, or bird of Nazareth, is found

in

OF BIRDS, FISH, &t. 77

in the Isle of France, though supposed to be a
native of the Isle of Nazareth, which opinion
indeed is supported by its appellation. It is
described as being larger than a swan, with the
bill bent a little downwards, the body covered*
over with a blackish down, but that it has some
frizzled feathers on the wings and rump.

OF RAPACIOUS BIRDS.

IT is the same among the various species of
birds as it is with those of quadrupeds, some
classes being formed with carnivorous appetites,
which lead them to seek the destruction of
those they can subdue, while others are of a
more gentle disposition, and harmlessly feed
upon the productions of the earth ; and thus,
by peopling the woods with inhabitants of dif-
ferent dispositions. Nature has wisely provided for
the multiplication of all; for could we suppose
there were as many animals produced as there
were vegetables supplied to sustain them, yet
we should still find another class of animals
that would procure a sutEcient sustenance by
feeding upon the vegetable feeders, either by
destroying them through a rapacious disposi-
tion.

78 NATURAL HISTORY

tion^ or feasting on such as happen to fall by
the course of nature. By this contrivance a
greater multipUcation is maintained, for cer-
tainly the number of animals would be but small-
were every one a candidate for the same food.
Thus, by supplying a variety of appetites, Na-
ture has provided for increasing and sustaining
the multiplicity of her living productions.

Nature, however, has nqt contented herself
with varying their appetites, but she has also
varied their forms , and while she has given to
some animals an instinctive passion for animal
food, she has also furnished them with powers
to obtain it. All land-birds of the rapacious
kind are furnished with larffe heads and strong:
crooked beaks, notched at the ends, completely
adapted, as it were, for the purpose of tearing
their prey. They have strong short legs, and
sharp crooked talons, which serve for seizing it.
Their bodies are formed for war, being fibrous
and muscular; and their wings for swiftness
of flight, being well feathered and expansive.
Those that seek their prey by day have an asto-
nishing quick sight, while such as ravage by
night have a sight so calculated as not to be
obscured by the shadows of darkness.

Their internal conformation is equally adapted
for the digestion of animal food. Their sto-
mach?

OF BIRDS, FlSft, &C. 79

machs are simple and membranous, are wrap-
ped in fat to increase by warmth the powers of
digestion, and their intestines are short and
glandular. Their food being succulent and juicy,
they want no length of intestinal tube to form
it into proper nourishment ; nor does flesh re-
quire a slow digestion to be converted into a
substance similar to their own.

These rapacious species being thus formed
for war, they lead a life of solitude, seeking out
habitations in the most lonely places, either in
the most desert plains or inaccessible rocks and
mountains. They make their nests in the
clefts of rocks, or on the tops of the highest
trees of the forest. Whenever they appear in
the cultivated plain or the sequestered grove,
it is only for the purposes of depredation, and
are ever gloomy intruders on the general joy
of the harmless choristers, among whom they
spread universal terror and dismay : all that
variety of music, which but a moment before
enlivened the grove, at their appearance is in-
stantly at an end ; each individual seeks for
safety, either by concealment or flight; some
fall and lay inanimate upon the earth, while
others even venture to trust themselves in the
habitations of men, to avoid their most merci-
less enemies. In general, hov.cver, the carni-
vorous

HO NATURAL HISTORY

vorous bird declares war only against such as
are in proportion to his size ; the eagle disdains
to destroy the lark, but pursues the bustard or
pheasant, while the sparrow-hawk is the con-
•stant foe of the thrush and the linnet. Nature
has also provided that each species should make
Avar only on such as are furnished with means
of escape. The smallest birds also avoid their
pursuers by their extreme agility rather than the
swiftness of their flight ; for escape were impos-
sible, if the eagle, to its own swiftness of wing,
lidded the versatility of the sparrow.

The destructive tyranny of these animals is
also more supportable from their being less
fruitful than other birds, and breeding but few
at a time. Those of the larger kind seldom
produce above four eggs, and often but two ;
and those of the smallest never above six or
seven. The pigeon, it is true, which is their
prey, never brings forth above two at a time ;
•but then she breeds every month in the year,
t^hereas carnivorous kinds only breed annually,
and of consequence their fecundity is small in
comparison.

Being fierce by nature, they extend this sa-
vage disposition even to their young, which
they. force from the nest at a very early period.

Other

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 81

Other birds seldom forsake their young till com-
pletely able to provide for themselves ; but the
rapacious kinds expel them from the nest at a
time when they still want protection and sup-
port. This severity to their young proceeds
from the urgent necessity they feel of providincr
for themselves. All animals that^ by the con-
formation of their stomach and intestines, are
fonned to live upon flesh, and support them-
selves by prey, though they may be mild when
young, become fierce and mischievous by the
habit of using those arms with which they are
supplied by Nature. As it is only by the de-
struction of other animals that they can subsist,
they become more furious every day; and even
the parental feelings are overpowered in their
general habits of cruelty ; and it is principally
from this cause, that if they find it difficult to
procure a necessary supply, the old ones soon
drive their brood from the nest to shift for
themselves, and even sometimes doom them as
victims to the craving of their own voracious
appetites. It was at first remarked by Aristotle,
and since confirmed by BufFon and other cele-
brated naturalists, that all animals with crooked
talons were carnivorous 5 to this general dis-
tinctive characteristic, in the feathered race,
VOL. 1. M the

82 NATURAL HISTORY

the crooked beak may be added, and all, lilic
quadrupeds of the cat kind, lead a lonely
wandering life, and are only united in pairs by
that instinct which overpowers their rapacious
habits of enmity with all other animals. As
the male and female are often necessary to each
other in their pursuits, so they sometimes live
together; but, except at certain seasons, they
most usually prowl alone; and, like rob-
bers, enjoy in solitude the fruits of their plun-
der.

All birds of prey are remarkable for one sln-^
gularity, the origin of which is not easily to be
discovered. All the males are about a third less,
and much weaker than the females; which is
exactly contrary' to what occurs amongst quadru-
peds, among whom the males are always the
largest and boldest. The reason of this difference
cannot proceed from the necessity of a larger
body in the female for the purposes of breed-
ing, and that her volume is thus increased by
the quantity of her eggs ; for in other birds, that
breed much faster, and who lay in a much
greater proportion, such as the hen, the duck,
or the pheasant, the male is by much the argest
of the two. Whatever the cause may be, certain
it is, that the females, as Willoughby expresses

it,

OF illRDS, FISH, 8CC. S3

It, are of the greatest size, more beautiful and
lovely for shape and colours, and stronger, more
fierce and generous, than the males. Whether
it may be necessary for the female to be thus su-
perior, from its being incumbent upon her to
provide not only for herself but her young
ones also, we cannot determine, but such is the
fact*.

All rapacious birds, like carnivorous quadru-
peds, are lean and meagre. Their liesh is
stringy and ill-tasted, soon corrupting, and
tinctured with the flavour of that animal food
upon which they commonly subsist. Never-
theless, Bclon asserts, that many people ad-
mire the flesh of the vulture and falcon, and
dress them for eating, when by any accident
they are rendered unfit for the chace. He says
also that the osprey, a species of the eagle,
when young, is excellent foodj but he con-
tents himself with advising us, to breed these
birds up rather for our pleasure in the field, than
for supplying the table.

* Birds of prey, says Sonnlni, have in general the mus-
cles mucn stronger than other birds. Tlirir crooked beak
is sharp and solid; their eyes are large and sunk in the or-
bit; the jfeet are short, their toes long, and their claws
crookea sJiort, and strong.

M 2 There

84 Tv'ATUllAL HISTORY

There are five kinds of land birds of a rapa-
cious nature ; namely, those of the eagle^ the
hawkj the vulture, the horned and the screech
owl kind. The distinctive marks of this genus<
are taken from their claws and beaks : their toes
are also separated ; their legs are feathered to
the heel ; they have four toes, three before, and
one behind 5 and their beaks are short, thicks and
crooked.

The eagle kind is distinguished from the rest
by his beak being straight till towards the end,
when it begins to hook downwards.

The vulture kind is distinguished by the head
and neck being without feathers.

The hawk kind by the beak being hooked
from the very root,

The horned owl by the feathers at the base of
the bill standing forwards; and by some fea-
thers on the head, that stand out, resembling
horns.

The screech owl by the feathers at the base of
the bill standing forward, and being without
horns.

JEiUfle

I iikiirt'

OF BIRDS3 FISII^ &c. 85

THE EAGLE, AND ITS AFFINITIES-

THE Golden Eagle stands foremost among
those birds which have received the name of Ea-
gle, both on account of its size and courage;
«ome of them measuring near four feet from the
point of the bill to the end of the tail. Its
wings, when extended, are more than six feet
from point to point. The females are some-
times still larger (which, indeed, is the case
with all rapacious birds), and weigh upwards of
eighteen pounds, while that of the male is scarce-
ly ever more than twelve. Its bill is three inches
long, sharp, strong, crooked, and of a deep blue.
Its eyes are of a hazel colour, and of the preser-
vation of which Nature has taken peculiar care ;
for instead of one lid, or covering, as is the case
with most other animals, naturalists assure us

* There are many birJs to which the name of eagle is given :
Nomenclators count eleven species in Europe, besides four other
species, two of which belong to Brazil, one to Africa, and the last
to the East Indies. These eleven species are, 1st, the<;ommoa
eagle; 2d, the eagle with a whitehead; 2d, the white eagle;
4th, the spotted eagle ; 5th, the eagle with a white tail; 6th,
the little eagle with a white tail; 7th, the golden eagle; 8th,
the black eagle ; 9rh, the great sea eagle j 10th, the sea eagle;
H th, the jeao- ]&• blanc

that

86 NATURAL HISTORY

that this has no less than four. Its sight and
sense of smelling are very acute. Its head and
neck are clothed with narrow sharp-pointed fea-
thers of a deep brown colour^ bordered with
tawny^ but those on the crown of the head, in
very old birds, are grey. Its whole body is of a
dark brown ; and the feathers of the baclc are
finely clouded with a deeper shade of the same.
Its wings, when clothed, reach to the end of its
tail, and the quill feathers are of a chocolate co-
lour with the shafts white. The tail is of i deep
brown, irregularly barred and blotched with an
obscure ash-colour, and most of the feathers arc
usually white at the roots. Its legs are yellow,
short, and very strong, being three inches in
circumference, and feathered to the veiy feet.
The toes are covered with large scales, and arm-
ed with fouL most formidable crooked talons,
more than two inches long, and with which it
seizes its prey.

These birds are found in Greece, France, Ger-
many, in the mountains of Silesia, in the forests
of Dantzic, and in the Carpathian mountains, in
the Pyrenees, and in the mountains of Ireland.
They are found also in Asia Minor, in Persia,
and in many other parts of the old continent.
They invariably select those places which are re-
motest from man, upon whose possessions they.

but

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 87

but seldom make their depredations^ rather pre-
ferring to follow the wild game in the forest, and
be contented with a scanty subsistence, than to
risk their €afety to satisfy their hunger.

The Eagle may be considered among birds as
the lion ranks among quadrupeds ; and in many,
respects they have a strong similitude; they are
both possessed of sufficient strength to preserve
an empire over their fellows. Equally magnani-
mous, they disdain small plunder, and only pursue
animals worthy the conquest. It is not till after
having been long provoked, by the screams of the
fook or the chattering of the magpie^ that this
generous bird thinks fit to punish them with
death; the eagle also scorns to partake of the
plunder of another bird, and will not devour any
prey, but that which he has acquired by his own
pursuits. However hungry he may be, he never
stoops to carrion; and when satisfied he never re-
turns to the same carcass, but ler/ves it for other
animals, more rapacious and less delicate than
himself. Solitary, like the lion, he prowls the de-
sert alone; it is as extraordinary to see two pair of
eagles in the same part of a mountain, as two
Hons in the same part of a forest. They keep
separate, to find a more ample supply; and con-
sider the quantity of their game as the best proof

ot

88 NATURAL HISTORY

of their dominion. Nor does the simiUtiidc of
these animals stop here; they have both spark-
ling eyesj and nearly of the same colour; their
claws are of the same fcrm^ their breath equally
strong, and their cry equally loud and terrifying.
Formed both for war^ they are enemies to all so-
ciety; alike fierce, proud, and equally difficult
of being tamed. It requires great patience and
much art to tame an eagle; and even though taken
youngj and subdued by long assiduity^ he continues
a dangerous domestic, and often turns his face
against his master. When brought into the field
for the purposes of fowling, the falconer is never
sure of his obedience : his innate pride, and
love of liberty, still prompt him to regain his na-
tive solitudes ; and the moment the falconer
sees him, when let loose, first stoop towards the
ground, and then rise perpendicularly into the
clouds, he gives up all his former labour for
lost, quite sure of never beholding his late pri-.
soner more. Sometimes, however, they are
brought to have an attachment for their feeder;
they are then highly serviceable, and liberally
provide for his pleasures and support. In this-
case, when the falconer lets them go from his
hand, they play about, and hover round him
till their game appears in view, which they see.

at

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 6^

at an imnieiise distance, and purfue with certain
destruction.

Of all birds the eagle flies the highest, which
induced some ancients to call him the Bird of
Jove, and others the Celestial Bird; he has
also the quickest eye, but his sense of smelling
is far inferior to that of the vulture*. He never
pursues, therefore, but in sight ; and when he
has seized his prey he stoops from his height,
as if to examine its weight, always laying it on
the ground before he carries it off, Thougli
his wing is very powerful, yet as he has but
little suppleness in the joints of the leg, he finds
it difficult to rise when down, especially when
loaded ; but nevertheless, if not instantly inter-
rupted, he fiiids no difficulty in carrying off geese
and poultry^ ; he will also seize upon hares,
lambs, and kids, and convey them away in his
talons; he often destroys fawns, and calves, and
having drank their blood, carries part of their
flesh to his retreat. Even infants have been
taken away by these rapacious creatures, which
probably gave rise to the fable of Ganymede's be-
ing snatched up by an eagle to heaven.

* lie does not rise to a very great height except wlieu
the sky is pure and serene ; he keeps towards the earth
when the atmosphere is charged with vapours and the
clouds begin to collect.

VOL. I. N Sir

90 NATURAL HISTORY

Sir Robert SIbbald has recorded an instance
which occurred in the Orkney Islands:— A
woman, he says, having left her child of about
one year old in a field while she went to some
distance, an eagle passing by took up the infant
by its clothes, and carried it to her nest on a
neighbouring rock, which being accidentally ob-
served by some fishermen, they instantly pur-
sued the eagle, attacked her in her nest_, and
brought the child back unhurt.

The following story is related by a gentleman
whose veracity stands unimpeached : --While
upon his travels in France he was invited by an
officer of distinction to pass a few days at his
country-seat near Mende ; while there, the table
was every day plentifully supplied with wild
fowl, but he was not a little surprised to observe
that not one was served up which liad not un-
dergone some mutilation ; some wanting wings,
and others legs or heads : this being so invariably
the case, he was at length induced to enquire
into the cause; when his host replied it was sole-
ly to be attributed to the voracious appetite of
his caterer, and who could not be prevented from
first tasting what he had prepared. This, instead
of allaying, rather excited curiosity, which the
officer observing, he satisfied by explaining him--

self

OF BIRDS^ FISH, SiC 9!

self in this manner : —These mountainous parts of
the kingdom are much frequented by eagles, who
build their nests in the cavities of the neigh-
bouring rocks ; these are sought after by the
shepherds, and who, having discovered one, erect
a little hut at the foot of the rock, to screen
themselves from the fury of these dangerous
birds, which is particularly dangerou-s when they
have young ones to supply with provisions ; in
this employ the male is sedulously engaged for
the space of three months, and the fcmaic con-
tinues it until the young bird is capable of quit-
ting the nest: when that period arrives, they force
it to spring up in the air, where they support
him with their wings and talons, whenever he is
in danger of falling. While the young eagle
continues in the nest, the parents ravage all the
neighbouring country, and seize every kind of
poultry, pheasants, partridges, hares, or kids,
which come in their way, and all of which they
bear to their yonng.

The shepherds bsing thus properly situated,
watch the approach of the old ones with their
food, who merely stay to deposit their cargo ;
imd the moment they have left the nest, the
shepherds mount the rocks and take away v.hat
the eagles have conveyed to their young, leav-

N 2 iug

92 NATURAL HISTORY

ing the entrails of some animal in its stead; but
as this cannot be done so expeditiously as to
prevent the young eagles from devouring part of
their food^ the shepherds are under the necessity
of bringing our supply somewhat mutilated.
This gentleman added, that when the young-
eagle has strength enough to fly, which being
thus deprived of the excellent food its parents
provide is much longer than common, the shep-
herds fasten it to the nest, that the old ones may
continue the supply, which they do until the dis-
agreeable task of providing for on offspring that
perpetually fatigues them, obliges first the male
and then the female to forsake it ; after which
their tenderness for another progeny makes them
forget the former, whom the shepherds leave to
starve, unless sometimes, actuated by the hopes
of future gain, they assist to escape from the
nest.

This story is in some measure corroborated
by Smithy in his History of Kerry, who relates,
that a poor man in that country got a comfort-
able subsistence for his family, during a sum-
mer of great scarcity, out of an eagle's nest, by
robbing the young eagles of their food, which
was plentifully supplied by the old ones. He
protracted their assiduity also beyond the usual

time,

OF BIRDS, FISH, &c. 93

time, by clipping the wings, and retarding the
flight of the young; and very probably likewise
by so tying them as tc increase their cries, which
is always found to hasten the parent's endea-
vours to procure them provision.

Another circumstance is related of a peasant
who had resolved to rob the nest of an eagle,
that had built in a small island in the beautiful
lake of Killarney. He accordingly stripped and
swam to the island, while the old ones were
^way, and having robbed the nest of its young,
he was preparing to swim back, with the eaglets
tied in a string; but while he was yet up to his
chin in the watcr^ the old eagles returned, and,
missing their young, quickly fell upon the plun-
derer, and, in spiteof all his resistance, dispatch-
ed him with their beaks and talons.

In order to extirpate these pernicious birds,
there is a law in the Orkney Islands which en-
titles any person that kills an eagle to a hen
out of every house in that parish in which the
plunderer is killed. The eagles usually build
their nests in the most inaccessible cliffs of the
rocks, and in such parts as are shielded
from the weather by some jutting crag that
Jiangs over. It is sometimes, however, wholly
exposed to the winds, both on the sides as well

as

94 NATURAL HISTORY

as above, it being entirely flat, though buiit
with great labour. Some naturalists assure u6
that the same nest serves the eagle during life ;
and indeed the pains bestowed in forming it
seems to argue as much. One of these was
found in the Peak of Derbyshire, which Wil-
loiighbv thus describes:--" It was made of
great sticks, resting one end on the edge of a
rock, the other on two birch-trees. Upon
tliese was a layer of rushes, and over them a lay-
er of heath, and upon the heath rushes again ;
upon which lay one young one, and an addled
egg; and by them a lamb, a hare, and three
heath-pouts. The nest was about two yards
s<^uare, and had no hollow in it. The young
eagle was of the shape of a goss-hawk, of
almost the weight of a goose, rough-footed,
or feathered down to the foot, having a white
ring about tlie tail."

The female eagles of the larger species have
seldom more than two eggs, and those of the
smallest scarcely ever exceed three ; and even of
tliis small number a part is frequently addled ;
for it is extremely rare to find three eagkts in
the same nest. It is strongly asserted, that the
period of incubation is thirty days, and that as
soon as the young ones are somewhat grown

the

OP BIRDS, FISH, &C, 9>

tUe mother kills the most feeble, or the most
voracious. If this be really true, it can only be
attributed to the parent being hicapable to pro-
vide for their support, and is therefore content
to sacrifice a part to preserve the rest.

The plumage of the eaglets is at first white,
then inclining to yellow, and when full grown
of a light brown. Age, hunger, long captivity,
and diseases, make them whiter; and it has
been insisted on, by several naturalists, that the
eagle sheds its feathers every year, as the stag
does its horns, and the serpent its skin. It is
said they live above a hundred years, and that
they at last die not of old age, but from the
beaks turning inward upon the under mandible,
and thus preventing their taking any food. The
Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Ber-
trand, at St. Omer's, had an ea2;le livino; in
1745, which they insisted was, by tradition,
upwards of three hundred years old. They are
equally remarkable, says Mr. Pennant, for their
longevity, and for their power of sustaining a
long absence from food. One of this species,
which has now been nine years in the possession
of Mr. Owen Holland, of Conway, lived thirty-
two years with the gentleman who made him
A present of it; but what its age was when the

latter

96 NATURAL HISTORY

latter received it from Ireland is unknown.
The same bird also furnishes a proof of the
truth of the other remark ; having once, through
the neglect of servants, endured absolute hunger
for twenty-one days.

But this is still less extraordinary than an in-
stance recorded by M. de Buffon, who w^as
assured, by a person of veracity, that one of
them being caught in a fox-trap, existed for
five entire weeks without any aliment. It
shewed no appearance of languor till the last
eight days, and it was killed at length in order
to deliver it from its sufferings. The eagle
seldom drinks, its principal aliment being raw
flesh, which contains in itself a sufficient quan-
tity of moisture.

Those who keep eagles in confinement feed
them with every kind of flesh, whether fresh or
corrupted; and where there is a deficiency of
that, bread or any other provision will suffice,
as their rapacious appetite makes them little fas-
tidious as to food. It is nevertheless very ha-
zardous to approach tlicm if not quite tame, as
they are very apt to discover the ferocity of
their dispositions ; and they frequently send
forth a loud piercing lamentable cry, which
renders them still more formidable.

Such

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 97

Such are the general characteristics and habi-
tudes of the eagle; however, in some of these ha-
bitudes they differ, as the Sea Eagle and the Os-
prey live chiefly upon fish, and consequently
build their nests upon the sea- shore, and by the
sides of rivers, on the ground among reeds : these
lay three or four eggs, rather less than those of a
hen, of a white elliptic form. They catch their
prey, which is chiefly fish, by darting down upon
them fi'om above. The Italians compare the
violent descent of these birds on their prey to
the fall of lead into water ; and call them aquila
plombina, or the Leaden Eagle.

The Bald Eagle of North Carolina is not less
remarkable for habits peculiar to itself. These
birds breed in that country all the year round.
When the eaglets are just covered with down,
and a sort of white w^oolly feathers, the female
eagle lays again, and leaves these eggs to be
hatched by the warmth of the young ones that
continue in the nest; so that the flight of one
brood makes room for the next, that are but just
hatched. These birds fly very heavily, so that
they cannot overtake their prey, like others of
the same denomination. To remedy this, thev
often attend the osprey, which they pursue and
strip of its prey. This is the more remarkable,

VOL. 1. O as

9» NATURAL HISTORY

as this hawk flies by far the most swift of the
two, but yet the eagle has a kind of presentiment
of anticipating its coursie ; and the osprey, by
way of securing itself, drops the fish it had taken,
\vhich the eagle, with wonderful dexterity, is said
to catch before it reaches the water. These ea-
gles a'feo generally attend upon fowlers in the
winter ; and w^hoi any birds are wounded, they
are sure to be seized by the eagle, though they
may fly from the fowler. This bird will often also
steal young pigs, and carry them alive to the
nest, which is composed of twigs, sticks, and
rubbish, and is large enough to fill the body of
a cart; it is commonly full of bones half eaten,
and of putrid flesh, the stench of which is sen-
sible at a considerable distance.

Besides the Golden Eagle, of which we have
been treating, there are several varieties in this
species ; the distinctive characters of each are as
follow :

The golden eagle (Jig. 3) is of a tawny iron
colour; the head and neck of a reddish; the tail
a dirty white, marked with cross bands of tawny
iron ; and the legs covered down to the feet
with tawny iron feathers.

The common eagle is of a brown, the head
and upper part of the neck inclining to red;

the

OF BIRDS, FISH, SCC. 99

the tail-feathers white, blackening at the ends ;
the outer ones, on each side, of an ash colour,
and the legs covered with feathers of a reddish
brown. This bird is common in some pa?ts of
France and Italy, but much more so in Greece;
they are often found upon the banks of the
Danube, seeking their prey, which consists of
kids, lambs, geese, serpents, &c. Mr. John-
son relates a story of a fox having killed a
goose near the river Prille in Italy : — one of
these eagles espying it, as he was hovering in
the air, immediately descending, endeavoured
to seize upon the goose as his prey : but the fox
boldly resisting, a bloody battle ensued between
him and the fox j but the former soon became
master of the field, killed Reynard upon the spot,
and carried off the prize*.

The bald eagle, brown over the body and
wings, the head, neck, and tail- feathers white ;
and the feathers of the upper part of the legs
brov/n.

The re^hite eagle; the whole white : this in all
probability is not a particular species, but a
mere variety.

* This species of eagle is more common than the iijolrleii
one; it is found in France, Savoy, Swisserland, Gcruiaiiy,
Poland, Scotland, America, and Hudson's Bay.

O 'i The

100 NATURAL HISTORY

The rough-footed eagle is of a dirty brown,
spotted under the wings, and on the legs, with
white; the feathers of the tail white at the be<:in-
ning and the point; the leg feathers dirty brown,
spotted with white.

The white-tailed eagle is a dirty brown over
the body, the head white, the stem of the fea-
thers black, the rump inclining to black ; the tail-
feathers, the first half black, the end half white,
legs naked.

The erne, a dirty iron colour above, an iron
mixed with black below ; the head and neck ash,
mixed with chesnut; the points of the wings black-
ish, the tail-feathers white, and the legs naked.

The black eagle, the body and wings nearly a
black; the head and upper part of the neck mix-
ed with red; the tail-feathers, the first half white,
speckled with black ; and tlie other half^ black-
ish ; the leg-feathers dirty white.

Th^fea eagle : the colour of this inclines to
white, mixed with iron brown ; the belly white^
with iron coloured spots; the covert feathers
(which are those small feathers that cover the
bottom of the quill feathers) of the tail are
whitish; the tail-feathers black at the extremity,
and the upper part of the leg-feathers of an iron
brown.

The

OF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. 101

The osprey is brown upon the back, and
white under the neck and belly ; the back of the
head white; the outward tail-feathers, on the
inner side, streaked with white; and its legs are
naked.

Tho^jean h blanc is a brownish grey upon the
back; white, spotted with tawny brown on its
under parts; the tail-feathers on the outside and
at the extremity, brown; on the inside, white,
streaked with brown, and its legs naked. This
eagle seems peculiar to France, and is not men-
tioned as having been seen in any other country.

The eagle o/*jBras27, blackish-brown; ash co-
lour, mixed in the wings; tail-feathers white;
and legs naked.

The Oroonoko eagle has a topping upon his
head ; his back and wings of a blackish brown,
the under parts white, spotted with black; upper
part of the neck yellow; tail-feathers brown
with white circles ; leg feathers white, and spot-
ted with black.

The crowned African eagle, with a topping ;
the tail of an ash colour, streaked on the upper
side with black. This eagle is found on the
south coasts of Guinea, and chiefly in the pro-
vince of Acra, and is there called the crowned
eagle ; at which place there is also another spe-
cies.

lot NATURAL HISTORY

cics^ nearly black, to which the negroes pay
such veneration, that it is a capital crime to kill
one, although it destroys all their poultry anol
corn wherever it comes. From constantly fre-
quenting muddy places it is always covered with
filth, and yet it is esteemed by the natives as a
deity, who daily boil meat for its food, and which
they lay about such places as they know any
one of them haunt.

The tagle of Pondicherry, achesnut colour;
the six outward tail-feathers black one half.

Besides these, authors have enumerated the
Chinese eagle, w-hich is of a reddish brown, with
a bar of dark brown across the middle of the
wing 3 the zvhite bellied eagle ; the Japanese
eagle, which is finely variegated ; the oriental
eagle, the Javan eagle, the j^erce eagle from
Astraean, the plaintive eagle frorr^ Terra del
Fuego, the black-cheeked eagle, the spotted eq-
gle, the Statenland eagle, the Ruffian and eqid-
noxial eagles^ and the Mansfeuri/.

OF BIRDS, FISH, ^C, 103

■i^MM>*MMMMi*aka^iBAfe>

THE CONDOR.

THE Condor \s a native of America, and
hitherto Naturalists have been in doubt whether
to refer it to the species of the eagle, or to that
of the vulture. Its great strength, force, and
Tivacity, is supposed to give it a claim to rank
among the former, while the baldness of its
head and neck is thought to degrade it to th-e
latter. It is, however, fully sufficient for our
plan to describe its form and customs, and
therefore shall leave nomenclators to decide
upon its class. If size (for it is by much the
largest bird that flies) and strength, combined
with rapidity of flight and rapacity, deserve pre-
eminence, no bird can be put in competition
with it ; for the condor possesses, in a higher
degree than the eagle, all the qualities that ren-
■iler it formidable, not only to the feathered kind,
but to beasts, and even to man himself.
Acosta, Garcilasso, and Dcsmarchais,' assert^

that

104 NATURAL HISTORY

that it is eighteen feet across the wings when
they are extended. The beak is so strong as td
pierce the body of a cow ; and it is positively
asserted that two of them are capable of de-
vouring that animal. They do not even ab-
stain from attacking man himself, but fortu-
nately there are but few of the species* The
Indians say that they will carry off a deer or a
young calf in their talons^ as eagles would a
hare or a rabbit; that their sight is piercing,
and their manners terrific. They seldom fre-
quent the forestSj as they require a large space
for the display of their wings^, but are found on
the sea shore, and the banks of rivers, whither
they sometimes descend from the heights of the
mountains. According to modern authors they
only come down to the sea shore at certain sea-
sons, particularly when their prey happens to
fail them upon land ; that they then feed upon
dead fish, and such other nutritious substances
as the sea throws upon the shore ; and also that
their countenance is not so terrible as the old
writers have represented it, but from their aspect
they appear to be of a milder nature than either*
the eagle or vulture.

Condamine says that he has frequently seen
them in several parts of the mountains of Quito, and

observed

6V BIRDS, FISH, &C. 195

observed them hovering over a flock of sheep ;
arid he thinks they would, at one particu-
lar time, have attempted to carry some of
them off, had they not been scared away by the
shepherds. Labat says, that this animal has
been described to him, by those who have seen
it, as having the body as large as that of a sheep ;
and that the flesh is tough, and as disagreeable
as carrion. The Spaniards, residing in that
country, dread its depredations, there having
been many instances of its carrjnng off" their
children.

Mr. Strong, the master of a ship, relates,
that as he was sailing along the coast of Chili,
in the thirty-third degree of south latitude, he
observed a bird sitting upon a high cliff' near
the shore, which some of the ship*s company
shot with a leaden bullet, and killed. They
were greatly surprised when they beheld its
magnitude, for when the wings were extended
they measured thirteen feet from one tip to the
other. One of the quills was two feet four
inches long; and the barrel, or hollow part,
was six inches and three quarters, and an inch
and an half in circumference.

M. Feuillee, who is the only One that has ac-
curately described it, has gv^cn a still more cir-
cumstantial account of this amazing bird. " In

VOL. [. P the

106 NATURAL HISTORY

.the valley of. Illo, in Peru/' says he, ^^ I dis^
covered a condor perched on a high rock before
nie ; I approached within gun-shot and fired;
but, as my piece was only charged with swan-
shot, the lead was not able sufficiently to pierce
the bird's feathers. I perceived, however, by
its manner of flying, that it was wounded ; and
it was with a good deal of difficulty that it flew
to another rock, about five hundred yards disr
tant on the sea shore. . I therefore charged
again with ball, and hit the bird under the
throat, which made it mine. I accordingly
ran up to seize it ; but even in death it was ter-
rible, and defended itself upon its back, with
its claws extended against me, so that I scarce
knew how to lay hold of it. Had it not been
mortally wounded, I should have found it no
easy matter to take itj but I at last dragged it
down from the rock, and with the assistance of
one of the seamen, I carried it to my tent, to
make a coloured drawing.

*' The wings of this bird, which I measured
very exactly, were twelve feet three inches
(English) from tip to tip. The great feathers,
which were of a beautiful (liining black, were
two feet four inches long. The thickness of
the beak was proportionable to the rest of the

body ;

OI^ BlRDSj FlSH, &C. 107

body; the length about four inches; the point
hooked downwards, and white at its extremity ;
the other part was of a jet black. A short
down of a brown colour covered the head;
the eyes were blacky and surrounded with a
circle of reddish brown. The feathers on the
breast, neck, and wings, were of a light brown :
those on the back were rather darker. Its
thighs were covered with brown feathers to the
knee. The thigh bone was ten inches long,
the leg five inches; the toes were three before
and one behind ; that behind was an inch and a
half, and the claw with which it w^as armed was
black,- and three quarters of an inch. The
other claws were in the same proportion ; and
the leg was covered with black scales, as also
the toes ; but in these the scales were larger.

*^ These birds usually keep in the mountains
where they find their prey ; they never descend
to the sea-shore but in the rainy season, for as
they are very sensible of cold, they go there
for greater warmth. Though these mountains
are situated in the torrid zone, the cold is
often very severe ; for a great part of the year
they are covered with snow, but particularly in
winter.

" The little nourishment which these birds
' P2 find

108 NATURAL HISTORY .

find on the sea-coast^ except when a tempest
drives in some great fish, obliges the condor
to continue there but a short time. They
usually come to the coast at the approach of
evening, stay there all night, and fly back in
the morning.**

Notwithstanding the clainis which are con-
fidently advanced by the American travellers,
of having first discovered this bird, it is a mat-
ter of much doubt whether its species be con-
fined to the New World, or have not been
described by naturalists of other countries,
though under difierent denominations : the
great bird, for instance, called the rock, de-
scribed by Arabian writers, a.nd so mu^h exag-
gerated by fable ; the large bird of Tarnassar,
in the East Indies, which is larger than the
eagle, and the vulture of Senegal, which car-
ries off children, are probably no other than
the bird we have been describing. Russia, Lap-
land, and even Switzerland and Germany, are
said to have known this animal. A bird of tliis
kind w^as shot in France, that weighed eighteen
pounds, and was said to b.e eighteen feet across
the wings ; however, one of the quills was de-
scribed as only being larger than that of a swan,
so that probably the breadth of the wings may

have

OF BIRDSj FISH, &C. 109

have been exaggerated^ since a bird so laro-e,
agreeably to analogy, would have the quills more
tlian twice as big as those of a swan. It is, how-
ever, scarcely ever seen in Europe. In the de-
serts of Pachomac, where it is most common,
men seldom venture to travel. " Those wild re-
gions," says a modern writer, ^^ are sufficient of
themselves to inspire, a secret horror — broken
precipices — prowling panthers — forests only
vocal with the hissing of serpents — and moun-
tains rendered still more terrible by the condor,
the only bird that ventures to makes its residence
in those deserted situations."

THE VULTURE.

FOR the same reasons that the lion holds the
£rst rank among quadrupeds, the eagle is placed
Jit the head of the feathered tribe, not because
tliey are stronger or larger than the tiger or vul-
ture, but because they are more bold and gene-
rous. The eagle, unless pressed by famine, will
not stoop to carrion; and never devours but
what he has earned by his own pursuit. The vul-
ture^ on the contrary, is indelicately voracious;

and

110 NATURAL HISTORY

and seldom attacks living animals, when it
can procure dead carcasses. The eagle meets
and singly opposes his enemy; but the vulture,
(Jig. 4) if it anticipate resistance, calls in the
aid of its kind, and basely overpowers its prey
by a cowardly combination ; they are rather
thieves than warriors, rather birds of carnage
than birds of prey; for, in this species, they
alone assemble in numbers against one; they
alone repast on putrid carcasses even to the bone.
Putrefaction and stench, instead of deterring,
only serve to allure them: in a word, he is defi-
cient in every respectable quality, and is even
more detestable among birds than the jackall or
the hyaena among quadrupeds.

Vultures may be easily distinguished from all
the species of the eagle by the nakedness of
their heads and necks, which are without fea-
thers, and only covered with a very slight down,
or a few scattered hairs. Their eyes are more
prominent, from not being buried so much in
the socket as those of the eagle. Their
claws are shorter and less hooked. The inside
of their wings is covered with a thick down,
and which is different in them from all other
birds of prey. When upon the ground, their
attitude is not so upright as that of the

eagle;

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. Ill

eagle; and. their flight more difficult and
heavy.

Singular as these particulars would have ren-*
dered them, they are still more strongly marked
by their disposition, which, as we have al-
ready observed^ is cruel, unclean, and indo-
lent. Their sense of smelling, however, is
amazingly great; and Nature, for this purpose,
has given them two large apertures or nostrils
without, and an extensive olfactory membrane
within. Their internal structure is different
from that of the eagle, and partakes more of the
formation of such birds as live upon grain.
They have both a crop and a stomach ; which
may be regarded as a kind of gizzard, from
the extreme thickness of the muscles of which
it is composed ; in short, they seem adapted in-
wardly, not only for being carnivorous, but to
cat com, or whatsoever of that kind comes in
their way ; and which they pretty generally put
in practice.

The vulture is common in many parts of
Europe ; it is too well known on the western
continent, but is totally unknown in England.
In Eg}^pt, Arabia, and many other kingdoms,
of Africa and Asia, vultures are found in
freat abundance. The inside down of their

wing

112 NATURAL HISTORY

wing is converted into a v^ery warm and coni-
fortable kind of fur, and is commonly sold in the
Asiatic markets.

Obnoxious as this bird must be from his vo-
racious characteristics, yet he seems to be o^
singular service. There are great flocks of
them in the neighbourhood of Grand Cairo,
not one of which is permitted to be destroyed,
because they devour all the carrion and filth of
that great city, and which might otherwise tend
to corrupt and putrlfy the air. It is very
common there to see them in company with
the wild dogs of the country, and tearing a
carcass very deliberately together. This pe-
culiar association produces no quarrels; the
birds and quadrupeds feed amicably upon one
piece of carrion, and nothing but harmony
subsists between them ; and this appears the
more astonishing, as both are extremely rapa-
cious, and both lean and bony to a very great
degree ; probably from not having any great
plenty even of the wretched food on which
they subsist.

In America, they lead a life somewhat simi-
lar. Wherever the hunters, who there pur-
sue beasts for the skins only, are found to go,
thtise birds are seen to pursue them. They

keep

or BIRDS, FISH, &C. 113

keep hovering at a little distance; and when
they see the beast flayed and abandoned, they
call to each other, pour down upon the carcass,
and pick its bones as bare and clean as if they
had been scraped by a knife.

According to Herodotus, however, this at-
tendance is totally unnecessary, for he says
they can smell a dead carcass at the distance
of fifteen thousand paces, and to this he prin-
cipally attributes the circumstance of a field of
battlt being constantly covered the day after an
engagement with flocks of these birds, feedino-
on the slaughtered carcasses of both men and
horses.

Kolbe has related some very curious circum-
stances of this bird ; '' I have often,*' says
this author, " while residing at the Cape of
" Good Hope, been a spectator of the manner
^^ in which they anatomize a dead body : I say
^^ anatomize, for no artist in the world could
^^ have done it more cleanly. They have a won-
" derful method of separating the flesh from
" the bones, and yet leaving the skin quite
^^ entire. Upon coming near the carcass, no
'^ one would suppose that it was thus deprived
^^ of its internal substance, till he began to ex-
'' amine it more closely ; he then finds it, lite-
'' rally speaking, nothing but skin and bone.
VOL. I. O ^' Their

114 NATURAL HISTORY

'^ Their manner of performing the operation is
'^ this : they first make an opening in the belly
'^ of the animal, from whence they pluck out
'^ and greedily devour the entrails ; then^ enter-
'^ ing into the hollow which they have made,
'^ they separate the flesh from the bones^ with-
'^ out ever touching the skin. It often hap-
*^ pens than an ox returning home alone to its
'^ stall from the plough, lies down by the way ;
'^ it is then, if the vultures perceive it> that
^^ they fall wath fury down, and inevitably de-
^^ vour the unfortunate animal. They some-
'^ times attempt them while grazing in the fields ;
'' and make their attack all together, to the
'^ number of a hundred or more."

Some authors have been inclined to give cre-
dit to the common opinion, that the vulture
never destroys or feeds upon any thing that
has life; but no conclusion can possibly be
more unfounded ; for they are mortal enemies
to almost all kind of poultry, hares, and young
kids.

^^ They are attracted by carrion," says
Catesby, ^^ from a very great distance. It is
'^ pleasant to behold them, when they are thus
'^ eating, and disputing for their prey. An
^^ eagle generally presides at these entertain-
'^ mcnls, and makes them all keep their dis-

^^ tancc

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 115

" tance till he has done. They then fall too
*' with an excellent appetite : and their sense
'^ of smelling is so exquisite, that the instant a
'' carcass drops, we may see the vultures float-
" ing in the air from all quarters, and come
'^ sousing on their prey." When they can
come at lambs, they shew no mercy ; and ser-
pents are their ordinary food. Albertus says,
they wound their prey with only two of their
talons, and carry it off with the others. It is
a common practice with these birds to perch,
several together, on old pine and cypress-trees,
where they continue in a morning, for several
hours, with their wings unfolded : they are not
by any means apprehensive of danger, hut will
suffer themselves to be approached very near,
particularly when they are eating, without dis-
covering the smallest signs of fear.

The filth, idleness, and voracity of these
birds, almost exceed credibility. In the Brasils,
where they are found in great abundance, when
they light upon a carcass, which they have U-
berty to tear at their ease, they so gorge them-
selves, that they are unable to fly, and if pur-
sued, can only attempt their escape by hop-
ping along; but when hard pressed, thev get
rid of their burthen, by vomiting up what they
have eaten, and then fly off with as much speed

Q 2 as

]l6 NATURAL ItlSTORY

as possible. They are^ however, at all times
slow of flight.

There is a species of hostilities always ex-
isting between almost all kinds of rapacious
animals ; but of all creatures, the two most at
enmity are the vulture of Brasil and the cro-
codile. The female crocodile, which in the
rivers of that part of the world has been known
to grow to the length of twenty- seven feet, lay*
its eggs sometimes to the number of two hun-
dred, in the sands, on the side of the rivers,
where they are hatched by the heat of the cli-
mate. Leaving them for this purpose, she takes
every precaution to hide from all other animals
the place where they are deposited ; but the
vultures, or galinasses, as the Spaniards call
them, conceal themselves in the branches of
some neighbouring forest, where they sit in
perfect silence, patiently w^atching the croco-
dile's operations, with the pleasing hopes of
the expected plunder. They remain in this-
manner until the crocodile has laid the whole
number of her eggs (all of which she carefully
covers under the sand) and has retired to a con-
siderable distance from them ; when, all toge-
ther, encouraging each other with their cries,
they pour down upon the place, hook up the

sand

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 117

Sand in a moment, lay the eggs bare^ and de-
vour the whole brood without remorse. The
flesh of these animals is, however, almost be-
yond conception bad, yet there have been in-
stances of men, when pressed with hunger, en-
deavourino; to eat it ; nothino; in fact can be
more lean, stringy, nauseous, and unsavoury.
It is in vain that, when killed, the rump has.
been cut oif j in vain the body has been washed,
and spices used to overpower its prevailing
odour; it still smells and tastes of the carrion
by which it was nourished, and sends forth a
stench that is insupportable. These birds, as
far as we have been able to discover, usually
Jay two eggs at a time, and produce but once a
year. They make their nests in inaccessible
clifTs, and in places so remote that they are sel-
dom met with. Those in our part of the world
chiefly reside in the places where they breed,
and seldom come down into the plains, except
when the snow and ice, in their native retreats,
have banished all living animals but themselves :
then they come from their heights, and brave
the perils they must encounter in more culti-
vated regions. As carrion is not found, at those
seasons, in sufficient quantity, or sufficiently
remote from man to sustam them^ they prey

upon

lis NATURAL HISTORY

upon rabbits^ hares^ serpents, and whatever small
game they can overtake or overpower.

Such are the principal characteristics of the
vulture; and the most remarkable tribes of
this species are as follow : at the head -of them
w^e must place what is called the King of the
Vultures^, which, from its extraordinary figure,
deserves a particular description. This bird
is a native of America, and not of the East-
Indies, as it is frequently pretended ; it is
larger than a turkey-cock, and particularly re-
markable for the formation of the skin of the
head and neck, which is bare. This skin arises
from the base of the bill, and is of an orange
colour, w^hence it stretches on each side to the
head, then extends like an indented comb, and
falls on either side, according to the motion of
the head. The eyes are surrounded by a skin
of a scarlet colour_, and the iris has the colour
and lustre of a pearl. The head and neck are
without feathers, covered with a flesh-coloured
skin on the upper part, a fine scarlet behind
the head, and a dusky brown before : farther

* This animal is neither clean, generous, nor noble ;
he only attacks weak and defenceless animals, and nou-
rishes himself upon rats, serpents, lizards, and even the
excrements of beasts and men ; hence he has a very bad
snicll, and the savages even cannot eat his flesh.

down

OF Binns, FISH, &c. 119

clown behind the head arises a little tuft of
black down^ from whence issues and extends
beneath the throat, on each side, a wrinkled
skin, of a brownish colour, mixed with blue
and reddish brown. At the bottom of the neck,
just above the shoulders, there is a ruft', cr
collar, formed with soft, long feathers, of a
deep ash colour, which surround the neck, and
cover the breast before : into this collar the bird
sometimes withdraws its whole neck, and evtn
a part of its head ; so that it looks as if it were
headless. The body is of a reddish brown, the
belly white, with a tinge of vellow, and the
stem of the quills black. These marks are
sufficient to distinguish this race from all the
others of the vulture kind, although neither its
habits nor instincts vary from the rest of the
tribe, being, like them, a slow cowardly bird
living chiefly upon rats, lizards, serpents, and
all sorts of carrion that comes in its way.

The golden vulture has many characteristics
like the golden eagle, but it is larger in every
proportion. From the end of the beak, to that
of the tall, it is four feet and an half ; and to
the end of the claws forty-five inches. The
length of the upper mandible is almost seven
inches; and the tail twcntv-seven in.leno-th.

The

120 NATURAL HISTORY

The lower part of the neck, breast, and belly',
is of a red colour, black on the back, and the
wings and tail of a yellowish brown.

Linnaeus describes the jilpine vulture as be-
in"" wholly white in the male ; the quills black,
with grey edges, except the two outer ones,
which are entirely black ; and the female has
quite brown, except the four outer quills,
which are black, and which in size exceed the
common eao'le.

The fulvous vulture, or grisson, is about
three feet six inches in length, and eight feet
in the wings. The head, neck, and ruff, are
white ; the back reddish grey ; the quills and
tail black ; the breast bare of feathers, and co-
vered with downy hair.

The cinereous vulture is rather larger than
the common eagle. The head and neck arc
covered with brown down, and beneath the
throat there is a kind of beard. Tlie body is
brown, and the legs are feathered down to
the toes. The last three inhabit parts of Eu-
lope.

The hare vulture is smaller than all the pre-
ceding. It is of a shining reddish black, the
breast inclining to yellow. It is found in many
parts of Europe and Asia. When it is sitting

or

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. 12i

or standing, it erects a crest on its head, which
is not apparent when flying.

The ash' coloured or small vulture is the size
of a large cock. It is generally of a sooty grey,
spotted with chesnut, and the head and neck
white.

The carrion vulture is a species found in vast
flocks in all parts of America, where they are of
great utility in destroying snakes and vermin,
and devouring the dead and putrid carcasses.
This bird is full as large as a turkey. Its head
and neck are bare of feathers, and of a reddish
colour, and the sides of the head warted like
those of a turkey. The plumage of the wings
and back is a brov/nish black, with a purple and
gTeenish gloss in different parts.

The Egyptian vulture is much of the same
nature, but is not larger than a kite.

The secretary/ is common in the southern
part of Africa. It is full three feet in height ; the
bill black, and like that of an eagle ; on the up-
per eyelid there are bristles, like eye-lashes, and
from the back of the head springs a beautiful
pendant crest. The body in general is ash-co-
ioured, and the tips of the wings are black.

Besides these, naturalists have mentioned the

crested vulture, the Jrabian vulture, the bearded

VOL. 1. R vulture,

1C2 NATURAL HISTORY

luhure, the black vulture, the yJugoIa and
tlie Bengal vultures, the tawny vulture, and
many others, but which there is great reason to
conclude are mere varieties of the above.

THE FALCON AND ITS AFFINITIES.

ALTHOUGH the birds of which we are now
about to treat are considerably smaller than any
of the preceding, yet they are no less important
to man^ from contributing to his pleasures.
Formerly they must have been particularly so;
for notwithstanding the sport of hawking is lit-
tle practised in the present day, and almost En-
tirely disused in this kingdom, from the impe-
diments thrown in its way by the multiplicity of
modem inclosures, yet it was the principal
amusement of our ancestors. Formerly a per-
son of rank scarce stirred out without his hawk
on his hand, and in old paintings this appen-
dage is considered as the criterion of nobility.
Harold^ before he was king of England, went
on a most important embassy into Normandy,
and which circumstance is recorded bv an old
painting, in which he is drawn as embarking

^ith

Jfonry Suxxarcl.

Falcon

OF BIRDS, FISH, feCC, 123

with a bird on his fist, and a dog under his arm.
^'In those days,'* says Goldsmith, ^' it was thought
sufficient for noblemen's sons to wind the horn,
and to carry their hawk fair.'* But, indeed, this
diversion has been in such high esteem among
the great all over Europe, that Frederic, one of
the Emperors of Germany, thought it not be-
neath him to write a treatise upon hawking.
This sport, however, was attended with very
great expence, and in some instances productive
of honours.

Among the old Welch princes, the king's
falconer was the fourth officer in the state; but,
notwithstanding all his dignity, he was forbidden
to take more than three draughts of beer from
his horn, lest he should get drunk and neglect
his duty. In the reign of James the First, Sir
Thomas Monson is said to have given a thou-
sand pounds for a cast of hawks ; and such was
their value in general, that it was made felony in
the reign of Edward the Third to steal a hawk.
To take its eggs, even in a person's own ground,
was punishable with imprisonment for a year and
a day, together with a fine at the king's plea-
sure. In the reign of Elizabeth, the imprison-
ment was reduced to three months; but the of-
fender was to lie in prison till he got security for

R 2 his

124 NATUr.At IlI^TOliY

his good behaviour for seven years. The art of
shooting being in those days but Httle known,
and less practised, the hawk was doubtless
valuable, not only as it afforded diversion,
but as it procured those delicacies for the ta-
ble, which without its aid could scarcely ever
be obtained.

Many of the falcons which were formerly used
for this purpose are at this time known only
by name, their species being so ill described,
that they are easily mistaken for each other*.
Of those in use at present, both in this and
other countries, are the gyr-falcon, the falcon,
the lanner, the sacre, the hobby, the kestril, and
the merlin. These are called the lonsr wifi^cd
hazcks, to distinguish them from the goss-hawk,
the sparrow-hawk, the kite, and the buzzard,

* There is no essential difference between the falcons
of different countries, except in their size; those which
come from the north are in general larger than those
of the mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees. The age
of falcons is easily known in the second year, that is at
the first moulting; but afterwards it is very difficult to
ascertain it with precision, independently of the change
of colour : they may be known as far as the third moult-
ing from the colour of the feet and that of the mem-
brane of the beak.

which

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 125

which have shorter wlngSj and are either too
slow, too cowardly, too indolent, or too obsti-
nate, to be trained to the sports of the field.
The wings of those in the first class reach near-
ly as low as the tail ; the first quill of the wing
is nearly as long as the second, (which is al-
ways the largest) and terminates in a point,
which becrins to diminish from about an inch of
its extremity. In the latter race, the tail is
longer than the wings, the first feather of the
wing is rounded at the extremity, and the
fourth feather of the wing longer than any of
the rest.

The first race, which have been taken
into the service of man, are also endowed with
superior natural powers. From the length of
their wings, they are swifter to pusue their
game; from a confidence in this swiftness,
they are bolder to attack it ; and from an in-
nate generosity, they have an attachment to their
feeder, and consequently a docility which the
baser birds are strangers to.

The gijr-falcon stands at the head of this ge-
nus. He exceeds all other falcons in size, and
nearly approaches the magnitude of the ea-
gle. The top of his head is flat, and of an
ash colour. The beak is blue_, strong, short,

and

126 NATURAL HISTORY

and crooked. The feathers of the back and
wings are marked with black spots upon a dark
ground, in the shape of a heart. He is a cou-
rageous and fierce bird, nor fears even the
eagle himself; but chiefly flies at the stork, the
heron, and the crane. He is mostly found in
the colder regions of the North, but loses nei-
ther his strength nor his courage when brought
into the milder climates.

The fa ico}i, properly s,o called, is the second
in magnitude and fame. There are several va-
rieties in this species; but there seem to be only
two that claim distinction; the falcon gentil,
and the peregrine falcon, both of which are
about the size of a raven ; and they diflcr but
slightly either in shape or colour, being, like
most of this race of birds, of a dark brown, in-
termixed with black ash-coloured feathers; the
breast generally lighter than the back. The
falcon gentil moults in March, and often
sooner, but the peregrine falcon does not moult
till the middle of August. The principal dif-
ference between them consists m the latter be-
ing the strongest in the shoulders, having larger
eyes, and yet more sunk in the head; his beak is
stronger, his legs longer, and his toes more dis-
tinctly divided.

The

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 127

The lanner stands next in size, but he is little
known in Europe; he is followed by \h^ facre,
the legs of which are of a bluish colour, and
by which he is distinguished. To them suc-
ceeds the hobby, commonly used for smaller
game, for daring larks and stooping at quails.
The kestril was also trained for the same pur-
poses ; as was lastly the merlin, which though
the smallest of all the hawk or falcon kind,
and not much larger than a fieldfare, yet, for
rigour and spirit, gives place to none: he
strikes his prey with so much violence, as often
to kill a quail or partridge with a single stroke :
this also differs somewhat in colour from the
rest, the feathers on the back being shaded
with a light blue, and his wings spotted with a
rusty colour; his breast is a dirty white, with
dark spots, his legs yellow, and black talons.
While hawking was in general use, those fond
of the sport would endeavour to train some of
the other tribes, but that was only when thev
could not procure any of the above, which
were always considered as a superior race.
It is said that their courao-e in general wa>:

D O

such, that no bird, not very much above their
own size, could terrify them; their swiftness
so great, that scarcely any bird could escape

them ;

l^S NATURAL HISTORY

them; and their docIHty so remarkable, that they
obeyed not only the commands but the signs of
their master. They remained quietly perched
upon his hand till their game was flushed, or
else kept hovering round his head, without
ever leaving him but when he gave permission.
The common falcon is a bird of such spirit,
that he keeps all other birds in awe and subjec-
tion. When he is seen flying wild, the birds
of every kind, that apparently disregard the
kite, or the sparrow-hawk, fly with screams
at his most distant appeararce. The young
falcons, even though their spirit be depressed
by captivity, will, when first brought out into
the field, venture to fly at barnacles and wild
geese, till, being soundly brushed and beaten
by those strong birds, they learn their error,
and desist from meddling with such unwieldy
game.

To train up the hawk to this kind of obe-
dience, so as to hunt for his master, and bring
him the game which he kills, requires no small
deo;ree of skill and assiduity. Numberless trea-
tises have been written on this subject, which
are now, with the sport itself, almost utterly
forgotten: indeed, they seem almost unintelli-
gible; for the falconers had a language pecu-
liar

OF BIRDS, riSH, &C. 129

liar to themselves, and took a kind of profes-
sional pride in using no other. A modern reader
would be little edified by one of the instruc-
tions, for instance, which we find in Wil-
loughby, when he bids us draw our falcon out
of the mew twenty days before we enseam her.
If she truss and carry, the remedy is, cosse her
talons, her pozose, and petty single.

But as it certainly makes a part of natural
history to shew how much the nature of birds
can be wrought upon by harsh or kind treat-
ment, we shall give a short account of the
manner of training a hawk, divested of those
cant words with which professional men to®
often envelop their descriptions.

Much pains were taken in the first instance
to procure a supply from the nest, as those
were by far more easily tamed than such as had
for some time enjoyed their liberty ; although
by perseverance the latter might be rendered
equally tractable. The first step was to place
straps upon the legs, which were called jessf 5,
to which was fastened a ring with the owner's
name, that in case he should be lost, the finder
should know where to bring him back. To
these also were added little bells, which served
to mark the place where he was, if lost in

TOL. I. S the

150 NATURAL HISTORY

the cha6c. The falcotier then proceeded to his
task, and as settling on the hand was of mate-
rial consequence, this was attended to with
care, and for which purpose he was constantly
carried on the fist, and obliged to keep without
sl-eep, sometimes for three days and nights to-
gether, and without being supplied with any
food. If he was stubborn and attempted to
bite, his head was plunged into water, and
thus, by hunger, watching, and fatigue, he
was constrained to submit to having his head
and eyes covered with a hood, or cowl, without
resistance; and it rarely happened but at the
'end of this time his necessities, and the priva-
tion of light, had made him lose all idea of
liberty, and subdued his natural wildness. He
:was considered as being tamed when he per-
mitted his head to be covered without resist-
ance, and when uncovered, he seized the meat
before him contentedly. The repetition of these
lessons by degrees ensured success. His w^ants
being the chief dependence upon which any
reliance could be placed, endeavours were made
to increase his appetite by giving him little balls
of flannel, which he greedily swallowed. Having
thus excited his appetite, they instantly sup-
plied him with the means of satisfying it ; and

thus

OF BIRD9^ FISH, &C. 131

thus gratitude attached the bird to the man who
had just before been his tormentor.

When the bird shewed signs of docility, he
was carried out upon some green, with his
head uncovered, and by being flattered with
food at difFereni times, he was taught to jump
on the fist, and to continue there. When con-
firmed in this habit, it was then thought time
to make him acquainted with the lure. This
lure was a thing stuffed Hke the bird the falcon
was designed to pursue, such as a heron, a
pigeon, or a quail, and on this lure they always
took care to give him his food ; not merely
such as he would eat, but that of which he
was most fond : it was the practice of some fal-
coners, when the bird had flown upon the lure
and tasted the food, to take it away ', but this
was found to check his courage and assiduity,
and the most advantageous method w^as to let
him feast as long as he chose, by way of re-
compensing him for his docility. The use of
this lure was to draw him back when he had
flown into the air, and which it was alwavs
requisite to assist by the voice and certain signs
of his master, with which he must be rendered
familiar; and to do this it was necessary to
ftudy the character of the bird ; to speak fre-

S 2 quently

152 NATURAL HISTORY

quently to him if he be inattentive to the voice ;
to stint in his food such as do not come
kindly or readily to the lure ; to keep him
v^^aking if he be not sufficiently obedient^ and to
cover him frequently with a hood if he fears
darkness. When the familiarity and the do-
cility of the bird were sufficiently confirmed,
they carried him into the open fields, but still
kept fast by a string, about twenty yards long.
Until by practice he would fly to the lure
from its greatest distance : this being taught
him by degrees, he was then shewn the game
itself alive, but disabled or tame, which he was
designed to pursue. After having seized this
several times with his string, and began to dis-
cover a fondness for the sport, he was relieved
from his shackles, and trusted to pursue the
uncaught game that floated in the air. In al-
most the first instance they would fly at it with
avidity, and having seized, would bring it to
their master, either in obedience to his voice,
pr attractions of the lure.

By this method of instruction a hawk may
be taught to fly at any game whatever ; but
falconers chiefly confined their pursuit to such
animals as yielded them profit by the capture,
or pleasure in the pursuit. The hare, the

partridge.

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. 13S

partridge, and the quail, repay the trouble of
taking them ; but the most delightful sport is
the falcon's pursuit of the heron, the kite, or
the woodlark. Instead of flying directly for^
ward, as some other birds do, these, when they
see themselves threatened by the approach of
the hawk, immediately take to the skies. They
fly almost perpendicularly upwards, while their
ardent pursuer keeps pace with their flight, and
tries to rise above them. Thus both diminish
by degrees from the gazing spectator below,
till they are quite lost in the clouds ; but they
are soon seen descending, struggling together,
and using every eflbrt on both sides ; the one
of rapacious insult, the other of desperate de^
fence. The unequal combat is soon at an end ;
the falcon comes ofl* victorious, and the other,
killed or disabled, becomes a prey to the bird ox
the sportsman.

Other birds are not so much pursued ; for,
as they generally fly straight forward, the sports^
man loses sight of the chace, and what is still
worse, runs a chance of losing his falcon also.
The pursuit of the lark by a couple of merlins,
is considered, by him who regards the sagacity
pf the chace, as one of the most dd ightful

spectacles

1S4 NATURAL HISTORY

spectacles this exercise can afford. One of the
merlins soars with all its might to get the
ascendency of the lark^ while the other remains
below waiting the success of its companion's
efforts; thus while the one stoops to strike its
prey, the other seizes it at its coming down.

A somewhat similar practice is related by an
ancient historian as common at Chili, where
he says the Indians make use of them to catch
a bird which they call quulteu, and which are
pretty numerous among their marshy grounds.
The sportsman, on seeing his game, throws up
one of his falcons, who, as though indifferent
to the object of pursuit, endeavours not only
to get as high as he can, but also to get the
wind of him ; to this, however, the quulteu is
not inattentive, but instantly contends with his
enemy for this pre-eminence of situation, so
that they ascend nearly out of sight : but the
falcon having the better wing is sure to gain
the advantage, and this he no sooner perceives
than he instantly darts with incredible swiftness
upon his prey. Against this first attack the
quulteu defends himself cither by avoiding the
blow, or by opposing some armed points he
has on his wings, and by which the unwary

hawk

OF BIRDIS^ riSH, 8cc. 335

hawk is often wounded in the breast. When
the engagement continues for any length of
time, the s}X)rtsman lets go his other hawk to
assist the first, and who, being fresh, soon
joins his companion, and both fall upon the
poor quulteu, but not at the same time, lest
they should be in one another's way, but first
one gives him a blow, and then the other ; so
that although the bird makes a good defence,
still he is obliged to yield to this superior force,
but which, however, he does not do before
making for the water, which is the last retreat
to defend his life. Here lying upon his back,
with the sharp points of his wings turned up,
he expects his enemies ; the falcon, despising
the danger, comes down with all his force, and
seizing him with one foot soon puts a period to
his existence, but not without sometimes re-
ceiving very dangerous wounds.

It is related also, that in these countries they
are taught to fly at the most ferocious animals,
and for this enterprise they are instructed by
the skin of an animal being stuffed, and part of
the head being filled with the kind of food
the hawk is the most fond of, particularly the
cavities of the eyes, which being shewn him,

he

136 NATURAL HISTORY

he is allowed nothing to eat but what he carl
pick from thence. The figure thus prepared i*
moved while the bird is feeding ; at first very
slowly, increasing, however, by degrees until
it is dragged backwards and forwards with great
rapidity : by this means the bird is learned to
fasten himself on the skull, since he soon be-
comes conscious that he shall lose his meal if
he once quits his hold. When he has been
some time exercised in this manner, the stuffed
skin is placed on a kind of car, and although
the horse is driven at full speed, the bird will
follow and fix upon the head, notwithstanding
the swiftness of the motion. Thus tutored, if
thrown up by his master, he never fails to
fasten on the head of the first of those animals
with which he has been trained that comes in
view, and having been in the habit of pro^
curing food from the cavities of the eyes, he
immediately begins to scoop them out, which,
throwing the creature into agonies, obliges him
to stop, and thus give the hunters time to ap-
proach and kill him without danger.

Such are the natural and acquired habits of
these birds, which of all others have the greatest
strength and courage in proportion to their size*

The

ri(v 7.

J'/uKUf.

£<iiii Oti-l .

Horned 0„l

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 137

The kite, or the goss-havvk, approach their
prey sideways, but these dart perpendicularly,
in their wild state, upon their game, and devour
it on the spot ; or carry it off, if not too large
for their power of flying. They sometimes de-
scend perpendicularly from the clouds, from an
amazing height, and dart on their prey with
inevitable swiftness and destruction. The in-
ferior race of rapacious birds make up by cun-
ning and assiduity what these claim by force
and celerity. Being less courageous, they are
more patient ; and having less swiftness, they
are better skilled at taking their prey by surprise.

Of this order the kite (fig, 7) seems to stand
foremost for assiduity and cunning ; he has a
strong, black, crooked bill, his eyes laj'ge, and
placed prominently in his head, which as well
as the upper part of his breast is of an ash-
colour, a little shaded by the stem of the fea-
thers, having dark lines, and which are quite
black upon the neck 3 his back is of a dusky
brown_, the middle of the feathers inclining to
black as they approach the tail. The lesser rows
of the wing-feathers are of a party-colour black,
red and white, the outside ones being princi-
pally red, spotted with black ; his tall is broad
and forked at the end, of a dark red, v.'ith black

VOL. I. T strokes

13B NATURAL rilSTOllY

Strokes towards the extremity ; the tips of all
his feathers are of a Ught shade ; his legs and
feet are yellow, and his talons black. The kite
may be distinguished from all the rest of his
tribe by his forky tail and his slow floating mo-
tion, which makes him appear to rest upon the
bosom of the air, and not to make the smallest
effort in flying. He is almost always on the
wing, and which indeed is somewhat necessary,
as he lives only upon accidental carnage, every
bird in the air being able to make good its re-
treat against him. He is, therefore, constantly
prowling about, and when he finds a small bird
wounded, or a young chicken strayed too far
from its mother, he takes advantage of the hour
of calamity, and, like a famished glutton, is
sure to shew^ no mercy*. His hunger, indeed,
often urges him to acts of seeming desperation 5

* Kites are altogether a cowardly animal. Two of them
together will pursue a bird of prey in order to get from
liiin by trick whatever he is carrying, rather than pounce
upon him at once; even ravens will dare them, and drive
them away : they are as greedy and voracious as they are
cowardly ; they will take from the edge of the water small
dead fish and half corrupted ; they will feed upon the
grossest garbage, A young pigeon was once given to a
kite that had been brought up by some children in a house,
and he swallowed it whole, feathers and all together.

he

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. ISQ

he will hover over a clutch of chickens for a
considerable time^ and then, on a sudden, dart
upon one of them and carry it off, notwith-
standing the cries of the hen, and even though
hoys stand hooting and casting stones to scare
it from its plunder.

The kite is the best known of all this species,
although the Buzzard among us is the most
plenty. This bird is bigger than a pheasant ;
he has a large head, and flat crown, with a
short hooking bill, of a bluish colour; the up-
per part of his body is of a darkish dun ; some
of them have white spots in the upper feathers
of the wings, which, when spread, have the
appearance of a white line, somewhat like what
is seen upon the back and shoulders ; the ex-
treme edges of the. feathers are of a dirty yel-
low, the belly of a yellowish white, with rusty
spots on the breast 5 he has a sort of bristles, or
hair, between the eyes and nostrils, and a large
down upon the middle of the back, which is
covered with the scapular feathers. The thighs
are large and fleshy, and feathered below the
knees ; the legs and feet are yellow, and cover-
ed with scales. He is a sluggish inactive bird,
and often remains perched whole days together
upon the same bough. He feeds upon small

Te birds.

HO NATURAL HISTORY

birds, mice, moles, and rabbits, the latter df
x\'hom he watches with peculiar subtlety. He
lives in summer by robbing the nests of other
birds, and sucking their eggs, and in his coun-
tenance he resembles the owl more than any
other rapacious bird of day. They commonly
lay from two to four white eggs, with small
reddish spots. His figure implies the stupidity
of his disposition ; and so little is he capable of
instruction from man, that it is proverbial to call
one who cannot be taught any thing, a buzzard.
The honey buzzard is about the size of a
common buzzard, and nearly resembles it in
the shape of the body : the head of this is a
sort of ash colour : the bottom part of the fea-
thers on the back are whitish, and the upper
ones of a mouse dun : the tips of the fiag-fea-
thers, and those in the second or third rows of
the wings, are white ; those on the breast, belly,
and tail, are white, intermixed with black spots :
its legs and feet are yellow, and feathered below
the knee. This bird will run very swift, and
for a considerable way, before it takes wing,
and in its motion it is very like a common hen ;
it builds a nest of small twigs, which it covers
with wool, or soft down, and upon which it
lays its eggs and hatches its young.

The

OF UIRDSj nsH, &c. 141

. The moor buzzard is considerably less than
the other two ; its whole body is a kind of
rusty brown colour^ except the top of the head,
which inchncs to a dun ; on the middle joint
of both the wings there is a spot of the same
colour as that upon the head^ and the feathers
on the rise of the tail differ only in being a few
shades darker ; the tail itself is of a yellowish
brown, and about eight or nine inches long ;
the legs are near five inches long, and very
slender, compared to other birds of its kind ;
both legs and feet are yellow, the talons black,
and it has feathers growing below the knee.
The skin of the breast of this bird, on account
of the softness of its feathers, has often been
recommended as a cover for the pit of the sto-
mach, in order to help indigestion.

The goss-kazcic is well known in most parts
of England ; its beak inclines to blue j its head,
neck, back, and upper part of the wings, are
of a darkish brown ; the breast and belly of a yel-
lowish white, with pretty thick transverse black
lines, and a black line in the middle down the
shaft ; the thighs are covered with reddish fea-
thers; the legs and feet are yellow, and the
talons black ; the tail is both long and broad,
of a dun colour, with several mottled cross bars

at

14'i NATURAL HISTORY

at some distance from each other ; the wings,
when closed, fall a good deal short of the end
of the tail, whence it is easily distinguished
from other birds of this kind, as also by tlie
largeness of its size.

The sparrow-hawk is rather larger than a
common-sized pigeon ; it has a short-hooked
bill, rather bluish, but black towards the tip :
though its eyes are of the common size, yet it
is wonderfully sharp-sighted ; the top of its
head is of a dark brown ; some few of them,
however, have white feathers over the eyes on
the hack part of the head ; the wings, and up-
per parts of the body, are brown, spotted with
a yellowish dun ; the lower parts of the body in
some are whitish, and in others of a russet co-
lour. The tail is pretty long, and the wings
when closed do not reach beyond its middle;
it has strong thighs, slender yellow legs, with
long toes, and black talons. The eggs at the
broad end are spotted vvith a sort of red circle
of a pretty deep colour. For its size this is a
very bold, courageous bird, and will often seize
upon others larger than itself; and notwith-
standing the general conclusion against the
want of capacity and docilitv in those we have

last

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. US

last enumerated, this is said to be sometimes
trained so as to be useful in the field.

Of the falcon, kite, and buzzard kind, some
nomenclators have arranged upwards of seventy
species, many of them, as M. de Buffon judi-
ciously observes, without any difference; we
do not, however, mean to assert, that there are
not more than those which we have described,
but then their variations are so trivial, that we
may safely presume a general characteristic may
be drawn of both the bold and inferior species
from what we have said of the falcon and kite,
except that in many of the warmer climates they
have a brighter plumage, and some have bril-
liant crests upon their heads.

THE BUTCHER-BIRD.

THIS bird is also of a rapacious disposition,
and is the smallest of the carnivorous class.
There are said to be a great number of varieties
of this species, but we shall confine ourselves
to the account of two which are conimonly
known by the names of the great and the miaU
butcher-birds. The great one in some parts of

England

144 NATURAL HISTORY

England is called the werkeiigalli and in Ger-
many it has an appellation, which in English
signifies nine-killer, from an idle opinion
that it kills nine birds every day ; or at least
that it destroys that number before it ceases. It
is somewhat larger than a sterling, it has a
strong black bill near an inch long, and hooked
at the end ; which, together with its carni-
yorous appetites, gives it a claim to rank among
the carnivorous birds; though the slenderness of
its legs, and the disformation of the toes, give
it, in some measure, the appearance of being a
shade between them and the granivorous. The
upper part of the body is of a reddish ash-co-
lour, the breast white, varied with a few dark co-
loured lines running across each other, and it has
a black line from the beak parallel with the eyes.
The constitution of this bird seems to be
perfectly congenial with its conformation ; it
lives equally as well upon flesh as upon insects,
and thus partakes, in some measure, of a
double nature 3 its appetite for flesh is the most
prevalent, and it never takes up with the latter
when it can obtain the former : the butcher-
bird may therefore be said to lead a life of con-
tinual combat and opposition ; as from its size
it does not much terrify the smaller birds of the

forest

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 145

forest, so it very frequently meets with those
that are willing to try their strength^ and it never
declines the engagement.

It is wonderful to see with what intrepidity
this little creature goes to war with the pie, the
crow, and the kestril, all nearly four times
digger than itself. It not only fights upon the
defensive, but often commences the attack, and
^always with advantage, particularly when the
male and female unite to protect their youngs
and to drive away the more powerful birds of
rapine; they do not then wait the approach of
their invader ; it is sufficient that they see him
preparing for the assault at a distance; they
then sally forth, attack him with fury, wound
him on ev^ery side, so that he is glad to make
off, and seldom returns to the charge. In
these disputes, they generally come off with the
victory, though it sometimes happens that they
fall to the ground with the bird they have so
fiercely fixed upon, and the combat ends with
the destruction of both.

Wtiile the kite, the buzzard, and the crow,
who rather fear than seek the engagement, are
despised, these are treated with the greatest re-
spect by the haw^k and superior birds of prey;
and nothing in nature better displays the defer-

VOL. I. U ence

146 ^"ATURAL IllStORY

cnce that is paid to valour than to see this little
bird^ apparently so contemptible, fly in company
with the falcon, and all the tyrants of the air,
without fearing their power, or avoiding their
resentment.

Small birds are its usual food, whom it seizes
by the throat, and strangles in an instant.
It is asserted also by the most undoubted an
thorities, that when it has killed the bird or
insect, it fixes them upon some neighbouring
thorn, and when thus spitted, pulls them to
pieces with its bill. This is another of those
grand powers of instinct so constantly occurring
in animated nature, that leads us to an admi-
ration of the wonderful prescience of the Al-
mighty Creator ; for here is a small animal
without strength, in its own person, to separate
the food it has provided, and yet possessing a
sagacity to effectuate its purpose which the boast-
ed pre-eminence of man could not exceed*

'i'he small or red butcher-bird is not bigger
than the wood-lark ; it has an ill-shaped head,
and about the mouth and nostrils there grows a
sort of bristles, or black hairs ; the back and
upper part of the wings are pretty much of the
colour of rusty iron ; the head and rump are
of an ash colour, and the lower parts of the.

body

OF illRDS, FISH, &C. 147

body white, only upon the breast and throat
there is a small mixture of red.

During summer, such of this species, as con-
stantly reside here, remain among the moun-
tainous parts of the country: the one just de-
scribed migrates ; but in winter they descend
into the plains and nearer human habitations.
The larger kind make their nests on the hig-hcst
f~ees, while the lesser build in bushes in the
^Sclds, hedge-rows, and sometimes amongst the
grass upon the ground. They both lay about
fix eggs, of a white colour, encircled at the large
end with a ring of brownish red. The nest on
the outfide is composed of white moss, inwoven
with long grass ; within, it is well lined with
wool, moss, and downy herbs, and is usually
fixed among the forking branches of a tree.
The female feeds her young with caterpillars and
other insects while very young ; but she soon ac-
customs them to flesh, which the male procures
with surprising industry. Their nature is also
very different from other birds of prcv in their
parental care^ for, so far from driving out their
young from the nest to shift for themselves, they
keep them with care; and even when adult they
do not forsake them, but the whole brood live

U 2 in

148 NATURAL HISTORY

in one family together. Each family lives
apart, and is generally composed of the male,
female, and five or six young ones: they all
maintain peace and subordination among each
other, and hunt in concert. Upon the return-
ing season of courtship this union is at an end \
the family parts for ever, each to establish a
little household of its own. It is easy to distin-
guish these birds at a distance, not only from
their going in companies, but also from their
manner of flying, which is always up and down,
and seldom direct or side- ways.

As we have already observed, there are seve-
ral varieties in this species of birds. Some no-
menclators reckon upwards of forty, but the
two we have described carry the leadin^c marks
of the race ; they are also the best known in
this kingdom ; the latter, or red butcher-bird,
migrates, as we have already observed, in autumn,
and does not return till the spring. The wood-
chat resembles the former except in the colour of
the back, which is brov/n. There is still another,
less than either of the former, found in the
marshes near London, which is also a bird of
prey, although not much bigger than a tit-
mouse. Of foreign birds of this kind there are

several ;

OF BIRDS, FISH^ 8CC. 149

several ; but as we know little of their manner of
jiving, we shall content ourselves with the de-
scription of one which is conspicuous for the
singularity and beauty of its fompi. : it is called
the Malabar shriek. In size it is about that
of the missel thrush ; its back and the upper
part of its wings are of a fine glossy blacky in-
termixed with lively blue shades. ; it has a bril-
liant crest on its head ; the two outer feathers
of its wings extend considerably beyond the
rest, and the stems of those quills are destitute
of feathers for more than half their length.

THE OWL.

THE various species of tnis animal are also
to be reckoned among the carnivorous tribes,
as they live upon the destruction of others :
small birds, young pigeons, mice, and rats,
are their common food. They are, however,
distinguishable from all others, because they
pursue their prey at a time when the generality
of animated beings have retired to rest ; and for

this

150 NATURAL HISTORY

this purpose their eyes, like those of several of
the carnivorous quadrupeds, are formed for see-
ing better when the sun has declined below the
horizon, and the veil of night has shaded the
resplendency of day. But although the sight
of owls may be completely dazzled by the glare
of day, it is not to be concluded that they can
see without some degree of light. On this sub-
ject an ingenious naturalist has said, '^ that
some creatures have the pupil of their eyes
extremely large, and which are not capable of
that contraction requisite for a great light.
The generality of animals are naturally furnished
with pupils, (or eye-sights) that will encrease or
diminish according to the degree of light by
which they are encountered 3 as, for instance,
when a man has been in the dark for a consider-
able time, and comes suddenly into a light place ;
or when a candle is brought into a dark room,
the sudden light dazzles the eye, because the
pupil of the eye was extended before, to co-
operate with the act of visibility ; nor can the eye
be at ease until it has again received a proper
contraction for the quality of the light, and a
due representation of objects. This may also be
confirmed by this experiment : cover one of your

e\-es^

OF BIRBS, FISH, 8lC. 151

«yes, and the pupil of the other will dilate to sup-
ply the office of that which is covered ; uncover
that eye again, and the other pupil will con-
tract for the reason above ; from whence it ap-
pears that owls being furnished with large eye-
sights which admit not of contraction proper for
great lights, can see best in lesser ones, yet they
cannot see at all where there is no light/' This
matter has, however, been most clearly ascertain-
ed by M. de Buffon, as will be found in vol. ij,
p. 137^ of the present edition.

From these, as well as many other respect-
able authorities, we find that, as in the eyes of
the cat- kind, which are formed for nocturnal
depredations, there is a quality in the retina
that takes in the rays of light so copiously as
to permit their seeing in places almost dark ;
so in these birds there is the same conforma-
tion of that organ, and though, like us, they
cannot see in a total exclusion of light, yet
they are sufficiently quick-sighted at those
times when we remain in a total obscurity ;
for besides the usual conformation, these birds
have an irradiation on the back of the eye, and
the very iris itself has a faculty of reflecting
the rays of light, so as to assist vision in the
gloomy places where they principally inhabit.

The

\5Q NATURAL HISTORY

The du{k of the evening, however, or the grie^
of the morning, is best fitted for their sights
and not the darkest night, as it has been pretend-
ed by those u^ho are fond of the marvellous.
It is then that they issue from their retreats^
to hunt or to surprise their prey, which is
usually attended with great success : it is then
that they find all other birds asleep, or preparing
for repose, and they have only to seize the most
unguarded. It has been observed thatwlien the
moon shines, their predatory excursions are
most successful, and this is partly corroborated
by the fact that they contract the hours of their
chace : and if they come out at the approach
of dufk in the evening, they return before it ii
totally dark, and then sally forth again by twi-
light, the next morning to pursue their game,
so that they may be enabled to obtain a suffi-
ciency before the broad day-light begins to
dazzle them with its splendor., .

The faculty of seeing in the. night, or of
being dazzled by day, is not equal in every
species of these nocturnal birds: some see by,
night better than others j and some are so little
dazzled by- day-light, that they perceive their
enemies and avoid them. For instance, there
can be little doubt that the common white

or

OF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. 153

or barn owl sees with such acuteness in the
dark, that though the barn in which he has
taken refuge be close shut at night, and the
light thus totally excluded, he can perceive the
«mallest mouse that creeps from its hole, and
which he is certain of making his prey; while,
on the other hand, the brown horned owl is
often seen to prowl along the hedges by day,
like the sparrow-hawk ; and thus fall upon his
unwary victims.

All the birds of this species may be divided
into two sorts ; those that have horns, and those
that are without. These horns are nothing more
than two or three feathers that stand up on each
side of the head over the ears, and thus give
this animal a kind of horned appearance. In
the enumeration of this class, we must begin
\yith those so distinguished, and at the head of
which stands what is called the great horned owl.
{fig, 8.*) His size is, in reality, about that of
a common pullet, although he appears to be
considerably larger, from the method he has of
keeping his feathers quite loose, and sometimes
almost of an end 3 he has very long hairs on the

• As this animal does not fear either heat or cold, the species
is greatly diffused, and is to be found in both continents in th«
north and the south : not only indeed is the species found, but
«ven varieties of the species ; Xhtjacuruiu of Brasil, described by
Marcgrave, bein^ th« sams as ihe great horned v^l,

VOL. I. X Upper

\54 NATURAL HISTORY.

Upper eye-lkl, and from a mode of drawiftg ^
skim Of Mm over his eye iii day-time, he always
looks as though he were asleep : round his eye^
which is laree, is an iris of an orans^e eoloar J
on the upper part of his head, instead of ears,
he has some prominent featliers which he can
raise or fall at pleasure. His face is very dif*
ferent from that of other birds, being almost
flat ; and this is the general characteristic of the
owl kind : his beak, which is white, stands out
nearly in the manner of the nose in the human
speeies ; over this is a fiat forehead, and between
t4^em his eyes are sunk in a deep cavity ; hii
back is of a reddish brown> sb little variegated
with white, and a yellowish white on the belly;
the thighs are covered with white feathers, and
his feet are hairy. It inhabits the openings of
rocks, the cavities of old towers, and the hol-
lows of oaks, and other decayed trees m the
forests*. It feeds upon mice and small birds,
and we are assured by a respectable author, that
when it nicctri with any of those little animals
by chance, it swallows them wholef, for bis

* They rarely descend on the plains, and do not willingly
porch upon trees ; but chiefly resort to remote churches and old
castles.

t In these cases he digests the flelh, and afterwards vomits' u|r
the hair, the bones, and the skin, in the form of little round
balls.

throat

OF BIRDS^ ri«H, &c. 155

tbroat is so large that it takes down the eggs of
ducks and reese^ which are sometimes his food.

^ext to this is the common hor-n^d owiy difFer-
jng only in size, being much smaller than the
former. The horns of this owl are but about
an inch ^long, ajid consist of six feathers, varie-
g;ated with black And. yellow, They seldom
trouble themselves with making a nest, but ge-
nerally take possession of an old magpie's or
Ixizzard's. They lay four or five eggs. The
young are white at first, but come to their co-
lour ill fifteen days. This species is common
in France and England*

This is followed by the little horned otcI,
which is not much bigger than a common
blackbird 5 it has a black bill; the feathers
about the face are variegated with black and
white, those near the eyes being somewbat
red ; its horns are of a yellowish white, com-
posed of one feather, and that not an inch long ;
its body is of different colours, as white, yel-
low, black, red, and brown, beautifully inter-
mingled; its legs are brown, and feathered
down to the feet, and has black claws. This is
a very solitary bird, and seems to have been but
little known to the ancients : it is supposed to
be a bird of passage, coming into these climates
in October, and retiring again in spring. There

X2 . is

ij5 KATUnAL HISTORY

is another of this species, called xhtfcops, still
smaller than the last, but which it resembles in
most respects. It is, however, only seven or
eight inches long ; its horns consist of one
single feather, which is barely elevated above
the others. In France it appears as a bird
of passage, but it is dubious whether it ever
visits England.

Of the tribe without horns, the howlet^ esti-
mating according to size, stands in the first
place, yet it is not so large as the great- homed
owl : this is also peculiar from having black
eyes, and its plumage is in general of a dulky
colour*.

The fcreech'Owl is rather less than a com-
mon kite ; it has blue eyes, and is of a kind of
a bluish-grey colour, except the belly and thighs,
which are of a lead colour, sometimes inclining
to white.

The white, or harn-ozcl, is nearly of the size
of the preceding ; it has a white hooked bill,
near an inch long, round which is a small cjrcle
of yellow feathers ; its eyes too are yellow ; the
breast, belly, and under the wings, are \vhitc ;

* This species was called by the Greeks, nyciicoraxy or the
Raven of the Night, It is about fifteen inches- long ; it hai a
large head and eye», the iris of which is black, or rather of a
d«ep brown.

its

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 157

its back and covert wings shaded with yellow,
and its legs are covered with a thick down ae
low as the feet.

The brown otcl differs very little from th«
former, except in the colour of its beak and
plumage, the former of which is brown, and the
latter of the same colour, somewhat motlled.

The littlt brown otvl does not exceed the size
of a blackbird ; it has yellowish eyes, an orange-
coloured bill ; the body is a dark brown, with a
mixture of red, with several white and black
spots ; the lower part of the body is of a yel-
lowish white, with some dusky spots ; the feet
are yellow, feathered down to the claws, of
which it has two before and two behind. This
bird has been met with in England but very
rarely. .. .^.

Besides these, there are above thirty other
yarietics of this species of animals, which are
said to be existing in different parts of the
globe ; but, however they may differ in their
size and plumasre, the whole of these birds aorree
in their general characteristics of preying bv
night, and having their eyes formed for noctur-
nal vision. Their bodies are strong and mus-
cular; their feet and claws 'made for tearing
their prey, and their stomachs for digesting it.
It must be remarked, however, that the diges-
tion of all birds that live upon mice, lizards,

and

15H NATURAL HISTORT

and similar food, is not very perfo6l ; for though
they swallow them whole, yet, as we have al-
ready observed, they some time after disgorge
the skin and bones, rolled up in a pellet.

Being incapable of supporting the light of
the day, at least sufficiently to perceive and
avoid danger, they keep themselves concealed
in some obscure retreat, suited to their gloomy
dispositions, and there continue: in perfect si^
lenee. The cavern of a rock, ihe darkest part
of a hollow tree, the battlements of a ruined
and luifrequented castle, or some secure hole
in a farmer's out -ho use, are the places where
they are usually found ; and if they are seen out
of these retreats in the day-time, they may he
considered as having lost their way, and unable
to find a place of security.

At the approach of evening they sally forth,
and skim rapidly up and down along the hedges.
The great horned owl is the foremost in leaving
his retreat, and ventures into the woods and
thickets very soon in the evening : the brown
and other owls are later in their excursions, set-
ting off in proportion as their eyes will bear the,
^ight. The barn-owl, indeed, who liv^es chiefly
•upon mice, is stationary : he takes his residence
upon some shock of corn, or the point of some
old house, and there watches in the dark, with
unremitting perseverance, the motions of his

prey.

WF BIRDS, FiSH, ^C, i5<J

j>re\'. Each of these species have a paf ticalar
cry, or rather scream, which they generally
make use ol' on quitting their solitary holds ;
and a degree of horror is excited by tl>eir hideous
cry, being heard as it is in the mid waste and
silence of the night : poetry and romance too
have lent their aid to the effect ; for they de-
hght to paint the owl as a necessary adjunct to
the awful and solemn period of night. It is,
however, considered in them as a testiiiiony of
joy at being enabled to quit their solitary abodes^
and also as a call of love to their separated mates ;
and this is more particularly supposed to be the
case, since they are never heard when hunting
their prey : that important pursuit is always at-
t-ended with silence, otherwise they woukl dis-
turb or forewarn those little animals they wish
to surprise. When their pursuit has been suc-
cessful, they soon return to their solitude ; but
if they find but little game, they continue their
quest still longer ; and it sometimes happens
that, obeying the dictates of appetite rather than
of prudence, they continue their researches until
broad day breaks in upon them, and leaves them
dazzled, bewildered, and unable to trace their
way back. In this distress they arc obliged to
take shelter in the first tree or hedge that offers,
where they continue concealed until the return-
ing darkness once more befriends their sight,

and

160 NATURAL HISTORY

and assists them to find their home. Bat it often
happens that, with all their precaution to con-
ceal themselves, they are spied out by the other
birds which haunt the spot of their retreat ; and
in which case they are sure to receive no mercy
from them. The blackbird, thrush, jay, bunt-
ing, and even red-breast, advance to the attack,
and employ all their little arts of insult and
abuse. The smallest, feeblest, and most con-
temptible of this unfortunate bird's enemies,
are then the foremost to injure and torment
him. They increase their cries and turbulence
round him, flap him with their wings, and,
like many swaggerers of the human race, are
ready to shew their courage to be great as they
are sensible that their danger is but small. The
unfortunate owl, not knowing where to attack,
how to avoid his foes, or whither to fly, sits
quiotly, and patiently submits to the efforts of
their malice. Astonished and dizzy, he only
replies to their mockeries by awkward and ri-
diculous gestures, by turning his head, and
rolling his eyes with an air of stupidity. If
an owl appear by day, it is enough to set
the whole grove into a kind of uproar. Ei-
ther the aversion all the small birds have
to this animal, or the consciousness of their
own security, makes them pursue him
without ceasing, while they encourage each

other

OF BIRDS, FISH, &,C. l6i

iother by their 'mutua) cries to lend assistance
in this laudable undertaking. But in this they
are not always guided by caution, as they will
sometimes continue their insults with that same
imprudent zeal with which the owl himself had
pursued his depredations. They will continue
until the evening begins to return, which re-
storing him to his faculty of sight, he makes
the foremost of his pursuers pay dearly for their
former sport.

Of this inveteracy of the small birds to the
owl, and >of their folly, man has not failed to
take the advantage. The bird-catchers some-
times get into a well-frequented grove, having
acquired the art of counterfeiting the cry of the
owl exactly, and f)reviously lime the branches
of a hedge,, where they sit unseen and give the
call. At this, ^all :the birds within hearing flock
to the placa where they expect to, find their well-,
known tnemy y but instead of finding their
stupid antagonist, they are stuck fast to the
hedge th€>niselyes. This manceuvre is com -
monly put in practice an hour before night-fall,
as -being then most successful ; for if it.be..
putofl' till later, those birds, which but a few,
minutes sooner would come to provoke their .
enemy, will then fly from him with as much.
.VOL. i« - < Y terror..

lG2 NATURAL HISTORY

terror as they just before would have shewed
insolence.

The great horned owl is sometimes made
use of to lure the kite, when falconers desire to
catch him for the purposes of training up their
young falcons. For this purpose they fasten
the tail of a fox to the great owl to render his
figure extraordinary, in which trim he sails
slowly along, flying low, which is his usual
manner. The kite, either curious to observe
this odd kind of animal, or perhaps inqui-
sitive to sec whether it may not be proper for
food, flies after, and continues to hover, de-
scending by degrees, till the falconer, consider-
ing him sufficiently near, sets oflf a strong-
winged hawk, who is certain of making him
his prey.

The great horned owl usually breeds in the
cavern of a rock, the hollow of a tree, or the
turret of some ruined castle. Its nest is near
three feet in diameter, and composed of sticks,
bound together by the fibrous roots of trees,
and lined with leaves on the inside. It lays
from two to three ejxss, "which are laro;er than

DO ' D

those of a hen, and of a colour somewhat re-
sembling the bird itself. The young ones are
very voracious, and the parents very assiduous

in

OF BIRDS, FISH, &c. l63

in satisfying their calls of hunger. The lesser
owl of this kind, as we before observed, never
makes a nest for itself, but always takes up with
the old one of some other bird, which it has
often been forced to abandon. It lays four or
live eggs ; and the young are all white at first,
but change colour in about a fortnight. The
other owls in general build near the places where
they chiefly seek their prey ; those which feed
on birds in some neighbouring grove, and those
which prey upon mice near some farmer's yard,
who derives too much good from his services
not to endeavour to give him security; for
whatever mischief one species of owl may do in
the woods, the barn-owl makes a sufficient re-
compence, by being equally active in destroy-
ing mice nearer home ; indeed a single owl is
considered as more serviceable than half a dozen
cats, in ridding a barn of its domestic vermin.
'^ In thB year 1580," says an old writer, " at
Hallontide, an army of mice so over-run the
marshes near Southminster, that they eat up
the grass to the very roots. But at length a
great number of strange painted owls came and
devoured all the mice. The like happened again
in Essex about sixty years after.''

We cannot better conclude our account of
Y 2 this

l64 NATURAL HISTORY

this species^ than in the words of M. de BufTon,
who says, ^^ Owls in general are very shy of
man, extremely indocile, and very hard to be
tamed, particularly the white owl, which we
could never preserve alive for any time in a state
of captivity : we have kept them for ten or
twelve days in the aviary, where they were shut
up ; but they refused all kind of nourishment,
and at last died with hunger. By day they re-
mained without moving upon the floor of the
aviary; in the evening they mounted on the
highest perch, where they continued to make a
noise like a man snoring with his mouth open;
and this had every appearance of being intended
as a cry or call to their old companions with-
out ; and, in fact, I have seen several others
come to the call, and perch upon the roof of
the aviary, where they made the same kind of
scream, and were so inattentive to every other
circumstan(:;e as to suffer themselves to be taken
with a net*/'

* The males and females of these birds resemble each
other so much in their colour, that they are not easily
ditinguishable. There are numerous varieties among
|hem, as in almost every other kind of animal.

OF BIRDS, FISH, vfcc. iGc

OF THE POULTRY KIND,

HAVING thus fully described the most ra-
pacious species of the feathered race, we shall
quit the noxious tribe for the present, and
bring forward those who are of such material
advantage and benefit to man. In these we
find exact similitude with the quadrupeds,
namely, that in both orders there are some
rendered domestic, while others^ no less salutary
as food, still presence their freedom, and have
not submitted to the controul and tyranny of
man. The ox, the sheep, and goat, are not
more obedient nor more familiar with their de-
stroyers than are the cock, the turkey, and
the peacock; nor are the st^s, fallow-deer,
and roe-buck, more independant than the bus-
tard, pheasant, and partridge ; but without dwell-
ing upon these resemblances, which to point
out is sufficient for the curious, we shall enter
into a more general view of what are com-
monly

j6G natural history

monly ranked under the denomination of the
poultry kind, and which has hcen most ingeni-
ously characterized by Dr. Goldsmith, who, on
this subject, says ;

^' Under birds of the poultry kind are to be
ranked all those that have white flesh, and,
comparatively to their head and limbs, have
bulky bodies. They are furnished with short
strong bills for picking up grain, which is their
chief and often their only sustenance. Their
wings are short and concave ; for which reason
they are not able to fly far. They lay a great
many eggs ; and, as they lead their young abroad
the very day they are hatched, in quest of food,
which they are shewn by the mother, and
which they pick up for themselves, they gene-
rally make their nests on the ground. The
toes of all these are united by a membrane as
far as the first articulation, and then are divided
as in those of the former class.

" Under this class we may therefore rank the
common cock, the peacock, the turkey, the
pi.itada or Guinea hen, the pheasant, the bus-
tard, the grous, the partridge, and the quail.
Tlitse all bear a strong similitude to each other,
being equally granivorous, fleshy, and delicate
to the palate. These are among birds what

beasts

Oh BIRDS, FISH, &C. 16?

beasts of pasture are among quadrupeds, peace-
able tenants of the field, and shunning the
thicker parts of the forest, that abounds with
numerous animals who carry on unceasing hos-
tilities against them.

'' As Nature has formed the rapacious class
for war, so she seems equally to have fitted
these for peace, rest, and society. Their wings
are but short, so that they are ill formed for
wandering from one region to another ; their
bills are also short, and incapable of annoying
their opposers ; their legs are strong indeed,
but their toes are made for scratching up their
food, and not for holding or tearing it. These
are sufficient indications of their harmless
nature; while their bodies, which arc fat
and fleshy, render them unwieldy travellers,
and incapable also of straying far from each
other.

^^ Accordingly we find them chiefly in so-
ciety : they live together, and though they may
have their disputes, like all other animals
upon some occasions, yet, when kept in the
same district, or fed in the same yard, they
learn the arts of subordination ; and, in pro-
portion as each knows his strength^ he seldom

tries

168 NATURAL HISTORY

tries a second time the combat where he ha^
once been worsted.

^^ In this manner^ all of this kind seem to
lead an indolent vokiptuous life : as they are
fiirnished internally with a very strong stomach,
commonly called a gizzard, so their voracious-
ness scarce knows any bounds. If kept in close
captivity^ and separated from all their former
companions_, they still have the pleasure of eat-
ing left ; and they soon grow fat and unwieldy
in their prison. To say this more simply, many
of the wilder species of birds, when cooped or
caged, pine away, grow gloomy, and some re-
fuse all sustenance whatever ; none except those
of the poultry kind grow fat, who seem to lose
all remembrance of their former liberty, satisfied
with indolence and plenty.

^' The poultry kind may be considered as
sensual epicures, solely governed by their ap-
petites. The indulgence of these seems to in-
fluence their other habits, and destroys among
them that connubial fidelity for which most
other kinds are remarkable. The eagle and
the falcon, how fierce soever to other animals,
are yet gentle and true to each other; their con-
nections, when once formed, continue till

death f

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. l69

death ; and the male and female in every exi-
gence, and every duty, lend faithful assistance
to each other. They assist each other in the
production of their young, in providing for
them when produced ; and even then, though
they drive them forth to fight their own bat-
tles, yet the old ones still retain their former
affection to each other, and seldom part far
asunder.

^^ But it is very different with this luxurious
class I am now describing. Their courtship is
but short, and their congress fortuitous. The
male takes no heed of his offspring ; and satis-
fied with the pleasure of getting, Icav^es to
the female all the care of providing for posterity.
Wild and irregular in his appetites, he ranges
from one to another ; and claims every female
which he is strong enough to keep from his
fellows. Though timorous when opposed to
birds of prey, yet he is incredibly bold among
those of his own kind ; and but to see a male
of his own species is sufficient to produce a
combat. As his desires extend to all, every
creature becomes his enemy that pretends to be
his rival.

^^ The female, equally without fidelity or
attachment, yields to the most powerful. She

VOL. I. Z stand>^

170 NATURAL HISTORY

Stands . by, a quiet meretricious spectator of
their fury, ready to reward the conqueror with
every compliance. She takes upon herself.
a!l the labour of hatching and bringing up
her young, and chuses a place for hatching as
remote as possible from the cock. Indeed, she
gives herself veiy little trouble in making a nest,
as her young ones are to forsake it the instant
they part from the shell.

" She is equally unassisted in providing for
her young, which are not fed with meat put into
their mouths, as in other classes of the feathered
kind, but peck their food, and forsaking their
nests, run here and there, following the parent
vvherever it is to be found. She leads them for-
ward where they are likely to have the greatest
quantity of grain, and takes care to shew, b\
pecking, the sort proper for them to seek for.
Thougrh at other, times voracious, she is then
abstemious to an extreme degree ; and, intent
only on providing for and shewing her young
clutch their food, she scarce takes any nourish-
ment herself. Her parental pride seems to over-
power every other appetite ; but that decreases
in proportion as her young ones are more able
to provide for themselves, and then all her vo-
racious habits return.

'^ Amono

OV J^IRDS, FISH, 8CC. 171

"^ Among the other habits peculiar to this
class of birds is that of dusting themselves.
They lie flat in some dusty place, and with
their wings and feet raise and scatter the dust
over their whole body. What may be their
reason for thus doing it is not easy to explain.
Perhaps the heat of their bodies is such, that
they require this powder to be interposed be-
tween their feathers to keep them from lying
too close together, and thus increasing that heal
with which they are incommoded/' In this
last conjecture, however, naturalists do not
agree, and it has, with greater seeming pro-
bability, been accounted for by the supposition,
that, from a moisture arising from the body, filth
is collected under the feathers, and that the
only method they have to rid themselves of this
inconvenience, is by a plentiful introduction
of dry dust, which connecting with the other,
they are thus enabled to clean themselves by
shaking it all out together.

Z 2

J7S KATUllAL HISTORY

THE BUSTARD.

THIS bird (fig. \0) has no other claim to
taking the lead in this race than that of being
the largest land-bird that we are familiar with in
Europe. They were formerly very numerous
in England; but the increased cultivation of
the country, and the extreme delicacy of their
flesh, have greatly thinned the species ; and a
time may probably come when it will boa doubt
whether so large a bird was ever bred among us :
nay, it may be presumed that long before this the
bustard would have been extirpated, but for its
peculiarity in the places it has chosen to reside
in. Had it sought shelter among our woods, in
proportion as they were cut down. It must have
been destroyed. Besides, if it had dwelt in the
forests, the fowler might have approached it
without being seen, and its size would have
rendertd it too conspicuous a mark to be easily
missed ; but instead of this it inhabits only the
open and extensive plain, where its food lies

in

OF BlRDSj FISH, &C. 173

in abundance, and where, at a distance, it can
clearly observe the motions of an approaching
enemy.

The bustard is much larger than the turkey,
the male generally weighing from twenty-five
to twenty-seven pounds. The neck is a foot
long, and the legs a foot and a half. The
wings, although disproportioned to its size,
not being more than four feet when extended
from tip to tip, are nevertheless so formed
as to elevate it in the air, and ena])le it to fly
with some little difficulty. The head and
neck of the male are ash-colourcd ; the back
is barred transversely with black, bright, and
rust-colour. The greater quill-feathers are
black, the belly vi'hite ; and the tail, which con-
sists of twenty feathers, is marked Vvith broad
black bars ; it has three thick toes before and
none behind.

Plutarch mentions the bustard as bcino; In his
time a very common bird in Greece and Syria,
and that they were found in great numbers in the
environs of Alexandria and Lybia ; they are
also pretty general in the open parts of France
and Spain, and particularly in the open plains of
Poitou and Champagne. In England they are
frequently seen in flocks of fifty or more together,

especially

174 NATURAL HISTORY

especially on the extensive downs of Salifbury
Plains, the heaths of Sussex and Cambridgeshire,
the Dorsetshire uplands, and so on, as far as
East Lothian in Scotland. In those extensive
plains, where there are no woods to screen the
sportsman, nor hedges to aid him in his destruc-
tive design, the bustards enjoy an indolent secu-
rity. Their food is composed of the berries that
grow among the heath, and the large earth-
worms that appear in great quantities on the
downs before sun-rising in summer. It is in
vain that the fowler makes use of his art to
approach them, for they have constantly sen-
tinels placed at proper eminences, always on
the watch, to v/arn the flock of the smallest
appearance of danger. The eager sportsman
has, therefore, the frequent mortification of
beholding plenty of game without the possi-
bility of getting near it, for being in view is
sufficient for them to take wing. Notwith-
standing it is so difficult to approach them
within gun-shot, they are often run down by
greyhounds. As they are voracious and greedy,
they frequently sacrifice their safety to their ap-
petite, by feeding themselves so very fat that they
are unable to fly without great preparation.

When

OF BIRDS, FISH, SCC. 175

When the greyhound, therefore, comes within a
certain distance, for it is not so shy of the dog as
of man, the bustard runs off, flapping its wings,
and endeavouring to gather air enough under
them to rise, till the rapid approach of the
enemy renders it too late for him even to think
of obtaining safety by flight; for just at the
rise there is always time lost, and of this the
bird is sensible ; it continues, therefore, on the
foot, attempting to gain a suflicient distance
before it ventures on flight, and in which attempt
it is frequently outrun, and becomes a prey to
its pursuer, ^lian says that nothing is more
easy than the capture of this bird, and he
affiniis^ as a fact, that, in ancient Pontus, the
foxes made use of the following stratagem in
order to take them : — The fox elevates his bushy
tail, which he causes to imitate as much as
possible the motions of the bird's neck : the
bustards, he adds, mistake it for a bird of their
species, approach it without apprehension, and
became the prey of this crafty animal.

Being so attached to the security of an open
country, there are few places where they can at
once find proper food and safety; they therefore
generally continue near their old haunts, seldom

wandcrinof

17(3 NATURAL HISTORY

wandering above twenty or thirty miles from'
home. As their food is replete with moisture,-*
they are enabled to live a long time without
drinking upon arid plains, where there are
scarcely any springs of water. Besides this,
Nature has given the males an admirable
magazine for their security against thirst. This
is a pouch, the entrance of which lies imme-
diately under the tongue, and, if we may credit
some authors, is capable of holding near seven
quarts of water. This he is supposed to. fill
upon particular occasions^ especially to supply
the hen when sitting, and the young before they
can fly, and also to procure it for themselves.

They possess no lengthened attachment, but
select their mates at the season of incubation,
which is about the latter end of summer.
They then separate in pairs^ if there be a suffi-
ciency of females for the males ; but when it
happens otherwise, the males fight until one of
them falls. They make no nests, any farther
than scraping a hole in the earth, and some-
times lining it with a little long grass or straw.
There they lay two eggs only, almost of the
size of a goose egg, of a pale olive brown,
marked with s} ots of a darker colour. The

time

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 177

time of incubation is about five weeks, and the
young ones run about as soon as they are out
of the shell ; which is the case with all that
come under the denomination of the poultry
kind.

It is said that when the hen is apprehensive
of the hunters, and is disturbed from her nest,
she takes her eggs under her wings, and tran-
sports them to a place of safety. But this ap-
pears to be one of those circumstances that has
originated among the lovers of the marvellous.

The flesh of these birds has ever been con-
sidered as a great delicacy, and therefore inva-
riably the object of pursuit ; besides which,
their quills are held in high estimation among
anglers, who use them as floats ; for, as they
are spotted with black, the notion is, that these
black spots appear like flies to the fish, and
therefore rather allure than drive them awav.

By observation and attention it has been dis-
covered that the bustards assemble in flocks in
the month of October, and keep together till
April ; and that in winter, as their food be-
comes more scarce, they support themselves in-
discriminately, by feeding on moles, mice, and
even little birds, when they can seize thern,
For want of other food, they will live upon

VOL. I. A a turnip-

ifi NATURAL HISTOKY-

turnip -leaves, and other similar succulent vege-
tables. In some parts of Switzerland they are
found frozen in the fields in severe weather, but
when taken to a warm place they recover again.
They are supposed to live about fifteen years>
but are incapable of being propagated in a do-
mestic state, probably from not having a sup-
ply of that peculiar food which may be neces-
sary to their constitution.

The little bustard differs from the preceding
only in its small size, not being larger than a
pheasant, or about seventeen inches in length.
This species is found in many parts of Europe.
It is, however, by no means common in France,
and has only been met with three or four times
in England.

There are six or seven species of this kind,
two or three of which, particularly the houbara
and the rhaad (both African birds), are crested,
and different from the European ones, by some
varieties in their plumage; but there are not
any of the species found in America.

Jiiistoj-tl .

Teacoeh .

«F BIRDS, FISH, 6CC. 17y

OF THE COCK.

FAMILIAR as this bird is to all, yet its va-
riety is so great, that the most able naturalists
have invariably expressed a difficulty in point-
ing out its distinctive characters, and for thig
obvious reason, that there are scarcely two birds
of this species that exactly resemble each other
in plumage and form. If we take for the mark
of the genus its four toes, what then becomes
of ^the peculiar species which has five on each.
Joot-*? if the erect and peculiar position of the
tail be assumed, there is a species wholly desti-
tute of this character. If we would say that
the cock is only feathered to the lower joint of
the Icfr, there are some breeds which are fea-
thered even to the toes, and that of Japan has
feathers evQn to the very nails. In fine, if we
would class him among granivorous birds, we
must allow some latitude even in this, since he

* Tliis is certainly a hen, and even very ancient, for
Columella speaks of it as a distinpuished race : Genero-
ussima creduntur qua quintos habent digitos. l..ib. v:ii, c. ii,

A a 2 devours

]80 NATURAL HISTORY

devours greedily not only earth-worms, bat in
many cases both fish and flesh.

Of the period when this bird was first intro-
duced into Europe, all our researches will not
enable us even to presume a conjecture ; but it
seems admitted on all hands that the cock is one
of the oldest companions of mankind, and that
he was among the first who were drawn from
the wilds of the forest, to become a partaker of
the advantages of society. Although it does
not appear at what period this took place, yet
it is pretty certain that the first accounts we
have of the cock is from the annals of Persia,
and to which kingdom the western parts of the
imiverse are certainly indebted for him.

Aristophanes calls the cock the Persian bird,
and tells us he enjoyed that kingdom before
some of its earliest monarchs. This animal was
in fact known so early even in the most savage
parts of Europe, that we are told the cock was
one of the forbidden foods amono- the ancient
Britons. Indeed, the domestic fowl seems to
have banished the wild one. Persia itself^ that
first introduced it to our acquaintance, seems
no longer to know it in its natural form ; it is
neverthJc'ss still fo^nd wild in the is]a.nds of
Tinian, in many others of the Indian ocean,

and

CorA- .

^ffSTitr/cey .

OF BlRDSj FISH, &e. 181

and in the woods on the coasts of Malabar. In
his wild state his plumage is black and yellow,
and his comb and wattles yellow and purple.
Of these, in the wild state, especially in the
Indian woods, a very particular circumstance is
related as a fact, namely, that when boiled,
their bones become as black as ebon v. Whe-
ther this tincture proceed from their food, as
the bones are tinctured red by feeding upon mad-
der, we do not pretend to determine, any more
than to vouch for the fact ; it is sufficient for
us vo have given the assertion of several authors
of general credit.

Among the ancients, at least' the Europeans,
after this bird's first introduction among them,
those whose feathers were of a reddish cast
were considered as invaluable ; but those whose
plumage was white, they considered as unfit
for domestic purposes : even Aristotle has
treated of them as being the least fruitful of
the two ; the first he calls generous and noble,
being remarkable for fecundity; the other igno-
ble and useless, from their sterility. These dis-
tinctions differ widely from our modern experi-
ence, the generous game-cock being by no means
50 fruitful as the ungenerous dunghill- cock,
which has been treated with such contempt.

Without

182 NATURAL HISTORY

Without dwelling on this distinction, it k
certain that no animal in the world has greater
courage than the cock, when opposed to one of
his own species ; and in every part of the world,
cOck-fighting has long been a favourite and prin-
cipal diversion. In China, India, the Philippine
islands, and all over the East, cock-fighting h
the sport and amusement even of kings and
princes. England has long had the credit of
producing a bolder and more valiant breed than
is to be found in any other country ; but in
these later times it is positively asserted that
they have cocks in China as bold, if not bolder,
than ours ; and, wli:at would still be considered
as valuable among the admirers of this frport,
tliey have more strength with less weigh*.

Naturalists have attributed the extraordinary
courage in the cock to his being the most sala-
cious of all other birds whatsoever. A single
cock suffices for ten or a dozen hens ; and it is
asserted that he is the only animal whose spirit*

* Cocks are not the only birds wluch man has thus
abused; the Athenians, who had a certain day in the year
consecrated to these cock-fights, employed quails also for
the same purpose ; and the Chinese rear, even at the pre-
sent day, certain small birds resembling quails or linnets;
and every w here their mode of fighting Miries according
to their instructors.

arc

or BIRDS, riSH>. &c. 18^3

are not abated by indulgence. But be soon
grows old ; the radical moisture is exhausted ;
and in three or four years he becomes utterly
unfit for the purposes of impregnation. '' Hens
also, (says Willoughby) as they for the great-
est part of the year daily lay eggs, cannot
fuffice for so many births, but for the most part
after three years become euete and barren : for
when they have exhausted all their seed-eggs,
of which they had but a certain quantity from
the beginning, they must necessarily cease to lay,
there being no new ones generated with in.''

The formation of the embryo is curious.
During the first day's incubation, and even
when the Qgg has been under the hen a few
hours, the head of the chicken may be seen
gradually uniting itself to the spine of the back.
On the second day the first apophyses of the
vertebrae may be discerned like so many small
globules disposed on each side of the spine.
The first commencement of the wings and the
umbilical vessels may also be distinguished by
their dark colour. The neck and the breasi also
shew themselves, and the head continues to in-
crease in size. The third day the whole is more
distinct and enlarged, and the heart, which is
suspended at the opening of the breast, is ob-
served

IS4 NATURAL HISTORY

served to beat ; veins and arteries mav also be
perceived about the brain^ and the spinal mar-
row begins to extend itself through the spine.
The eyes are considerably formed on the fourth
day. The pupil, the crystalline and vitreous
humours, may be distinctly seen. The wings
increase, the thighs appear, and the whole bodv
begins, in some degree, to be covered with flesh.
The fifth day the body is covered with a gluti-
nous or unctuous flesh ; the heart is retained
within a very fine membrane, which also ex-
tends itself all over the breast. The sixth day
the spinal marrow, in two divisions, continues
to advance along the trunk ; the liver, which
at first was whitish, becomes of a darker hue ;
both ventricles of the heart beat, and the body
of the chicken is covered with skin, in which
may be already discerned the points of the fea-
thers. The beak may be discovered on the se-
venth day, and the brain, the wings, the thighs,
and even the feet, have acquired a perfect form.
The lungs appear at the end of the ninth day ;
their colour is whitish. On the tenth the
muscles of the wings begin to form, and the
feathers continue to shoot out. It is not till
the eleventh day that the arteries, which before
were separate, unite to the heart. The rest of

the

UF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. ]85

the process consisls only in an increase and more
perfect dcvclopemcnt of the several parts, till
ihey acquire sufficient vigour to break the shell.

A cotninon hen, if at liberty, and well fed,
will produce more than one hundred and fifty
eggs in a year ; and it is no uncommon thing for

them to have two broods of chickens durino- the

o

same period*. For the hen to have eggs it is by
no means necessary that she should be in com-
pany with a cock ; she will continue to lav, al-
though the eggs of this kind can never be
"brought to produce a living animal. '' But,"'
says Buffon, " when the hen has cohabited with
the cock for a few days, and aftervvards sepa-
rated from him, the eggs she produces for a
month, after separation, are as fertile as those
she produced during the t.'m2 of cohabitation
with the male, and unfold at the same time.'*
The heh makes her nest without any care, if
left to herself; a hole scratched in the ground,
among a few bushes, is the only preparation
she makes for the office of incubation. Na-
ture, almost exhausted by its own fecundity,
seems to inform her of the proper time for

* They lay indifferently through the whole year, except
during the moultino;, which lasts generally six weeks or two
months, and takes place towaids the end of autucrn or beginning-
*f winter.

vol.. I. B )p hatching.

186 NATURAL HISTORY

hatching, which she herself testifies by a chick-
ing noise, and by discontinuing to lay. But this
inclination for setting is frequently postponed
by those who prefer eggs to chickens, by dip-
ping her head a few times in cold water. If left
entirely to herself, she would seldom lay above
twenty eggs in the same nest, without attempt-
ing to hatch them, but this inclination is stop-
ped by the removal of her eggs, and she con-
tinues to lay, vainly hoping to increase the
number.

During the time of incubation nothing can
exceed the patience and perseverance of the
hen ; she will sometimes remain for whole days
together without moving from her nest, scarcely
ever quitting it more than once in twenty-four
hours ; then it is from the pressure of hunger,
and she devours her food with all ima2;inable
haste, barely allowing herself time to take a
sufficiency for the support of nature. While
the hen sits she carefully turns her eggs, and
even removes them to different situations ; till
at length, in about three weeks, the young
brood begin to give signs of a desire to burst
their confinement, which they are supposed to
effectuate by repeated efforts with their bills
against the shells, assisted in some little degree
by the hen, who, when they are all produced,

leads

OF EIRDSj FISH, iCC. IS*

leads them forth to provide for thcmselvTS.
Her affection and her pride seem then to alter
her very nature, and correct her imperfections.
No longer voracious or cowardly, she abstains
from all food that her young can svv'allovv, and
flies boldly at every creature that she thinks is
likely to do them mischief: she courageously
attacks the horse, the hog, or any other animal
which she suspects is inclined to injure her pro-
geny. When marching at the head of her little
troop she acts the commander, and has a variety
of notes to call her train to their food, or to
warn them of approaching danger.

In general, ten or twelve chickens are as
many as a good hen can produce or rear at one
time ; but as this bears no proportion to the
number of her eggs, schemes have been tried
to hatch all the eggs of a hen, and thus turn
her produce to the greatest advantage ; which
being effectuated, a hen may be said to pro-
duce upwards of a hundred and fifty of her own
species in a year. This contrivance is the arti-
ficial method of hatching chickens in stoves,
as is practised at Grand Cairo ; or in a che-
mical laboratory properly graduated, as has
been effected by Mr. Rcaunuir. At Grand
Cairo they thus produce six or seven thousand
€hickens at a time ; v.-here, as they are brought

B b 2 forth

188 NATURAL HISTORY

forth in iheir sjDrlng, which is warmer tl^an our
summer, the young ones thrive without clutch-
ing. But it is otherwise in our colder and
unequal climate; the little animal n^ay, without
much difficulty, be hatched from the shell ; but
they almost all perish w^hen excluded. To re-
medy this, Reaumur made use of a wooller^
hen, as he calls it ; which was nothing more
than putting the young ones in a warm basket,
and clapping over them a thick woollen canopy;
but a nmch better substitute is sometimes made
use of, namely that of capons, who are fre-
quently thus employed ; and the manner of
teaching them is this : first the capon is made
very tame, so as to feed from the hand ; then,
about evening, they pluck the feathers off his
breast, and rub the bare skin with nettles ; they
then put the chickens to him, which presently
run under his breast and belly, and probably
rubbing his breast gently with their heads, allay
the stinging pain which the nettles had just
produced. This is repeated for two or three
nichts, till the animal takes an affection to the
chickens that have thus given him relief, and
continues to afford them the protection they
seek for. He, from that time, brings up a brood
of chickens like a hen, clutching them, feeding
them, clucking? and performing all the func-
tions

I ^/^fi^Ai/'/V' (//'nfe^rrt or^l^ct'Ti/^^, rr/ud^tez/tyar^l:::::^*

i:^^^ yti/c/ C%c^y a^^<:l^ ^J^e^n/^.

J'uHishrji by JI. /X^fvm^rnir ,/u/ir- j.jd'ffi.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 189

tions of the tenderest parent. A capon once
accustomed to this service will not give it over,
but when one brood is grown up^ he may have
another just hatched put under him, which he
will treat with the same tenderness as he did
the former.

The cock, from his salaciousness, is allow*ed
to be a short-lived animal, but how long they
live, if left to themselves, is not yet well ascer-
tained. As they are kept only for profit, and in
a few years become unfit for generation, there
a^e few that, from mere motives of curiosity,
will make the tedious experiment of maintain-
ing a proper number till they die. Aldrovan^
dus hints their life to be about ten years,
but the probability is in favour of its be-*
ing much longer. They arc subject to some
disorders, and as for poisons, besides nux
vomica, which is fatal to most animals except
man, they are injured, as Linnaeus asserts, by
elderberries, of which they are not a little
fond*.

There are various accounts of the origin of
the barbarous custom that has so long ob-

* Hens can live any where with the protcclion of man, and
hence they are diCused over the whole habitable world : they are
reared in Iceland, where they lay eggs the same as elsewhere, and
hot countries are full of them.

tained.

190 NATURAL HISTORY

tained, of throwing at these creatures on a
Shrove-Tuesday ; but that of one Cranenstein^
an old German author, by no means seems
an improbable one ; he says, when the Danes
were masters of England, and lorded it over
the natives of the island, the inhabitants of a
certain great city, grown weary of their slaver^-,
had formed a secret conspiracy to murder their
masters in one bloody night, and twelve men
had undertaken to enter the town-house by
stratagem, and seizing the arms, to surprize
the guard which kept it ; at which time their
fellows, upon a signal given, were to come out
of their houses and murder all opposers 3 but
while they were putting it in execution, the
unusual crowing and fluttering of the cocks,
about the place they attempted to enter at, dis-
covered their design ; upon w^hich the Danes
became so enraged that they doubled their
cruelty, and used them with more severity than
ever ; but being scon after freed from the
Danish yoke, to revenge themselves on the
cocks for the misfortunes they involved them
in, they instituted this custom of knocking
them on the head on Shrove-Tuesday, the day
on which it happened. This sport, though at
first only practised in one citv, in process of
time became a national divcrtisemcnt, and has

continued

OF JBIIIDS, FISH, &C. 191

•continued ever since the Danes first lost this
island.

This race of animals is divided into a great
number of varieties* ; they are common in most
countries, and yet very few are perfectly alike ;
those of ever)'' different climate having their
peculiarities, besides the variations which take
place among them in each. In Europe there
may be said to be three distinct species, though
doubtless of the same stock ; for what is com-
monly known as the farm-yard, or dunghill,
is widely different in size, colour, and man-
ners, from the game-cock, and both are no less
distant from the bantam. The latter species,
beincr more uniform in its colours and charac-
teristics, may deserve description. In general
the bantam is little more than half the size
of the game-cock, whom he somewhat re-
lembles in colour and spirit, for he will attack
cats, dogs, or any other animal, totally Indif-
ferent as to their size ; he has a reddish bill,
red eyes, and a curious rose comb on the top
of his head; his ears are covered with a tuft
of white feathers ; his neck and back are
cloathed with long streaming feathers, inter-
mixed with orange, black, and yellow ; his

• Buffbn reckons ninetean diflerent species of cocks.

breast

192 NATURAL HISTORY

breast and lower part of the belly black ; hfe
has long stift' feathers growing from the thighs,
which reach considerably below the knees ; the
legs are feathered as low as the toes ; his tail is
made up of stiff black feathers, with two largt
ones in the form of a sickle hanging over the
rest. This breed was at first found domesti-
cated at Bantam in India, whence they received
their name, and were transported into Europe.
The hens of this species differ from the cocks,
principally by varying in their colours, but which
at all times are more brown and yellow, and
less black, than his ; they have also but a very
small red comb on the tops of their heads J
their legs, like those of the cock, are feathered
down to the toes, and which is one of the
chief marks by which the true breed is dis-
tinguished.

The Hamburgh cock is a large stately fowl,
appears very bold, and loses none of the ad-
vantages in his march that Nature has given
him ; his bill is thick at the base, but ends
in a sharp point ; the eyes are of a very
beautiful yellow, encircled round with dark-
coloured feathers, under which there is a tuft
of black ones, which covers the ears ; it has
a sort of rose comb, which does not reach

above

OF BIRDS, FISH, SiC. ] 93

above half way on the head, the hinder part
being covered with dark-coloured feathers In-
clining to a black; the throat and gills are
much the same, with long hackle-feaV.ers of
an orange and red mixture, black at the extre-
mities, waving down the neck, and over some
I>art of the back; the breast and belly arc of a
dark colour, spotted with round black spots ;
the thighs, and lower part of the bellv, are of
a shining velvet black, from which some have
given him the name of veha breeches.

The hindermost part of his neck, and the
top of his back, are of a darkish red ; the sides

of the wings more pale : the tail is made up of

long feathers, of black, red, and orange colour,

which, in the sun, yield a very beautiful lustre.

The legs and feet are lead-coloured, only the

bottom part of them is yellow.

This is a peculiar breed, which is brought

over from Hamburgh, and is much esteemed

by the curious.

The wonderful Indian cock is a ven^ beauti-
ful feathered fowl; the plumage of liis whole
body is said to consist of the following five
colours, viz. black, white, green, red, and blue;
the back part of the head Is adorned with a son
of a fleshy substance, of a pyramidal %ure,
which appears of a blood-red colour to the\ve,

VOL I. C C 1

^ ^ and

][)4, NATURAL HISTOItY

and looks scaly ; the bill is thick and strong,
the breast mottled very beautifully with red and
green, the wings not very long. The tail is
made up of twelve large flaming feathers, a little
resembling a peacock's ; the comb upon the
head is double, with a single wattle hanging
under the lower mandible an inch and a half
long ; it is said to be a wild fowl, but easily
tamed ; the beak and legs are yellow.

The Indian cock, described by Sir Hans
Sloane, has a large prominent bill, the end of
the upper mandible of which is black, the rest
yellow, as is the circle in the eyes; the head is
adorned with a curious tuft of shining black
feathers. The neck-feathers are of a very beau-
tiful shining green colour, the body-feathers are
black and green, mixed, and the thighs are blue.

The Muscovian black game-hen is a large
bird, weighing nine or ten pounds, has a yellow
bill, of near an inch and a half in length, if
measured from the andes of the mouth to the
tip of it, with a sharp tongue, that lies in the
cavity of the palate, and which is exactly formed
to contain it. The eyes are of a fine hazel
colour, above which there appears a sort of
scarlet- coloured, naked skin, situated in the
place of its eye-brows.

They are generally of a yellowish brown, in

some

OP jRiRDs, riSH, &c. igj

some parts inclining to a white^ with larc^e
white spots on the scapular parts of the wings,
and are marked^ more or less, with black feathers
on many parts of the body, with whitish-coloured
tips ; but the colour of them is said to change
pretty much as they advance in years, or as they
inhabit different climates : the legs are large and
strong, and feathered down almost as low as the
toes.

They are found frequently upon the Alps,
in Germany, and in the mountainous parts of
Muscovy, &c.

THE TURKEY*.

OF the Mehagris, or Turkey, there is but
one known species : it is a large but unweildy
bird ; the anterior part of the head is strano-clv
covered and ornamented with a pendulous, soft,
fleshy substance, as are also the sides of the
head and throat : the eyes are small but brioht

• As this bird has only been known since the discovery of
America, it has no name in Gresk or Latin. The Spaniards
tailed it Pavon de las Indias, that is, the Peacoci of the IFest-
InJies; and this name v/as not unappropriate at that period, for
he spreads his tail like a peacock ; and besides, there was no pea-
cock in America.

C c 2 and

196 NATURAL HISTORY

and piercing ; the bill convex, shorty and
strong ; there is a long tuft of coarse black hairs
on the breast ; the wings moderately long, but
not at all formed for supporting so large a bulk
in long flights ; the legs of moderate length and
very robust.

The plumage is dark, glossed with variable
copper and green ; the coverts of the wings and
the quill-feathers barred with black and white.
The tail consists of two orders ; the upper or
shorter very elegant ; the ground colour a bright
bay, the middle feathers marked with numerous
bars of shining black and green. The longer or
lower order is of a rusty white colour, mottled
with black, and crossed with numerous narrow-
waved lines of the same colour, and near the
end with a broad band.

Turkies, we are confidently assured by Mr.
Pennant, are natives only of America, or the
New World, and were of course imknown to
the ancients. And in mentioning those parts
of the world where turkies are unknown in a
state of nature, Europe has no share in the
question, it feeing generally agreed that they are
exotic in regard to that continent.

Neither are they found in any part of Asia
!Minor, or Asiatic Turkey, notwithstanding
t))at ignorance of their true origin caused them

to

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 1^7

jto be named from that empire. In Syria they
are only met with in their domesticated state ;
in Armenia and India they are little known,
and they have been introduced into China from
other countries. The hot climate of Africa
barely suffers these birds to exist in that vast
continent, except under the care of mankind,
JTew are found in Guinea, but in the hands of
the Europeans ; for from the great heats the
negroes decline breeding them. Nor are they
to be met with either in Nubia or Eg}'pt*.

As there is sufficient cause to believe that the
turkey cannot be a native of the Old World,
some proof will be necessary of its being only
a native of the New, and of the period in which
it made its appearance in Europe.

In ]625 Ovuedo drew up the summary of
his '^ Histoi-v of the Indies,' ' for the use of
his master, Charles V, and therein gives the
first precise description of these birds. This
learned man had visited the West-Indies and
islands in person, and paid particular regard to
their natural history. It appears that in his days
the turkey was an inhabitant as well of the

* Gemelli Carcri afErms that they are not only unknown in
the Philippines, but that those vrhich the SpaniarJs brought
there from Nevr Spain did not prosper,

greater

198 NATURAL HISTORY

greater islands as of the main land : he speaks
of them as peacocks, for being a bird new to
him he adopts that name from their similitude ;
^^ but,*' says he, ^^ the neck is bare of feathers,
though covered with a skin, which they change,
after their phantasie, into divers colours ; they
have a horn, as it were, upon their fronts, and
hairs on their breasts.'* Under the name of
peacock he also describes the Curassao birds,
the male of which is black, the female ferru-

gmous.

Francisco Fernandez, who was sent to South
America by Philip II, to whom he was phy-
isician, some time between the years 1555 and
3598, obser\'^ed them in Mexico, and gives
them the title of Gallus Indicus, and iiuUm
Pavo, The Indians, as well as the Spaniards,
domesticated these useful birds. He speaks of
the size by comparison, saying that the wild
were twice the magnitude of the tame, and
that they were shot with arrows or guns.

In North America they were observed by
the very first discoverers. When Rene de Lau-
donnicre, under the patronage of Admiral
Coligni, attempted to form a settlement near
the place where Charlestown now stands, he
pact with them on his first landing in 15(i4.

From

OP BIRDS, FISH, &C. 199

From his time the witnesses of their being na-
tives of the Continent are innumerable. Thev
have been seen in flocks of hundreds in all
parts, from Louisiana even to Canada ; but
at this time they are extremely rare in a wild
state, except in the more distant parts, where
they are still found in abundance.

It was most likely from Mexico, or the pro-
vince of Yucatan, now reckoned part of that
kingdom^ and where Dam pier saw them fre-
quently as well wild as tame, that they were
first introduced into Europe ; for it is certain
that they had been imported into England so
early as the year 1524, the 15th of Henry VIII.

We probably received them from Spain,
with which country we had great intercourse
till about that time. They were bred most suc-
cessfully in England from that period ; insomuch
that they grew common in every farm-yard,
and became even a dish in our rural feasts by
the year 1 685 ; as we may certainly depend on
the word of Tusser, in his account of the
*^ Christmas husbandlie fare,*' —

*' Beefe, mutton, and porke, shred pies of the best,

*' Pig', veale, goofe, and capon, and /wr^rV vell-drest ;

*' Cheefe, apples, and nuts, jollie carols to hearc,

*' As then in the countrie is counted good cheare."

It

200 NATURAL HI STORY

It was notj however, until a later peHodj
that they were farniliarizcd in France ; for we
are told, that the first which were eaten there
appeared at the nuptial feast of Charles IX, in
1570.

Wild turkies preserve A sanleness of colour;:
h\it the tame, as is usual with domestic animals^
vary. The black approaches nearest to the
original stock. A very beautiful kind was in-
troduced into this country some years ago from
Holland, of a snowy whiteness, finely contrast-
ing with its red head, and had probably been
bred from an accidental white pair*.

The manners of these birds are as singular ss
their figure; their attitudes in the season of
courtship are very striking ; the males fling
their heads and necks backward, bristle up
their feathers, drop their wings to the ground^
strut and pace most ridiculously, \^heel round
the females with their wings rustling along
the earth, at the same time emitting a strange

* There are white turkies, others variegated with black and
white, others white and of a reddish brown, and others of a uni-
form gray, which are the most rare of all ; but the greater part
have the plumage approaching to black, with a little white at
the cstrcraitj of the feathers.

sound

OF BlRDSj FlSU, &C. 201

sound throuah their nostrils, not unlike the
g r tt u r of a great spinning wheel. If in-
terrupted, they fly into a great rage, change
their notes into a loud guttural gobble, and
then return to dalliance. The tones of the
females are plaintive and melancholy*.

They are polygamous, one cock serving many
hens, which lay in spring, and produce a great
many eggs, to the number of eighteen or
twenty, and persist in laying for a great while,
but retire to some obscure place to sit ; the
cock, through rage at the loss of his mate, be-
ing very apt to break the eggs. The females
are of a mild, gentle disposition, very affec-
tionate to their young, and make great moan
when they lose them. They sit on their eggs
with such perseverance, that if they be not
taken away when addle, the hens will almost
perish with hunger before they will quit the
nest ; and w-hen the brood is produced, they
give many instances of that maternal anxiety,
observable in the feathered race*

* They have different tones aud different inflexions of
the voice according to the passions which they v»ant to
express : their walk is .slow and their flight heavy ; they
eat, drink, swallow little stones, and digest them nearly
fche same as the cock does.

vgL. T. D d When

'i'0^2 NATURAL HISTOllY

When the hen turkey appears at the head of
her young, she is sometimes heard to send forth
a ver\'- mournful cry, the cause and intention of
which are unknown ; but the brood immedi-
ately squat under bushes, or whatever presents
itself for their purpose, and entirely disappear ;
or if they have not a sufficient covering, they
stretch themselves on the ground, and lie as if
they were dead, in which state they continue
perhaps a quarter of an hour or longer. In the
mean time the mother directs her view upwards
with fear and confusion, and repeats the cry
that laid her young prostrate. Those who ob-
serve the disorder of the bird, and her anxious
attention, endeavour to trace the cause ; which
is always a bird of prey, floating in the clouds,
and whose distance withdraws him from our
view, but who cannot escape the vigilance or
penetration of the active mother : this occasions
her fears^ and alarms the v.'hole tribe. ^' I have
seen (says the Abbe de la Pluche) one of these
creatures continue in this agitation, and her
young in a manner ri vetted to the ground for
an hour successively, while the bird whirled
about, ascended, or darted down over their
lieads. But if he at length disappear, the mo-
ther changes her note, and utters another cry

that

OF BIRDS, FIbH, &C. 20^

that revives all her brood; they run to her,
flutter their wings, tender her their caresses,
and undoubtedly relate all the danglers to w'^hicli
they have been exposed."

In the poultry^yard, these birds require much
attention and particular food 3 but as they grow
up, they become more hardy, and follow the
mother to considerable distances, in pursuit of
insect food, particularly ants, which they prefer
to any other. When grown up, turkies are
very hardy birds, and feed themselves with very
little expense to the farmer. Young ones are
with us accounted a dainty, but the flesh of
the wild turkey is said to be superior in good-
ness to the tame, although redder. The size of
turkies, especially of the wild ones, has been
variously represented, some writers stating the
latter to weigh sixty pounds ; though speaking
from their own knowledge, they never can prove
their weight to be above forty : and those
gentlemen cannot be nice in their assertions,
who make the Norfolk turkies to weigh thirty
pounds.

Effffs of the wild sort have been taken from

CO

the nest, and hatched under tame ones ; the
young ones nevertheless prove wild, perch sepa-
rately, vet mix and breed together in the sea-

D d 12 son;

204 NATURAL HISTORY

Fon ; and the Indians frequently use the breed
thus produced as a sort of decoy bird.

Turkies are verv swift runners in the tame
as well as in the wild state, though they are but
indifferent flyers. They love to perch on trees,
and gain the heights they wish by rising from
bough to bough. In a wild state, they get to
the very summit of the loftiest trees, even so
high as to be beyond the reach of the musquet.

In a state of nature they go in flocks even of
five hundred j they feed in general near fields of
nettles, in the seeds of which they greatly de-
light, or where there is plenty of any kind of
grain ; they also feed much on the small red
acorn, and grow so fat in March, that they
cannot fly more than three or four hundred
yards, and are soon run down by horsemen.
In the unfrequented parts bordering on the
Mississippi, they are so tame as to be shot with
a pistol. They frequent the great swamps of
their native country, and leave them at sun-
rising to repair to the dry woods in search of
acorns and berries \ but before sun-set, they
return to the swamps to roost. When disturbed
they do not take flight, but run out of sight.
Itjs usual to chace them with dogs_, when they
will fly and perch on the next tree^ where, it is

said^

OF lilRDS, FISH, &C. 203

laid, they sit quite spent and fatigued, till their
pursuers come and knock them down with a
long pole one after another. They are so stupid,
or so insensible of danger, as not to fly on be-
ing shot at ; and even the survivors remain un-
moved at the death of their companions.

Wild turkics are now become ver)' rare in
the inhabited and cultivated parts of America,
and are only found in numbers in the distant
and most unfrequented spots ; for the Indians
never think of domesticating animals that the
woods furnish them with in abundance : yet
they make elegant cloathing of their feathers,
which are more beautiful than those of our do-
mestic ones, being of a vivid grey, bordered at
the edges with a bright gold colour ; they twist
the inner webs into a strong double thread of
hemp, on the inner bark of the mulberry-tree,
and work it like matting; it appears very rich
and glossy, and as fine as silk shag, and they
frequently weave it into cloaks. Of the tails
they make fans ; and the French of Louisiana
used to make umbrellas, by joining together
three or four tails.

Turkies are certainly very stupid birds, and
they are not less quarrelsome than cov/ardly.
Without any weapon of defence, they often

attack

*ji06 NATURAL HISTORY

attack each other, and in flocks they will even
attack the common cock, who will for a long
time keep a number of them at bay, and rather
suffers by the superiority of their weight and
bulk, than from the annoyance of their arms.
Singly, they will fly from the most contemptible
animal that dares to face them.

The passions of the male are very strongly
expressed by the change of colours in the fleshy
substance of the head and neck, which alters
to red, white, blue, and yellowish, as they hap-
pen to be affected. Their antipathy to red is
well known, and they seem to have a peculiar
aversion towards children. There is another
way, says Goldsmith, of increasing the ani-
mosity of these birds against each other, which
is often practised by boys when they have a
mind for a battle : this is no more than to
smear over the head of one of the turkies with
dirt, and the rest run to attack it with all the
speed of impotent animosity ; nay, two of them
thus disguised, will fight each other till they
are almost suffocated w-ith fatigue and anger.

OF BIRDS. FISH, SCC. 20?

THE PEACOCK.

IT is pretty generally admitted that the Pea-
cock was originally a native of the East Indies,
and that at this time they are found in a wild
state in the islands of Java and Ceylon. It has
long however been domesticated, for we find,
so early as the days of Solomon, among the arti-
cles imported from the East, were apes and pea-
cocks. iElian relates, that they were brought
into Greece from some barbarous country, and
were held in such high esteem among them,
that a male and female were valued at above
thirty pounds of our money. We are told also
that when Alexander was in India, he found
them flying wild, in vast numbers, on the banks
of the river Hyarotis, and was so struck with
their beauty, that he laid a severe fine and pu-
nishment on all who should kill or disturb them.
The Greeks were so much struck with its

bcautv.

208 NATURAL HISTORY

beauty^ when first brought among them, that
it was shewn as a great curiosity, and a large
price was paid for seeing it ; nay, it is posi-
tively asserted, that it excited so much curio-
sity, that manv people came from Macedon to
Athens, to behold what was then considered as
the most beautiful phenomenon in the feathered
race.

There is every reason to suppose that the
beauty of this bird first tempted man to tran-
sport him from his native climes into the
Western pai*t of the world, and it is also pro-
bable that this same beauty, too^ether with his
scarcity, tempted the extravagant and volup-
tuous to have him served up at their feasts*
Aufidius Hurco stands charged by Pliny with
being the first who fattened the peacock for
the tables of the luxurious. Hortensius the
orator was the first who served them up at an
entertainment at Rome : from that time they
were considered as one of the greatest orna-
ments of every feast, and have been mentioned
by several authorities as the greatest dainty the
epicure could be supplied with. In later times,
however, the flesh of the peacock has lost its
reputation : whether this arise from a different
mode of feeding or dressing them, or is merely

another

OF BIRDS_, FISH, tcC 209

anotlier proof of the difference of taste between
the ancient and moderns, we shall not presume
to determine, but certain it is, that in this
country the flesh of the peacock is both coarSiC
and insipid. Indeed it is not in England alone
that it has been so considered, for we are in-
formed, that, even in the times of Francis the
First^ it was a custom to serve up peacocks to
the tables of the great, not to be eaten^ but only
to be seen. For this purpose it was the practice
carefully to strip off the skin, and then preparing
the body with the warmest' spices, cover it up
again with all its plumage in full display, taking
care that it was no way injured by the prepara-
tion. The bird thus prepared, was often pre-
served for many years, without corrupting ; and
it is asserted of the peacock's flesh, that it keeps
longer unputrified than that of ^ny other animal.
To give a higher zest to these entertainments, on
v/eddings particularly, they tilled the bird's beak
and throat with cotton ^nd camphor, which they
>et on. fire to amuse and delight the company.
;From the splendor of its plumage*, it has

* If empire belonged to beauty, and not to strength, says
Buffon,thc peacock wouki inevitably be the king of birds:
there are none upon which Nature has lavished iicr trea-
..iiires with greater profusion.

TOL. I. E e been

210 NATURAL HISTORY

been denominated, by the poets of antiquity,
the bird of Juno ; and as far as brilliancy of ap-
pearance would go, it certainly has claim to
so distinguishing an epithet. In general, the
head, neck, and breast of the peacock {fig. 1.3)
arc of a beautiful sapphire colour; on the top
of his head is a plume of greenish feathers,
somewhat resembling lily flowers ; above and
below his eyes are white oblong spots ; his
beak inclines to blue; his back and upper
part of his wings are of a light ash, inter-
spersed with transverse black spots ; liis tail is
very long, the feathers of which frequently
measure four feet, which he can at pleasure
spread over his back, and being composed of
a mixture of green, blue, and gold colour, or-
namented with regular spots, or eyes, it has
in those cases a most splendid effect, especi-
ally when displayed against the rays of the
sun. The female is much smaller than the
male, and has neither the tail, nor variety
of colours, to boast of ; her head, wings, back,
belly, hips, and thighs, being of a dark ash-
colour.

These birds chiefly feed on corn, particularly
barley, of which they are most fond; they
will, however, seek after insects with great

eaa;erne3s,

OF BIRDS, FISH, &;C. 211

eagerness, and if they can get into a garden, do
considerable damage, by destroying the most
tender plants, and nipping the buds of the
choicest flowers. They begin to breed about
February, and continue to do so till the latter
end of April. The peacock, at those seasons,
possesses immoderate desires, and one is quite
sufficient to accompany five females*, and
if there be not a sufficient number he will even
pursue the sitting hen ; for which reason the
peahen endeavours, as much as possible, to con-
ceal her nest from him, because he would not
only disturb her sitting, but break her eggs:
she seldom lays above five or six eggs in this
climate before she sits. Aristotle describes the
peahen as laying twelve ; • and probably in her
native climate she may be thus prolific ; for
it is certain, that in the forests, where they live
in freedom, they are astonishingly numerous .
The peacock lives about twenty years, but it
is not till his third year that his tail is adorned
with the beautiful variegated plumage.

^^ In the kingdom of Cambaya,'* says Ta-

• Buffon says, that, having consulted some very intel-
ligent persons who reared this hird,thcy assured him, from
their own experience, that the peacock does not require at
most more than two females : perhaps this may be occ?i-
»ioned by the smaller heat of climate.

E e 2 vernier.

212 NATURAL HISTORY

vernier^ '^ near the city of Baroch, whole flocks
of them are seen in the fields. They are very
ihy, however, and it is impossible to come near
them. They run off swifter than the partridge,
and hide themselves in thickets, where it is im-
possible to find them. They perch by night
upon trees ; and the fowler often approaches
them at that season with a kind of banner, on
which a peacock is painted to the life, on either
side. A lighted torch is fixed on the top of his
decoy ; and the peacock, when disturbed, flies
to what it takes for another, and is thus caught
in a noose prepared for that purpose.^'

There are varieties of this bird, some of
which, in the eastern parts of Africa, are per-
fectly white ; but those will not live in the
temperate climates of Europe.

The peacock of Thibet is the most beautiful
of the feathered creation, containing, in its
plumage, all the most vivid colours, red, blue^
yellow, and green, disposed in an almost artifi-
cial order, as if arranged wholly to please the
eye of the beholder.

The Japan peacock is a curious East-Indian
bird, and so much valued by the Indians in
some parts, that it is reckoned a crime worthy
of death to kill one of them : the beak is lone:

anei

OF BIRDS, FISH, ^C, 1215

and thiny the top of the head flat aiid green,
the upper part of the neck is hkewise green,
intermixed with little blue spots, which ar6
also diversified by very small white lines, de-
scending from the middle of them. It has a
curious tuft on the top of the head, almost four
fingers long, partly green, partly blue, and not
unlike a ear of wheat, or rather rye. The
pupil of the eye black, the circle between the
white and the pupil yellowish ; the whole en-,
compassed with a red circle ; the back and
breast are covered with curious party-coloured
feathers, resembling scales of fish, of sky-blue
and green, and green and gold colour, sur-
prisingly intermixed; the wings are pretty near
the colour of the back ; the ends of the feathers
quite black. The colours appear in ranges on
the wings cross-ways, first green, then blue,
then black, &c. The belly, hips, and feet, arc
of a russet colour, marked with black spots.
On the belly likewise are a few white streaks,
or cross lines ; the tail-feathers (as in our's) are
veiy curious; the ground colour of them is
chesnut; the figures upon them resemble our's,
with this difference only, that they are somewhat
longer ; the first colour in the figures is gold,
the next sky-blue, the last green, as in our's.

The

214 NATURAL HISTORY

The hen is pretty nearly hke the cock^ but less^
and wants the curious colours with which he
is adorned in her tail. Her head, neck, breast,
back, and wings, are Hke his. But what is
remarkable, the hen has upon her rump the
same figures that so agreeably beautify the
cock's tail : her tail is green, with some little
mixture of blue : the hen likewise differs from
the cock in her belly, which is quite black.

THE GROUS AND ITS AFFINITIES.

BESIDES the Cock of the Wood, the
Black Cock, the Grous, and the Ptarmigan,
there are at least fifteen species which belong
to this genus, and the whole of them are dis-
tinguishable from every other of the poultry
kind, by having a naked skin of a scarlet colour
above each eye. It appears from tradition, that
formerly they were very common in England,
and which, in reality, might have been the
case, when a great part of the country was
covered with heath, which is their natural re-
treat ; but since cultivation has so much in-
creased, they are scarcely to be found in any

other

mackCccA

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 215

other places^ but the extensive wastes and moors
of Westmoreland, and the north of Great Bri-
tain ; indeed the two first are unknown in the
south, having taken refuge in the northern
parts of Scotland, where they find shelter and
security in the extensive heaths and forests.

The cock of the wood is almost the size of
a turkey, and often weighs nearly fourteen
pounds ; but the female is much smaller. The
head and neck are ash-colour, crossed with
black lines ; the body and wings chesnut
brown, and the breast of a very glossy black-
ish green. The legs are strong, and covered
with brown feathers. The plumage of the fe-
male differs, being red about the throat, and
having the head, neck, and back crossed with
red and black bars ; the belly barred with
orange and black, with the tips of the feathers
white, as are also the tips of the shoulders ; in-
deed, she is altogether so very different, that
she might be supposed to belong to another
species.

The cock of the wood, as we have already
observed, is chiefly fond of a mountainous or
woody situation. In winter he resides in the
deepest recesses of the woods, and in summer
he ventures down from his seclusion, to make

short

21(5 JNATURi^L HISTORY

short <lcpredations on the farmer's corn ; but in
these excursions he seems to be perfectly aware
of his danger^ and is constantly upon his guard ;
so much so^ indeed_, that it is then very difficult
to come near him by surprise^ and very few
are taken but by those who in autumn pursue
him into his natural retreats, and this is often
done, because his flesh is considered as very de-
licate food.

When in the forest, he attaches himself
principally to the oak and the pine-tree 3 the
cones of the latter serving for his food, and
the thick boughs for a habitation : and he
sometimes will strip one tree bare before he at-
tempts the cones of another. He feeds also
upon ants' eggs, which seem a high delicacy
to all birds of the poultry kind ; cranberries are
likewise often found in his crop ; and his giz-
•zard, like that of domestic fowls, contains a
-quantity of grave), for the purpose of assisting
his powers of digestion.

This bird begins to feel the genial influence
of the spring at its first approach, and his sea-
son of love may be said to continue from that
time until the trees have .all their leaves, an/1
the forest is in full bloom. During this whole
season the cock of , the w^qod may be seen

at

OF BIRDS, FISH, 6CC. ^17

it sun-rise and setting, extremely active upon
bne of the largest branches of the pine-tree.
With his tail raised and expanded like a fan,
and his wings drooping, he walks backwards
and forwards, his neck stretched out, his head
swoln and red, and making a thousand ridi-
culous postures : his cry upon that occasion
is a kind of loud explosion^ which is instantly
followed by a noise like the whetting of a
Scythe, which ceases and commences alternately
for about an hour, and is then terminated bv
the same explosion. During the time he con-
tinues this sing\ilar cry he seems entirely deaf^
and insensible of every danger : whatever noise
may be made near him, or even though fired
at, he still unconcernedly continues his call.
Upon all other occasions he is the most timor-
ous and watchful bird in nature ; but then he
seems entirely absorbed by his instincts, and
seldom leaves the place where he first begins
to express the excesses of desire. This ex-
traordinary cry, which he accompanies by a
clapping of the wings, is no sooner finished
than the female, who hears it, replies, ap-
proaches, and places herself under the tree,
whence \ the cock descends to her. The
number ^'that, on this occasion, resort to his
VOL. K F f call.

218 KATUIIAL HlSTOItY

call, is uncertain ; but one male generally
suffices for all the females in one part of the
forest. The female seldom lays more than six
or seven eggs, which are white, and marked
with yellow, of the size of a common hen's
egg : she generally lays them in a dry place,
and a mossy ground, and hatches them without
the company of the cock. When she is obliged,
during the time of incubation, to leave her eggs
in quest of food, she covers them up so artfully
with moss, or dry leaves, that it is extremely
difficult to discover them ; and when sitting,
though wild and timorous at other times, she
will suffer the sportsmen to approach and drag
her off her nest. She often keeps to her nest,
though strangers attempt to drag her away.

As soon as the young ones are hatched, they
run" with extreme agility after the mother,
sometimes even before they are entirely dis-
engaged from the shell. The hen leads them
forward to procure ants' eggs, and the wild
mountain-berries, which, while young, are their
only food. As they grow older, they feed upon
the tops of heath and the cones of the pine-
irce. In this manner they soon come to per-
fection : they are a hardy bird, their food lies
every where before them, and it would seem

that

OF BIRDS, FISH, cCC. ^IQ

that they should increase in great abundance :
but this is not the case ; their numbers are
thinned by rapacious birds and beasts of every
kind, and still more by their own salacious
contests.

The whole brood follow the mother for
about two montlis, at the end of which the
young males entirely forsake her, and keep in
great harmony together till the beginning of
spring, when they bid adieu to all their former
friendships. They begin to consider each other
as rivals ; and the rage of concupiscence quite
extinguishes the spirit of society. They fight
each other like game-cocks, and are so iiiat-
tentive to their own safety, that it often hap-
pens two or three of them are killed at a shot.
It is probable that in these contests the bird
which comes off victorious takes possession of
the female seraglio, as it is certain they have no
faithful attachments.

The black grous is a much more common
species than the former : it is found in many
parts of Europe, and in most of the moors in
the North of England. Its name almost fur-
nishes its description, since the whole body is
black ; but it has another remarkable charac-
teristic, which is, that its tail is forked. It

220 NATURAL HISTORY

is radier larger than a common fowl.' The
cocks are so violent against each other, and
their contests so furious, that in Courland,
Livonia, &uc. it is a common method of taking
them, to assemble them together, by imitating
the crowing of a black cock, and having a
figure prepared to imitate that animal in all its
motions. The grous being collected in vast
numbers from all parts, enter at first into a
kind of sportive combat, which presently tci'-
minates in a real and bloody contest, when the
combatants are so intent upon each other's
destruction that they fall an easy prey to their
pursuers, and may even be knocked down with
a stick. Of this species there are several va-
rieties.

The red grous, or moor-cock, is also tolerably
plentiful in those parts where the black groiis
is to be found, and is rather smaller than the
preceding species. The throat and back are
reddish, with a black spot in each feather. The
breast and belly are purplish brown, and the
legs are covered with soft whitish feathers ;
they are extremely slow in taking wing, and in
general run along the ground till they come to
a small hillock before they attempt it.

The

OF BIRDS, FISH> &C. 2^1'

The hazel grous is a smaller bird, and ap-
pears of the same species with the red grous.
It is a native of Germany.

The pi u-tmi€d grous, so calkd from its nar*-
row-forked tail, is also of the same species with
our red grous. It is the size of a partridge, and
is found in France, Spain, Barbary, &:c.

The ptarmigan grous is in length about
fifteen inches. The bill is black, and the
plumage is a pale ash colour, elegantly mottled
with dusky spots. It is found in all the north-
em parts of Europe, and in the Highlands of
Scotland, Orkneys, &c.

The other birds of this genus have ail the
same manners as the preceding, and have only
some slight differences in the plumage. There
is a species in North America which is called
the ruffed grous, and which is distinguished by
a large ruff on the hind part of the neck, that is
raised or depressed at pleasure ; it also has th«
fecad adorned with a crest.

222 NATUnAL HISTORY

THE PINTADA, OR GUINEA-HEN.

THE Pintada has been considered by some
authors as the species which unites the charac-
teristics of the pheasant and the turkey. It
is about the size of a common hen, but from
having long;er legs it has the appearance of be-
ing much larger. It has a round back, with a
tail turned downwards, like a partridge. The
head is covered with a kind of casque ; and the
whole plumage is black or dark grey, speckled
with regular and uniform white spots. It has
wattles under the bill, which do not proceed
from the lower chap, as in cocks, but from the
upper, which gives it a very peculiar air, while
its restless gait and odd chuckling sound dis-
tinguish it sufficiently from all other birds what-
ever. These Pintadas are said to perch upon
trees in Guinea, and to spend more of their
time on them than on the ground 5 and in the
History of the Buccaniers of America there is

OF JBIRDS, I'lSH, &C. <12S

an account of a bird which the natives call the
wood-pullet, but the Spaniards the pintada^
which builds in the holes of the palm-tree.

This race is undoubtedly natives of Africa^
but they have been jrencrally diffused over both
the old and new continent, and almost every
kingdom has given them a different appellation,
commonly, however, adding that of Guinea
fowl. It is by no means uncommon to see
large flocks of them together, in their native
country, roaming about with their young in
search of food. Their habits are perfectly simi-
lar with common fowls, and they seem to have
no other difference except that the males and
females are so nearly alike that it is difficult
to distinguish one from the other.

Of this species there are many varieties, but
the most remarkable is that described by Barbotj
which he says he saw in vast numbers in South
Guinea : these, according to that author, have
long slender necks ; their bills are brown at the
points, and the upper parts red ; their heads are
a deep brown, with a horny substance at the
top ; on each side is a fleshy prominence of a
pale blue, and the back part is of a reddish
brown ; their bodies are of a dark ash colour,
pretty much chequered with while spots ; their

breasts

224 NATURAL HISTOKY

breasts of a pale ash, and their legs of a diTsi:y
flesh colour. He relates a remarkable instance
of the superstition of the natives of that country
with respect to this fowl. He says it is the
custom there, when any of the princes, especi-
ally in Folgia, have concluded an alliance with
any neighbouring potentate, as well as among
private persons, to cause some pullets of this
kind to be dressed, and eat them together,
after each treating party has been marked with
some drops of the blood of the animals (which
by them is considered as sacred) ; they also care-
fully preserve the bones of them, because if one
of the parties shew an inclination to break the
treaty, those bones are produced for him to
shew cause far the breach thereof*.

* This is an active, restless, and turbu'ent bird, vrhich doei
not like to remain long' in a place ; he is fierce, and renders him-
self formidable even to turkeys, though he is much less than
they. He will five them, says Margat, twenty blows with hit
b«ak ere those great birds are rea.ly to gef«nd themsclvei.

Cclii I'liea,riUU

SihtrDC

^r mimn, ^Ufi, &c« ^1S

THE PHEASANT.

THE Pkeasant is iinlversally admitted to he «
Tiative of tUe (Md Continent, and ancient
aiithors have supposed it to Jiav=e been ori^nally
found on the banks of the Phasis, a, river of
Colcliis-, m Asia Minor*, from which its name
also appears to be -deriv^ed. However that be,
the species has long been spead over the greatest
|>art of the known woiid, and for many >ages has
beaa hdd in high estimation, bo^th on accatmt
t)f l3ie savouriness of its flesh, :and the brjliiancy
of its plumage. In the latter respect it is among
those birds that leave the efforts of the iwtist :at
a distance; he inay indeed delineate a perfect
Tescmblancc t)f its form, and give an idea of its
colours, but the vivid :^ades of its natural
brilliancy far outvie the powers of art* It is re-
corded tlaat when Croesus, king of Lydia, wa«
seated on his throne, adorned with royal mag-
nificence, and all the blazing pomp of Eastern

* The Atg^onauts wlio •went to CoTcTiis IwougM iTiesc tird«
iack witK tTicm ; ** apre^nt," says Bufibn, ** more rich tJiiR
lie ^Idcn fieece,'*

Argiva primum sum transportata carina

Ante mihi notum nil, nisi Pkasis, er*t«

Martial.

▼OL, Is G g splendorj

ttQ NATURAL HISTORY

splendor, he a{ked Solon if he had ever beheld any
thing so fine. The Greek philosopher, no way
moved by the objects before him, or taking a
pride in his native simplicity, replied, he had
seen the beautiful plumage of the pheasant, and
therefore could be astonished at no other finery;
and we perfectly agree with that great philosopher,
that nothing can exceed the variety and richness
of colours of this beautiful creature. The iris
of the eyes is yellow, and the eyes themselves
are surrounded with a scarlet colour, sprinkled
with small specks of black. On the fore-part
of the head there are blackish feathers mixed
with a shining chesnut. The top of the head,
and the upper part of the neck, are like silk,
and are shaded with blue, green, and gold,
so curiously intermixed as sometimes to appear
blue and sometimes green, according as they
happen to be differently presented to the eye of
the spectator. The feathers of the breast, the
shoulders, the middle of the back, and the sides
under the wings, have a blackish gromid, with
edges tinged of an exquisite colour, which appear
sometimes black and sometimes purple, accord-
ing to the different lights they are placed in:
under the purple there is a transverse streak of
gold colour. The tail, from the middle feather
to the root, is about eighteen inches long;

the

OF BIRDSj FISHj &C, 127

the legs, the feet, and the toes, are of the
colour of horn. There are black spurs on the
legs, shorter than those of a cock; and a
membrane that connects two of the toes to-
gether. The male is much more beautiful
than the female, who is generally of a light
brown, intermixed with black.

The flesh of this bird has been long con-
sidered as one of the greatest dainties ; and when
the old physicians spoke of the wholesomeness of
any viands, they made their comparison with
the flesh of the pheasant. These perfections
were doubtless sufficient temptations for maa
to endeavour to render it domestic, but he has in
vain employed his ingenuity for that purpose ;
for however it has been bred, or in whatever
manner it has been instructed, no sooner has it
obtained its liberty, than, disdaining the pro-
tection of man, it has left him, to take shelter
in the thickest woods and remotest forests.
Almost all others of this kind, as the cock, the
turkey, or the pintada, when once reclaimed,
continue in their domestic state, and preserve the
habits and appetites of willing slavery ; but the
pheasant, though taken from its native warm
retreats, where the woods supply variety of
food, and the genial sun suits its tender consti-
tntion, aiul brought into our climates, still
Gg 2 fontinueg

f23 NATURAl. HISTOKT

(Dontinijes Its attaehmeiit to native freedom ^ and
prefers a scanty si^pply of aeorns and berries^
ijB our parks and woods, to the care and atten-
tion that would be paid him in a domestic
state : and even when kept in captivity,
tipcai alt occasions he shews his spirit of inds-
pendence*

•When at liberty in the woods,, the hen phea
sant lays from eighteen to twenty eggs in x.
season, but when kept in confinement she sel-
dom lays above ten. In the same manner^
when at Hberty, she hatches and trains up
Irer brood with patierice, vigilance, and cou-
lage; but if kept in coninement, she caa
scarcely ever be brought to sit with sufficient
attention; so that a common hen is generally
"her substitute upon such occasions; and evea
when she does hatch them, so far from at-
tending and teaching them to seek their food,
the young birds would starve, if left solely to
her protection. The pheasant, therefore, on
every account, should be left to range at large
in the woods, for its fecundity, when wild, ift
sufficient to stock the forest; its beautiful plu-
mage adorns it; and its flesh retains a higher
favour from unlimited freedom.

Pheasants, like all others of the pouItr3i
Itind^ have no great sagacity^ and easily suffer

themselvei.

OF B1&D5, tlSB, See. mi>

themselves to be taken. At night they rooGt
upon the highest trees of the wood; and by
day they coHQe down into the lower brakes and
bushes, where their food is chiefly found. They
generally make a kind of flapping noise whea
they are with iha females; and this serves to
apprise the sportsman of their retreats. At
other times they are traced in the snow, and
frequently taken in springes. But of all
birds they are. shot most easily, as they always
make a whirring noise when they rise, by which
they give notice of their exact situation, and
being a large mark, and flying very slow, they
scarcely ever escape*.

It is no very uncommon practice to procure
the eggs of the pheasant, and put them under a
common hen, in which case the young become as
lamiliar as chickens; and when they are kept for
breeding, it is necessary to put five hens with

* Pope, in his *' Windsor Forest," thus beautifully deKt'ibet,

thjebiid:

See '. from the brake the whirring pheasant springes.

And mounts exulting on triumphant wings.

Short is his joy ; he feels the fiery wound.

Flutters in blood, arnl, panting, beats the ground.

Ah I what avail his glossy, varying dyes.

His purple crest, and scarlet circled eyes ;

The vivid green his shining plume? unfold,

His painted wings, and breast that flames with gold !

one

530 NATURAL HISTORY

one cock. In her natural state the female
makes her nest of dry grass and leaves; the
same must^ therefore^ be laid for her where they
are kept, and she will herself, sometimes, pro-
perly dispose them. The youn^ ones are very
difficult to be reared ; and they must be supplied
with ant-eggs, which is the food that the old one
leads them to gather when wild in the woods*
These, however, may be chopped up with
curds or meat, but they must be fed with great
exactness, both as to the quantity and the
time of their supply. It is also requisite that
their food should sometimes be varied, and
then they may be supplied with wood lice, ear-
wigs, and other insects. The place where
they are reared must be kept extremely clean ;
their water must be changed twice or thrice a
day; they must not be suffered to go upon the
grass before the dew is off the ground in the
morning, and they should always be taken in
before sun-set. When they become adult,
they may be fed with any kind of grain, but oat*
and barley are their favourites,

Longolius recommends the following simple
method for increasing the breed. '^ The phea-
sant is a very bold bird when first brought into
the yard among other poultry, and will spare nei-
ther cocks nor hens which it can master; but after

a time

«F BIRDS, PISH, Sec. €31

a time itwilllive tamely among them, andat lastbe
brought to couple with the common hen. The
breed thus produced take much stronger after the
pheasant than the hen ; and if the females were
again supplied with a cock pheasant, for the
breed is not barren, the next race would advance
still nearer, and so on, till at last there would be
little difference between them and the original
stock of the male ; and yet such thus produced
would liave the advantage of being more tame
than they can be rendered by any other mode.'*
The former part, however, is almost unneces-
sary, as the cock pheasants, in the spring, fre-
quently come into the farm-yards early in the
morning for the purpose of courting the hens,
and will not molest any but such of the cocks as
shew an inclination to interrupt their pleasures.
The pheasant, when fiili growTi, seems to
feed indifferently upon every thing that offers,
A French writer asserts, that one of the kino's
sportsmen shooting at a parcel of crows, that
were gathered round a dead carcass, found upon
coming up, to his great surprise, that he had
killed as many pheasants as crows. It is even
asserted by some, that such is the carnivorous
disposition of this bird, that when several of
them are put together in the same yard, if one
iiappen to fall sick, or seem to be pinjng, all

the

S32 NATtJllAt HISTORY

the rest will fall upon, kill, and devour it. But
of the veracity of this assertion we have our
donbls, never having met with a single observer
of the manners of tiiese animals who consi-
dered it as a fact.

Of the pheasant tribe there are several ^'aric-
ties, but they all preserve a superiority in the
beauty of their plumage. Some of them arc
spotted all over with a wonderful degree of bril-
liancy, and are called peacock pkeasnats^ while
others are oniamented with a beautiful crest*.
Hie most remarkable, howevcTs are

The goldrn pke&mnt^ which is principally'
found in China, and is about the si^e of the
Knglish pheasant. Its bill is of a light brown ;
the iris of the eyes ydlow ; the featliers on
the upper part of the head of the same co-
lour, with a curious long crest of scarlet fea-
diers lianging dov/a on the back part of the
tieck, beautifully variegated with black cir-
cular lines, which reach down a considerable
way on the back, and which it has the power
of erecting at pleasure; the rest of the back
is of a reddish yellow ; the scapular feathers of
the wings, die fore-part of tlie breast, neck,
and iseliy, are of a fine scarlet. Hie upper
■covert feathers are of a darkish blue, shaded
urith a gold colour : tlie first feathers of the

other

OF BIKDS, FISH, &C. 233

Other rows are of a dark yellow spotted with
brown ; the longest tail feathers are of a deepish
red tipped with a fine yellow ; and the legs and
feet are of the same colour.

The silver pheasant is also about the size of
the former^ and belongs to the Eastern climates :
its bill is of a dusky yellow^ from the base of
which^ along the upper part of the head^ is a
line of long black feathers ; the eyes arc encir-
cled with a small row of white feathers, sur-
rounded with a larger circle of scarlet, speckled
with deep red, which reaches from the bill to
the hind part of the head, and are considerably
broader than the red in the English cock phea-
sant ; the back, neck, and wings are white, in-
terspersed with a few dark shades ; the breast,
and under part of the belly, are nearly black,
beginning at the base of the under mandible,
spreading itself broader on the sides of the belly,
and decreasing into a point under the tail ; the
thighs are dark, the feet a fine scarlet, and the
claws black.

The whole of this race have the same ha-
bits and customs as those which we have al-
ready described, and their chief, if not only,
difference consists in the variation in the co-
lour of their plumage*.

* It is asserted that the pheasant is a stupid bird, which
VOL. I. H h thinks

2:34 NATURAL HISTORY

THE PARTRIDGE.

PARTRIDGES are pretty generally known
in all part,? of the inhabited globe, and like all
others, especially of the poultry kind, so univer-
sally diffused^ include several varieties; though
this race is not, in that respect, so conspicuous
as many of those we have already treated of.

The common partridge has a remarkable
plump body, and weighs about fourteen or
fifteen ounces : on the sides of the head, and
under the bill, it is a deep saffron colour. The
cock has on his breast a red mark, nearly of
the shape of a horse- shoe, down to which the
feathers are of a bluish ash, varied with black
transverse lines. The back and wings are
party-coloured, red, ash, and black. The hen
is rather less than the cock, and has much less
red under her throat.

^' These birds," says Willoughby, '^ hold
the principal place in the feasts and entertain-

thir.ks itself in safety wht?n its head is hid : this has als»
been said of other birds. A young pheasant very fat is an
exquisite morse!, and, at the same time, a very healthy
nourishment. These birds, according to Olina, Hve about
ijx. or seven years.

ments

AIii/i- X; Female Jiirttidt/Cf.

^T,Uc k-F,malc Quail>-.

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. '235

nients of princes, without which their feasts
are esteemed ignoble, vulgar, and of no account.
The Frenchmen do so highly value and are so
fond of the partridge, that if they be wanting,
they utterly slight and despise the best spread
tables, as if there could be no feast without
them.". But however this might be the case
in the times of our historian, the partridge is
now too common in France to be considered
as a peculiar rarity. In England, however,
where they are not so plenty, they are still a
favourite delicacy at the tables of the rich ; and
the desire of keeping it to themselves has in-
duced them to make laws fi^r its preservation,
rery little congenial to the general spirit of Eng-
lish legislation. The sentiments of a well-
known author upon this subject are in such
exact unison with right reason and justice,
that they deserve to be universally recorded.
" What," says he, ^^ can be more arbitrary
than to talk of preserving the game, which,
when defined, means nothing more than that
the poor shall abstain from what the rich have
taken a fancy to keep for themselves ? If these
birds could, like a cock or a hen, be made legal
property, by being taught to keep \^ ithin cer-
tain districts, and only feed on those grounds
Hh2 that

236 NATURAL HISTORY

tliat belons to the man whose entertainments
they improve, it then might, with some shew
of justice, be admitted, that as he fed so h6
might claim them. But the contrary is the-
case, nor will the vanity of man induce him
to attempt laying a restraint upon the liberty
of those birds, which, when let loose, put nO
limits to their excursions. They feed every
where ; upon every man's ground ; they are
nourished by all, consequently belong to all ;
and therefore it is impossible to trace upon what
reasonable ground any one man, or set of men,
can lay claim to them while still continuing in
a state of nature.

'^ I never walked out about the environs of
Paris that I did not consider the immense quan-
tity of game that was running almost tame on
every side of me, as a badge of the slavery of
the people, and what some of my friends wished-
me to observe as an object of triumph, I al-
ways regarded with a kind of secret compas-
sion ; yet this people have no game-laws for
the remoter parts of their kingdom : the game
is only preserved in a few places for the king,^
and is free in most of the open parts of the
country. In England the prohibition is- gene-
ral ;

OF BIRDS,, nsH, Sec. Q37

ral ; and the peasant has not a right to what
even slaves, as he is taught to call them, ara.
found to possess."

There are two distinct species of partridges
familiar in these climates, the one being of a-
red shade throughout his feathers, and much-
larger than what is called the common partridge y
the latter are found in most countries in Eu-
rope ; they feed on snails, ants, ant-eggs, grain,
and leaves ; they generally lay from twelve to'
c4ghteen eggs, most of which they hatch, and
are particularly attentive to their young, inso-
much, that whenever a dog, or any other ani-
mal, approaches their nest, the females act with
the greatest subtilty : quitting their young,
they will just rise above the head of their enemyy
2Sid, pretending to be unable to fly, fall down at
a little distance before him ; this they will re-
peat until they have drawn him to a considerable
distance from their offspring, and then taking
wing they return to them, leaving him the
dupe of his credulity. They do not, however,
fly to the spot where they left them, but drop
at some distance, and call them, which they
immediately obey, and follow wherever they
lead their course. Through the winter the
young keep constantly with their mother, and

fly

23^ NATURAL HISTORY

fly in covles, but on the appearance of spring
they separate into pairs, and upon this occa-
sion they fight very desperately ; most probably
for the choice of a favourite mate. The males
are exceedingly salacious, more so, it has been
asserted, than any other bird ; it is certain that
he will pursue the female to her nest, and it
is even affirmed, that whenever he finds any of
her eggs he will break them, that the care of
hatching them may not deprive him of her so-
ciety. On the other hand, naturalists have
insisted that the female is so attached to the
office of incubation, that if, by chance, she lose
any of her own eggs, she will steal those be-
longing to another, convey them to her nest,
and sit upon them as her own ; nor have they
left this almost incredible story here, but persist
that the circumstance may always be known by
the young ones, thus hatched, refusing to fol-
low their quondam mother, and deserting her
and the other part of the brood as soon as they
are able.

M. Thevenot mentions these partrid&es as
being very numerous in the Levant, where he
says they keep them tame like turtles, and have
keepers who drive them out in the morning

and

OF BIRDS, riSH, &C. tu^

and whistle them in at nighty which they al-
ways obey.

Of this species there are also many varieties ;
the most particular of which are, the Jtmerican
or West- India -partridge : this is much larger
in size than the English one; the bill being
thicker and stronger, tears some resemblance
to that of a hawk. The colour, both of the
bill and legs, together with a circle round the
eye, are of a light brown, or reddish colour.
The whole plumage of the body is somewhat
darker than the common partridge; and in
some parts of America they are so much in-
clined to a dark grey, or shining black, that
some travellers have described them as black
partridges.

Lahonton, in his voyage to North America,
says, that they have a sort of w-hite partridges,
about the size of ours, which he describes as
the most stupid animal in the world, and says
it sits upon the snow, and suffers itself to be
Icnocked on the head with a pole without offer-
ing to stir.

The hare-foottd partridge. There are two
kinds of this bird. The first is about the
bigness of a dove, and of such an exquisite
and snowy whiteness, that it discovers itself and'

is

*240 NATURAL HISTORY

is often taken by that means ; but the feet and
bill arc black, and the fine skin of the eye-lid
is red, especially in the male. The neck is
diversified here and there with black spots ; and
the bottom part, or roots, of the feathers are
blackish.

The other is about the size of a quail, and
of a yellowish hue ; but on the back and neck
almost of the colour of a woodcock. The
wings, near the body, have white, dusky, and
candy coloured feathers intermingled ; but those
of the pinions are of an ash colour. The belly,
and inside of the wings, are white ; and they
are never without a ring on the breast, of a red,
yellow, and sandy colour intermixed.

It takes its name of lagopus, or hare-footed,
from the resemblance its foot has to that of a
hare.

In fact, the partridge seems to be well known
all over the world ; it is found in every country,
and in every climate, as well in the frozen re-
gions about the pole as the torrid climes under
the equator. It seems even to adapt itself to
the nature of the climate where it resides. In
Greenland, the partridge, which is brown in
summer, as soon as the icy weather sets in, begins
tp t«ike a covering suited to the season ; it is

then

OF BTRDS, FISH, SCC. 21-1

then clothed with a warm down beneath 5 and
its outward plumage assumes the colour of the
snow, amongst which it seeks its food. Thus
it is doubly fitted for the place, by the warmth
and the colour of its plumage ; the one to de-
fend it from the cold, the otiier to prevent its
being noticed by the enemy. Those of Bara-
konda, on the olher hand, are longer legged,
much swifter of foot, and chuse the highest
rocks and precipices to reside in. They are
also found in the Alps and Pyrennean moun-
tains, where they are so fond of frost and snow,
that as soon as the former begins to melt in
the lower part of the mountains, they remove
higher, to places where the sun has less power,
and the cold is more intense.

THE QUAIL*.

THE Quail is not above half the size of a
partridge, whom it very much resembles in
shape and manners. The feathers of the head

* Theophrastus found so great a resemblance between
the partridge and the quail, that be called the latter
dzcarf partridges ; and it is doubtless a result of this error
that the Portuguese have called the partridge co;luinix^
and that the Italians have applied tl)Ci nunie (J;' coturnice
to the Greek partridge.

VOL. I. I i are

^42 NATURAL lIISTOIiY

are black, edged with rusty brown ; the breast
is of a pale yellowish red, spotted with black;
the feathers on the back are marked with lines
of a pale yellow, and the legs are of a pale hue.
The quail is certainly a bird of passage ; and
yet, when we consider its heavy manner of
flying, and its dearth of plumage, compared
to its corpulence, it appears surprising how a
bird so apparently ill qualified for migration
should take such extensive journies ; yet no-
thing, however, is more certain : '^ When we
sailed from Rhodes to Alexandria," says Belon,
^^ about autumn, many quails, flying from
the north to the south, were taken in our ship ;
and sailing at spring-time the contrary way,
from the south to the north, I observed them
on their return, when many of them were taken
in the same manner." This account is con-
firmed by many others, who aver, that they
chuse a north wind for these adventures ; the
south wind being very unfavourable, as it re-
tards their flight, by moistening their plumage.
They then fly two by two ; continuing, when
their way lies over land, to go faster by night
than by day ; and to fly very high, to avoid
being surprised or set upon by birds of prey.
It has, however, become a doubt whether quails
take such long journies as Belon has made

them

OF P.IUDS, FISH^ &C. 243

them perform ; and several authors have asserted
that they only migrate from one province of a
country to another. For instance, that in Eng-
land, at the close of aatunni, they fly from the
inland counties to those bordering on the sea,
and continue there all the winter : and aUo that
they quit the stubble fields and marshes on the
appearance of frost and snow, and retreat to the
sea side, where they shelter themselves among
the weeds, and live upon what is thrown up
from the sea, particularly in Essex ; and the
time of their appearance upon the coasts of that
county exactly coincides with their disappear-
ance from the more internal parts of the king-
dom ; from which the conclusion has been con-
fidently drawn, that they do not migrate across
the sea ; but this is inferred upon a very^ slight
foundation, as their assembling at those parti-
cular periods on the sea-coast may equally as
well be supposed to be for the purpose of taking
flight, as to conceal themselves among the reeds"^^.
The quail is much less prolific than the par-
tridge ; it seldom lays more than six or seven
whitish eggs, which are marked with raiiged,
rust coloured spots. But their ardour in court-
ship, says a modern author, scarcely yields to
any bird, as they are fierce and cruel at that

* BoloiJ positively asserts that quaiU are birds of passage.

I i 2 season

544 NATURAL HISTORY

season to each other, fighting most desperately,
and during which rencounters they will fre-
quently suffer themselves to be taken. Quail-
fighting was a favourite amusement among the
Athenians ; thev abstained from its flesh, from
an idea that it was unwholesome, supposing
that it fed upon the white hellebore ; but they
reared great numbers of them for the pleasure
of seeing them fight ; and they were as regularly
trained for the contest as game-cocks are in the
present day.

These birds are very easily taken by artifice ;
thev have a very peculiar call, which the fowler
finds it very easy to imitate : being so prepared,
he goes out early in the morning, and having
spread his net in a convenient place, he imitates
the call of the female with what is called a quail-
pipe : this is no sooner heard by the male, than
he flies eagerly to the spot, and being entirely
taken up with the thoughts of the female, he
carrclcssiv goes into the net, and, as the moralist
observes, becomes a victim to his passions*.

* The quail, like the partridge nod other animals, pro-
ilwces onlv when in a state of liberty: it is in vain that
you furnish to those who are confined all tlie materials for
riidincation; tiicy will never use them, nor do they take
aov care of the cfgs which they produce, and which they
seem to lav ajrainst their inclination.

lu^pyi

©F BIRDS, FISH, &C. 24#

OF THE PIE KIND.

WITHOUT pretending to give a regular
arrangement to this most numerous part of the
animal creation, or attempting to class birds
which philosophy may presume to be possible,
but whose distinctions, reason seems to tell us,
are beyond the comprehension of man, we
shall, nevertheless, so far follow precedent, as
to keep them in some degree of order; and
upon this principle it is that we now proceed
to a genus, which, though in some things si-
milar to all the foregoing, yet their differences
are so great, that they cannot justly be said to
belong to either.

To speak of this race in general terms, we
cannot be more explicit than in quoting the
words of a modern author, who says, '' Under
^* this (the pie) class of birds, we might place
«' all that noisy, restless, chattering, teazing

" tribe

246 NATURAL HISTORY

*' tribe that lies between the hen and the thrush ;
^^ that, from the size of the raven down to that
'^ of the wood-pecker, flutter round our habi-
'^ tations, and rather with the spirit of pilferers
'^ than of robbers, make free with the fruits of
^' human industry.

'^ Of all the other classes, this seems to be
'^ that which the least contributes to furnish
" out the pleasures or supply the necessaries
'' of man. The falcon hunts for him ; the
'^ poultry tribe supplies him with luxurious
'^ food ; and the little sparrow race delights him
^^ with the melody of their warblings. The
'^ crane kind make a studied variety in his en-
'^ tertainments ; and the clafs of ducks are not
" only many of them delicate in their flesh,
" but extremely useful for their feathers. But
'^ in the class of the pie kind there are few,
'^ except the pigeon, that are any way useful.
'' They serve rather to teaze man than to assist
*^ or amuse him. Like faithless servants, they
^' are fond of his neighbourhood, because they
" mostly live by his labour ; but their chief
'^ study is what they can plunder in his ab-
'^ sence, while their deaths make him no atone-
'^ ment for their depredation.

'' But

OF BIRDS, FISH, &.C. 247

" But though^ with respect to man, this
*^ whole class is rather noxious than beneficial,
'^ though he may consider them in this light
*^ as false, noisy, troublesome neighbours, yet,
*^ with respect to each other, no class of birds
^' are so ingenious, so active, or so w^ell fitted
" for society. Could we suppose a kind of
^^ morality among birds, we should find that
'^ these are by far the most industrious, the
^' most faithful, the most constant, and the
'^ most connubial. The rapacious kinds drive
'^ out their young before they are fit to struggle
*^ with adversity 5 but the pie kind cherish their
^' young to the last. The poultry class are
'^ faithless and promiscuovis in their connec-
^' tions, but these live in pairs, and their at-
" tachments are wholly confined to each other.
^' The sparrow kind frequently overleap the
'' bounds of Nature, and make illicit varieties ;
'^ but these never. They live in harmony
" with each other ; every species is true to its
*' kind, and transmits an unpolluted race to
'^ posterity.

" As other kinds build in rocks, or upon
" the ground, the chief place where these build
*^ is in trees or bushes : the male takes his

" share

248 NATURAL HISTORY

'^ share in the labours of building the nest^ and
^' often relieves his mate in the duties of incu-
'^ bation. Both take this office by turns ; and

when the young are excluded^ both are

equally active in making them an ample

provision.

'^ They sometimes live in societies ; and in
'^ these there are general laws observed, and a
^' kind of republican form of government esta-
'^ blished among them. They watch not only
^^ for the general safety, but for that of every
'^ other bird of the grove. How often havi
'^ we seen a fowler, stealing in upon a flock of
'^ ducks or wild geese, disturbed by the alarm-
*^ ing notes of a crow or a magpie ; its single
'^ voice gave the whole thoughtless tribe wn.rn-
'' ing, and taught them in good time to lOok
'' to their safety.

'' Nor are these birds less remarkable for
^^ their instincts than their capacity for instruc-
'^ tion. There is an apparent cunning, or
^^ archness, in the look of the whole tribe ; and
" I have seen crows and ravens taught to fetch
'^ and carry with the docility of a spaniel. In-
'' deed, it is often an exercise that, without
'^ teaching, all this tribe are but too fond of.

" Everv

OF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. 24^J

*^ Every body knows what a passion they have
'^ for shining substances, and such toys as some
^' of us put a value upon. A whole family has
*^bcen alarmed at the loss of a ring; every
*' servant has been accused, and every creature
'' in the house, conscious of their own inno-
^' cence, suspected each other, when^ to the
*' utter surprise of all, it has been found in the
*' nest of a tame magpie, or a jack-daw, that
*^ nobody h<id ever thought of.

'^ However, as this class is very numerous,
*' it is not to be supposed that the manners
^^ are alike in all. Some, such as the pigeon,
*^ are gentle and serviceable to man ; others
^' are noxious, capricious, and noisy. In a
^^ few general characters they all agree ; name-
*^ ly, in having hoarse voices, slight active
**^ bodies, and a facility of flight that baffles
*^ even the boldest of the rapacious kinds in the
*^ pursuit,"

VOL.1. Kk

250 NATURAL HISTORY

THE RAVEN.

THE Raven is a large strong bodied bird,
and some have been seen which measured near-
ly two feet from the tip of the bill to the end of
the tail : it has a strong, sharp, black bill, the
upper part of which is somewhat hooked, and the
lower very nearly straight; the whole body is
black, but bears a kind of bluish splendor or
gloss, more especially upon the tail and wings :
the belly is of a paler colour, and more inclin-
ing to a brown : it has strong limbs with large
crooked claws : 'tis said by some that it will
devour living birds after the manner of hawks,
but it feeds chiefly upon carrion and dead car-
♦:asses, and sometimes upon fruit and insects.

They are found in every region of the world;
arc strong and hardy, and uninfluenced by the
changes of the weather: when other birds seem
benumbed with cold, or pining with famine, tbt
raven is active and healthy, busily employed in
prowling for prey, or sporting in the coldest
atmosphere. He bears the heat under the line
and the cold of the polar countries with equal
indifference. He is sometimes indeed seen milk

white,

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &¥. Oj\

white, arising probably from the same influence
of climate which has an effect upon most other
animals in the northern part of the world,
where their robes, particularly in winter, as-
sume the colour of the country they inhabit.

White ravens are often shewn among; u-^.
and it is pretended they are rendered so by art,
and sometimes by the cruel practice of pluck-
ing out all their black feathers while alive ; in
which case, it is said, they will be succeeded by
others perfectly white. In their habits and
dispositions they are extremely docile, and a
raven may be reclaimed to almost everv pur-
pose to which birds can be converted. Ke mav
be trained up for fowling- like a hawk; he
may be taught to fetch and carry like a spaniel ;
he may be taught to speak like a parrot, and
even taught to sing like a man ; for Goldsmith
says, ^^ I have heard a raven sing the Black
Joke with great distinctness, truth, and hu-
mour.''

When the raven is taken from the nest, and
trained up as a domestic, he has many quali-
ties that render him extremely amusing. Busy,
inquisitive, and impudent, he goes every where ;
affronts and drives off the dogs, plays his
pranks on the poultry, and is particularly assi-
K k 2 duoui

2j2 natural history

duous in cultivating the good will of the cook-
maid, who with him is favourite of the family.
But with all these amusing qualities he is not
destitute of vices and defects. He is a glutton
by nature, and a thief by habit. He does not
confine himself to petty depredations on the
pantry for the gratification of his appetite, but
he soars at plunder which he can neither exhibit
nor enjoy, but which, like a miser, satisfies
him by sometimes visiting and contemplating it
in secret. A piece of money, a tea-spoon, or a
ring, are always tempting baits to his avarice :
these he will slyly seize upon, and carry to
some favourite hole, which he has previously
fixed upon for the purpose.

In his wild state the raven is an active and
greedy plunderer. Nothing- comes amiss to
him ; whether his prey be living, or has been
some time dead, it is all the same, he falls to
with a voracious appetite ; and when he has
p:;orged himself, flies to acquaint his fellows,
that they may participate of the spoil. If he
behold a carcass in the possession of some more
powerfid animal, as a wolf, a fox, or a dog,
the raven sits at a little distance, an humble
spectator till it has done, knowing, from expe-

riencCj^

OF lilRD?;, FISH, &.C. €55

rience^ that he shall come in for a share upon
its depaiturt;. If m his flights he perceive no
hopes of carrion, (and his scent is so exquisite
that he can smell it at a vast distance) he then
contents himself with fruits, insects, and the
accidental desert of a dunghill.

The raven chiefly builds its nest in trees,
and lays five or six eggs of a pale green colour,
marked with small brownish spots. They
liv^e sometimes in pairs, and sometimes fre-
quent, in great numbers, the neighbourhood of
populous cities, where they are useful in de-
vouring those carcasses that would otherwise
putrefy and infect the air. They build in high
trees or old towers, in the beginning of March
with us in England, and sometimes sooner, as
the spring is more or less advanced for the
season. But it is not always near towns that
they fix their retreats : they often build in un-
frequented places, and drive all other birds
from their vicinity. They will not permit
even their young to keep in the same district,
but drive them ofl* when they are sufliiciently
able to shift for themselves.

In their wild state they are exceedingly cun-
ning and mischievous, and whenever they ob-
serve a sheep or a lamb which is sick or helpless,

they

254 NATURAL HISTORY

they are sure to pick out its eyes ; yet in most
countries they have a degree of respect paid to
them^ and in the eastern ones they were
held in great veneration, as being the birds that
fed the prophet Ehjah in the v/ilderness. This
prepossession in favour of the raven is of very
ancient date, as even the Romans, who thought
the bird ominous, paid it, from moti\'es of fear,
the most profound veneration. One of them,
which, according to Phny, had been kept in
the temple of Castor, flew down into the shop
of a tailor, vvho took much delight in the visits
of his new acquaintance. He taught the bird
several tricks, but particularly to pronounce the
names of the Emperor Tiberius and the whole
roval family. The tailor was beginning to
grow rich by those who came to see this won-
derful rav^en, till an envious neighbour, dis-
pleased at the tailor's success, killed the bird,
and deprived the tailor of his future hopes of
fortune. The Romans, however, took the
poor tailcr's part ; they punished the man who
offered the injur^^, and gave the raven all the
honours of a mao;nificent interment*.

Birds

* Pliny also mentions tliac one Craterns, an Asiatic, had
rendered himself famous for tamino: and educating

ravens ;

OF BlRDa, nSH, OCC. '255

Birds in general liv^e longer than quadrupeds,
and the raven is said to be one of the most
lono-lived of the number. Hesiod asserts that
a raven will live nine times as long as a man ;
but though this is fabulous, it is certain that
some of them have been known to live near
a hundred years. In clear v.eather the ravens
fly in pairs to a great height, making a deep,
loud noise, different from that of their usual
croaking ; and from having a strong scent and
clear sight, they are thus enabled to perceive
their prey at a considerable distance.

The common carrion-crow is considerably
less than the raven, and has a straight, strong,
thick bill, a good deal like the raven's ; the
feathers over the whole body are black, onlv
the bottom parts of them are rather of a lead
colour. It feeds generally upon the dead and
putrid carcasses of animals, of almost anv
kind, and will likewise devour birds, grain, and
many sorts of insects. It builds upon high
trees, and lays four or five eggs, much like the

ravens ; he could make diem follow him, even wild ravens.
Scaliger relates that KingLouis (probably LouisXIfjhad one
thus tamed, which he used for catching partridges : Alber-
tus saw one at Naples whichcaught partridges, pheasants,
and even other ravens ; but to do this last, it was necessary
in a manner to force him.

raven's.

2d6 NATURAL HISTOfeT

raven's, but not so large. This bird is said to
have a very sagacious scent, insomuch that it
will smell gunpowder at a considerable dis-
tance, so that it is difficult to shoot it.

The account which Alonzo de Gvallo gives of
the crows of Chili is very remarkable ; he says
that in those years that are to prove rainy, it is
observed by the inhabitants, that as soon as the
weather grows cold, before the winter begins,
they are certain to see every evening, for many
days together, great quantities of crows come
down from the Cordeliers into the plains ; they
come an hour before sun-set, in squadrons^
forming a triangle, or pyramid, the point of
which is led by a single one, before whom none
dare go : the figvire they make is most regular, as
if they were fixed in the air and immoveable ; so
equal and well concerted is their flight.

Morella, in his description of Congo, says,
the crows there are white upon their breasts
and on the tops of their wings, but black every
where else, like those in Europe.

We now proceed to the rook, which, though
bearing a great similarity, and is therefore con-
sidered as appertaining to the same class, is^
nevertheless, very difterent in his disposition, as
neither he, nor any of those of whom he may

be

OF BIRDS^ FISH^ SCC. 25?

be said to stand at the head, are in the smallest
degree carnivorous, but feed entirely on grain
and insects. He is something larger than the
crow, and may be distinguished by the bills,
the rook's being of a whitish colour : they are
said to have no craw, but a sort of gullet below
the bill, which upon occasion dilates itself into
a sort of bag, in which it carries its meat that
it has gathered for its young from a consider-
able distance.

The roi/ston crozo is about the same size ; his
breast, belly, back, and upper part of the neck,
are of a pale ash-colour : his head and vvinos
glossed over with a fine blue. He is a bird of
passage, visiting this kingdom in the beginnino-
of winter, and leaving it in the sprino;. He
breeds, however, in different parts of the British
dominions ; and his nest is common enouo-h in
trees in Ireland.

The jack- daw is also black on the upper
parts, but ash-coloured on the breast and belly.
He is not above the size of a pigeon. He i»
docile and loquacious. His head is large for
the size of his body, which argues him inge-
nious and crafty. He builds in fteeples, old
castles, and high rocks, laying five or six eoo-s
in a season.

VOL. 1. LI The

g.>8 NATURAL HISTORY

The Cornhh chough is like a jack-daw^ but
bicTfrer, and almost the size of a crow. The feet
and legs are long, like those of a jack-daw,
but of a red colour ; and the plumage is black
all over. Like the daw, it frequents rocks,
old castles, and churches, by the sea-side, and
with the same noisy assiduity. It is only seen
along the western coasts of England. These
are birds very similar in their manners, feeding
on orain and insects, living in society, and often
suffering castigation from the flock for the good
of the community.

The rook builds in woods and forests in the
neighbourhood of man, and sometimes makes
choice of groves, in the very midst of cities,
for the place of its retreat and security. In
these it establishes a kind of legal constitution^
by Vv^hich all intruders are excluded from coming
to live among them, and none suffered to build
but acknowledged natives of the place. *^ I
" nave often,'* says a celebrated author, " a-
«^ mused myself with observing their plan of
*^ policy from my window that looks upon a
^^ grove where they have made a colony in the
" midst of the city. At the commencement of
f* spring, the rookery, which, during the con-
'^^ tinuance of winter, seemed to have been de-

^' sertcd,

OF BIRDS, FISH, cCC. :2,0(^

serted, or only guarded by about five or six,
like old soldiers in a garrison, now begins to
be onee more frequented, and in a short time
all the bustle and hurry of business is fairly
commenced. Where these numbers resided
during the winter is not easy to guess ; per-
haps in the trees of hedge-rows, to be nearer
their food. In spring, however, they culti-
vate their native trees, and, in the places
where they were themselves hatched, I bey
prepare to propagate a future progeny.
'' They keep together in pairs ; and \\ hen
the offices of courtship are over, they pre-
pare for making their nests and laying. The
old inhabitants of the place are all already
provided ; the nest which served them for
years before, with a little trimming and dress-
ing, will serve very well again : the diffi-
culty of nestling lies only upon the young
ones who have no nest, and must therefore
get up one as well as they can. But not only
the materials are wanting, but also the place
in which to fix it. Every part of a tree will
not do for this purpose, as some branches
may not be sufficiently forked ; others may
not be sufficiently strong; and still others
may be too much exposed to the rockings
L 1 2 "of

£60 NATDUAL HISTORY

^' of the wind. The male and female upon
^' this occasion are, for some days, seen exa-
^^ mining all the trees of the grove very atten-
^^ lively ; and when they have fixed upon a
" branch that seems fit for their purpose, they
^^ continue to sit upon and observe it very se-
'^ dulously for two or three days longer. The
'^ place being thus determined upon, they be-
'^ gin to gather the materials for their nest,
^^ such as slicks and fibrous roots, which they
^^ regularly dispose in the most substantial man-
*^ ner. But here a new and unexpected ob-
^' stacle arises. It often happens that the young
^^ couple have made choice of a place too near
^^ the mansion of an older pair, who do not
'*^ chuse to be incommoded by such troublesome
" neighbours. A quarrel, therefore, instantly
" ensues, in which the old ones are alwavs
'^ victorious.

^^ The yo.ung couple, thus expelled, are oblis:-
*^ ed again to go through the fatigues of deli-
*^ berating, examining, and chusing; and hav-
*^ ing taken care to keep their due distance,
*' begin their nest again, and their industry de-
^^ serves commendation. But their alacrity is
*' often too great in the beginning : they soon
'^ grow weary of bringing the materials for their

^^ nest

OF BiKDSj FISH, &C. 261"

<c

nest from distant places, and they very easily
'^ perceive that sticks may be provided nearer
'^ home, with less honesty, indeed, but with
^^ some degree of address. Away they go,
*' therefore, to pilfer as fast as they can ; and
*^ wherever they see a nest unguarded, they take
'' care to rob it of the very choicest sticks of
'^ which it is composed. But these thefts never
'^ go unpunished ; and probably upon com-
'^ plaint being made there is a general punish-
^' ment inflicted. I have seen eight or ten
^^ rooks come upon such occasions, and, setting
*^ upon the new nest of the young couple all
'^ at once, tear it to pieces in a moment.

"" At length, therefore, the young pair find
'' the necessity of going more regularly and ho-
^^ nestly to work. While one flies to fetch the
'' materials^ the other sits upon the tree to guard
" it 3 and thus in the space of three or four
'^ days, with a skirmish now and then between,
^^ the pair have fitted up a commodious nest
" composed of sticks without, and of fibrous
^^ roots and long grass v/ithin. From the in-
" stant the lemale begins to lay, all hostilities
^' are at an end ; not one of the whole jrrove,
*^ that a little before treated her so rudely, w^ill
"now venture to molest her; so that .she

" brings

262 NATURAL HISTORY

*^ brings forth her brood with patient tranquil-
'^ lity. Such is the severity with which even
*' native rooks are treated by each other : biit
^' if a foreign rook should attempt to make
^^ himself a denizen of their society, he would
'^ meet with no favour ; the whole grove
'^ would at once be up in arms against him,
" and expel him without mercy."

These birds are found in most countries; in
some every means are taken to destroy them,
while in others they are considered as a bene-
fit ; for as they live chiefly on the worm of the
dorbeetle and on grain, they may be said to do
as much ser\'ice by destroying that noxious in-
sect, as they do injur)' by consuming the pro-
duce of the field.

Of this tribe of the crow-kind, there are a
great number of varieties.

The calao, or horned Indian raven, exceeds
the common raven in size, and in habits of de-
predation. But what he differs from all other
birds in is the beak, which, by its length and cur-
vature at the end, appears designed for rapine ;
but then it has a kind of horn standing out
from the top, which looks somewhat like a se-
cond bill, and gives this bird, which is other-
wise fierce and ugly, a very formidable appear-
ance.

or BiKDS, risH, &c. 26S

ance. The horn springs out of the forehead^
aiid grows to the upper part of the bill^ being of
gTeat bulk ; so that near the forehead it is four
inches broad^ not unhke the horn of the rhino-
ceros, but more crooked at the tip. Were the
body of the bird answerable in size to the head,
the calao would exceed in masinitude even the
vulture or the eagle ; but the head and beak are
out of all proportion, the body being not much
larger than that of a hen. In this race, how-
ever, there are considerable differences ; for in
those which come from different parts of Africa
the body is proportionable to the beak ; in such
as come from the Molucca Islands^ the beak
bears no proportion to the body. Of what use
this extraordinary excrescence is to the bird it is
not easy to determine : it lives, like others of
its kind, upon carrion, and seldom ventures to
attack a living animal.

The ?iight raven, which is very common in
Holland, has a long bill, black at the point,
and of a yellowish green towards the base,
which colour extends towards the back part of
the eyes, and is encircled with a white line from
the bill; the iris of the eyes is of an orange
colour, and upon the top of the head there is
a kind of black crown, from the back part of

which

264 NATURAL HISTORY

which there is a curious crest of three white
feathers, that are at least five inches long, and
which hang down over the back_, and distinguish
it from all ctlier birds ; it is of a vellowish
brown on the upper part of the neck^ white
under the chin, and upon the breast, with a
faint tincture of brown ; its back and wings
black, shaded with green, some of the edges
of the feathers being tinctured with red. They
principally feed upon beetles and other insects,
are full as large as a common raven, build their
nests upon v^ery high trees, and lay four or five
whitish eggs.

The capricalca, called by the Hollanders
rofgat/fon, is a little larger than the common
crow, but somewhat less than the raven ; he
has a strong hooked bill ; the wings and back
are of a lead colour, the tail short and black ;
his flight and voice very much resemble those of
a wild goose ; the breast and belly are adorned
with transverse dark coloured lines ; he some-
times inhabits the fens, at others he lays waste
the corn fields ; he is said to frequent little
brooks in the winter time, and is a great de-
stroyer of the young fry of fish ; he is found
chiefly in the northern countries, and is very

common

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. t(^S

tommon in the islands about the north of Scot-
land.

Dr. Gemelli, in his account of New Spam,
says there is a bird of this kind found there,
which they call the suppihtote, with a tuft of
flesh growing upon its head, that will eat no
carrion ; and another very much like it, with a
tuft of feathers on the head, that not only eats
carrion but all filth of the city and countr)',
insomuch, that at Vera Cruz it is forbidden to
kill any of them, on account of that particular
service.

THE MAGPIE AND ITS AFFINITIES.

THE Magpie is the chief of a most consi-
derable race, which branches out into such an
extensive variety, that it is almost impossi-
ble to trace the whole of them. They have,
however, some general characteristics which
belong to the whole tribe, such, for example,
as straight powerful bills, legs of an extraor-

TOL, I. Mm tlinanr

^66 NATURAL HISTOJIY

dinary length for the size of their bodies, and
a party-coloured plumage ; they all have, be-
sides, a chattering kind of manner, which is
both harsh and dissonant, when compared with
the melody of the little warblers with w^hom
they may be said to reside, and whom they con-
stantly interrupt in their harmony. In the
tropic regions they are exceedingly numerous;
but it may be said, that there, although they
disturb the harmony, they add to the beauty of
the scene, by the splendor of their plumage. In
the woods of those warm climates, the whole
of this tribe may be recognized at one view ;
yet they can be distinguished only as the
pie, the jay, the roller, the chatterer, and the
toucan, though each of them extends into a
hundred varieties.

At the head of them, as we before observed,
stands the magpie, whose tail is long and
wings short; it has a large white spot on the
breast, another on each side of the body, and
several of the wing-feathers are white; the
other part of its plumage is black, beautifully
shaded; indeed, its black, white, green, and
purple, with the rich and gilded combination
of the glosses on its tail, are as fine as any that
adorn the most beautiful of the feathered tribe-

. . But

or BIRDS, FISH, &C. 267

But it has so many trifling qualities, that they
depreciate these natural perfections : vain, rest-
less, loud, and quarrelsome, it is an unwelcome
intruder every where; and never misses an op-
portunity, when it finds one^ of doing mis-
chief.

The magpie bears a great resemblance to
the butcher-bird in its bill, which has a sharp
process near the end of the upper chap, as well
^s in the shortness of its wings, ay.d the form
of the tail, each feather shortening from the two
middlemost. But it agrees still more in its food,
living not only upon worms and insects, but
also upon small birds when it can seize them.
A wounded lark, or a young chicken sepa-
rated from the hen, are sure plunder; and it
will even sometimes have the assurance to at-
tack a thrush or blackbird : nav, it will seize
the largest animals, when its insults can be
offered with security. As a proof of this, we
may appeal to almost every man who resides in
the countr)^, who must often have seen a mag-
pie perched upon the back of an ox or a sheep,
pecking out the insects which might have taken
refuge in their hides^ chattering and tormenting
the poor animal at the same time, and stretch-
ing out its neck for combat, if the beast turned
M m 2 its

Q6S natural history

its head backward to interrupt its employment.
They seek out also the nests of small birds;
and if the old ones escape, the eggs make up
for the deficiency: the thrush and the black-
bird are thus frequently robbed by this assassin,
and to which circumstance their not being more
numerous may, in some measure, be attributed.

The magpie is by no means particular in its
food; it shares with ravens in their carrion,
with rooks in their grain, and with the cuckoo
in bird's eggs ; but it seems possessed of a pru-
dence rather unusual with gluttons : when sa-
tisfied, it lays up the remainder of the feast for
another occasion. Even in a domesticated state
it will hide its food when done eating, and after
a time return to the secret hoard with renewed
appetite and vociferation.

The magpie evidently demonstrates in all
its actions that it possesses a degree of instinct
superior to other birds. Its nest is not less
remarkable for the manner in which it is com-
posed, than for the place made choice of to
build it in. It is usually placed in a very con-
spicuous situation, either in the middle of some
hawthorn-bush, or on the top of some high
tree. But careless as this may appear to be on
the first glance, yet on examination it will be

found

OF BIRDSj FISH, &C. SCl)

found to have been the choice of sagacity, for
the place so chosen is invariably difficult of
access; the tree pitched upon usually grows
in some thick hedge- row, fenced by brambles
at the root; or w^hen in a bush, such a one is
selected that it is hardly possible to get to the
top twigs in which its nest is interwoven.
When a secure place is chosen, the next care is
to fence the nest above, so as to defend it from
all the various enemies of the air. The kite, the
crow, and the sparrow-hawk, are to be guarded
against, for as their nests have sometimes been
plundered by the magpie, so it is reasonably
feared that they will take the first opportunity
to retaliate. To prevent this, the magpie's
nest is built with surprising labour and in-
genuity. The body of the nest is composed
of hawthorn branches, the thorns sticking out-
ward, but well united together by their mutual
insertion. Within it is lined with fibrous
roots, wool, and long grass, and then curiously
plastered all round with mud and clay. The
canopy, which is to defend it above, is com-
posed of the sharpest thorns, woven together in
such a manner as to deny all entrance, except
at the opening, which is left on the side, just
large enough to permit egress and ingress to

the

t70 NATURAL HISTORV

the owners. In this fortress the male and fe-
male hatch and bring up their brood with se-
curity, sheltered from all attacks of the fea-
thered race, and but seldom disturbed by man.
They lay six or seven eggs, of a pale green
teolour, spotted with brown.

The magpie, when kept in a domestic state,
still preserves its natural character with strict
propriety. The same nOisy, mischievous habits
attend it to the cage that were conspicuous in
the woods ; and being more cunning, so it is
also a more docile bird than any other taken
into keeping. It is very easily taught to arti-
culate words, and even sentences, very dis-
tinctly ; but its sounds are too thin and sharp to
be an exact imitation of the human voice.

The jai/ stands next in the tribe, and is one
of the most beautiful of the British birds. The
forehead is white, streaked with black ; the
head is covered with very long feathers, which
it can erect into a crest at pleasure ; the whole
neck, back, breast, and belly, are of a faint
purple, shaded with grey ; the wings are most
beautifully barred with blue, black, and white ;
the tail is black, and the feet of a pale brown.
Like the magpie, it feeds upon fruits, will kill
small birds, and is extremely docile.

The

OT BIRDS, nSH, Sec. 271

The Bengal jay is a larger sized bird than
the English jay ; has an ash-coloured bill, and
the top of the head blue ; the neck and breast
are a mixture of light brown and red, with a
little cast of the lead colour; the wings, and
the under part of the body and thighs, are blue,
the upper parts of a dark muddy green ; that
part of the tail next to the rump, and also at
the extremity, is of a dark blue ; but the mid-
dle part is more pale and bright. The legs and
feet are brown, a little inclining to a yellow ;
with black, open claws. It is a voracious sort
of bird, and a dev^ourer of fruit.

The chatterer, or by some called the Bohemian
jay, may be placed next ; it is somewhat less
than the common jay. It is variegated with a
beautiful mixture of colours j red, ash colour,
chesnut, and yellow 5 but what distinguishes it
from all other birds, are the horny appendages
from the tips of seven of the lesser quill-feathers,
which stand bare of beards, and have the colour
and gloss of the best red sealing-wax.

The roller is not less beautiful than any of
the former. The breast and belly are blue;
the head green ; and the wings variegated with
blue, black, and white. But it may be distin-
guished from all others of this kind by a sort

of

"^72 NATURAL HISTORY

of naked tubercles or warts near the eyes,
which still farther contribute to increase its
beauty.

It would be almost an endless task to follow
the multiplicity of varieties that have an affinity
with the magpie kind^ for all the tropical forests
of the east and west abound with birds remark-
able for discordant voices and brilliant plumage.
There is one of them, however, which merits
particular notice, as being the most singular of
any of the feathered creation : this is the toucan,
whose bill is nearly as large as its whole
body.

There are four or five varieties of this
species, but the red-beaked toucan is the most
particular, and is thus most minutely described
by Edwards. '^ It Is about the size of and
*^ shaped like a jack-daw, with a large head to
'^ support its monstrous bill ; this bill, from
*^ the angles of the mouth to its point, is six
^^ inches and an half ; and its breadth, in the
*^ thickest part, is a little more than two. Its
^^ thickness, near the head, is one inch and a
*^^ quarter; and it is a little rounded along
^^ the top of the upper chap, the under side
^^ being round also ; the whole of the bill ex-
*^ tf emely slight, and a little thicker than parch-

^^ ment.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &€. SJS

*' ment. The upper chap is of a bright

** yellow, except on each side, which is of a

*^ fine scarlet colour ; as is also the lower chap,

*' except at the base, which is purple. Be-

^^ tween the head and the bill there is a black

*^ line of separation all round the base of the

** bill, in the upper part of which the nostrils

^^ are placed, and are almost covered with

'^ feathers, which has occasioned some writers

^^ to say, that the toucan has no nostrils.

" Round the eyes, on each side of the head, is

^' a space of bluish skin, void of feathers, above

^^ which the head is black, except a white spot

'^ on each side, joining to the base of the upper

^' chap. The hinder . part of the neck, the

" back, wings, tail, belly, and thighs, are black.

** The under side of the head, throat, and the

^^ beginning of the breast, are white. Between

^^ the white on the breast, and the black on the

*^ belly, is a space of red feathers, in the form

^' of a new moon, with its horns upwards.

^' The legs, feet, and claws, are of an ash-

^' colour ; and the toes stand like those of par-

*^ rots, two before and two behind/'

Notwithstanding that it is furnished with so
formidable a beak, it is harmless. and gentle;
and we learn, from many authorities, that it

VOL. 1. N n mav

274 NATURAL HISTOltY

may easily be rendered so tame as to sit and
hatch its young in houses. Goldsmith says, it
feeds chiefly upon pepper, which it devours very
«;reedily, gorging itself in such a manner that
it voids it crude and unconnected, and which is
no objection to the natives from using it again ;
nay, that they even prefer it to that pepper
Vv'hich is fresh gathered from the tree, and seem
persuaded that its strength and heat are qualified
by the bird, and that all its noxious qualities
are thus exhausted.

We shall not undertake to vouch for the
veracity of this assertion, but it is very certain
that the toucan lives only upon a vegetable
diet ; for when in a domestic state, to which it
is frequently brought in the warm countries
where it is bred, it always prefers such food to
all other. Pozzo, who brought up one tame,
asserts, that it leaped up and down, wagged its
tall, and cried with a voice resembling that of
a magpie. It fed upon the same things that
parrots do, but was most greedy of grapes,
which, being plucked off one by one, and
thrown into the air, it would most dexterously
catch before they fell to the ground. Its bill,
he adds, was hollow, and upon that account
very li^t^ so that it had but little strength in,

so

OP BIRDS, FISH, 8CC. 375

90 apparently formidable a weapon ; nor could
it peck or strike smartly with it. But its
tongue seemed to assist the efforts of this un-
wieldy machine; it was long, thin, and flat,
not unlike one of the feathers on the neck of
a. dunghill cock ; this it moved up and down,
and often extended five or six inches from the
bill. It was of a flesh colour, and very re-
markably fringed on each side with very small
filaments, exactly resembling a feather.

It has been supposed by naturalists that this
long tongue has greater strength than the thin
hollow beak that contains it ; and that the beak
is only a kind of sheath for this peculiar instru-
ment, which the toucan uses, not only in mak-
ing its nest, but also in obtaining its provision.
It is certain, say they, that this bird builds its
nest in holes of trees, which have been pre-
viously scooped out for this purpose ; and it is
not very likely that so feeble a bill could be
any ways serviceable in working upon such hard
materials.

However this may be, no bird secures its
young better from external injury than the
toucan. It has not only birds, men, and ser-
pents, to guard against, but a numerous tribe
N n 2 of

2*0 h'ATURAL HISTOUY

of monkeys^ still more prying, mischievous,
and destructive_, than all the rest. For its se-
curity, however, it scoops out a nest some how
or other in the hollow of a tree, leaving only a
hole just large enough to go in and out. There
it sits, with its great beak, guarding the en-
trance; and if the monkey venture a visit of
curiosity, the toucan gives him such a disa-
greeable reception, that he is glad to make off
with the greatest expedition.

This bird is only found in the warm climates
of South America, where it is in great request,
both for the delicacy of its flesh, which is ten-
der and nourishing, and for the beauty of itg
plumage, particularly the feathers of the breast.
The skin of this part the Indians pluck off,
and, when dry, glue to their cheeks, and which
they consider as an irresistible addition to their
beauty.

FIG. i5.

Bird ofl'tuiitUJse .

ria. liG.

Kinx/ JUtcL vfParaduft .

OF BIRDS, FISH, &•. <277

THE BIRD OF PARADISE*,

OF all the various animals which travellers
have mentioned and naturalists have described,
the Bird of Paradise has given rise to the great-
est number of opinions and assertions, and con-
sequently the most various and contradictory.
It has been seriously insisted on by some that
thev were inhabitants of the air, never liachtina:

J -'DO

on the ground, and that they subsisted entirely
upon the dew of heaven ; nay, Navarett, in
his history of China, carries it so far as to add,
that he was induced from this circumstance to
enquire how these birds contrived to hatch their
eggs, and was told by the natives, that the hens
laid them upon the backs of the cocks, and
there hatched them ; and this tale, in spite of
its ridiculous absurdity, had his belief, consi-
dering it, as he well might, as a kind of mira-

* This bird, says BufFon, is more remarkable for the
false and imaginary qualities tliat have been attributed to
it, than for its real and truly singular characteristics.

cle.

27B NATURAL HISTORY

cle. There are others not quite so credulous,
who believe in its never resting below, but insist
that it feeds upon the insects which hover in
the air ; and there are still others, who, so far
from allowing it to subsist on such slight food,
boldly assert that it is even a bird of prey ; but all
of them agreeing in this one particular, namely,
that these birds have neither feet nor legs.

The whole of these singular peculiarities have
however been long exploded, and the Bird of
Paradise is admitted to possess the same incli-
nation for food as other birds, and not only to
have legs and feet, but also to rest both on the
trees and on the ground. What seems to have
led to the supposition that they had not^ was
an artifice in the natives of the Molucca islands,
where these birds chiefly inhabit, and whence
they were first brought. Mandelso observes,
that the native savages were particularly partial
to the keeping these birds for the splendor of
their plumage, and therefore, upon catching
them, took out their insides, and cut off their
legs close to their bodies, they being exceeding
ill-formed, and the skin of which closing up,
left not the smallest appearance of their ever
having had any. The Europeans naturally ex-
pressing an admiration at the beauty of this

bird's

OF UIRDS, FISH, ScC. 279

bird's plumage, and the natives, considering its
legs as a great deformity, upon being asked af-
ter them, asserted that it had none, lest their
being seen should diminish its estimation, and
consequently its value. From this deception in
the first instance, we may suppose all the fore-
going absurdities to have arisen. The savages
insisted that it had no legs ; and the Euro-
peans not discovering the smallest traces of any,
gave credit to the assertion, and then ingeni-
OHsly supplied the conclusion, that, as it had
no legs, it must unavoidably be an inhabitant
of the air, where legs were unnecessary.

These ridiculous stories, however, were of
no long continuance ; their absurdity kd to en-
quiry, enquiry demonstrated facts, and those
facts have clearly ascertained the real history of
this no less beautiful than harmless bird.

Of the Birds of Paradise there are two kinds ;
the one, which is the most common, is about
the size of a pigeon, though it appears to be
much larger ; and the other, which is not so
v/ell known, is not bigger than a lark. They
are both sufficiently distinguished from all other
birds, not only by their superior brilliancy of
their tints, but by having two long slender fila-
ments growing from the upper part of the tail,

which

280 NATURAL HISTORY

which are longer than the bird's body, and
bearded only at the end, and by which peculi-
arity the Bird of Paradise may be easily known.
This bird appears to the eye to be larger
than a pigeon, though in reality the body is not
much bigger than that of a thrush. The tail,
or rather the feathers which extend from the
under part, is much longer than the body ; and
the wings are large, compared with the bird's
other dimensions. The head, the throat, and
the neck, are of a pale gold colour. The base
of the bill is surrounded by black feathers, as
also the side of the head and throat, which are
as soft as velvet, and changeable, like those on
the neck of a mallard. The hinder part of the
head is of a shining green, mixed with gold.
The body and wings are chiefly covered with
beautiful brown, purple, and gold feathers.
The uppermost part of the tail-feathers are
of a pale yellow, and the under ones, which
spread out so extensively, white, whence the
hinder part of the tail appears to be all white.
But the most curious circumstance is the two
long naked feathers above-mentioned, which
extend from the upper part of the rump above
the tail, and which are usually about three feet

long.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &e; ggl

long. These are bearded only at the begin-
ning and the end ; the whole shafts for above
two feet nine inches, being of a deep black,
while the feathered extremity is of a changeable
colour, like the mallard's neck.

This bird, which for beauty exceeds almost
all others, is a native of the Molucca islands,
but is found in greatest numbers in that of Aroj
in the delightful and spicy woods of that coun-
try they are to be seen in large flocks, so that
it may be said, the groves which produce the
richest spices abound also with the finest birds.
The native inhabitants are so partial to them as
to give them the name of God's birds, as being
superior to all others that he has made. They
live in large flocks, and at night generally
perch upon the same or neighbouring trees.
They are called by some the szvaUows of Ter-
Hate, from their rapid flight, and from their
being continually on the wing in pursuit of
insects, which are their usual prey.

The Birds of Paradise may, in some sort, be'
considered as birds of passage, for when the
rains set in, and continual tempests agitate the
air (which happen every season), they are not
to be seen, though whither they resort has
not hitherto been discovered. Like swallows

VOL. I. O o. they

'ZS2 NATLRAL HISTORY

tiiey have their staled times of return, which
is about the beginning of August, when they
are seen in great numbers flying together,
always (if we may credit the inhabitants) pre-
ceded by one which they call the king, and who
is distinguished from the rest by the superior
lustre of his plumage, and that respect and
veneration which is paid to him by the rest. In
the evening they perch upon the highest trees
of the forest, particularly on one that bears
a red berry, which they sometimes eat, when
other food fails them. In what manner they
breed, or what may be the number of their
young, no traveller who has visited those
countries has yet been able satisfactorily to
ascertain.

Since they have been in request by Eu-
ropeans, the natives have become very sedulous
in their endeavouj-s to obtain them ; and their
mode is to conceal themselves in the trees
to vv'liich these birds resort, and from tliencc
to shoot at them with arrows made of reeds,
and, as they assert, if they happen to kill the
king, they then have a good chance of killing
the greatest part of the flock. The chief mark
bv which they know the king is by tlie ends of
tke long fwuthcr* in his tail, which have eyes

hk«

OF UIKDS, IISH, blC. 2S:}

like those of a peacock, and the want of those
under feathers which spread so considerably
beneath his wings and taih When they have
taken a number of these birds, their usual method
is to gut them, and cut off their legs ; they then
run a hot iron into the bodv, which dries up the
internal moisture, and filling the cavity with salts
and spices, they sell them to the Europeans, and
in this (late their plumage will keep in good
preservation and perfect beauty for a number of
years*.

* It is not probable that the ancients were acquainted
with tlie Bird of Paradise, tor not one of ita character-
istics is to be found in any of their writings ; and it is
without foundation, that Belon pretends to find in
this bird the plioenix of antiquity, from a feeble analogy
which he has supposed to exist less in the real properties
of this bird, than in the fubles which have been propajjared
respecting both one and the other.

O o (>

•84 NATURAL HISTORY

THE WOOD-PECKER AND ITS AFFINTTIES,

UNDER the general term Wood-pecker, is
comprehended a most numerous tribe, divided
into an almost innumerable number of varieties ;
but they have several habits in common, and are
easily distinguished from all others, by their pe-
culiar formation, method of procuring food,
and manner of providing a place of safety for
their young. Indeed, no other species of birds
seem so well formed for the method of life they
pursue, being fitted by nature, at all points,
for the peculiarity of their condition. They
live chiefly upon the insects contained in the
body of trees ; and for this purpose are fur-
nished with a straight, hard, strong, angular,
and sharp bill, made for piercing and boring.
They have a tongue of a very great length ;
round, ending in a sharp, stiff, bony thorn,
dentated on each side, to strike ants and insects

when

Tr.pi,k£,,;UiiJr,j

Citc/iOC.

h'c,'.//-,r/.'r.

OF BTRDSj FISH^ &C. 285

when dislodged from their cells. Their legs are
short and strono^, for the purposes of climbing.
Their toes stand two forward, and two back-
ward ; which is particularly serviceable in hold-
ing by branches of trees. They have hard
stiff tails to rest upon when climbing. They
feed only upon insects, and want that intestine
called by anatomists the caecum ; a circum-
stance peculiar to this tribe only.

Of this bird there are many kinds, and many
varieties in each kind; they are very numerous
in the forests of every part of the world.
They differ in size, colour, and appearance ;
and ao;ree only in the marks above-mentioned,
or in those habits which result from so peculiar
a conformation. It would be a no less tedious
than difficult task to attempt to enter into a
general description of the whole of this tribe ;
we shall therefore confine our observations to
those which stand the most conspicuous
amongst them, and to which all the others
bear a strong affinity.

The green wood-spite, or wood-pecker, is
called the rain-fozcl in some parts of the coun-
try ; because, when it makes a greater noiss
than ordinary, it is supposed to foretel rain.
It is about the size of a jay; the throat,

breast.

'2S6 NATURAL HISTORY

breast, and belly, are of a pale greenish colour;
and the back, neck, and covert feathers of the
wings, are green, the large feathers of the
latter being beautifully spotted towards the
edges ; the top of the head is of a crimson co-
lour, and the tall-feathers alternately marked
with dark green and black. The wings are
pretty long, measuring eighteen or twenty
inches, when extended, from point to point. But
the bill and tongue of this little animal are its
most distinguished characteristics, and which
serve for its support and defence. As already
observed, the wood-pecker feeds upon insects,
and particularly on those which are lodged in
the body of hollow or of rotting trees, in the
discovery of which, the extraordinary strength
of his bill is of the greatest advantage : tra-
versing up and down the trunk of the tree, he
keeps striking with his bill, and where the
place sounds hollow he stops, and by continued
blovv's penetrates a hole in the bark sufficient
to receive his bill, which he then thrusts in,
and sends forth a loud whistling into the cavity,
in order to disengage the insects, and put them
into motion : this no sooner happens than
he makes use of his tongue, which proves
an excellent instrument for procuring this food :

it

OF BIRDS, FISH, ScC. 287 '

it is round, ending in a stiff, sharp, bony tip,
dentated on both sides, like the beard of an
arrow; and which he can dart out three or
four inches from the bill, and draw in again at
pleasure. The prey is thus transfixed, and
drawn into the bill, which being swallowed,
the dart is again launched at frci^h game. No-
thing has employed the attention of the cu-
rious in this part of anatomy, more than the
contrivance by which the tongue of this bird
performs its functions with such great celerity ;
and from their observations they find that the
tongue is drawn back into the bill by the help
of two small round cartilages, fastened into
thcbefore-mentioned bony tip, and runningalong
the leno^th of the tonocuc. These cartilaqes,
from the root of the tongue, take a circuit be-
vond the ears : and being; reflected backwards
to the crown of the head, make a large bow.
The muscular, spongy flesh of the tongue en-
closes these cartilages, like a sheath; and is
"so made, that it may be extended or contracted
like a worm. The cartilages indeed have mus-
cles accompanying them along their whole
length backwards. But there is still another
contrivance ; for there is a broad muscle, join-
ing the cartilages to the bones of the skull,

which.

288 NATURAL HISTORY

which, by contracting or dilating, forced the
cartilages forward through the tongue, and
then forces the tongue and all through the bill,
to be employed for the animal's preservation in
piercing its prey.

The wood-pecker, as we before observed,
discovers, by its natural sagacity, the rotten
part of a tree, and this part almost always
contains ants eggs and a variety of insects ;
to obtain which, it, resting on its strong claws,
and leaning on the thick feathers of its
tail, begins to bore with its sharp strong
beak, until it penetrates pretty largely into the
internal habitation. Immediately, either through
pleasure at the sight of its prey, or with a de-
sire to alarm the insect colony, it sends forth a
loud cry, which throws terror and confusion
among them; they are put into general
motion, endeavouring to provide for their
own safety, while the bird luxuriously
feasts upon them at leisure, darting its tongue
with unerring certainty, and quits not its situ-
ation until it has devoured the whole, or satis-
fied its appetite. At times, either from a
want of supply, or from an inclination to
change their food, they ^ill seek out the ant-
hills ; and here again they shew a peculiar sa-
gacity,

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. Ogf)

gaclly, for as the ants are generally too deep
under the earth for them to reach with their
tongues, they peck away the top ; which dis-
turbing the nest, the ants are put in motion,
which the wood-peckers observing, they thrust
out their long tongues as far as they are able>
and as the ants come upon them, they draw
them in with wonderful celerity, and by this
means never fail of obtaining a plentiful supply.

The wood-pecker not only makes holes in
trees to procure his food, but they perforate still
larger ones to form its nest^ and even this seem-
ingly arduous task they also perform with the
bill, although some have affirmed that the ani-
mal uses its tongue as a gimblet, to bore with ;
but this supposition is evidently founded in er-
ror, since in large woods and forests the noise
of the bill has, and frequently may be heard,
while they are employed in that office. It is,
however, certain that they select for this pur-
pose trees that are decayed, or wood that is soft,
like beech, elm, and poplar. In these, with
very little trouble, they make holes as exactly
round as a mathematician could with compasses.
As they find no great hardship in making these
holes, they are very difficult in their choice,
and often make twenty before one gives entire

VOL. I. P p satis-

(lf)i) K.'VTUKAL HISTORY

satisfaction ; but- halving once fixed, they never
for?ake it until they have brought up their
yonng". Except in making the cavity, they are'
extremely indolent with- respect to the forma-
tion of their nests, not taking^ the trouble tb
give therri any kind of lining, but deposit their
eggs in the hol<?, without any thing to keep
them warm, except the heat of the parent's
body. Their number is generally five or six j
always white, oblong, and of a middle size.
When the young are excluded, and before they
leave the nest, they are adorned with a scarlet
plumage under the throat> which adds to their
beauty.

The great spotted woodpechcr is not so large'
as the green wood-pecker, seldom weighing
more than three ounces; the wings when ex-
tended beino' about fourteen inches from each
extremity; it has a strai2:ht black bill, which
<rrows thicker tov/ards the head, and is about
an inch long, ending in a sharp point, chan-
nelled v/ith a furrow or two : there are a sort
of black hairs, or bristles, growing out of the
nostrils; tlie iris of the eves red, and- thsi
ton-Tfuc mii^h the same as that of* the jifreea-

o o

wood-pecker.

The

OF BIRDS, rJSII, &C. 291

The top of the head is black, dashed with a
ehining sort of green ; the sides of it, and tli^
feathers that eiicompass the base of the upper
chap, and also those about the eyes, are white,
with a line of fine crimson on the back part,
that runs from side to side, and joins to the
white on each side of the head, with a large
black stroke reaching from the corner of the
mouth to the back, as low as the insertion
of the wings, crossed with a black line just
below the head : on the side of each- wing is a
ereat white spot ; the other parts of the wing*
are black, beautifully interspersed with semi-
circular white spots ; the interior covert feathers
are white, the exterior have one or two while
spots ; the base or ridge is whitish.

The tail is strong and stiff, about three inches
long, with a forked end, bending inwards ; the
outermost feather on each side is black, with a
white spot on the exterior web with some few
transverse black strokes ; the tip of a reddish
white.

The lesser spotted zcood-pecker very much
resembles the other in shape and colour, but it
is considerably less ; the wings, when extended,
are not more than ten inches from each point,
and its v/eight is about twelve drachms ; the

P "p 'J breast.

S9^ NATURAL HISTORY

breast, throat and belly are of a dirty white ; it
has a broad streak ot red upon the top of the
head, the back part of which is black, with a
sort of dusky colour about the nostrils; round
the eyes to near the middle of the neck, on both
sides, is a broad line of white feathers, which
terminates with black, except about the ears,
where the colour is much the same as that of
the throat y the covert feathers of the wings are
black 'j the prince feathers and the rest of the
covert feathers beautifully spotted with a sort of
femicircular white spots ; the middle part of
the back while, with black cross-lines. The
hen is distinguished from the cock by a white
stroke upon the top of the head, where the cock
has a red one.

The great black wood-pecker is one of the
largest of this species ; the breadth between the
tips of the wings, when extended, being near
thirty inches, and its weight upwards of half a
pound.

The bill, from the point to the angles of the
mouth, is upwards of two inches in length, tri-
angular, and very strong, of a sort of party-
coloured black and white ; the tongue, when ex-
tended, is of a very great length ; the head is
large, the eye are of a pale yellow, the nostrils

round,i

OF EIRDS, FISH^ &C. 29S

round, and covered with reflected hairs ; the
colour of the whole body is black, only the
crown of the head, which, down to the nostrils,
is of a beautiful scarlet colour. The tail is
made up of very strong feathers, which are
stiff, and ^harp pointed at the ends, bending
inwards, about six or seven inches long ; this
in climbing trees they rest upon, as a support
to their bodies : the fore part of the legs is
feathered down to the feet, the back part no
farther than the knees ; the claws are larp-e and
strong, the feet of a lead colour ; they feed
upon hexapods, worms, ants and other insects:
it is a bird not very frequently found in this
kingdom.

Aldrovandus observes that some or other of
the different species of wood-peckers are found
in most parts of Europe ; they build in hollow
trees, and make their nest with great ingenuity:
if taken out of the tree whole, it appears round,
and in size resembles a foot- ball.

The above will be sufficient to demonstrate
the numerous branches which are contained in
this extensive family, and from which, it is to
be presumed, a pretty correct idea of the whole
race may be drawn, especially as their general
habits and manners perfectly correspond with

those

294 NATURAL HISTOUY

those of the green wood-pecker, which \vc
have, upon that account, so minutely detailed.
Before, however, we quit them entirely wc
must refer to a smaller tribe, who, though
possessing the general characteristics, differ
very much in many particulars. In our climate
there are few, if any, exceptions to be found
among the whole race of wood-peckers with re-
gard to the formation of their nests in the
trunks of trees, depositing their eggs therein,
and hatching their young, without providing
any kind of materials ; but this circumstance
is very differently managed and attended to by
those who inhabit the warmer climates of
Guinea and Brasil, and v.hich has been thus
most ingeniously described : — " A traveller,
^^ who walks into the forests of those countries,
*^ among the first strange objects that excite
^^ curiosity, is struck with the multitude of
" birds' nests hanging at the extremity of almost
" every branch. Many other kind of birds
" build in this manner ; but the chief of them
'^ are of the wood-pecker kind ; and indeed
" there is not, in the whole history of Nature,
" a more singular instance of the sagacity of
^^ those little anin)als in protecting themselves

'^ against

OF BIRDS, FISH, &,C. 295

against such enemies as they have most oc-
casion to fear. In cultivating countries a
great part of the caution of the feathered
tribe is to hide or defend their nests from the
invasions of man^ as he is their most dreaded
enemy ; but in the depth, of those remote
and sohtary forests, where man is but seldom
seen^ the little bird has nothing to appre-
hend from him. The parent is careless how
much the nest is exposed to general notice_,
if the monkey and the snake can be guarded
against. For this purpose its nest is built
upon the depending points of the most cut-*
ward branches of a tall tree, such as the
banana, or the plantain. On one of those
immense trees is seen the most various and
the most inimical assemblage of creatures
that can be imagined. The top is inhabited
by monkies of some particular tribe, that
drive off all others • Icv^ er down twine
about the great trunk numbers of the larger
snakes, patiently waitino- till some imwary
animal comes within the sphere of their
activity ; and at the edges of the trees hang
these artificial nests, in great abundance, in-
habited by birds of the most delightful plu-

mage.

The

£y3 NATURAL HISTORY

" The nest is usually formed in this manner ;
*^ when the time of incubation approaches,
* they fly busily about in quest of a kind of
'' moss, called by the English inhabitants of
'^ those countries old mwiis beard. It is a
'^ fibrous substance, and not very unlike hair,
^' which bears being moulded into any form,
^^ and suffers being glued together. This,
" therefore, the little wood-pecker, called by
^^ the natives of Brasil the guiratemga, first
*^ glues by some viscous substance, gathered in
^^ the forest, to the extremest branch of a tree ;
*• then building downward, and still adding
" fresh materials to those already procured, a
*■' nest is formed, that depends, like a pouch,
^^ from the point of the branch : the hole to
'^ enter at is on the side, and all the interior
^^ parts are lined with the finer fibres of the
'^ same substance, which compose the whole.

^^ Such is the general contrivance of these
'^ hanging nests, which are made, by some
'^ other birds, with still superior art. A little
^' bird of the Grosbeak kind, in the Philippine
^^ islands, makes its nest in such a manner, that
^' there is no opening but from the bottom.
^^ At the bottom the bird enters, and goes up
^^ through a funnel, like a chimney, till it

*^ comes

OP BIRDS, FISH, &C. 297

^^ comes to the real door of the nest, which
^^ lies on one side, and only opens into this
*^ funnel.

^^ Some birds glue their nest to the leaf of
** the banana-tree, which makes two sides of
^^ their little habitation, while the other two
*^ are artificially composed by their own in-
^^ dustry. But these, and all of the kind, are
*^ built with the same precautions to guard
^^ the young against the depredations ofmonkies
^^and serpents, which abound in every tree.
(^ The nest hangs there, before the spoilers, a
<^ tempting object, which they can only gaze
^f upon, while the bird flies in and out, without
^^ danger or molestation, from so formidable a

*^ vicinity.''

The plumage of those which inhabit the
tropical regions is exceedingly various.

The goid-merh, ot hanging zoood-pecker, is a
very curious bird, and is found in Germany,
Italy, and sometimes in the southern parts of
France in the months of March and April ;
its whole plumage is blue and green beautifully
intermixed all over the body; it has a black
beak, and a black spot on each side, between
the bill and the eyes: the large wing-feathers
of the hen are blackish, with white spots
at the ends. Pliny says that these birds hang
on the branches of trees by the legs, when they

VOL.1. Qq sleep.

jSQS NATURAL HISTOKY

sleeps with their heads downwards ; that their
f9od is chiefly the same as that of the common
wood-pecker, except the addition of figs, of
which they are extremely fond ; and that they
build their nests on the extremities of the boughs
of large high trees, which are very curiously con-
trived for excluding the rain and the wind,
having only a small hole for the bird to go in
and out.

THE CUCKOO*.

THE Cuckoo is a srenus of birds belono;inrr
to the piciZ order of naturalists, of which, though
forty-six species are enumerated, v/e shall de-
scribe only a few of the most remarkable.

1 . The common or carnivorous cuckoo :
of this bird, the head, hind part of the neck,
covert of the wings and rump, are of a dove
colour, darker on the head and paler on the-
rump ; the throat, and upper part of the neck,
are of a pale grey ; the breast and belly white,
crossed elegantly with undulated lines of black ;

* The modern Greeks in the islands of the Archipe-
lago call the cuckoo trigono kracti, vhich signifies
conductor, of doves, because these last usually arrive in
their isljinds about the same time as the former. These
same Greeks also call the cuckoo ksefieri.

the

OF BIRDS^ FISHj 8lC. '299

the tail consists of ten feathers of unequal
lengths ; the two middle tail-feathers are black,
tipped with white; the others are marked with
white spots on each side their shafts. The
legs are short, and the toes disposed two back-
wards and two forwards, like those of the
wood-pecker, though it is nev^er observed to
run up the sides of trees. The female differs
in some respects from this description. The
neck, before and behind, is of a brownish-red 5
the tail barred of the same colour, and spotted on
each side the shaft with white. The young birds
are brown mixed with black, and in that state
have been described by some authors as old ones.

The length of this bird is about 14 inches,
and its breadth 25 : it weighs about five ounces :
the bill is black, and about two thirds of an inch
in length; and the prominent rotundity of its
nostrils distinguishes it peculiarly from other
birds.

The return of this migratory bird is gene-
rally an indication of returning spring, and the
real advancement of the year; though it sojourns
the shortest time with us of any bird of
passage. There is a remarkable coincidence
observed between the song of these birds and
mackarel continuing in full roe; that is,
from about the middle of April to the latter
end of June. The cuckoo is silent for some

O q ^ time

300 NATURAL HISTORY

time after his arrival ; and his pleasant though
uniform note* is a call to love, and used only
by the male, who sits perched generally on
some dead tree, or bare bough, and repeats his
song, which he loses as soon as the amorous
season is over.

The note of this bird, though the sound of
it is constantly associated with the idea of
summer, and its attendant pleasures, is, in all
countries, used in a reproachful sense : Shake-
speare says, —

The plain song cuckoo grey,
Wl}Ose note full many a man doth mark,
And dares not answer nayf.

Yet JuvenaFs idea seems as just,
Tu tibi nunc corruca places.

On the natural history of the cuckoo we
have a very curious paper, by Mr. Jenner, in
the Philosophical Transactions for 1788: —
^^ The first appearance of cuckoos in this coun-

* The frequent repetition of its note, ecu cou, cou cou,
cou cou cou, has given rise to two provincial forms of speech.
When any one repeats the same thing frequently, it is said
in Germany to sing the cuckoo's song : — the same is said
when a small number of persons imagine that they multi-
ply themselves, and become a great assembly by much
chattering and talking.

+ In another place also he calls this bird's song

" -a note of fear

Unpleasing to the married ear."

" tr>-.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 301

'' try, as already observed, is about the middle
^^ of April (the 17th, according to Mr. Jen-
'^ ner, whose observations were made in Glou-
^^ cestershire). The song of the male, which
^^ is well known, soon proclaims its arrival.
^^ The song of the female (if the peculiar
^^ notes of which it is composed may be so
^^ called) is widely different, and has been so
'^ little attended to, that perhaps few are ac-
'^ quainted with it : the cry of the dab-chick
^^ bears some resemblance to it.

'' Unlike the generality of birds, cuckoos
^^ do not pair. When a female appears on the
^^ wing, she is often attended by two or three
^^ males, who seem to be earnestly contending
*' for her favours. From the time of her ap-
*^ pearance till after the middle of summer, the
*' nests of the birds selected to receive her
/^ eggs are to be found in great abundance ;
" but, like the other migrating birds, she does
^^ not begin to lay till some weeks after her
*^ arrival.

^' It is on all hands allowed, that the cuckoo
'^ does not hatch its own eggs ; for which
" different reasons have been given, as will be
^^ afterwards noticed. The hedge-sparrow, the
^^ water- wagtail, the titlark, the redbreast, the
^^ yellow-hammer, the green-linnet, or the
'^ whinchat, is generally the nurse of the young

^' cuckoo.

502 NATURAL HISTORY

'^ cuckoo. It may be supposed, that the fe-
^^ male cuckoo lays her eggs* in the absence of
*^ the bird in whose nest she intends to deposit;
^^ as it has been known, that on sight of one of
'^ these, a redbreast, and its mate, jointly at-
** tacked her on approaching the nest, putting
^^ her to flight, and ho ejTectually drove her
" away that she did not dare to return. Among
^^ the birds above-mentioned it generally selects
'* the three first, but shews a much greater par-
^' tiality to the hedge-sparrow. This last com-
^^ monly takes up four or five days in laying her
ic eggs. During this time (generally after she has
'^ laid one or two) the cuckoo contrives to de-
^^ posit her tgg among the rest, leaving the
^' future care of it entirely to the hedge-
^^ sparrow. This intrusion often occasions
^^ some discomposure, for the old hedge-sparrow,
'^ whilst she is sitting, not unfrequently throws
'^ out some of her own eggs, and sometimes
^^ injures them in such a way that they be-
'^ come addle; so that it more frequently
^^ happens that only two or three hedge-
^^ sparrows eggs are hatched with the cuckoo's
'^ than otherwise. But whether this be the
case or not, she sits the same length of time

ce

* The cuckoo very seldom lays more than one egg in tlie
same place.

"as

OF IJIRDS5 FISH, &c. 303

^^ as if no foreign egg had been introduced,
*^ the cuckoo's egg requiring no longer in-
*^ cubation than her own.

^^ When the hedge-sparrow has sat her usual
^^ time, and disengaged the young cuckoo, and
^^ some of her own offspring, from the shell,
'^ her own young ones, and such of the eggs
*^ that remain unhatched, are soon turned out,
^^ the young cuckoo remaining possessor of the
*^ nest, and sole object of her future care.
^^ The young birds are not previously killed,
^^ nor are the eggs demolished, but all are left
^'^ to perish together, either entangled about the
'^ bush which contains the nest, or lying on
^^ the ground under it.

'^ The early fate of the young hedge-sparrows
^^ is a circumstance that has been noticed by
^^ others, but attributed to wrong causes. A
" variety of conjectures have been formed
^^ upon it. Some have supposed the parent
*^^ cuckoo the author of their destruction ;
^^ while others, as erroneously, have pro-
^^ nounced them smothered by the dispropor-
^^ tionate size of their fellow-nestling. Now
^^ the cuckoo's egg being not much larger
^^ than the hedge-sparrow's, it necessarily fol-
^^ lows, that at first there can be no great dif-
'^ ference in the size of the birds just burst

^^ from

304 NATURAL HISTORY

^^ from the shell. Of the fallacy of the forilief
^^ assertion also I was some years ago convinced,
'^ by having found that many cuckoo eggs were
**^ hatched in the nest of other birds after the
'' old cuckoo had disappeared ; and by seeing
'' the same fate then attend the nestling sparrows
'' as during the appearance of old cuckoos in
^^ this country. '*

From much attention, and a variety of ex-
amples, Mr. Jenner was enabled to ascertain
this curious fact relative to the incubation and
rearing of the young cuckoo 3 a fact, which, as
he acknowledges, is so much out of the ordinary
course of nature, that it might reasonably excite
a doubt.

The smallness of the cuckoo*s c^g^ in pro-
portion to the size of the bird, is a circum-
stance to be noticed ; its size is generally less
than that of the house-sparrow, though the
difference in the size of the birds is nearly as
five to one. The colour of the cuckoo's egg
is also very variable, but often resembling
the house-sparrow's.

The mode by which the young cuckoo con-
trives to eject the native possessor of the nest
is highly curious. The little animal, with the
assistance of its rump and wings, contrives to
get the young sparrow (or other bird) upon

its

OF Binos, Fisii^ Sec. 305

its back ; and making a lodgment for the bur-
then, by elevating its elbows, clambers back-
wards with it up the side of the nest till it reaches
the top, where resting a moment, it throws off
its burthen with a jerk, and quite disengfges it
from the nest ; it then remains for a little time
in that situation, and feels about with the ex-
tremities of its wino-s, to be convinced that the
business is properly executed.

The number of nestlings destroyed by the
cuckoo must undoubtedly be very great ; but
though nature permits this waste, yet the ani-
mals thus destroyed are not thrown away, or
rendered useless. At the season when this hap-
pens, great numbers of tender quadrupeds and
reptiles are seeking provisions ; and if they find
the callow nestlings which have fallen victims
to the young cuckoo, they are furnished with
food well adapted to their peculiar state.

Why the cuckoo should not, like other
birds, build a nest, incubate its eggs, and rear
its young, is a circumstance that naturalists,
ancient or modern, have been unable to re-
solve. Mr. Jenner suggests the following as
the most plausible reasons : " The short resi-
" dencc this bird is allowed to make in the

country where it is destined to propagate its

VOL. I, R r '^ species.

a

506 NATURAL HISTORY

€:

Species, and the call that nature has upon it^
" during that short residence, to produce a nu-
'' merous progeny.'*

The growth of the young cuckoo is ex-
tremely rapid ; it has a plaintiv'e chirp, which is
not learned from its foster-parent ; and it never
acquires the adult note during its stay in this
country. A fierceness of disposition shews itself
long before it leaves the nest; for when irritated,
it assumes the manners of a bird of prey, looks
ferocious, throws itself back, and pecks with
great vehemence at any thing presented to it,
often making a chuckling noise like a young
hawk.

In a state of nature, caterpillars seem to be
the chief food of the cuckoo ; but when brought
up tame, as is often the case, they w^ill eat
bread, milk, fruit, insects, eggs, and flesh ei-
ther cooked or raw. When fat, they are said
to be good eating. The ancient Romans ad-
mired them. Pliny speaks of them as a deli-
cacy ; and the French and Italians eat them to
this day.

Africa is supposed to be the spot whither they
migrate, since they are observed to visit the
island of Malta twice a year; that is, in their
passage backwards and forwards to that part of

the

Of BIKUS, FISH, bic. 307

the world. The cuckoo is said to be comirion
in Sweden^ but to appear a month later than
with us. And Russia is not destitute of them,
as appears by a specimen brought from Kamt-
schatka^ now in the possession of Sir Joseph
Banks.

2. The ArnericanuSy or cuckoo of Carolina^
is about the size of a blackbird, the upper
mandible of the bill black, the lower yellow ;
the large wing feathers are reddish ; the rest
of the wing, and all the upper part of the body,
head, and neck, are of an ash colour; all the
under part of the body, from the bill to the
tail, . white ; the tail long and narrow, com-
posed of six long and four shorter feathers j
the legs short and strong. Their note is very
different from the cuckoo of this country, and
not so remarkable as to be taken notice of. It
is a solitary bird, frequenting the dark recesses
of woods and shady thickets. They retire on
the approach of winter,

S. The htdicatory or honey-guide, is a na-
tive of Africa. ' The following description is
given of it by Dr. Sparrman in the Philoso-
phical Transactions for 1777. ^' This curious
*' species of cuckoo is found at a considerable
'^ distance h'om the Cape of Good Hope, in
^R r 2 '' the

oOS 'NAJI3RAL HISTORY

<* the interior parts of Africa, being entirely
^^ unknown at that settlement. The Dutch
'' settlers thereabouts have given this bird the
" name of ' honey guide/ from its quality of
*• discovering wild honey to travellers. Its co-
^^ lour has nothino- strikin,ir or beautiful. Its
^^ size is considerably smaller than that of our
'^ cuckoo in Europe ; but, in return, the in-
*^ stinct which prompts it to seek its food in a
'^ singular manner is truly admirable. Not
^^ only the Dutch and Hottentots, but likewise
^^ a species of quadruped, named ratel (pioba-
'' bly a new species of badger), are frequently
^•' conducted to wild bee-hives by this bird,
'^ w^hich, as it were, pilots them to the very
*^ spot. The honey being its favourite food,
*^ its own interest prompts it to be instrumental
^^ in robbing the hive, as some scraps are com-
^' monly left for its support, The morning and
^^ evening are its time of feeding, and it is then
^' heard calling in a shrill tone, cherry charr;
'^ which the honey-hunters carefully attend to
*''as the summons to the chace. From time to
^' time they answer with a soft whistle; which
^^ the bird hearirig, always continues its note.
'' As soon as they are in sight of each other,
f' the bird gradually flutters towards the place

^^ wherf;

OF BIRDS, FISH, 8cC. SOO

where the hive is situated, continually re-
peating its former call of cherr, cherr ; nay,
if it should happen to have g^^ned a consi-
derable way before the men, it returns to
them again, and redoubles its note, as it were
to reproach them with their inactivity. At
last the bird is observed for a few moments
to hover over a certain spot, and then silently
retiring to a neighbourmg hush or resting
place, the hunters are sure of findiii^ithe bees'
nest in that identical spot ; wh nher it be in
a tree, or the crevice of a rock, or, as is
most 'commonly the ca?'., in the earth.
Whilst the hunterj are busy in taking the
honey, the bird is seen looking on attentively
to what is going forward, and waiting for
its share of the spoil. The bee-hunters never
fail to leave a small portion for their con-
ductor, hue commonly take care noi to leave
so much as would satisfy its hunger. The
bird's appetite being whetted by this parsi-
mony, it is obliged to commit a second trea-
son, by discovering another bees' nest, in
hopes of a better salary. It is further ob-
served, that the nearer the bird approaches
the hidden hive, the more frequently it re-

^^ peats

510 NATURAL HISTORY

<e

peats its call^ and seems the more impatient.
*^ I have had frequent opportunities of seeing
*^ this bird, and have been witness to the de-
^* struction of several repubhcs of bees by means
^' of its treachery. I had, however, but two
*' opportunities of shooting it, which I did to
*^ the great indignation of my Hottentots. It
^^ is about seven inches in length, and is of a
^^ rusty brown colour on the back, with a
^^ white breast and belly." A nest which
was shewn to Dr. Sparrman for that of this
bird, was composed of slender filaments of
bark woven together in the form of a bot-
tle ; the neck and opening hung downwards,
and a string, in an arched shape, was sus-
pended across the opening fastened by the two
ends, perhaps for the bird to perch on.

4. The Cape cuckoo is somewhat smaller than
ours 5 the bill is a deep brown, the upper part
of the body a greenish brown ; the under parts
of the body white, crossed with lines of black,
the legs reddish brown. It inhabits the Cape
of Good Hope ; and is probably the same bird
as the edolis, so called from its pronouncing
that v.'ord frequently in a low melancholy

tone.

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 511

tone. Voyagers also mention another cuckoo
wliich is common at Loango, in Africa. It is
bigger than ours, but of the same colour, and
repeats the word cuckoo like that bird, but in
different inflexion of voice.

5. The honoratus, or sacred cuckoo, is some-
what less than our cuckoo ; the general colour
is a blackish ash in the upper parts, marked
with two spots of white on each feather ; be-
neath white, transversely spotted with ash-co-
lour. This species inhabits Malabar, where
the natives hold it sacred. It feeds on rep
tiles, which, perhaps, may be such as are the
most noxious : if so, this seeming superstition
may have arisen from a more reasonable foun-
dation than many others of the like sort.

6. The shining cuckoo is the size of a small
thrush ; the bill is bluish ; the upper part of
the body green, with a rich gilded gloss ; the
under parts are white, transversely waved with
green gold ; the under coverts of the tail al-
most white ; the quills and tail dusky brown ;
the legs bluish. This inhabits part of New
Zealand, where it is called poops-arowro.

7. The vetula is somewhat bls:2;er than a

blackbird.

3I<2 NATURAL HISTORY

blackbird. It inhabits Jamaica, where it is fre-
quently in the woods and hedges all the year
round. It feeds on seeds, small wornis and
caterpillars, and is very tame. This bird has
the name tacco from its cry, which is like that
word ; the first syllable of this is pronounced
boldly, the other following in a full octave
lower than the first. It has also another cry
like quay qua, qua ; but that only when alarmed
by an enemy. Besides insects it will also eat
lizards, small snakes, froo;s, young rats, and
sometimes even small birds. The snakes they
swallow head foremost, letting the tail hang
out of the mouth till the fore- parts are di-
gested. It is probable that this bird might be
easily tamed, as it is so gentle as to suffer the
negro children to catch it with their hands. Its
gait is that of leaping like a magpie, being
frequently seen on the ground ; its flight is
but short, chiefly from bush to bush. At the
time when other birds breed, they likewise re-
tire into the woods, but their nests hav^e never
yet been found, from which it may reason-
ably be inferred, that they were indebted to
other birds for the rcarins; iheir vounc; in the

manner

OF HIRDS, FISH, &C. SlJ

manner of the common cuckoo. It has the
name of rain-bird, as it is said to make the
greatest noise before rain ; and is common all
the year at Jamaica. In another species or va-
riety, common in Jamaica, the feathers on the
throat appear like a downy beard, whence, pro-
bably, arose the name of old man rain-bird,
given there, and by Ray, Sloane, &c.

8. The Nccvitis, spotted cuckoo, or rail bird,
is about the size of a field-fare; it inhabits
Cayenne, and is often seen perched upon gates
and rails, whence it is named.

9. The Cai/anus, or Caj/cnne, cuckoo, is the
size of the bla^-kbird, and in that country goes
by the name of the devil. The natives consider
it as a bird of ill omen ; and will not touch its
flesh, which is to be sure very bad and lean : it
is remarkably tame, and will suffer itself almost
to be touched without offering to escape.

Thirty-seven other species are enumerated in
various parts of the world, but they are desti-
tute of distinguishing characteristics that would
render their history interesting.

VOL. I, S3

:M4f NATURAL HISTORY

THE PARROT.

THIS is ii gemis which comprehends a nu-
merous race, and which branches out into an
ahnost immensity of species, so much so, that,
as Buftbn remarks, if the nomenclators had no
other motive than to make a catalogue, they
miglit have swelled out a volume with parrots
alone, especially had they been inclined to con-
sider every change of colour as a particular
species, and there is little other difference in
many of their distinctions. Linnaeus reckons
forty- seven varieties, while Brisson enumerates
nine fy -five, and even that number might be
doubled with equal propriety. But quitting
these elaborate philosophers, who frequently
attempt to establish a distinction where there is
scarcely any difference, we shall consider them
under the general applications given by those
who seem best acquainted with them, which
are no more than four. The first and largest

kind

TIlc Lay

G/tcyt J'urrcft

or Bill OS, FISH, fii-c. :r.y

kind are of the size of a raven, and are called
fuarcaws ; the next size are simply called par-
rots ; those which are entirely white, are called
lories; and the smallest, paroquets. The dif-
ference between even these is rather in the size
than in any other peculiar conformation, as they
are all formed alike, having toes, two before
and two behind, for climbing and holding •;
strong hooked bills for breaking open nuts, and
other hard substances, on. which they feed ;
and loud harsh voices, by which they fill their
native woods with clamour. Their voices, in-
deed, are more like a man's than that of any
other bird 3 the raven is too hoarse, and the
jay and magpie too shrill to resemble the truth ;
the parrot'^s note is of the true pitchy and ca-
pable of a number of modulations.

The facility with which this bird is taught to
speak, and the great number of words which it
is capable of repeating^ are equally surprising".
We are assured^ by a grave writer, that one of
these was taught to repeat a whole sonnet from
Petrarca -, and this may very easily be credited,
since whimsical instances of their repeating cer-
tain phrases are in the power of almost every
one to relate. We can speak from our own
knowledge of one that would call to the vender
of any article who cried it under the window

S s 2 where

3l6 NATURAL HISTORY,

where, it hung, and upon the man or woman
askhig, ^^ Did you call, Ma'am?'' would re-
ply^ '^ No, none to dav," to the no small
monification of the party it had stopped, and
the mirth of the spectator ; with whom it would
instantly join in a hcavty laugh. There is a
curious story of this kind told by Willoughby,
who says, that '* A parrot belonging to King
'^ Henry the Seventh, who then resided at
*^ Westminster, in his palace by the river
^^ Thames, had learned to talk many words
^^ from the passengers as they happened to take
*^ water. One day, sporting on its perch, the
^^ poor bird fell into . the water, at the same
^' time crying out, as loud as he could, A boat!
*^ twenty pound for a hodt ! A waterman, who
'^ happened to be near, hearing the cry, made
^^ to the place where the parrot was floating:,
^^ and taking him up restored him to the king.
^^ As it seems the bird was a favourite, the
'^ man insisted that he ought to have a reward
^' rather equal to his services than his trouble ;
'^ and, as the parrot had cried twenty pounds,
" he said the king was bound in honour to grant
'^ it. The king at last agreed to leave it to
*^ the parrot's own determination, which the
" bird hearing, cried out. Give the knave a
^' groat."

The

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 317

The parrot is a native of the tropical regions ;
and in the East and West Indies it is as nume-
rous and familiar as ravens and crows are with
us. They are distinguished from almost every
other bird by a number of peculiarities ; for,
besides those already alluded to, their toes a'e
contrived in a singular manner^ which appears
when they walk or climb, and when they are
eating. For the first purpose they stretch two
of their toes fonvard and two backward ; but
when they take their meat, and bring it to their
mouths with their foot, they dexterously and
nimbly turn the greater hind toe forward, so as
to take a firmer grasp of the nut, or the fruit
they are going to feed on, standing all the
while upon the other leg. They do not even
present their food in the usual manner; for
other animals turn their meat inwards to the
mouth ; but these, in a seemingly-awkward
position, turn their meat outwards, holding the
nuts, for example, as it were, from them, till
with their bills they break the shell, and txtract
the kernel. And here we find another very
great singularitv, for the upper as well as the
lower chap is moveable. In most other birds
the upper chap is connected, and makes but
one piece with the skull ; but in these, and in

one

518 NATURAL HISTORY

one or two other species of the feathered tribe,
the upper chap is connected to the bone of the
head by a strong membrane, placed on each
side, that hfts and depresses it at pleasure. In
consequence of this formation they can open
their bills the wider, which is highly necessary
to them, from the upper chap being so hooked
and so over-hanging, that, if the lower chap
alone had motion, they could scarcely gape wide
enough to take in sufficient for their sustenance.

As these birds cannot readily hop from bough
to bough (their legs not being adapted for that
purpose), when inclined to climb they use both
the beak and the feet, first catching hold with-
the beak, as if with a hook, and drawing up
the legs and fastening them ; then advancing
the head and the beak again, and so putting
forward the body and the feet alternately, till^
they accomplish their intentions.

We have already observed that the tongue of
this bird somewhat resembles that of a man, and
to which cause has been attributed their being
so well qualified to imitate the human speech 5
but it has been clearly demonstrated, by several
celebrated anatomists, that the organs by which
these sounds are articulated lie farther down in
the throat, being performed by the great motion

which

OF BIUDS, FISII, &,C. 319

tvhich the as h^oidcs has in these birds beyond
what is the case with any otliers of the feathered
race.

The parrot, though common enough in Eu-
rope, will not, however, breed in any part of
it*. The climate is too cold for its warm
constitution, and though it can withstand our
winter, when arrived at maturity, yet it always
seems sensible of the cold, and loses both its
spirit and appetite during the inclement part of
the season : it becomes inactive, and seems
quite changed from that bustling loquacious
animal it appears during the warmth of sum-
mer. They will, however, live even here a
considerable time, if properly attended to and
taken cafe of. It requires much pains and prac-
tice to teach them to speak, for at first they
obstinately resist all instruction, and are only
to be won by perseverance ; after being con-

* Virey observes, that in the year 1793 the heat was so
great at Basle, in Swisserland, that a young parrot laid
two eggs ; she did not however sit upon theno, but died at
the end of two days, in consequence of this effort, whicli is
very extraordinary in Europe, particularly in Swisserland.
The same phenomenon has frequently been observed in
Paris, during the hottest summers. An artificial heat de-
rated to the temperature of the countries inhabited by
this species of birds, would, perhaps, enable the parrots to
Jay and hatch young ones.

tinually

320 NATURAL HISTORY

tinually teazed^ as it were^ with one sound, and
at the same time kept in good humour by
caresses and fondness, they will begin endea-
vouring to imitate what they so constantly hear,
and havin<>: once cau2;h4: the first sound, and
being able to repeat the first word, they after
wards learn with great facility, and repeat with
good articulation.

It is remarked by Goldsmith, that ^* In go-
" iog through the towns of France some time
^'' since, I could not help observing how much
^^ plainer their parrots spoke than ours, and
'^ how very distinctly I understood their par-
'^ rots speak French, when I could not always
^^ understand our own, though they spoke my
^^ native language. I was at first for ascribing
" it to the diilerent qualities of the two lan-
'^ guages, and was for entering into an elaborate
*^ discussion on the vowels and consonants ; but
^^ a friend that was with me solved the difficiulty
" at once, by assuring me that the French wo-
^^ men scarcely did any thing else the whole day
*^ than sit and instruct their feathered pupils; and
^^ that the birds were thus distinct in their les-
^^ sons in consequence of continual schooling.*'
But hovvcver expert the parrots of France
may be, they are very inferior to those of the
Brasils^ where the education of a parrot is con-
sidered

OF BIRDS, FISH, &C. 321

sidered as a very serious affair. Clusius assures
us that the parrots of that country are the more
sensible and cunning of all animals that are not
endued with reason; particularly the great
parrot, called the aicurotis, the head of which is
adorned with yellow, red, and violet, the body
green, the end of the wings red, and the feathers
of the tail long and yellow. This bird, he as-
serts, (which is seldom brought into Europe) is
a prodigy of understanding, and as an inllance
gives the following account : ^^ A certain Bra-
" silian woman, that lived in a village two miles
'^ distant from the island on which we resided, had
'^ a parrot of this kind which was the wonder of
^' the place. It seemed endued with such un-
^^ derstanding, as to discern and comprehend
'^ whatever she said to it. As we sometimes
'^ used to pass by that woman's house, she used
*^ to call upon us to stop, promising, if we gave
*^ her a comb, or a looking-glass, that she would
'^ make her parrot sing and dance to entertain
^' us. If we agreed to her request, as soon as
^' she had pronounced some words to the bird,
*' it began not only to leap and skip on the
^^ perch on which it stood, but also to talk
'^ and to whistle, and to imitate the shoutings
" and exclamations of the Brasilians when they
VOL. I. T t *' prepare

322 NATURAL HISTORY

^^ prepare for battle. In brief, when it came
" into the woman's head to bid it sing, it sang;
" to dance, it danced. But if, contrary to our
*^ promise, we refused to give the woman the
^^ little present agreed on, the parrot seemed to
'^ sympathize in her resentment, and v/as silent
*^ and immoveable ; neither could we, by any
*' means, provoke it to move either foot or
^* tongue."

It is not only in a domestic state that par-
rots shew their sagacity, for in their native
residence among the woods they sufficiently shew
that cunning is natuial to them. There they
live together in flocks, and mutually assist
each other against their enemies, either by their
courage or notes of warning. They generally
breed in hollow trees, where they make a round
hole, but take no trouble to line their nests.
If they find any part of a tree beginning to
rot from the breaking off of a branch, or any
such accident, this they take care to scoop,
and to make the hole sufficiently wide and
convenient ; but they frequently content them-
selves with the hole which a woodpecker has
wrou£^ht, and then forsaken, because not
perfectly agreeable to its mind. In this kind
of nest the common parrot generally lays

two.

OF BIRDS, FISH, SCC. 323

two, or at most three, eggs, which are like
those of the pigeon, and about the same
size. They are always marked with little
specks, like those of a partridge. It is, how-
ever, to be observed, that the smaller kinds
sometime lay four or five ; but this only tends
to strengthen the remark we have had frequent
occasion to make, namely, that the smaller the
animal, the more prolific it is. Some travellers
assure us, that their nests are always found in the
trunks of the tallest, the straightest, and the larg-
est trees ; and that the natives of those countries,
who have little else to do, are very assiduous in
watching out the places where the parrot is seen
to nestle, because those birds have always the
greatest docility that are taken young from the
nest, aAd are therefore the most esteemed by
Europeans. From constant observation they are
enabled to judge pretty nearly when the young
ones are about to fly ; and their usual method to
come at the nest, is by cutting down the tree.
In the fall of the tree it often happens that the
young parrots are killed ; but if one of them
survive the shock, the natives consider that as a
sufficient recompence for their trouble.

But as the natives are not able at all times

to sup])ly the demand for young ones, they are

T t 2 then

3£4 NATURAL HISTORY

then contented to take the old ; and for that
purpose shoot them in the woods with arrows^
headed with cotton, which knocks down the
bird without killing it. This mode, however,
is not always equally successful, as notwith-
standing all their care, many of theili die of
the blow they have received. But even this is
not entirely a disappointment, for the savage
takes them home as provision for his family ;
and it is also to be observed, that though some
of them are but tough and ill-tasted, yet there
are others, particularly of the small paroquet
tribe, that are very delicate food. In general
it follows, that whatever fruit or grain these
birds mostly feed upon, their flesh partakes of
the flavour, and becomes good or ill tasted, ac-
cording to the quality of their particular diet.
When the guava is ripe, they are at that sea-
son fat and tender ; if they feed upon the seed
of the acajou, their flesh contracts a flavour of
garlic ; if they feed upon the seed of the spicy
trees, their flesh then tastes of cloves and cin-
namon; while, on the contrary, it is insupport-
ably bitter if the berries they feed on are of
that quality. The seed of the cotton-tree in-
toxicates them in the same manner as wine does
man : even wine itself is drunk by parrots; and

Aristotle

OF BIRDS^ FISH, &C. 325

Aristotle maintains^ that by a supply of wine
they are rendered more talkative and amusing.
But of all food, they arc fondest of the cartha-
mus, or bastard saffron ; which, though strongly
purgative to man, agrees perfectly with their
constitution, and fattens them in a very short
time.

According to Labat, the paroquets of Brasil
are the most beautiful in their plumage, and the
most talkative. He says they are very tame, and
appear fond of man ; that they seem pleased when
holding parley with him^ for while he continues
to talk they answer him, and appear resolved to
have the last word ; but they are possessed of
another quality which is sufficient to prevent
this association ; thai is, their flesh is exceeding-
ly delicate, and highly esteemed. For the
purpose of supplying the table, they are greatly
sought after ; and the practice is to shoot them
as we do game in this country. They are
very numerous in the woods, whither the sports-
men pursue them ; but as they are green, and
exactly the colour of the leaves among which
they sit, he only hears their prattle, without
being able to see a single bird ; he looks round
him, sensible that his game is within gun-shot
in abundance, but is mortified to the last

degree

326 NATURAL HISTORY

degree that it is impossible to see them. Un-
fortunately for these little animals, they are rest-
less and ever on the wing, so that in flymg
from one tree to another he has but too frequent
opportunities of destroying them. Besides
this restlessness, it is a common practice
with them, as soon as they have stripped the
tree, on which they sit, of all its berries, for
one of them to fly off to another, and, if that
be found fit for the purpose, it gives a loud
call, upon which all the rest immediately follow.
Tliis is the only fair opportunity the sports-
man has to look for, and of which he seldom
fails to take advantage : aware of the call, he
is prepared v/hen they take wing, and, by firing
among the flock, generally gets pretty amply
rewarded for that exercise of his patience,
which the sport renders absolutely necessary.
The survivors, instead of taking flight at the
report of the gun, rather take part with their
fallen companions, set up a loud screaming
against their destroyer, and which they do not
relinquish, until they observe him prepared
with a second charge, when self preservation
becomes requisite.

Notwithstanding there are so many motives
for destroying these beautiful birds, they are in
very great plenty, and, in some countries on the

coast

OF BIRDS, FISH, &.C. 527

coast of Guinea, are considered by the ne-
groes as their greatest tormentors. The flocks
of parrots persecute them with their unceasing
screaming, and devour whatever fruits they at-
tempt to produce by cultivation in their little
gardens. In other places they are not so de-
structive, though equally common; indeed,
there is scarcely a country of the tropical cli-
mates that has not many of the common kinds,
as well as some peculiarly its own. Travellers
have counted more than a hundred different
kinds on the continent of Africa only; there is
one country in particular, north of the Cape
of Good Hope, which takes its name from the
multitude of parrots that are seen in its woods.
There are white parrots seen in the burning re-
gions of Ethiopia; in the Eaft Indies, they are
of the largest size ; in South America, they are
docile and talkative ; in all the islands of the
Pacific Sea and the Indian Ocean, they swarm
in great variety and abundance, and add to the
splendor of those ever verdant forests*.

So general are these birds at present, and so
great is their variety, that nothing seems
more extraordinary than that one sort only of

them

* In the Molucca islands, says Labillardiere, rol. ii, p.
301, the inhabitants brought us a great number of paro-
quets

SQ.8 NATURAL IlISiORy

them should have been known to the Romans,
and that at a time when they pretended to be
masters of the world. The green paroquet^
with a red neck, was the first of the kind that
was brought into Europe, and the only one
that was known to the ancients, from the time
of Alexander the Great to the Age of Nero.
This was brought from India ; and when, after-
wards, the Romans began to seek and hunt
through all their dominions for new and un-
heard of luxuries, they at last found out several
other parrots in Gaganda, an island of Ethiopia,
and which they considered as an extraordinary
discovery.

Besides the disorders usual with other birds,
parrots have two, peculiar to their kind. They
are sometimes struck by a kind of apoplectic
blow, by which they fall from their perches,
and for a while seem ready to expire. The
other is the growing of the beak, which be-
comes so very much hooked as to deprive them

quets of the species called psittacus Alexandri: and at p.
297, vol. ii, the same traveller adds: " the birds, parti-
cularly the paroquets, are so multiplied on this island
(Borrow, one of the Moluccas), that it is very probable its
* name is hence derived; as, in the Malay language, it
signifies hirdj^

of

or BIRDS/ FISH, 8cc. ' 329

of the power of eating. These infirmities,
however, do not hinder them from being long-
Hved, for a parrot, well kept, will live five or
six and twenty years.

We shall not pretend to trace the whole of
this tribe, nor to mark their differences, yet we
deem it necessary to point oat some of their
leading traits, and are of opinion, that, by de-
scribing the principals, we shall give a tolerable
correct idea of the several branches of this ex-
tensive family. Firft, then, stands

The maccaw, which is by far the largest
of the parrot kind, being as big as a full -sized
capon; they are found chiefly in the Weft-
Indies, and where, notwithstanding they are
plenty, they are held in great estimation. They
have a very crooked bill, almoft in the form of
a semicircle, which is full three inches long,
and of a light ash colour j they have short
thick legs, of a dufky colour, with long toes
and black talons ; their heads, necks, breasts^
and the under parts of their bodies, but par-
ticularly their tails, are of a fine scarlet, and
the reft of their bodies of a beautiful and rich
blue.

The common parrot may be said to com-
prehend two kinds, namely, the grey and the

VOL. I. U u green ;

330 iNATLRAL HISTORY

green ; the jfirll of which is by much the
largest. The general characteristics of the
grey parrot is the having a strong black bill,
very much hooked ; (as is the case with the
whole of this race) its body is of a grey, or
lead colour, rather shaded with white about the
head ; and frequently reddish feathers in
their wings and tails. The green parrot, as
the appellation implies, is mostly of that co-
lour, though some are much darker than
others : its head is generally shaded with a bright
yellow^ very frequently approaching to a gold
colour ; some of them also have scatlct feathers
upon their tails and wings ; others blue, and
many have both; but thfese trifling variations
are so exceedingly numerous, that it would be
no less prolix than unnecessary to dwell upon
them.

The lory. The itiost beautiful of this spe-
cies is that brought frOin the JBrasils, arid which
is pretty nearly the size of a common parrot. It
has a fine bright blue tuft of feathers growing
on the top of the head ; the rest of the head
and the neck, and the upper part of the back,
are scarlet, with a fine ring of yellow encir-
cling the neck ; the covert feathers of the
wings are a fine green, intennixed with yellow,

and

//n^ _ '/j//7C^ ( 'yrVj^yy^rO

t:^/ie'.^/^?r^y (?y^/A^ f^7f>///n' t>^ t^A^Jtn^^.

Pn2>7L'7teJ hv U. JJ. J'\'nii'nJj- ./imr i.jSt't' .

OF lilRDS, FISH, StC. 331

and the quill-feathers of a bright bkie ; the rest
of the body is of a pale red, and the tail-fea-
thers generally ending with purple.

The paroquet: the most eminent of these
is the one which is a native of Bengal : it
is considerably less than the common parrot :
the upper part of the bill is yellow, and the
lower part black. The back part of the head
of a palish red, shaded with purple; the throat
is of a dark colour, with a small black circle
running round the lower part of the neck ; the
belly, breast, and thighs, are of a pale yel-
lowish colour, shaded with green ; the wings>
the back, and upper side of the tail, are of a
beautiful grass green : the tail is composed of
but few feathers, those in the middle being the
longest; under the side it is of a pale, yel-
low ; the legs ash-coloured. This bird by the
natives of Bengal is called Fridatutah.

Mr. Walker, in his Memoirs of the Royal
Society, ha^ observed with relation to \ht paro-
quet, which he had the curiosity to dissect, that
it has, besides the gizzard, two craws, the upper-
most being only a receptacle or sack for the
food, which is canary seed, to be again returned
to the mouth, where it is re-chewed, having be-
fore been only hulked, this animal ruminating as

some

532 NATURAL HISTORY, £CC.

some quadrupeds do ; and he says, he observed
it, when upon the perch, not only bring up its
food again into its mouth, and there chew it, but
when the cock and- hen sit together on the
perch, he would put the food out of his own
mouth into the hen's. Their manner of chew-
ing is thus : the under bill being shorter, shuts
within the upper, or against the roof of the
mouth, which is ^fitted with several rows of
very small cross-bars as the mouths of horses,
dogs, and some other animals are ; these bars
are not soft, but horny, as being part of the
upper bill; so that the bird, by carrying the
edge of the under bill^ and end of the tongue,
against the ridges in the upper, breaks and re-'
duces to a pap the seeds that have been first
moistened in the craw, to expedite which ac-
tions, the upper bill is joined just below the
eyes ; the food behig thus macerated, is by the
gi{la again committed to the second craw ;
hence the food passes into the gizzard, or pro-
per ventricle, where by the motion of the giz-
zard it is comminuted, and thence transmitted
to the intestines, on the sides of which, within
at small distance, is placed the pancreas.

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