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V-3> CONTENTS OF THE THIRD VOLUME. cr'HE Red- legged Crow ^- — The Hermit Crow — — The Raven — — — Foreign Birds related to the Raven — 1. The Indian Raven of Bontius — • 2. The Carrion Crow — — 3. The Rook —.—._-. 4. The Hooded Crow — — Foreign Birds which are related to the Crows 1. The Senegal Crow — — 2. The Jamaica Crow . — -f Page I 7 ir 34 ib. 38 46 51 57 ib. 58 The Jackdaws — — 59 The Alpine Baw — — 65 Foreign Birds which are related to the Jackdaws 68 1. The Muftachio Daw 2. The Bald t)aw 3. The New Guinea Daw 4. The Papuan Daw •5. The Cayenne Colnud 6. The Philippine Balicafe A2 ib. 69 70 7« 72 12 The ' IM CONTENTS. Page fbf Magpie — — — 75 fo^niGv BiKDi related to the Magpie — 85 1. The Senegal Magpie — — ib. 2. The Jamaica Magpie — — ib. 3. The Magpie of the Antilles — 88 4. The Hocifana •— — — 91 5. The Vardiole «-. — 92 6. The Zanoe .^.^ — — 93 The Jay — — — 94 Foreign Birds which are related to the Jay 101 1. The Red-billed Jay of China — ib. 2. The Peruvian Jay — — 102 3. The Brown Canada Ja/i or Cinereous Crow, Lath. — — , — 103 4. The Siberian Jay — — 105 5. The "W hite Coif, or Cayenne Jay — ib. 6. The Garlu, or the Yellow-bellied Jay of Cayenne — — •• 106 7. The Blue Jay of North America — 107 fhe Nutcracker — — 109 The Rollers — — — 115 The Chine/e Roller — — 117 The Griverti or Cayenne Rolle — 118 The Garrttlous Roller — • — ib. Variety of the Roller — — 1 24 I. The Shaga Rag ^ — ib, Foreign Birds which are related to the Roller 1 26 1. The Abyffihian Roller — — ib. Variety of the Abyffmian Roller , — ib» The Senegal Roller — — ib. 2. The Angola Roller, or the Mindanao Roller 127 Variety of the Angola and Mindanao Roller 130 A Roller from Goi!, like that of Mindanao ib. 3. The Roller of the Indies — — ib. 4. The CONTENTS. Page 1 Page 75 1 4. The Madagafcar Roller — ^ '3« 85 5. The Mexican Roller -» — > 13a ib. ib. ^ 8S 1 6. The Paradife Roller ^ -^ 133 7he Greater Bird of Paradi/e — — «35 9» i The Manucode — — — 144 92 « The Magnificent Bird of Paradije — 146 93 i The Black Manucode of New Guinea^ called the - Superb — — — . 149 94 ^ I The Sifilety or Manucode with Six Filaments 150 lOI ib ' 1 The Calybe of New Guinea — — 152 102 TheOx'Pecker — — 154 • v/* The Common Stare — — • ^55 103 Varieties of the Stare — -— 164 los I. The White Stare of Aldrovandus — ib. ib. 2. The Blaclc and White Stare — 16s 3. The Gray Cinereous Stare of Aldrovandus 166 106 107 FoREiGK Birds related to the Stare — 167 5 I. The Cape Stare, or the Pied Stare ■*- ib. 109 2. The Louifiana Stare, or the Stourne 16S "5 3. The Tolcana — — 170 117 4. The Cacaftol — — 171 118 5. The Pimalot ~ • — 172 i^. 6. The Stare of Terra Magollanica, or, the 124 White Ray — — »73 lb. The Troupiales — . •— — 175 V 0^ The Troupiale — — — 178 ib. The Jeolchi of Seba — — i3x Ihe Ring-tailed Oriole^ Lath. •— 182 ib. The Japacani — -— 183 127 The Xochotol and the Coftotol — 185 130 The Tocolin — — — . 187 ib. 1 The Commander — — — 188 ib. 1 The Black Troupiale — — ^n 4. The 1 A3 The •-W,. ( * ll-' CONTENTS. y^ft^ Little Black 7'roupiah — — ^he Black-capped Troupiale — — The Spotted Troupiale of Cayenne — The Olive Troupiale of Cayenne — The Weaver Oriole — — TbeWhiJller — -, — fit* Baltimore — — The Bayard Baltimore — — y*i&^ 2>//ozy Cajftque of Brazil, or, the Tapou Variety of the I'apou — — 1. The Red Caflique of Brazil, or, the Jupuba 2. The Green Cafliquie of Cayenne — 3. The Crefted Caflique of Cayenne — 4. The Caflique of Louiftana » ^be Carouge — — The Lejfer Bonana — — The Yellow-headed Oriole — — The Olive Carouge of Louiftana — The Kink — — — The Loriot — — — Varieties 0/ the Loriot •— -- I . The Coulavan — •— 2* The Chinefe Loriot — — 3. The Indian Loriot — — 4. The Striped-headed Oriole ^m- Tbt Thrujhes — — TbeThrqftle — — , — Varieties of the Throftle — 1. The White Throttle — — 2. The Crefted Thrufli — — Page »9S 196 198 199 202 203 205 207 209 ib. 211 212 213 ai4 217 219 220 222 223 23CI ib. 231 232 233 234 246 252 ib. ib. Foreign Birds that are related to the Throjlle 254 1. The Guiana Thrufli — — ib. 2. The Little Thrulh — — 255 3. The u CONTENTS. •age i ■ Page 194 1 3. The Reed Thrufli — — «S7 195 1 ■ 4. The Miffel Thrulh — — a6o 196 1 Variety of the Mijel Tbni^j — . 264 198 1 I. The WhitilhMiflel — -. ib. 199 302 1 ^be Fieldfare — — 265 20? I Variety of the Fieldfare — — • 269 I I. The Pied or Spotted Fieldfare — ib. 205 I 2. The white-headed Fieldfare of BriJon ib. 209 ' I Foreign Birds which are related to the Field- ib. 1 fare » _ » 270 2(1 ■ 1, The Cayenne Fieldfare — — ib. 212 I 2. The Canada Fieldfare — — . 272 2»3 I 3. The Red-Wing — — . ^IZ 214 ■ I Foreign Birds which are related to the 217 I I'brujhes and Blackbirds — — 277 219 1 I. The Barbary Thrufli — — ib. 220 ■ 2. The Red-legged Thrufti — 278 222 1 3. The Small Thrufti of the Philippines 280 223 ■ 4. The Hoamy of China — — ib. ib. I s« The Little Thrufti of St. Domingo — . 281 I 6. The Little Creftcd Ouzel of China — 282 23« 232 1 I the Mocking Birds — — 284 3 233 1 The French Mocking Bird — — 2S6 H The Mocking Bird — — 288 234 ■ The Blackbird — — 292 246 ■ Varieties of the Blackbird — 298 252 ■ I. The White Blackbird — — ib. •• ib. I 2. The White-headed Blackbird — ib. ib. I The Ring Ouzel — — 299 254 i I Varieties of the Ring Ouzel — 30J lb. I I. The White Ring Ouzel — — ib. 255 I 2. The Great Mountain Ouzel — 30s . The I The 2. . 1 3- •'■5; 4- 5- 1 6. r • t" 7- 8. 1 9- ■I. 10. • ' . ;•!' I ! CONTENTS y/&tf Ro/e- coloured Ouzel — r-fr^ /^of* Blackbird — — ^A* 5/«tf 0«2^/ — — ^he Solitary Ouzel — — Foreign Birds which are related to the Solitary Ouzel — — — . 1. The Pcnfive Thrufli — — 2. The Hermit 1 hrufli — — Foreign Birds which are related to the Eu' ropean Blackbirds ■-. — J. The African Thrufli — — The Crefted Blackbird of China — The Rufous-Winged Thrufli — The Blackbird of China — — . The Glofly Thrufli — — The Crefcent Blackbird of America The Green Llackbird of Angola — 8. The Gilded Thrufli — — The Ceylon Thrufli — — 10. The Orange-Green, or the Orange-Bellied Blackbird of Senegal -« — Variety of this Bird — — The Orange.Blue Blackbird — — 11. The Brown Blackbird of the Cape of Good Hope — — — 12. The Baniahbou of Bengal — 13. The Cinereous Blackbird — The Pigeon Thrufli — — The Olive Thrufli — — The Black-throated Thrufli — The Canada Blackbird ~ — The Indian Olive Blackbird — The Indian Cinereous Blackbird — 20. The Brown Blackbird of Senegal — le Tanombe, or theMadagafcar Blackbird lie Mindanao Blackbird — • — 23- 14. »S- 16. «7- 18. 19. Page 306 309 312 320 ib. 3*1 323 ib. 3»* 325 326 327 328 330 331 332 335 ib, 336 ib. 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 ib. 344 345 346 The J 320 -9 ib. m 3»i 1 3^3 1 ib. 1 3*4 ',^^H 3*$ S 3*6 m 3*7 '9 328 m 330 ->^^H 331 9 33* 1 335 1 »^. m 336 m ib. m 337 1 338 'ij 339 340 341 '1. 34* 343 1"/ •i ib. 344 1 345 .:; 346 t ij. The 1 CONTENTS. 23. The Green Blackbird of the Ifle of France 34. The Black Cafque, or the Black-headed Black- bird of the Cape of Good Hope — 25. The Brunet of the Cape of Good Hope Variety 0/ the Cape Brunet — . The Ycllow The Short Tail of Madagafcar •—- 3»- 32. 33- 34. 35- Pjge 347 348 349 ib. 35< 35a 353 354 355 35^ ib. 357 359 360 361 362 303 364 ib. 36s 366 367 368 369 370 37« 373 ib. ib. 374 375 ib. the Ik I Jl I l»i ii;, Ii:' '■ I ' ■ ■ rl I 111: If * ' ','1 CONTENTS. Page ^e Matnate of the Eaft- Indies — 376 Varieties of the Maitiate — — 378 1. TheMainateof Briffon — — ib. 2. The Mainate of Bontius — ib. 3. The Little Mainate of Edwards «- ib. 4. The Great Mainate of Edwards — 379 ^he Goulin — — — 380 The Paradife Grakle •— — 383 The Chatterer — — 389 Variety of the Chatterer — — 399 The Caquantototl of Fernandez i— ib. The Grojbeak — — — 401 The Crojsbill — — — 405 Foreign Birds Y^«/ are related to the Grofbeak 41 1 1 . The Coromandel Grofbeak — ib. 2. The Blue American Grofbeak — ib. 3. The Hard Bill — — 412 4. The Crcfled Cardinal — — * 414 5. The Rofe-Throat — — 416 6. The Grivelin ~ — ib. 7. The Red Black — — 417 8. TheFlavert — — — 418 9. The Fan-tailed Grofbeak — 419 10. The Padda, or Rice-Bird — 420 11. TheToucnam Courvi — — 421 12. The Orchef •— — 422 13. The Nun Grofbeak — — 423 14. The Gray Grofbeak — — 424 15. The Qiiadricolor — — ib. 16. The Jacobine, and the Domino — 425 17. The Baglafecht — — 426 18. The AbyfTinian Grofbeak — 427 ig. The GuifsoBatito — — 429 20. The Spotted Grofbeak of the Cape of Good Hope — — — 430 21. The Cravated Grivelin — — 431 13 The ■■■A CONTENTS. Itbe Houje Sparrow — _^ Foreign Birds related to the Houfe Sparrow 1. The Senegal Sparrow _. 2. The Red-billed Senegal Sparrow — 3. The Black Sparrow — _ 4. The Date Sparrow .^ 'The Tree Sparrow — _^ Foreign Birds which are related to the Tree Sparrow _ J. The Green Sparrow .. __ 2. The Blue Sparrow — _^ 3. The P'oudi — .^ 4. The Crefted Tree Sparrow «« 5. The Beautiful Marked Sparrow -n- The Ring Sparrow .^ __ Foreign Birds that are related to the Rin^ Sparrow 1. The Little Ring Sparrow — 2. The Paroare _ . 3. The Crefcent -^ Page 432 440 ib. 440 441 443 445 449 ib. 4SO ib. 451 45» 453 455 ib. 456 THE m m nit Mil ill 1 1 i! Xf^J i'' I' ' i !!' Ir'; I'llli \^ W till! :1: t TJIE COKJflSHCOXrOK". Bill "4*>i^ THE NATURAL HISTORY O F BIRDS. The RED-LEGGED CROW. Le Grave oa Le Coracias*, Buff. Corvus-Gracuius, Linn, and Gmcl* Gractila Pyrrhocorax^ Scop. CoraciM, Aldrov. and Briff. Coracias, feu Pyrrbocoraxt Ray. Corxix rofiro pedibufque ruhri$\, Klein« 'The Coritijh-Cbought Comwail-Kae, er Killegrmo, Alb. and Will, SOME authors have confounded this bird with the Alpine Grow ; but the diftindion is clearly marked. Its bill is longer, more flender, more hooked, and of a red colour ; its tail is alfo (horter, its wings longer^ and, as a natural confequence, its flight is more lofty ; and laftly, its eyes are environed by a fmall red circle. It is true that the Red-legged Crow refembles the Alpine Crow in the colour and in fome com- * In Greelok Kopaauat ; and in modern Greek> Scurafola: in Camb- den's Latin, U^j Imcenduiriei: in Italian, Sfehiere, T«tcolat TatuUt, Paxout Zorl, Cutta : in French, Cbtuttte and Cbmcas Reugi : ia German, SteiH-taAeH (fttme-dafw)» SteiH-fukn, Sum-krat, f /'. e. The Crow with bill and feet red. VOL. III. B mon '.;■' 9 RED-LEGGED CROW. mon iiiftinas. In both, the plumage is black with green refleaions of blue and purple, which have an admirable effed on that dark ground. Both delight in the fummits of the loftieft mountains, and feldom defcend into the plain. The former, however, is much more diffufed than the latter. The Red-legged Crow is of an elews, the ►y every lown to wood, lis dan- endiary (hould ight be It might ors. I Qrowj igeons ; le Wild ich that author 4i author gives of it ; fince he fays after Ray, that it agreed in every thing but in fize with the coracias ; whether he meant the bird to which this article is allotted, or the pyrrbocorax of Pliny. Thefe birds are widely different, and Gefner was careful not to confound them. He knew that the Wild Crow differs from the Red- legged Crow by its creft, its carriage, the fhape and length of its bill, the fhortnefs of its tail, the excellence of its fiefh, at leaft when young ; that it was not fo noify or fo fedentary, and that it changed its refidence more regularly at certain times of the year* j not to mention other differences. The Red-legged Crow has a flirill though a pretty loud cry, very like that of the Sea-pie. It chatters almofl inceffantJy ; and Olina remarks that it is bred not for its voice, but for its beau- tiful plumage f . Belon, however, and the au- thors of the Britifh Zoology fay, that it learns to fpeak. V The female lays four or five '^\\\iQ eggs, fpotxed with dirty yellow. She builds her neft on the tops of old deferted towers, or on fright- • " They arrive in the beginning of the fpring, at the fame time as the ftorks.— They retire the firft of all that I know, about the beginning of July," &c. Ge s n e r ^« Avitus, t The cutta with a red bill, which on other parts is all black like the Crow, except that its feet are yellow, comes fram the mountains. In Latin it is named Coracias. This bird does not »Ik, but is kept merely on account of it beauty." Uceelleria, B2 ful RED-LEGGED C R O TV. i, ful precipices ; for, according to ] Idwards, thefe birds prefer the cliffs all along the weft coaft of England, to fimilar fituations on the flat fhores of the eaft and fouth. I fhall add ano- ther fa£t of the fame kind, which I owe to a very refpeAable obferver*. It is, that though thefe birds be inhabitants of the Alps, of the mountains of Switzerland, and of thofe of Au- vergne, &c. they are never found on the moun- tains of Bugey, nor in all the chain that ftretches along the confines of the country of Gex as far as Geneva. Belon, who faw them on Mount Jura in Switzerland, again obferved them in the iflands of Crete, and always on the fummits of rocks. But Haflfelquift affirms that thefe birds arrive in Egypt, and fpread through the country after the inundation* of the Nile has fubfided and the waters are about to return into their bed. If we admit this fa£t, which however feems to be repugnant tb the general nature of thefe birds, we muft fuppofe that they are drawn to Egypt by the abundance of food with which the lands are replete, after being left by the waters to the powerful influence of a tropical fun : and in fad, they feed on infefls, and on feeds which have been lately committed to the foil, and fwell with milky juice, the eflfed; of incipient vegetation. It follows then, that thefe birds do not confine their refidence exclufively to rocks and the fummits of mountains, fince at • Hebert, treafurer extraordinary of war at Dijon. I certain I RED-LEGGED CROW. 5 certain feafons they regularly appear in Lower Egypt. Nor do they feem to be equally at- tached to every bleak eminence ; but to be directed in their choice by certain peculiar cir- cumftances, which have hitherto efcaped ob- fervers. It is probable that the coractas of Ariftotle* is the fame with the Red-legged Crow, and not the Pyrrhocorax of Plinyf , which feems to differ in fize and in the colour of its bill, which is yellow. But the bird of which we here treat, has a red bill and red feet ; and as it was feen by Beloa on the Cretan mountains, it was more likely known to Ariftotle, than the pyrrhocorax^ which was fuppofed by the ancients to be confined to the Alps, and in fa<3: was not feen by Belon in Greece. I mufl: admit, however, that Ariftotle makes his coractas a fpecies of daw [ytoXoioq), ps we re- gard the pyrrhocorax of Pliny ; which would feem to favour the identity, or at leafl the prox- imity of thefe two fpecies. But as in the fame chapter I find a palmipede bird joined with the daws as of the fame genus, the philofopher evidently confounds birds that are of a very different nature ; or rather, fince the text traces a regular analogy, the confufion mufl have arifen from fome miftakes of the copyifls. Befides^ the word pyrrhocorax^ though entirely of Greek f Hifl. Anim. lib. ix. 24. •)■ Lib. X. 48. derivation, i I; l!. '.J V '< • m I. 6 RED-LEGGED CROW. derivation*, occurs not in any part of Ariftotle*« treatife; and Pliny, who was well acquainted with that work, could difcover in it no account of the bird on which he bcflows that name ; and in his defcription of the pyrrhocoraxy he does not copy what the Greek philofopher had faid on the fubje£t of the coracias. The fpecimen examined by the authors of the Britilh Zoology weighed thirteen ounces, and its wings extended about two feet and a half: the tongue was almoft as long as the bill, fome- what hooked; the nails black, ftrong, and hooked. Gerini mentions a bird of this kind whofc bill and feet were black, and which he confi- ders as a variety of the Red-legged Crow,affe£led only by fome accidental differences of colour, ariling from the diftindion of the age or fex t. [A] • It itgnifies firt'cronu, f StoriaJegU Uccelli, torn. U. p. 38. [A] The fpecific charafter of the Chough, CorvuS'GraeuIus^ Linn, is, that " it is blackifti violet, its bill and feet red." It re- fembles the jackdaw in habits and fize, being fixteen inches long : jt is voracious, gregarious, and circles as it flies. Borlafe fays* that it is not as mifchievous as commonly reprefented, the tricks of the jackdaw being^ often imputed to it by miftake. M !i*! C 7 3 lotlc's ainted rcount lame ; 7Xf he er had of the s, and I half: fome- r, and whofc conli- iffeacd colour, age or t-GraeuIui, d." Itre- :hes long : rlafe fays* e tricks of M The HERMIT CROW*. Lt Coracias Iluppi ou Le Sonneur +, Buff. CorvuJ-Ertmita, Linn, .ind Gmel. Coracia Criftata, fiiifl*. Corvus Sylvaticus, Gcfneri. Will. Upupa Montana, Klein. Ge/ner*s ^'eod-Cro'w, Will. Wood'Crmu from Siuiizerland, Alb. 'TpHis bird is of the fize of a hen ; its plumage * is black, with fine green refledions, which are variegated nearly as in the Red-legged Crow : like it, the bill and feet are red ; but the bill is ftill longer and more flender, very proper for inferting into the fiflures of rocks and the cracks in the ground, into the holes of trees and walls, in fearch of infedts and worms, which are its principal food. In its flomach are found portions of the mole- crickets. It eats alfo the larva of the May-bug, and is ufeful on ac- count of the havock which it makes among thefe deftrudiive infeds. The feathers on the top of its head are longer than the reft, and form a kind of creft, which • In Zurich it is called Schelhr, Waldt-rapp, Stein-rap ; in Ba- varia and Stiria, Clau/s-rapp ; io Italian, Corvo Spileto ; in Polilh* Kruk-le/ny, Nocny. t i. e. The Creft Chough, or the Sounder. This name has been given by fome perfons to this bird, becaufe its voice refembles the tinkling of the bells fallened to the necks of cattle. B 4 hangs 8 HERMIT CROW. h' "I '' /'IH' hangs backwards; but this only appears after they are full grown, and again difappears when they are aged. Hence the reafon that in fome places they are called Bald Crows, and in fome defcriptions they are reprefenied as having a yellow head marked with red fpots. Thel'e co- lours are probably the tints of the ikin, which age leaves bare. The creft, which has given occafion to the name of Mountain-crejied^, is not the only diftindion between this bird and the Red-legged Crow ; its neck is longer and more (lender, jts head fmaller, its tail (horter, &c. Befides, it is ktiown only as a bird of paffage, while the Red-legged Crow, as we have already feen, is migratory, but only in certain countries and in particular circumftances. Gefner has therefore divided them properly into two fpecies; and I have dil- tinguifhed them by different names. The Hermit Crows fly verv lofty, and gene- rally go in flocks f . They feek their food often in the meadows and marfhy places, and always neftle on the tops of old defer ted towers, or in the clefts of frightful inaccefliible rocks. Senfible, as it were, that their young are delicate meat. :.\ : i: • Klein. , t I an> aware that Klein makes the Hermit Crow a folitary bird ; but this is direftly contrary to what Gefner affcrts, the only ori- ginal obferver, whom Klein copies, without being confcious, when he tranfcribes firptn Albin. and *) and H E R M I T C R O W. ^ and T\ucli val iPrcecl them out of the reach of man. But there are ilill lome men hardy enough to rifk their lives tor the moll fordid gain, and al-* low themfelvcs to bt let down by ropes from giddy heights, to plunder the irfant brood in their receflcs, and reap the mod dangerous of harvefts. The females lay generally two or three eggs every hatch ; and thofe who wifh to get the brood, commonly leave a young bird in each nert, in order to invite them to return the fol- lowing year. When the young ar: plundered, the parents cry, ka^ ka^ ka^ ka^ but are feldom heard at any other time. The young are eafily tamed, and the more fo if they be taken early and before they can fly. They arrive in the country of Zurich towards the beginning of April, at the fame time with the ftorks. Their neils are fought for about Whitfunday, and they depart, tlie earlieft of all the birds, in the middle of June. I know not why Barrere has made the Hermit Crow a Ipc- cies of curlew. The Hermit Crow inhabits the Alps, the lofty mountains of Italy, Stiria, Switzerland, Bavaria, and the high cliffs which border on the Danube* in the vicinity of Paffau and Kelkeym. Thefe birds choofe for their retreat certain natural breaft- works, or cells of a good afped, among the 10 HERMIT CROW. the rocks, and hence the name Klaufs-rappen^ or Monk-Raven, [A] [A] Specific chara£ler: ** Greenifli, head yellowifli, back of the head fomewhat crefted, the bill and feet red." M ^*t 1 Sir ■M \- 'i •rapfetiy It, back of M ^ .'.i ii vi !•!.!, ' fl' i'-ll ; -t; tJ^^^ THE KAA'KN". C li ] The RAVEN. he Corheau, Buff". Cor-vus-Ccrax, Linn and Gmel. Cori'us, Brill'. Klein, and Will. • The Coriej, Sibb. Scotia lUuJirata. THIS bird has always been famous; but its bad reputation has been owing, moft probably, to its being confounded with other birds, and loaded with their ill qualities. It has ever been regarded as the loweft of the rapacious tribe ; the mod cowardly and the moft difgufting. Filth and rotten carcafes, it is faid, are its chief food ; and when it gluts its appetite on live prey, its vidims are the weak or ufeful animals, lambs, leverets f, &c. yet it fometimes attacks the large • In Greek, Ko{a|: in Latin, Ccrvus: in Spanilh, Cuervo: in Italian, Corvo: in German, Raie, Rave, Kol-rave, {coal- raven J : in Swedifh, Korp : in Polifh, Krui: in Hebrew, O/-*^; in Arabic, Gerabib: in Perfian, Calak: in old French, Corbin. The appellations beftowed,in all languages, are evidently formed from the Raven's croak. The Scotch name Corbey, like many others of that dialed, was introduced from the French. The Englilh word Raven is derived from the German Rabe. — Ul. MontbeiUard, author of this article, objedls to the indifcriminating application ef the name Corvus, to the crows, daws, choughs, &c. The eorvut of the ancients was appropriated to the large fpecies, the Raven differing from the reft confiderably in its habits and in{lin£ts. It is as large as a good cock, and would weigh three ; '■If ■'■ .1 ' ''ri '■■ ■it 26 THE RAVEN. fpace of exiftence, we might fuppofe that the Crows required many years to rench their adult ftate ; for though the venerable age afcribed by Hefiod * muft be confiderably curtailed, it feems well afcertalned that this bird fometimes lives a century or more. In many cities of France they have been known to attain to that diftant period; and in all countries and all ages, they have been reckoned as birds extremely long-lived. But the progrefs to maturity muft be flow in this fpecies compared to the duration of their life ; for towards the end of the firft fummer, when all the family confort together, it is difficult to diftinguifh the old from the young, and very probably they are capable of breeding the fe- cond year. We have already remarked that the Crow is not black at firft. In the decline of life alfo, its plumage lofes the deep colour ; and in extreme age, changes into yellow f . But at no time is this bird of a pure black, without the inter- mixture of other iliades : Nature knows no ab- • tt Hefiod afligns nine of our ages to the Crow, the quadruple to the flags, and this tripled to the Ravens." Pli n Y, lib. vii. 48. If we eftimate a generation at thirty years, the age of the Crow would be 270 years; that of the Hag, 1080 years; and that of the Raven, 3240 years. The only way to give a rcafonable feiife to the paflage, is to underlhmd the ^tus of Pliny, and ihe y/vEa of Hefiod, to mean a year : and, on this fuppofition, the life of the Crow would be reckoned at nine years ; that of the flag, thirty-fix ; and that of the Raven, 108, as proved by obfervation." f Ariftotle, de Coloribus. 3 folute ■1 THE RAVEN. V that the heir adult :ribed by 3, it feems les lives a ance they nt period ; hey have )ng-lived. ow in this heir life; ler, when difficult to and very ig the fe- e Crow is fe alfo, its [1 extreme no time the inter- ws no ab- the quadruple f, lib. vii. 48. of the Crow irs ; and that ; a rcafonable liny, and the ition, the life t of the flag, obfervation." folute folute uniformity. The black, which predomi- nates, is mingled with violet on the upper part of the body, with cinereous on the throat, and with green under the body and on the quills of the tail, and the largeft feathers of the wings and the remoteft of the back*. Only the feet, the nails, and the bill, are quite black ; and this colour of the bill feems to penetrate to the tongue, as that of the feathers appears to tinc- ture the flcfh. The tongue is cylindrical at its bafe, flattened and forked near the tip, and roughened with fmall points on the edges. The organ of hearing is very complicated, and more fo, perhaps, than in the other birds f. It muft alfo be more fenfible, if we credit Plutarch, who fays, that he has feen Crows fall down ftunned with the noify acclamations of a numerous mul- titude, agitated by violent emotions "J:. The oefophagus dilates at its jundion with the ventricle, and forms a kind of craw, which was not overlooked by Ariftotle. The inner furface of the ventricle is furrowed with wrinkles; the gall-bladder is very laige, and adheres to the inteftines || . Redi found worms in the ca- vity of the ahdomcti § : the length of the gut is nearly twice that of the bird itfelf, meafuring • BrilTon. + Afts of Copenhagen, ami. 1673. X Life of T. Q^ Flaminius. II Willoughby.— ArilJotle, Hijl. Aium. lib. ii. 17. § Collet, Acad. Etrmg. torn. iv. p. 521. from 1 1 I'' w 1 ;;.,: :"j; • I' ::' 'HV I'] •1: :!lHi ,..■ HV., iii--i A |! »' H.l, ' i; 28 THE RAVEN. from the tip of the bill to the extremities of the nails ; tliat is, a medium between the extent of the inteftines of the true carnivorous birds and the true granivorous : in a word, it is exaclly fuited for an animal which lives partly on flefii, and partly on fruits *. The appetite of the Raven, which is thus re- conciled to every fort of aliment, ^ roves often its deftrudion, from the eafe with which bird- catchers can provide a bait. The powder of the nux vomica, which is mortal to fo many qua- drupeds, is alfo a poilbn to the Raven ; it is benumbed, and drops foon after eating the dofe ; but the moment of intoxication muft be feized, for the torpor is often only tranfient, and the bird recovers ftrength fufficient to reach its na- tive rock, there to languiih or expire f. It is alfo caught by various forts of nets, fnares, and gins, and even by the bird-call, like the little warblers ; for it alfo entertains an anti- pathy to owls, and cannot fee them without venting a cry J. It is faid to wage war with the kite, the vulture, and the fea-pie || ; but this • A refpeftable obferver aflured mc, that he faw a Raven drop 3 nut more than twenty times from the heiglit of twenty-four or thirty yards, rind each time picked it up ; but it could not fucceed in breaking It; all this being done in a ploughed field. f Gefner, p. 339. Journal Ecanomique, Dec 1 758. X Traite de la Pipee. II iElian. Natur.jlnim. lib. ii. 51.— Aldrovandus, tom.i. p. 70. Celleci. Acad. Euan. torn. \% ia M 1 THE RAVEN. 29 les of the extent of birds and is exactly f on flefii, s thus re- Dves often lich bird- tier of the lany qua- ^en ; it is the dofe ; be feized, :, and the :h its na- f. It is J, fnares, like the an anti- without with the but this I Raven drop ,enty-four or i not fucceed om.i. p. 70. is is nothinp; but the natural averfion to all carni- vorous birds, which are enemies or rivals of each other. When the Ravens alight upon the ground, they walk, but do not hop. Like the birds of prey, they have long vigorous wings, extending nearly three feet and a half; thefe confift of twenty quills, of which the two or three firft* are ihorter than the fourth, which is the longed of all ; and the middle ones have a remarkable property, viz. that the ends of their fhafts ftretch beyond the vanes, and terminate in points. The tail contains twelve quills, which are about eight inches long, but fomewhat unequal, the two middle ones being the longeft, then thofe next, fo that the end of the tail appears fome- what rounded on its horizontal plane f . This I (hall afterwards call the tapered tail %, From the extent of its wings we may infer the elevation of its flight. In ftorms and tem- pefts the Raven, it is faid, has been feen gliding through the air, conveying fire at its bill ||, This is only the luminous ftar formed at the point of its bill, in its palfage through the ele- vated regions of the atmofphere, then furcharged * Brifibn and Linnjeus fay two ; Willoughby, three. t Add to this, that the Ravens have on almoli their whole boJy a double fort of feathers, fo clofdy aJheiing to the Ccin, that they cannot be plucked without the help of hot water. X ^leue etagee ; i. e. like tlie Ueps of a ftair-cafe. jl Scala J>Jaturalis apud Aldrovandum, torn. i. p. 704. with m ,•1 )l i!! . .it ;' »' .5 30 THE RAVEN. with elcdricity. From fome appearance of this kind, probably, the liagle has been termed the miniller of thunder ; for there arc few fables but are founded upon truth. Since the Raven has a lofty flight, and is ca- pable of enduring every temperature, the wide world is opened for its reception *. In fad:, it is feattered from the polar circle f to the Cape of Good Hope if and the iHand of Madagafcar || ; and its number is determined by the quantity of food which the various intermediate regions fupply, and the convenience of the fituations which they afford §. It fom.etimes migrates from the coafts of Barbary to the illand of Te- nerifFe. It is found in Mexico, St. Domingo, and Canada 1[, and undoubtedly in the other parts of the New Continent, and of the adjacent iflands. When it is once fettled in a country, and has become accuftomcd to its fituation, it feldom quits it to roam into another **. It grows even attached to the neft which it has built, and ufes it for feveral years together. Its plumage is not the fame in all countries. Befide the changes which age introduces, the !i'' ■ii • Aldrov. Ornith. f Klein. X Kolben. || Flaccourt. § Pliny fays, from Theophrallua, that Ravens were ftrangers in Afia, Lib. x. 29. fl Charlevoix. ** Fjilch.— Ariilotlc, Hiji. J,.iir.. lib. Ix. 231 colour THE RAVEN. 3« :e of this med the w fables nd is ca- the wide 1 fa£t, it the Cape igafcarll; lantity of : regions fituations migrates d of Te- Domingo, the other adjacent country, lation, it **. It h it has ler. ountries, uces, the :ie ftrangers colour colour Is "1^0 fubjedl to vary from the influence of cliniate. It is fometimes entirely white in Norway and Iceland, where numbers are alto quite black *. On the other hand, white Ravens are found in the heart of France and Germanyf , in nefts where fome are likewife black. The Mexican Raven, called Cacolutl by Fernandez J:, is variegated with two colours. That of the Bay of Saldagne has a white collar || ; that of Madagafcar, named Ccaci\ according to Flac- court, is white under the belly. The fame mix- ture of black and white occurs in fome indivi- duals of the European fort, even in what BrilTon. terms the Wbitc Raven of the North §, which ought rather to have been called the Black and White Ravcn^ fince the upper part of its body is black and the under white, its head white and black, and alio its bill, its feet, its tail, and its wings : thefe have twenty-one quills, and the tail has twelve; and what is remarkable, the * Horrebow. — Klein. John of Cay law in 1548, at Lubec, two white Ravens bred for the chace. Id. p. 515. f Ephemcrides d^Alktnagne. Dr. Wifel adds, that in the year following, black Ravens were found in the fame nclls, and that in another nert, in the fame wood, a black Raven and two white ones were found. Of the latter colour, they arc fometimes killed in Italy. See Gerini Stona. dcgli Vccclli, torn. ii. p. 33. X Hift. Avium Nova H:j'fuwi 2 mentions, _ ^ 11. I Ill; fs; 1 "■■*^'i i-' 1i ■! I 1 :(,.: 1 1.;-" i-i'i'^ % > -III 3<5 FOREIGN BIRDS related to mentions *, to be able to refer it with certainty to its analogous European fpecies. All that the Dodkor fays is, that it is rather hrger than our Raven, and that its bill and feet are red. This laft character has determined Dr. Shaw to reckon it a large Chough ; that bird, as we have already feen, is indeed known in Africa ; but how can we conceive a Chough to be greater than a Raven ? I mention this to draw the atten,tion of fome intelligent traveller. I find in Kocmpfer two other birds mentioned by the name of Ravens, without a fir gle cha- racter to juftify that appellation. The one is, according to him» of a middle fize, but extreme- ly audacious ; it was brought from China to Japan as a prefent to the emperor. The other, which was alfo given to the emperor of Japan, was a bird from Corea, exceedingly rare, and called Coreigaras ; that is, the Raven of Corea, Kcempfer adds, that the Ravens which are common in Europe are not found in Japan, no more than the parrots and fome other birds of India. *. • \^Nut€. We fliould here place the Armenian bird, which Tournefort calls the King of the Ra-' vens^ if it were really a Raven, or belonged to that family. But a glance of the miniature figure will convince us that it is more related to the peacocks and pheafants, by its beautiful creft, • Shaw gives it ^Ifo the n^mes Crow of ths d^h:t, R(d-legged Cro%v, Qr P^vrhotorofi. '9 the RAVEN. 37 its rich plumage, its fhort wing, and the fhape of its bill, though it is fomewhat longer, and though other flight differences occur in the form of its tail and of its feet. It is properly termed on the figure Avis Per/tea pavoni congener (Perfian bird akin to the peacock); I fhould therefore have mentioned it among the foreign tNirds analogous to the peacocks and pheafants, if I had been earlier acquainted with it.] i>3 C 38 3 The' CARRION CROW*. .FV'i Le Ceriine, ou CorneiUt NtirSt Buff. Corvus Corene, Linn, and Gmel. Cflm;r, Gefner, Ray, Wai. Klein, Briff. &C. " ' ' THESE birds fpend the fummer in the ex^* tcnlive forefts, from which they occa- fionally emerge to procure fubfiftence for them- felves and their infant brood. Their chief food in the fpring is partridges eggs, of whicl. -ley are very fond, and are fo dexterous as to p :« them and carry them on the point of the k.^'' .0 their young. The confumption is prodigious ; and though they are not the mod fanguinary of the rapacious tribe, we may reckon them the moft deftrudivc. Fortunately, they are not numerous ; we (hould hardly tind two dozen of pairs in a foreft of five or fix miles compafs in the environs of Paris. During winter they live with the Rooks and Hooded Crows, and nearly in the fame way. In this feafon, numerous flights of all forts of * In Greek, VLn^um which name was alfo applied to the prow of a (hip, from the refemblance to the Crow's beak : in modern Greek, Ku;«v«i, Kvgaooe, KofA0a '. in Chaldaic, Kurka .' in Italian, Conaetf Cornacchia, Cornacctio, Gracchia : in Spani(h.« Corneia : in Ger« man, Krai, whence the Engliih name. Crows ' ':,,,! ■'' ow* &c. " / in the ex- they occa- B for them- : chief food whicl. *le7 as to < i-e 'thci '' o prodigious ; Jguinary of them the y are not 0 dozen of compafs in Rooks and e way. In 1 forts of to the prow of lodern Greek* aliani Cormee, teia: in Ger« Crows THE CROW a^: i'!, I i':^ It "i ^'l ■•'1 ■» J "1 ... ' lit.] ':;i» kiq HA ■ ft - J ■ 1 , ■ ... ' f I ■•,•.'.■ CARRION CROW. 39 Crows affemble about our dwellings, keeping conilantly on the ground, fauntering among our flocks and (hepherds, hovering near the tracks of our labourers, and fometimes hopping upon the backs of hogs and fheep, with fuch famili- arity, that they might be taken for tame domef- tic birds. At night they retire into the forefts to lodge on the large trees, which they feem to choofe as the general rendezvous, whither 'I they reifort from every quarter, foraetimes I from the diftance of three miles all round, and J \Khence they again fally out in the morning in quell of fubfiftence. « But this riiode of life, which Is common to the three fpecies of Crows, is not equally fuited to them all ; for the Hooded Crows and the Car- rion Grows become exceflively fat, while the Rooks continue always lean. But this is not the only difference that fubfifts ; towards the end of winter, which is the feafon of their amours, the Rooks remove into other climates, while the Carrion Crows, which difappear at the fame time in the plains, make only a partial flitting, and retire into the next large forefts, where they diflblve the general fociety to form new connexions more endearing and more intimate. They form into pairs, and feem to divide their territory into diftridls of about a quarter of a league in diameter, each of which maintains its feparate family*. It is faid that * This has perhaps given bccafion to fay, that Ravens expel their young from their diilriA as fooa as thefe are able to fly. D 4 this '.)ffi if J.- i m ^H ■■ I't. ! ii i^li 14 m 40 0ARR!OlsrCROW. this connexion futfifts inviolate during the reft of their life ; and it is even alleged that if one of the couple happen to die the furvivor will never enter into another union. The female is diftinguifhed by her plumage, which is of inferior luftre. She lays five or fix eggs, aiid fits about three weeks, during which time the male fupplies her with food. I had an opportunity of examining a neft of a Crow which was brought to me in the be- ginning of July. It was found in an oak eight feet high, in a wood planted on a little hill^ where were other oaks larger. The neft weighed two or three pounds ; it was formed on the outfide with fmall branches and thorns rudely interwoven, and plaiftered with earth and horfe- dung ; the infide was fofter, and lined carefully with fibrous ro'ots. I found in it fix young already hatched, all alive, though they had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours ; their eyes were not open*, and no plumage was to be feen on" them except the point of the wing quills ; their llefli was a mixture of yellow and black ; the tip of the bill and their nails yellow ; the edges of the mouth a dirty white, and the reft of the bill and feet reddifli. When a buzzard or keftril approaches the neft* the parents unite to attack them, and dart with ^uch fury that they often kill them, fplitting the ikull with their bills* They alfo fight with the • See Arlilotle tfe Generatione, lib. iv. 6. 1 ■A M ihrikes ; d *■,: Carrion crow* 4t 5 the reft lat if one nvor vriii plumage, ive or fix ng which a neft of the be- oak eight (ittle hilV weighed I on th*e IS rudely nd horfe- carefully X young lad eaten yes were feen on i; their ck; the le edges [i of the the neft, art with ting the 7\rith the (hrikes ; i fhrikes; but thele, though fmaller, arc fo bold as often to prove vidorious, drive them from the neft, and plunder the young. The ancients aflert, that the Crows as well as the P "ens are watchful of their young after » pc. -1 of their flight I'his feems to be probable, and I ftiould fuppofe that they do not feparate from their parents the firft year; for thefe birds readily aftbciate with ftrangers, and is it not natural to fuppofe that the fociety which is formed in the fame family will continue to fubfift till interrupted by the breeding feafon ? Like the Raven, the Crow can be taught to prattle ; it is alfo omnivorous : infeds, worms, birds eggs, fifh, grain, fruits, every thing, in ihort, is fuited to it. It breaks nuts by dropping them from a height f ; it vifits fnares and gins> and ftiares the plunder. It even attacks fmall game when exhaufted or wounded, which in fome countries has made it be bred for fal- conry J ; but in its turn it becomes the prey of a more powerful enemy, fuch as the kite, the eagle, owl, &c. § • Ariftode, HiJ. Anim, lib. vi. 6. f Pliny, lib. x. 12. X The nobility among the Turks keep^ fparroW hawks, facfea, falcons, &c. for the chafe ; others of inferior quality keep Grey and Black Crows, which they paint with difterent colours, carry upon their right hand, and call back by the found houb, houb, frequently repeated, Villamonti p. 677 ; and the Voyage to Ben- der by tbt Chevalier BelUvtUt, p. 232. § " I myfelf faw a kite in the middle of winter plucking a crow near tht high-way," Klein, Or Jo Avium, p. 177. Its 4» CARRION CROW. irtu :ii1 !,J 'iv •-:? '^i ■; Its weight is ten or twelve ounces; it has twelve tail feathers, all equal, and twenty in each wing, of which the firft is the fhorteft and the fourth ibe longed ; its wings fpread three feet; the aperture of the noflrils is round, covered with a fort of bridles proje£ting forward ; it has fome black fpecks round the eyelids ; the outer toe of each foot is united to that of the middle at the firft joint; the tongue is forked and flender ; the ventricle fomewhat mufcular ; the inteftines rolled into a great number of circum- volutions ; the cceca half an inch long ; the gall bladder large, and communicating with the in- teftinal tube by a double dudt *. Laftly, the bottom of the feathers, that is, the part which is concealed, is of a deep afh-coloun As this bird is exceedingly cunning, has an acute fcent, and flies commonly in large flocks, it is difficult to come near it, and hardly poffible to decoy it into fnares. Some, however, arc caught by imitating the fcreech of the owl, and placing lime twigs on the high branches ; or it is drawn within gun-fhot by means of an eagle owl, or fuch other nocturnal bird, raifed on perches in an open fpot. They are deftroyed by throwing to them garden beans, of Which they are very fond, and in which rufty needles have been concealed : but the mod fmgular mode of catching them illudrates the natiire! of the bird, which I fhall for that reafon relate* ^ \ ' ;; Willoughby. A Car- "''It CARRION CROW. 4S s; it has ty in each ft and the hree feet ; , covered rd ; it has the outer le middle rked and liar ; the f circum- ; the gall th the in- .aftly, the t which is g, has an ge flocks, ly poflible ever, arc owl, and iches ; or in« of an raifed on Toyed by lich they dies have mode of the bird, •1 ' w 4 A Carrion Crow is faftened alive on Its back firmly to the ground, by mcins of a brace on each fide at the origin ot the wings. In this painful pofture the animal flruggles and fcreams; the reft of its fpecies flock to its cries from all quarters, with the intention, as it were, to afford relief. But the prifoner, grafping at every thing within reach to extricate himfelf from his fituadon, feizes with h's bill and claws, which are left at liberty, all that come near him, and thus delivers them a prey to the bird>catcher *> They are alfo caught with cones of paper baited with raw flefli ; as the Crow in- troduces his head to devour the bait, which is near the bottom, the paper, being befineared with birdlime, fticks to the feathers of the neck, and he remains hooded, unable to get rid of this bandage, which covers his eyes entirel y ; he betakes to flight, rifes almoft perpendicularly into the air, the better to avoid ftriking a^ainft anything, till quite exhaufted, he finks down always near the fpot from which he mounted. In general, though the flight of the Carrion Crows be neither cafy nor rapid, they mo unt to a very great height, where they fupport them- felves long, and whirl much. This fpecies has, like the Raven, varie ties of white t, and of white mixed with black ; ]:, but which have the fame inftindts. • Gefner. t Schwenckfeld and Salerne—Briflbn adds, that t! hey have alio the bill, the feet, and the i«Us white. i . , v % tFrifch. ■_ ^._ , , - ' ■- Frifch '] ',:''- t I. H 'I I!, ■ ' ' H '! , i- If' /■ 'I 1^-.j! ■{I, ■■'■ ■»' il t;, 44 CARRION CROW. Frifch fays that he once faw a flock of iVnU lows travelling with a troop of variegated Crowd in the fame direction. He adds, that thefe pafs the fummer on the coafls of the ocean, fubfift- ing on what the waves caft afhore ; that in au-^ tumn they migrate to the fouth^ never in large bodies, but in fmall divifions at certain intervals from each other ; in which circumftahce they refemble the Black Common Crows, of which they feem to be only a permanent varietyi It is very probable that the Crows of this Mal- divaSj tnentioned by Francis Pyrard, are of the fame kind ; fmce that traveller, who faw then! very diftindlyj remarks tio difference. They feem however to be more familiar and bolder than ours ; for they entered houfes to pick up whatever fuited them, ahd often the prefence of a man did not difcompofe theni. Another tra- veller faysj that thefe Indian Crows^ when they can get into a chamber, delight iil doing all the mifchievous tricks that are afcribed to monkeys ; derange the furniture, and tear it with their bills, overturn lamps, ink-ftands, &c.* Laftly, according tb Dampierj thete afe iri New Holland and New Guinea f many Carriort Crows which refemble ours. There are alf6 fome in New Britain ; but it would feem, that * f^V^' ^' Oriefit, du Pere Philippe de la Trinite, p* 379. t According to this navigator the New Guinea Crows differ from ours only by fhe colour of their feathers^ of which all that appears is black, but the ground white. though :k of fVal- ated Crowd t thefe pafs in, fubfift- that in au-* er in large in intervals lance they , of which riety* jf thte Mal- are of the faw thetri :e. They md bolder to pick up jrefence of lother tra- wsi wheii delight ill re afcribed and tear it ink-flandSi CARRION CROW. 41 though there are many in France, England, and part of Germany * ; they are fcarce in the north of Europe. Klein mentions that they are rare in Pruflia. They mull be very uncommon in Sweden, lincc not even the name occurs in the enumeration which Linnaeus has given of the birds of that country. Father Tertre aflurcs us alfo that they are not to be found at all in the Antilles; though, according to another traveller, they are very common in Louifiana. [A] • Pfige du PrG,tx. Thqjr flelh is more palatable, he fays, ihan in France, becaufe they do not feed upon filth, being hindered by the cuiancrm, a kind of American vultures. [A] Specific charafter of the Carrion Crow, Corvus Cci-cur, Xiiva. 'f All of a (ky-black, its tail rounded, its tail-quills fliaip." its length is eighteen inches, its breadth twcnty-fix. It is more /rfouent in England than in any other part of Europe. M I ete ate iii ay Carriotl e are alf6 feem, that te, p» 379. Crows 6\ttet which all that though ;!•• I 46 ] -^ tiki 1 m *-r •■'1 #:> ' m The ROOK*. £# treux, ou £>« Frayonne, Bu/F. Ctrvuj Frugilfgus, Linn, and Gmel. Corwjf Frugiltga, BriflT. and Klein. Ctfririx iV/jjra Frugilega, Ray. Will, and f rifch. 'T^His bird is of an intermediate fize bc-« "■• tween the Raven and the Carrion Crow, and it has a deeper cry than them. What diC* tinguifhes it the mod, is a naked white ikin, fcaly and fometimes fcabby, that encircles the bafe of the bill, inllead of thofe black projecting feathers, which in the other fpecies of Crows extend as far as the aperture of the noftrils. Its belly is not fo thick or ilrong, and feems, as It were, rafped. Thefe differences, apparently fo fuperficial, imply more radical diflindions. The peculiarities of the Rook refult from its mode of life. It feeds upon grain, roots, and worms ; and as in fearch of its proper fubfiflence, it fcratches deep in the ground with its bill, which in time becomes rough, the feathers at the bafe are worn off by the continual rub-t * In Greek, x^i^^oXoyod or feed-gatherer; which is alfa the meaning of the Latin name> Frugilega : in German, Ii,otck ; whence the Englifli name and the Swedifti Roka : in Dutch, Kotrt-Krtuy ; in Polilh> Gal<^ . .^ -SSp |»i»»> 4». ^;;-:^ - ^-^^,r-^ TKE ItO'YSTON- CROW, C 5x ] The HOODED- CROW. Le Comeille ManteUe, Buff. Corvus Comix, Linn, and GmeL Cornix Cinerea, BriiT. Cornix Cinerea Frugikga, Gefn. and Aid. The Royjion Crow, Ray. and Will. * npHis bird is eafily diftinguiflied from the ■■• Carrion-Crow and the Rook by the co- lours of its phimage. Its head, tail, and wings are of a fine black, with bluifli refledtions ; it is marked with a fort of fcapulary of a greyifh white, which extends both ways, from the fhoulders to the extremity of the body. On account of this appearance, it has been called by the Italians, Mofiacchia^ or Nun^ and Mantled Crow by the French f . It aflbciates in numerous flocks, like the Rook, and perhaps is fl:ill more familiar with man, preferring, efpecially in winter, the vi- • This fpecies Teems to have been unknown to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The moderns have given it the Latin ap- pellations, Cornix-Cinerea, Varia, Hyberna, Zyliieftris ', Ccrvus Semi-cinereus : in Italian, Mulacchia or Monacchia : in Swedifli, Kraoka : in PoUlh, Frona : in German, Hohkreie, Schiltkrae, Nabelkrae, Bundtekrat, Pkttterkrae, Winterkrae, A/skrae, Graut- krae (i. e. Wood-Crow, Shield-Crow, Navcl-Crow, Pied-Crow, Punftured-Crow, Winter-Crow, Alh-Crow, Grey-Crow). f The name Heoditl-Crtnu is common in Scotland. S i b b a l o . £ a cinity 52 HOODED. CROW. ' i'i> ■m,> clnity of our farms and hamlets, and picking up its food in the kennels and dunghills, &c. Like the Rook alfo, the Hooded-Crows change their ahode twice a-year, and may perhaps be confidered as birds of paflage ; for we annually perceive immenfe flocks arrive near the middle of autumn, and depart about the beginning of fpring, (haping their courfe towards the north ; but we are uncertain where they flop. Mod authors aflert, that they pafs the fummer on the lofty mountains *, and build their nefts in the pines or firs ; it muft therefore be on mountains uninhabited and little known, as in thofe of the Shetland ifles, where they are actually faid to breed f. In Sweden alfo J, they neftle in the woods, efpecially among the alders, and lay commonly four eggs ; but they never fettle in the mountains of Switzerland, of Italy §, &c. Though, according to moft naturalifts. It lives on every fort of food, worms, infeds, filh ||, .■'■M I. w ye ftc >!,! * Aldrovandus, Schwenckfeld, and Belon. f Britifli Zoology. The authors of that work add, that it is the only fpecies of Crow found in thofe iflands. I Fauna Suecica. ^ Aldrovandus. II Frifch fays, that they are expert at picking filh-bones, and that when water is let out from pools, they quickly perceive the fifh that !ire left in the pool, and lofe no time in catching them. It is eafy, therefore, to perceive that the Hooded-Crows may often frequent the iides of water ; but this was no fufficient reafoa for terming them aquatic or marine crowst and m-;\ '' picking up &c. ws change perhaps be e annually he middle ginning of he north ; 5p. Mod ner on the efts in the mountains ofe of the lly faid to lie in the , and lay ettle in the &c, iralifls, It as, filh II. HOODED. CROW. S$ h-bones, and perceive the tching them. 1-Crows may Ificieot reafon and even putrid flefli, and, above all, on the produds of milk*; and though thefe fadls would rank it among the omnivorous tribe, yet as feeds of various kinds, mixed with fmall ftones, are found in its ftomach +, we may infer, that they are the neareft allied to the granivorous fpecies ; and this is another trait in their charader common to the Rook. In other refpeds, they refemble much the Car- rion-Crow ; they have nearly the fame fize, the fame port, the fame cry, and the fame flight ; the ftrudure of their tail, wings, bill, and feet j the 'ifpofirion cf their internal parts, are ex- adl the fame J ; and if any difference can be pert ived, they incline to the nature of the Rook. They often afl'ociate together, and neftle on the trees § ; both lay four or five eggs, eat thofe of fmall birds, and fometimes devour the helplefs animals themfelves. • Aldrovandus. f Gefner and Ray. J Willoughby. § Frifch remarks, that they place their neft fometimes on the tops of trees, and fometimes on tlie lower branches ; which would imply, that they fometimes breed in Germany. I have lately af- certained that they nelUe fometimes in France, and particularly in Burgundy. A flight of thefe Crows has refided conilantly, for two or three years paft, at Baume-la Roche, in certain holes of rocks, poffefled above a century by Rooks. One year, thefe Rooks not having returned, a flock of fifteen or twenty Hooded-Crows immediately occupied their fcite, have fince had two hatches, and are at prefent (25th May 1773) engaged with a third. This is another analogous feature of the two fpecies. 31 E3 Analogies iLii 11 ' ■t ■ • '1 ill *. ]ik \ b 14 H O O D E D - C R O W. Analogies fo ftriklng to the Carrion- Crow and the Rook, would lead us to fufped that the Hooded-Crow is only the hybridous offspring of thefe two fpecies. If it were only a variety of the Carrion.Crow, why does it fly in flocks, and fhift its abode twice a-year * ? or, if it were merely a variety of the Rook, whence thofe numerous relations which it bears to the Carrion- Crow ? But this double refemblance will be eafily e -plained, if we admit it to be a crofs- breed, participating of the qualities of both. This opinion would appear plaufible to philo- fophers who are accuftomed to trace phyfical analogies ; but it derives additional probability from the confideration that the Hooded-Crow is a new family, entirely unknown to the an- cients. Frifch fays, that the Hooded-Crow has two cries ; the one hollow and well-known, the other fhrill and fomewhat refembling the crow- ing of a Cock, He adds, that it is ardently at- tached to its young, and that if the tree on which its neft is built be cut down, it will fall with it, rather than abandon its offspring f . • '* The Raven and Crow are always feen, and never migrate o<- abfcond." Aristotle Hijl. Anim. lib. ix. 23. f A fimilar ftory is told by White, in his " Natural Hillory and Antiquities of Sclborne," A pair of Ravens had, for a courfc of years, been accuftomed to breed in an ancient oak : the tree was cut down in the month of February, when the birds were fitting, and the dam was crufhed by the fall. 7 Lin- M ,iSf HOODED-CROW. it rrlon- Crow e were fitting, Lin- "I Linnaeus feems to apply to this bird what is faid in the Britifti Zoology with refpedt to the Rook, that it is ufeful in deftroying deftrudive infedts. But do they not themfelves deftroy more grain than the infe m WM* '11''" m •:■• i|ik t '■'"'I: ' I ■ 60 THE JACKDAWS. only kinds known to us, is fhriller, and has influence in the forming of their names ; fuch as Choucas^ Graccus, Kaw^ Kae, &c. But it appears that they have more than one inflexion of voice ; for I am aflTured that they fometimes call out tiarty tiarty tian. They live upon infeds, grain, fruits, and even flefh, though very rarely ; but they will not touch filth, nor do they haunt the coafls to pick up the dead fifli and other carcafes that are caft adiore by the fea *. In this circumftance they rei'embie more the Rook, and even the Hooded- Crow, than the Carrion- Crow ; but they approach the latter by the habit of fearch- ing and hunting for partridge eggs, of which they deftroy great numbers. They fly in large flocks, like the Rooks ; like thefe, too, they form a fort of cantonments, which are even more numerous, confifl:ing of a mul- titude of nefts crcuded upon one another, in a large tree, in a belfry, or in the ruins of an old deferted caftle f. The male and female, when once paired, remain a long time fteadily united. When the genial feafon returns, which awakens the fenfibility of the animal frame, they eagerly court each other's fociety, and prattle incelfantly j they toy and kifs, till they are worked up to a f ' . ' a . .: '. ' ; A V -, ; '■■: !•■. .■ . 'ii :r* \ ' 1' ■■ r ■v ■\ 1 ' ' j; ■ ,►■ ( ■ Hnl • Aldrovandus. f Belon, Aldrovandus, and Willoughby. They prefer the bo^ s of trees to the branches. fury and has les ; fuch But it inflexion 3metimes uits, and :hey will coafls to i that are umftance ;ven the >w ; but " fearch- >f which ks; like s, which a mul- ler, in a ■ an old :, when united. Lwakens eagerly iFantlyj THE JACKDAWS. ei fury which can no longer be fatisfied with the calmer joys : nor do they omit thefe prelimi- naries when reduced to the ftate of captivity*. After fecundation, the female lays five or fix eggs, marked with a few brown fpots on a greenifli ground; and, after the young are hatched, (he watches, feeds, and rears them with an affedion which the male is eager to (hare. In this refpedl the Jackdaw refembles the Crows, efpecially the common fort : but Charleton and Schwenckfeld aflert that it has two hatches in the year j which has never been affirmed of any of the Crows, though it well correfponds to the order of nature, the fmall fpecies being always the moft prolific. The Jackdaws are birds of paflage, though they are not fo well entitled to that appellation as the Rooks and Hooded-Crows, fince a num- ber of them continue in the country through the fummer. The tov^^ers of Vincennes are at every feafon flocked witl-. them, and fo are all old buildings which alfoi d fhe fame convenience and (belter ; but in France rhere are always fewer in fummer thtai In winter. Thofe which migrate, form themfclves into great bodies, like the Rooks and the Hooded-Crows ; fometimcs they join the fame^rmy, and continually chatter as they fly : yet they keep not the fame periods in France as in Germany ; for th^y leave Ger- Ari^tle, de Gmmtiene, lib. iii. I m many 6£ THE JACKDAW?. ^4 n'% \^. ti' •i>«, l'*:. I \^'' :, many in autumn with their young, and appear not again till the ipring, after having wintered with us ; and Frifch was right in maintaining that they do not hatch during their ablence, fince neither the Jackdaws nor other birds breed in winter. With refpeft to their internal ftrudure, I fhall only obferve that they have a mufcular ventricle, and nenr its fuperiar orifice a dilatation of the oefophagus, which ferves in place of a crop, as in the Crows, but that the gall-bladder is more elongated. They can be eafily tamed and taught to fpeak. They feem fona of the domeftic ftate ; but they are faithlefs fervants, concealing the food which they cannot confume, and fecreting bits of money and jewels. To complete the hiftory of the Jackdaws, we have only to compare together the two kinds which are natives of Europe, and afterwards fubjoin, as ufual, the foreign fpecies and varieties. The Common Jackdaw * is of the fize of a pigeon ; its iris is whitifli, it has fome white ftreaks under its throat, fome dots of the fame colour round its noftrils, and fome of an afli colour on the hind part of the head and neck j the reft is entirely black, which is deeper, how- * ChQucaj, Buffi. :i ever, !■'■. . •■ id appear wintered lintaining ablence, rds breed .i£lure, I mufcular dilatation ace of a 1-bladder to fpeak. but they 3d which bits of J- THE JACKDAWS. 63 ever, on the upper parts, and glofled fometimes with violet, fometimes with green. The Chough * difiers from the preceding, in being rather fmaller, and perhaps lefs com- mon ; its iris is bluifh, as in the Rooks ; the prevailing colour of its plumage is black, with- out any cinereous mixture, and fmall white points are obferved round its eyes. But in every other refpedt they are exadly alike, and there is no reafon to doubt that they belong to the fame fpecies, and would breed together. We need not be fujfprifed that birds fo nearly related to the Crows, fliould prefent the fame varieties. Aldrovandus faw in Italy a Jackdaw with a white collar ; thi;; is probably the fame with what is found in many parts of Switzer- land, and which for this reafon the Englifh call the Helvetian Daw f . Schwenckfelri had occafion to fee a white Daw, with a yellowifh ''. ill. Thefe white Daws are more common in Norway and the cold countries; in the temperate climates even, as in Poland, a fmall white Daw is fometimes found in the neft of the black Daws or Choughs % \ in this cafe the colour of the plumage does not depend on the • Chouc, Burp. This is the MoncJula Nigra of BiiiTon, which Linnaus makes to be a variety of the Common Jackdaw, Curvut Monedula. f The Monedula-Torquata of BriTor, which Linnscus regards as a variety. The Collared- J Mhdww of Latham. X Rzacynzki. influ- I1 'h I' ,,.:! '^m^ t' i^ii '■ U THE JACKDAWS. influence of climate, but arifes from a natural defeat ; in the fame way as white Ravens are bred in France, and white Negroes born in Africa. Schwenckfeld fpeaks : ift, of a variegated Daw, which refembles the true Jackdaw, except that its wings are white, and its bill hooked. 2. Another Daw, which is very rare, and differs from the common kind in its being croflfed*. But thefe are, perhaps, individual varieties, or monftrous produdions. [A] * I had this year, in my court yard, four tyfted hens» of A Flemifh breed, which had the bill M-ofTed ; the upper mandible was very hooked, and at ieaft as much fo as in the crofs-bill it- fcif ; the lower was almoft flraight. Thefe hens could not feed on the giound (o well as others ; it was necelTary that grain fliould be laid of a conftderable thicknefs. [ A] Specific charafter of the Jackdaw, Corvus Manedula, Linn.; " It is dufky, the back of its head hoary, its wings and tail black." The Jackdaw weighs nine ounces j its length thirteen inches, and its breadth twenty-eight. It is found as far north aa Sondmor, and fometimes in the Feroe iilands ; it leaves Smoland and £aft Gothlancf immediately after harveft, and returns in the fpring with the flares. — Mr. White, in his Natural Hiftory of Sel- borne, relates a fingular fa£t : That, in a neighbouring warren^ the Daws fomeiimes breed under ground in the r^bbit-buriows. Wll r. 'A ;!'.(.«|.- a natural IS are bred Africa, irariegated w, except hooked, nd differs croffed *. iedes, or t hens, of i er mandible crofs-bill it- >uld not feed grain fliould igs and tail gth thirteen far north aa 'es Smoland rturns in the ftory of SeU ■ing warren, buriows. l' It ■•f;L ■**::!> :ty- :i«..il ■'I ■ ¥ TBK ^taE»i:VB CKO"%\'' r; ' f es J ^ The ALPINE DAW*. Lt Choquard, ou Choucat des Alpts, BuiF. Ctrvui'Pyrrhonrax, Linn, and Gmel. Pyrrhoccrax, Gefner, and Aldrovandus, fht Alfint Cro'w, Lath. PLINY calls this bird Pyrrbocorax^ which name alone includes an abridged defcrip- tion. KoraXj which fignifies Crow, marks the blacknefs of its plum?ge, as well as the anology of its fpecies; and pyrrbos^ which means rufous or orange, denotes the colour of its bill, which, in fadl, varies between yellow and orange ; and alfo that of its feet, which are ftill more vari- able, fmce.they were red in the fubjeft examined by Gefner, and black in the one defcribed by Briflbn. That author mentions alfo their being fometimes yellow, and others relate that they are yellow in winter, and red in fummer. Thefe yellow feet and bill, which laft is fmaller than that of the Jackdaw, have made it be taken for the Blackbird, and termed the Great Alpine Black- bird. But if we draw a comparifon, we fhall find that it approaches much nearer to the Jack- daws, by the fize of ks body, the length of its • In Swifs, Jlpkachtel, If'iUtul (Alp-kae, WiU-Da^) : la German, Bergdol, Alprapp, (Mountain-Daw, Alp-Raven). VOL, III. I wingSj I; !f :!:.ll :,:.., ,.i It Mhi s| . '! • »•( ; m li .!'■ 1 i^ ■? Hi ':">;•: HI iS",:. 66 THE ALPINE DAW. wings, and even the (hape of its bill, though flendcrer, and by its nodrils being covered with feathers, which are thinner, indeed^ than in the Jadcdaws* In the article of the Red-legged Crow, or Cornifh ChoiJgh, I have ftated the difference between thefc two birds ; which Belon, and fome others who have not feen them, have confounded together. Pliny believed the Pyrrbocornx to be of the Alps * i b«t Gefner, who has accurately pointed t)Ut the difUni^on ^between it and the Red- legged Crow, fays, that in certain parts of the couiatry of the "Grifons, this bird does not ap- pear in winifier ; and in other parts that it is feen Biearly the w*hok year, but that its feveurite re- iidenoe, where it fettles in numerous flocks, is the fummit of lofty mountains. Tbefe fads rdftrid fomewhat the opinion of Pliny, but at •the fan>e time they confirm it. The Alpine Daw is of a middle fize, be- tween the Jackdaw and the Carrion-Crow : its biil is fmaller, and more arched, than either ; its cry is ihriller, and more plaintive than the Jack* daw, and by iie means agreeable f . • IJi^. Nat. lib. :'. 48. f Scbwenckfeld fays, that the Pyrrhocorax, which he teifl1t» alio the Tfigbt-Crenv, is noify, efpecially during the night, and feldom appears in the day ; but I am not certain if Schwcnck' fcld mcAna the fame bird as I do, by that name. It '.Sc '11, though vered with han in the Crow, or difference f and fome 3nfounded he of the ly pointed the Red- rts of the es not ap- it is fecn curite tc- flocks, is t>efe fads Yt 'but at THE ALPINE DAW. 6/ It lives chiefly upon grain, and is very de- ftrudive among the crops j its flefli is very in- different eating. The inhabitants of the moun- tains draw meteorological predictions from its manner of flying ; if it .rifes aloft, they ilay their account for ccAd ; if it keep near the fur- face, they exped mil weather. [A] [A] Specific charaftLi *^ It is blackifh, its bill y< inches loqg. the Cofvus-Pyrihocorax, Likn.; .ii, its feet black." It is fifteen M 1 i r fize, be- •row: its ther; its he Jack- > l»e teifli» night, anJ Schwcnck- V -2 %- <^, ^-^^ - .o. O^X^ 71 '^^i 4W /I .^ /^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 l^|28 |2.5 I.I 1.*^ i^ 11.25 IIIU 11.6 Photographic Sdences Corporation ^ .A^ v k^' \ 23 WBT MAIN STRUT WMSTER.N.Y. 145M (71«)*72-4S03 6^ 1 ■■': o m i 68 ] . FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE JACKDAWS-, "1 IV »':■ ■..(.- I. The MUSTACHIO DAW. Corvut Hettentottus, Linn, and GmeU Mentdula Capitis Bona Sfei, BrifT. TJbe Hotttntot Crow, Lath. THIS bird is nearly thfc fize of the Blackbird ; its plumage is of a glofTy black, like the Jackdaw's ; and its tail is proportionably longer than in any of them; all the feathers which compofe it are equal, and the wings, when clofed, do not extend half its length ; the fourth and fifth are the longed of all, reaching two inches and a half farther than the Hrft. There are two circumftances to be remarked in the exterior of this bird : i . Thofe long and flexible black hairs which arife from the bafe of the upper mandible, and which are twice as long as the bill ; befides many other hairs, fhorter and differ, and pointing forwards, and fpreading over this fame bafe, as far as the corners of the mouth. 2. Thofe long and narrow feathers in- ferted 1 ■a FOREIGN BIRIJS, &c. 6^ ferted in the upper part of the neck, which play on the back, and form a fort of mane *. • Specific charafter : " It is greenifli black, its tail equal, with very long muftachios." Its length is eleven inches and a quarter* mi m II. The B A L D - D A W. Corvus Calvut, Gmel. 7'he Bald -Crow, Lath. , This fmgular Daw correfponds to the Rook : the anterior part of its head is bare as in the Rook, and its throat is only fhaded with a few ftraggling feathers. Its relation to the Daws in general is marked by the length of its wings, the fhape of its feet, its port, its bulk, and its wide nollrils, which are almoil round. But it differs becaufe its noftrils are not covered with feathers, and are placed in a deep cavity on either fide of the bill, and alfo becaufe its bill is broader near the bafe, and fcalloped at the edges. I can fay nothing with refpe£l to its hiftory. It has not even received a name in any treatife of ornithology. It is a native of Cayenne f . t Specific charafler : " It is duOcy-ferruginous, its front and top bald." It is rather larger than the Jackdaw, being thirteen inches long. F3 ">. >^ FOREIGN BIRDS nlated to F:' iii^i'ii III. The NEW GUINEA DAW. Corvus Nova Guinea, Gmel. ^he New Guinea Crtyw. The natural place this bird ought to occupy is between our Daws and what I call Colnud, It has the figure of the Diiws, the grey plumage of one of them, at leaft,, on the upper part of the body ; but it is not fo large, and its bill is broader in the bafe, in which it refembles the Colnud, It differs from the laft by the length of its wings, which reach almoft to the end of its tail, and from the Colnud and the Daws by the colours of the under-fide of the body, which confift of black and white ftripes, that extend to the wings, and which bear fome refemblance to thofe in the variegated Wood- pecker *. •* The fpeclfic charafter of this bird includes a full defcription, which would only be an unneceiTary repetition of the text;, and ii therefore omitted. ^1 »i ih JACKDAWS. 7' A.W. ) occupy Colnud, plumage r part of ts bill is obles the ength of id of its )aws by y, which t extend jmblance defcriptiofi, text, and it ■^ The IV. PAPUAN DAW. Le Cboucari de la NouvelU GiuMti, Buff*. Ccrvus Papuenjls, GmeK The Papuan Crew, Lath. The prevailing colour of this bird (for we know only its furface) is an afh-grey, deeper in the upper fide, and lighter in the under, and diluting, by degrees, almoft to white under the belly and the parts adjacent. There are only two exceptions to this uniformity of plumage : I . A black ring, which furrounds the bafe of the bill, and extends as far as the eyes. 2. The great quills of the wings, which are of a blackiih brown. In this bird the aoftrils are, as in the pre- ceding, entirely covered with white feathers; the bill is nearly fimilar, except that the ridge of the upper mandible is not round as in the Jackdaws, but angular as in the Colutui, U bears other relations alfo to the laft, and re- fembles it in the proportions of its wings, which extend no farther than the middle of its tail ; in the fmallnefs of its feet, and in the fliortnefs of its nails. In Ihort, we cannot hcfitate to place it, as well as the preceding, between the Jack- daws and the Colnuds, Its length, i:eckoning from the point of the bill to the extremity of the tail> is about thirteen inches. F4 Wc n I V i I 11 \:!r. ^ 7» FOREIGN BIRDS nbted to We owe this new fpecies, as well as the pre- ceding, to Sonnerat *. • Specific charafler : " It is cinereous^ its belly white, ita wing-quills dufky blackilh." m i" ?! , '1' V. The CAYENNE COLNUDfi Corvus Nudus, Gmel. The Bare-necked Crotu, Lath. I rank this bird after the Daws, though it differs from them in fome refpeds, hecaufe it is certainly more analogous to thefe, than to any birds of our continent. Like No. II. it has a very broad bill at the bafe, and refembles it alfo in another refpe£t, in being bald ; but this is in a different way, the neck being almoft naked and featherlefs. Its head is covered from the noftrils inclufively, with a fort of black velvet cap, confifting of fmall ftraight feathers, fhort, interwoven, and very foft to the feel ; thefe are more ftraggling under the neck, and much more fo under the fides and in the hind part. The Colnud is nearly of the fize of our Jack- daws, and we may add that it wears their li- very J for its plumage is entirely black, except r^^: f i.e. Naked-Neck. fome the pre- T white, its Dfi ough it caul'e it 1 to any at the fped, in ay, the 'Ss. its ufively, ling of m, and aggling der the r Jack- beir li- except fome ij&, JACKDAWS. 73 fome of the coverts and the wing-quills, which arc of a whitiih grey. To look at the feet of the one which I obferved, one would fuppofe that the hind-toe was forcibly turned back ; but this is its natural pofition, and it can be di reded for- ward occafionally, as in the martins. I have even remarked that it is conneded with a membrane to the inner toe in each foot. Ic is a new fpecies *. • Specific charaftcr : *' It is black, having a cape waved with foft feathers, its neck thinly covered with feathers." VI. The PHILIPPINE BALICASEf. Corvus'BalicaJjus, GmcJ. MoncJula Fhilippeifis, Bri/T. The Philippine Crow, Lath. I cannot prevail upon myfelf to give this bird the appellation of a Daw, as Briflbn has done ; fince, from his defcription even, it appears to differ widely from them. Its wings extend only fifteen or fixteen inches, and it is fcarcely larger than a Blackbird : its bill is thicker and longer in proportion than in any of the European Jack- daws ; its feet flenderer, and its tail forked ; f In the Philippines it is called Bali-Caffio. V\ t!« % laftly, '' '.It '' u U 74 FOREIGN BIRDS, (ifc. lailly, inftead of the fhrill gloomy c?ies o^ tbc Jackdaws, it has a foft pleafant fong. Such difierences 'would lead us to expert many inore« when the bird it better known. Its bill and feet are black ; its plumage of the fame colour, with green reflections; its colour, at lead, is the fame, therefore, with that of the Jackdaw** * Specific character : '* It is of a greenifli bbck> Its tul forked.'* ;> » ''^* A M t II: ■ 1 ■ r h\ j' i 1 ' 1 > es ot the g* Such !dt many igc of the ts colour, I that of taU forked.** iKi > ,11.'" ' • , ' I .■ffl «•!■, h:^ Fit'' ■f? jr/?j It; TIIB Af^-GPTK Mi r 75 J Ti:. .ti The MAGPIE*,. LaPUt Buff. CorviiJ-Picd, Linn, and Gmel. Pica Varia b" Catuiata, Gefner, and Aldrov. PicaRufticcrumi KIcirt. y^^ Magpit, Piantt, or i*/*/, WiU. Alb. &c. 'HIS bird refembles the crow To much in external appearance, that Llnnaeus^ has clafTed them under the fame genus ;. and Bebn remarks, that if the tail of the Magpie was ihortened, and the white removed from its plumage, it would be really a crow. In fadJ:, the Magpie has the bill, the feet, the eyes,, and the general fhape of the crows and jackdaws ; it has alfo many of their inflin£ts and habits,, for it is omnivorous, living on all forts of fruits, and devouring even carrion f>, robbing the fmall birds* nefts of the eggs and the young, and ieizing fometimes' the parents,, either by an * Ih Greek; Ktj^a or Ktrla* and on account of its variegated plumage, noi«tXi( : in Latin, Pica, Cljfa, and according to Tome, Avis Pluvia, (Rain-Bird) ; in wretched modern Latin, Ajacia : in Spaniih, Pega, Picata, Pigazza ; and in Catalonia, CraJ/h : in Italian; Gazza, Ragazza, Aregazza, Gazztwla, Gazzara, Pica, Putta : in German, Aeloter, Atzel, Aegerfl, Agerlujier: in Flemiftli Atatcr : in Polidi, Slroka : in Swedifti, Skala, Sluira, Siara: in Ddnifh; Shade : in Norwegian, Skior, Tunfugl. f JiLEiN.— I faw one that ate greedily the fltin of an orange. 10 open s\ I 76 THE MAGPIE. yi: ; i n i|S'l"lL' 1 f"' - ■ T open attack, or by furprifing them while en- fnared. One has been known to fall upon a blackbird, another to fnatch a crab, but ftrangled by the clofing of the claws, &c.* Its fondnefs for live flefli has fuggefted the breeding it for falconry, like the ravens f. It com- monly fpcnds the warm feafon paired with its female, and engaged in hatching and breeding its young. In the winter it goes in flocks, and approaches the hamlets, where it has greater re- fourccs, which the feverity of the feafon renders the more neceffary. It is eafily reconciled to the fight of man, foon grows familiar in the houfe, and at laft becomes mafter. I knew one which pafl'ed a day and night among a crew of cats, which it was fhrewd enough to command. It prattles nearly like the carrion-crow, and learns to imitate the cries of animals, and even the human voice. One is mentioned which could exadlly mimic the calf, the kid, the (heep, and even the notes of the fhepherd's pipe : another repeated completely, the flourifh of trumpets if. Willoughby knew many which could • Aldrovandus. — It occafions much diforderin the catching of birds by calls, and dares, fo to fay, .the fowkr in his hut. t Frifch. t Plutarch relates that a Magpie, which amufed itfelf with imitating human difcourfe, the cry of animals, and the found of inllruments, having one day heard a flourilh of trumpets, became luutc all of a fudden, which furprifed perfons who had been ac> 8 cullomed THE MAGPIE. 77 hile en- 1 ■ upon a 1 [Irangled m jftcd the I" It com- ..;> with its V'' breeding cks, and eater re- I 1 renders iciled to ' * ir in the I knew mong a ough to i •ow, and als, and entioned • i the kid. A iepherd*s flourifh 1 ly which i.\i could the catching i hut. ■-v^^H 1 itfelf with the found of ets, became id been ac cullomed could pronounce whole phrafes. Marmot Is the word commonly given them, becaufe they can the moft readily articulate it j and Pliny afTures us, that this bird is very fond of that fort of imitation, is pleafed with repeating the words it has learned, ftudies patiently and earncftly to recal thofe it has loft, is overjoyed with the dif- covery, and fometimes dies of vexation, if its recoUedion fails it, or if its tongue refufcs to pronounce a hard word *. The tongue of the Magpie is like that of thd raven, for the moft part black. It alights on the backs of hogs and flieep, like the jack- daw, and fearches after the vermin which in- feft thefe animals ; with this difference, how- ever, that the hog receives its civilities with complaifance ; but the fheep, no doubt more delicate and fenfible, feems to dread it f* It alfo fnaps, very dexteroufly, the flies and other winged infedls which come in its way. The Magpie can be caught by the fame fnares, and in the fame manner with the car- rion-crow, and it is addidted to the fame bad habits of ftealing and hoarding up provifions J ; habits cuftomed to hear it chatter inceffantly ; but they were much more furprifed fomeiime after, when, quite unexpeftedly, it broke filence, not to repeat its ufual leffon, but to copy the notes and modulations of the trumpets. Plutarch. • Hifi. Nat. lib. x. 42. t Salerne. t I have verified this faft, by fcattering before a tame Magpie pieces of money and little bits of glafs. Jt was difcovered alfo, that they M I ■ f 78 T H -E >M A G 1 1 E. "1 -rni .1 ■ ':i-. habits alftioft ever infeparaible in the differtrd. fpecies of anim^lls. It is ; im%g\ned «tib to •for&- bode rain, when it chatter^- mere than ufually ** On the other hand, many circuotftances concur to feparate it from the crows. It is much fmaller than even the jackdaw^ not weighing more than eight or nine ounces ; its wings are fhorter, and its tail long^.,iji.pro* portion, and hence its flight. is 'Wither ilb lofty, nor fo well fupported. It never undertakes dillant journies, but-only flies from tree to tree, or from fteeple to fl:eeple. When on the ground, it is in a continual flutter, hopping as much as walking, and brifkly wagging its tail* It fliews, in general, more reftleflfnefs and ac- tivity than the crows ; it is more malicious, and is difpofed to a fpecies of raillery j'. The fe- male accordingly difplays, greater art and con- trivance in the conftrudtion of her neft ; whe- ther becaufe flie is more ardent for the male J, and therefore more attached to its young, or becaufe Ihe is aware that many birds of .rapine ife -n ii. * t. they conceal their theft with fuch great care, tljat It was fometimcs clifHcuh to make a UetcdUon; under the be«i>'for inllance, or be-> tween tihe quilts. • Aldrovandus. •}•• " I once favv a Magpie fl) ing towards a bird, which !ta,ppcned to be tied to fome place; and a. it was reaching to eat a bit of flcfhf'the Magpie removed the morfcl with its tail. I thence con* eluded that the Magpie delights in tantalizing other birds/' Avi* cenna «/« lofty, ndertakcs ;e to tree, on the opping as kg its tail* i and ac" :ious, and The fe- and eon* :ft ; whe- be male J, j'oung, or of .rapine Vis fomet^nes ftance, or be- liicli Iia,ppcned 0 eat a bk of 1 thence con- 3trds/' Avi« : of the Ma2- arc are forward to plunder its eggs and its brood, and, befides, that Ibme of them are promptol to retaliate. She places her neft on the tops of the loftieft trees, or, ai leaft, on high buflies *, and, with the afliftance of the male, ftrengthens it on the outfide with flexible twigs and worked mud, and environs the whole with a baiketing of fmall thorny branches clofely entangled, leaving only in the thickeft and mod accef^ fible fide, a fmall hole for entering. But not contented with fafety alone, (he feeks conveni- ence ; fhe lines the bottom of the neil with a fort of round mattrefs t> O"^ which the young repofe iibft and warm ; and though thifi lining, which is the true neft, be only fix inches in diameter, the whole mafs, including the thorny embrafure, is at leaft two feet every way. But all thefe precautions are not fufficient to remove her anxiety and apprehenfions : {he is • It commonly builds in the fkirts of woods or on vineyards. f '• The Blackbird and Magpie fpread a bedding under their young." Aristotle, Hifl.Anim. lib. ix. 13. I take this op- portunity to obferve, that many writers have thought that the Ki(ro-a of Arillotle is the fume with our jay, becaufe the Kktst* is defcribed to hoard up acorns, which are the princip.al food of the jay ; but it is admitted that this food is common to both the j.ay and the Magpie; and there are two characters peculiar to the jay, which Ariftotle could not fail to have obferved, viz. the two blue marks on the wings, and the fort of crcll which the bird makes by occafionally briftling the feathers on the head. Since Ariftotle is ftlent on thefe particulars, 1 conjetJture that his Magpie and ours are the fame bird, and likewife the long-tailed variegated Magpie which wa? new at Rome, and rare even in the time x>f Pliny. m ' -'1 Lib. .X. 29. per- So THE MAGPIE. UMh perpetually on the watch j if fhe perceive a crow to appro;ich, (he flies immediately to meet him, haraflles him, and purfues him to a dif- tance *. If the enemy be more formidable, a falcon for inftance, or an eagle, yet will not fear reftrain ; (he rafhes on danger with a te- merity which is not always crowned with fuc- cefs. Her condudt muft fometimes, however, be more confiderate, if we believe what is al- leged, that when Ihe fees a perfon fpying her neft with too envious an eye, fhe tranfports the eggs to fonie other place, either between her claws, or in a way ftill more incredible f. Sportfmen tell ftories no lefs ftrange about her fkill in arithmetic, though her knowledge ex- tends not beyond the number five J. She lays feven or eight eggs at each hatch, and breeds only once a year, unlefs the neft be deftroyed or deranged, in which cafe fhe con- ilruds another, and both parents exert them- • Frlfch. f " To the underflJe of a twig they glue two eggs with their excrements, and, having taken the burthen on their neck, they tranfport it thus equally poifed." Pliny, /ii>, x. 33. J Sportfmen fay, that if a Magpie fees a man enter a hut built at the foot of the tree on which it breeds, it will not go info its neft till it has perceived the man leave the hut ; that if two enter, and only one comes out, it will not be deceived by the ftratagem, but will ftay till the fecond alfo comes out ; that it will likewife diftinguilh three out of four, and even four cut of five, beyond which it cannot difcriminate. It would thence follow, that the Magpie has a dilUnft idea of the feries of numbers, from one to five ; and it muft be confefled that the glance of a man's eye is not perhaps more accurate. felve* rceive a to meet o a dif- dable, a will not :h a te- vith fuc- lowever, at is al- lying her ports the /een her •edible f . ibout her edge ex- :h hatch, e neft be fhe con- rt them- gs with their r neck, they J- ;r a hut built )t go into its if two enter, le ftratagecn, will likewife five, beyond [ow, that the from one to a's eye is not T I! £ MAGPIE. 81 ■* felves with fuch ardour as to complete it in lefs than a day. They have afterwards a fccond hatch, confifting of four or five eggs; and if they be again difturbed, they will rebuild the neft, and make a third hatch, though ftill fmaller than the preceding *. The eggs of the Magpie are never fo large, or of fo deep a colour, as thofe of the Raven ; they are marked with brown fpots, ftrewed on a blue-green ground, moft crowded about the thick end. John Liebault, quoted by Salerne, is the only one who affirms t,hat the male and female fit al- ternately. The Magpies are hatched blind and fhapelefs, and it is fome time before they aflume their de- fined form. The mother not only rears them with an anxious care, but takes an intereft in them after they are grown up. Their flefli is indif- ferent eating, though it is not held in fuch averlion as that of young crows. With refped to the difference remarked in the plumage, I conceive it to be not abfolutely fpecific; fince, among the ravens, the crows, and the jackdaws, individuals are found varie- gated, like the Magpie, with black and white : we muft admit, indeed, that in the former black * Something of this kind has made the ftratagem be imputed to the Magpie, of having conftantly two ncils, with a view to dil'appoint the birds of prey, by (hifting from the one to the other. It was for the fame feafon that the tyrant Dionyfius had thirty b;d-chambers. m M 1. VOL. HI. 13 tt THE M A G P I Ei ), .:V,; ! -I ■ I » .i- 15 im m ; {/ f^ .. : is the ordin'ary colour, as the mixture of white and black is in the latter. But this is not uni- form ; and if we examine the bird clofely, or view it in certain lights, we may perceive fhades of green, purple, and violet, though not ex- pedled in a bird fo little celebrated for beauty of plumage *. The male is diftinguiflied from the female by the deeper blue glofs on the upper part of its body, and not by the blacknefs of its •tongue, as fonie have alleged. The Magpie is fubjedb to moult, like the other "birds; but it is obferved, that the feathers drop fucceflively and by degrees, except thofe on the head, which are detached all at once, fo that at the annual return of the feafon it appears bald f. The young ones do not get their long tail before the fecond year ; and, no doubt, this IS the time when they become adult. AH that I can learn with refpedt ta the dura- tion of the life of the Magpie is, that Dr. Der- ham kipt one twenty years, when it grew blind 'with age J. This bird is very common in France, Eng"- land, Germany, Sweden, and in every part of Europe, except Lapland [| ; it is aHo rare in mountainous countries, which fhcws that it • Britifli Zoology. i Vliky, /ikx. 2g. t Albin. II Fauna Suecica, No. 76. M. Hebert affures me, that no Mag- pics are ken in the mountains of BHficy, or even at the height of Nantua. cannot of white not uni- ■ i lofely, or ve fhades not ex- )r beauty hed from 1 the upper ^ aefs of its & 1 ! the other ''''/ thtrs drop ofe on the e, fo that , it appears their long M doubt, this M > the dura- Wt t Dr. Der- 1 grew blind M nee, Eng:- '' «S ery part of ' ■ lb rare in 9 ws that it 1 X Albin. '9 e, that no Mag- ^ at the height of ..fl THE MAGPIE. <:annot fupport exce0ive cold. I fhall clofe this account with a fliort defcription, which will il- luftrate what cannot be reprefented at all, or which the figure exprefles imperfe^ly. It has twenty quills in each wing, the firft of which is very ihort, and the fourth and fifth the longeft ; twelve unequal quills in the tail, diminifhing always in length, the farther they are from the two middle ones, which are the longeft ot all ; the noftrils round ; the internal eye-lids marked with a yellow fpot ; the edges of the chops befet with hairs ; the tongue blackifli, and forked; the inteftines about twenty-two inches long; the ccecnms half an inch ; the afophagus dilated and covered wifh glands at its jundlipn with the ventricle, which is but little mufcular ; the kidney oblong ; and the gall-bladder of the ordinary fize ^. I have already faid that there are white Mag- pies as well as white ravens ; and though the principal caufe of this change of the plumage is the influence of northern climates, as may be fuppofed of the white Magpie of Wormius f, which was brought from Norway, and ^v^a » Willughby. t Mt'f^um Wtrmianumt p. 293. •* It was fent me from Norway, where two young ones of this kind were found in the neft. It is evidently, from its form, a Magpie, only of a white colour, and fmaller, pot being yet full .grown. It» head appears v:^': i ii u\ iinooth.' 02 of cannot BkI m^fi ll'T;' mit' ; r^ 5 ■'i K ; '•■■ 'i, ■ [ii f , ' ■ m ii ' 1 J. "3 >'. i;^ ■• ,,.i 84 THE MAGPIE. of fome of thofe mentioned by Rzacynflci * : I mud confefs, however, that they are fometimes found in temperate climates; for inftance, the one caught fome years ago in Sologne, which was entirely white, except a fingle black feather in the middle of its wings f ; whether it had mi- grated from the northern countries to France, after having undergone this change, or was bred in France, and the change of colour owing to fome accidental caufe. We rauft fay the fame of the white Magpies that have fometimes been feen in Italy if. Wormius remarks, that the h'^ad of his white Magpie was fmooth and bare, becaufe he pro- bably faw it in the moulting feafon ; which con- the com- Maj regard ;pies. mon Willugliby faw, in the king of England's collciftion, Magpies of a brown or rufty colour, which may be efteemed a fecond variety of the ordinary fort. [A] * " A white Magpie was hatched in the town of Comarn, in the Ruflian palatinate Five Magpies of the fame colour were feen near Viafta. In Volhinia, not far from the townfliip of Olika, another was found." Rzacynzki, JJIiiarium, p. 412. •}• Salerne. X Gerini, Storiadegli Uccrlli, tom. ii. p. 4I. [A] Spccilic character of the Magpie, CorvuS'Pica, Linn.: '• It h variegated with blacic and white, its tail wedge-fhapcd." Its length is eighteen inches, its breadth on'y twenty-foar. Jt is il>urjd alfb in the ifland of Madeira. M < i ' f m nfki*: I bmetimes e, the one vhich was feather in t had mi- 0 France, ■ was bred owing to Y the fame Limes been f his white ife he pro- which con- 0 the corn- England's ufty colour, riety of the ,vn of Comarn, "the fame colour )m the townfliip Itiarium, p. 41 i- a i 85 3 FOREIGN BIRDS, RELATED TO THE MAGPIE. I. The SENEGAL MAGPIE. IT is fomewhat lefs than ours ; but its wings, being proportionably longer, are nearly of tiie fame extent ; its tail, on the contrary, is fliorter, though of the fame fhape. The bill, the feet, and the nails, are black, as in the common Magpie, but the plumage is very dif- ferent. It has not a particle of white, and all the colours are dull ; the head, the neck, the back, and the breaft, are black, with violet re- flexions ; the quills of the tail and the great quills of the wings are brown. All the reft is blackifh, with different degrees of intenfity. ,;*;: ^'■M t'Pica, Linn. : wedge-fhaped." enty-foar. It is The JAMAICA MAGPIE. This bird weighs only fix ounces, and is about a third fmaller than the common Magpie, c 'I which <,ll ; M ski m%''( y. ft li i m 'ilfi^*; iF . i : : m Hill > ; li'l'i S6 FOREIGT^ BIRDS related ta which it refembles in its bill, its feet, and its tail. The plumage of the male is black, with purple refledions ; that of the female is brown, darker on the back and all the upper fide of the body, and lighter under the belly. They build their neft on the branches of trees. They are found in every part of the ifland, but are moft numerous at a diflance from the fcene of buftle. After breeding, they quit their con- cealments, and in autumn they fprcad over the fettlements in fuch prodigious multitudes, as fometimes to darken the air. They fly thus in flocks for miles, and wherever they alight, they occafion confiderable damage to the planters. In winter, their refource is to crowd to the barn-doors. Such fads would lead us to fup- pofe that they are frugivorous ; but they have a flrong fmell, and their fle(h is rank and coarfe, and feldom eaten. It follows from what I have faid, that this bird differs from our Magpie, not only in its mode of feeding, in its fize, and in its plumage, but is befides diftinguifhed by its being able to continue long on wing, by its affociating in numerous flocks, and by the ranknefs of its flefli. The difference of fex is attended with a ftill greater in the colours. In fliort, if we add that the common Magpie could not tra- verfe the immenfe ocean which feparates the two continents, and could not fupport the in- tenfe I»' (9 and its ck, with is brown, de of the s of trees, and, but the fcene their con- over the itudes, as ly thus in ight, they planters, vd to the us to fup- bey have a ind coarfe, I, that this Dnly in its s plumage, ing able to )ciating in lefs of its :nded with lort, if we d not tra- jarates the art the in- tenl'e ■:■•<< the M A G P I E. paflfagc 87 tenfc cold of a northern elude the American Magpies to be analogous to ours, and their reprefentativcs in the new world, but not derived from the fame common. ftock. The tefquizana * of Mexico feems to bear a great- refemblance to this Jamaica Magpie ; lince, according to Fernandez, its tail is very long, and its fize is inferior to that of the flare ; its plumage is of a glofly black ; it flies in nu- merous flocks, which are aeftrudlive to the cul- tivated fields where they alight ; it breeds in the fpring, and its flefh is tough and rank. In a word, this bird might be confidered as a fort of ftare or jackdaw ; but if we except the plu- mage, a jackdaw with a: long tail refembles much a Magpie It is quite different with refpe£t to the ifana f cf Fernandez, which BrifTon confounds with the Jamaica Magpie. The bill, indeed, the feet, and the plumage, have the fame colours in both ; but the ifana is larger, and its bill is twice as long : befides, it prefers the coldefl parts of Mexico, and in its inflindts, its habits^ and its cry, it refembles the flare. It would be difficult, 1 imagine, to trace thefe charaders in • I have formed this word by contraftion for the Mexican Te- quixquiacazanaiJ. Fernandez calls it alfo Slare of Salt Marjhcs, and the Spaniards, Tordo (thiulli). This bird has a plaintive long. FfRNAN'DEZ, Hijl. Auium NovaHij}auur, cap. xxxiv. f / p. 7*^^* naked, Hlifi the MAGPIE. 89 1 naked, which Briflbn reckons one of the cha- raders of the roller: but, i, we cannot with certainty infer from a figure, which Briflbn himfelf confiders as inaccurate, a property fo minute that it would efcape the notice of a defigner. 2. To this we may oppofe a re- markable charader, which could not be over- looked, viz. the long quills in the middle of the tail, which Briflbn confiders as belonging ex- cluflvely to the Magpie. 3. The Magpie of the Antilles refembles ours in its cry, in its con- fident difpofition, in its ncftling on trees, in its fauntering by the margin of ftreams, and in the coarfenefs of its flefli * : in fliort, if we muft rank it with the mod analogous European birds, ii ought to be placed among the Magpies. It differs, however, by the exceflive length of the two middle quills of the tail, w^hich fl:retch fix or eight inches beyond the lateral ones f J its colours are alfo different, the bill and J'. % >.!l, 0 * Hi/l. des Antilles. The Magpie alfo walks by the fides of water, iince it foinetimes catches crabs, as we have already faid. f I do not mean the Angular property afcribed to it by AI- drovandus, that there are only eight cjuills in the tail : that natu- ralilt counted them only in a coloured figure, a very uncertain method of judging. Father Dutcrtre, indeed, repeats the fame thing; but moft probably he copies Aldrovandus, with whofj orni- thology he was well acquainted, fines he quotes it in the next page. Bcfides, he was accultomed to make his defcriptions from me- mory, which requires alliltance : and, laftly, the Magpie of the Antilles is perhaps the only one in which he mentions the number of fhp tail-quills» "■1 •". . ; ? • ■I ' 13 ^'V 90 FOREIGN BIRDS nlattd to feet being red ; the neck blue, with a white col- lar ; the head of the fame blue, tinged with a white fpot, flreaked with black, which extends from the origin of the upper mandible to the junction of the neck ; the back of a tawny co- lour, the rump yellow, the two long quills of the tail ftriped with blue and white, thofe of the wing mixed with green and blue, and the under fide of the body white. Upon comparing Father du Tertre's defcrip- tion of the Magpie of the Antilles, with that of Aldrovandus's long- tailed Magpie of India, we cannot doubt but they were formed from a bird of the fame fyecies, and confequently it is an American bird, as we are alTured by Father du Tertre, who (aw it at Guadaloupe, and not a native of Japan, as Aldrovandus aflTerts from a very uncertain tradition * ; unlefs we fuppofe that it had penetrated towards the north, and thus fpread through both continents. •it • •* The emperor of Japan tranfmitted this moft beautiful birdf fome years fince, to his holinefs the Pope, as a remarkable prefent, as I have learned from the marquis Facchinetto, who faid that it was received by his uncle Innocent IX." Aldro- vandus. The $hi U A Q ? lEi fH IV. The H O C I S A N A*. CorvuJ Mtxieanus, Gold. Pica Mtxicana Major, firilT. Lt Chard, Pernetty's Voy. Tlj< Mtxican Crew, Lath. Though Fernandez calls this bird a great flare, we may, from his own account, refer it to the genus of Magpies ; for he tells us, that it would be exactly like the common jackdaw, if it were fomewhat fmaller, its tail and nails (horter, and its plumage of a purer black, and not mixed with blue. But a long tail is the property, not of the flare, but of the Magpie, and what dif- criminates it the moft in its external appearance from the jackdaw. With regard to the other characters which feparate the Hocifana from the jackdaw, they are as much foreign to the dare as to the Magpie, if not more fo. This bird courts the refidence of man ; it is as familiar as the Magpie, chatters like it, and has a ihrill cry ; its Hefh is black, and very well tailed f. * Fernanbez, cap. xxxiii. The Mexican name Is Hociu zanatl ; it is alfo called Caxcuxtototl. t Specific chara^er : *' Entirely of a bluilh black." ■I" ■ 'n I' ■K The The :■ t :♦>',- 9t F O R E I G N B I R D S related to V. The VARDIOLE*. Seba has given this bird the appellation of the Bir^l of Paradi/cy as he has to almoft all foreign birds with long tails. In this refpetl the Var- diole was entitled to the name, fmce its tail is double the extreme length of its body. But this tail is not formed as in the bird of paradife, for its quill feathers are furnifhed with vanes through their whole length, befides many other differences. White is the prevailing colour in this bird : "we muft only except the head and neck, which are black, with very bright purple refledions; the feet, which aio of a light red ; the wings, whofe quills have black vanes, and the two middle ones of the tail, which ftretch much be- yond the reft, and which are marked with black along their fliaft, from the bafe to half of their leigth. The eyes of the Vardiole are lively, and en- circled with white ; the bafe of the upper man- dible is fliaded with little hair-like black fea- thers, that meet behind and cover the noftrils ; fliorr, and extend not beyond the Its wines are origin of its tail. So far it refeniblcs the Mag- pie J but it dihers on account of the iliortnels of its feet, which are only the iialf in proportion, * It is called Waygchoe, or WarilUc, a cir i^y the M A G P I E. 93 a circumftance attended with other dliFerences in its figure and port. It is found in the ifland of Papoe, according to Scba, v^^hofe defcription is the only original one, and comprehends all that is known about this bird. The VI. Z A N O E*. Ccrvus-Zanaboe, Gmel. Pica Mexicana Minor, BriiT. The hejj'er Mexican Croiv, Lath. Fernandez compares this Mexican bird to the common Magpie, for its fize, for the length of its tail, for the perfeO:ion of its fenfes, for its talents for fpeaking, and for its pronenefs to fleal whatever pleales its fancy. He adds, that its plumage is entirely black, except on the neck and head, where we can perceive a fulvous tinge f. • The Mexican name is Tj'anahod. t Specific charat^er .■ " Blackifti, its head and neck fomewliit ** fulvous, its tail long." M •■I ■■*)\ ■' ' ''4 •r,jj ■>■. •1 \:' ;^r m »i m 1 ' M 1 '• 'V-'' B|> i il' W4 J 1 i' ■■• 1 f ■■ n- 1, > lii t^ff^ \f% 100 T H E J A Y. coverts of the wings were the whiteft ; its feet alfo feemed to be more (lender than thofe of the common Jay. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the Ja/» Corvut Glandariut, Linn, t *' The coverts of its wings are (ky-blue. with tranfverfe white « and black lines, its body variegated ferruginous." It weighs be- tween fix and feven ounces, its length is thirteen inches, breadth twenty and a half. It is edeemed one of the moft beautiful of the Britiih birds. M m i w-\ I.'' ■ . < ■'["' P' •■if Si m 1(1 iilt[''' i^ [ lOI ] feet the white !>be- eadth f the A •I FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE JAY. I. The RED-BILLED JAY of CHINA. Corvus Erythrorynehos , Gmel. The Rtd-itlltd Jay^ Lath. THIS new kind of Jay has been juft intro- duced into France. Its red bill is the more remarkable, as the whole of the fore-part of the head, the neck, and even the bread, is of a fine velvet black. The hind part of its head and neck is of a foft gray, whicli mixes in fmall fpots on the crown, with the black of the fore-part ; the upper fide of the body is brown, the under whitifh. But to form a clear idea of the colours, we rauft fuppofe a violet tint fpread over them all, except the black, deeper on the wings, fainter on the back, and ilill more dilute under the belly. The tail is ta- pered, and the wings exceed not one-third of its length, and each of its quills is marked with three colours, viz. a light violet at its origin, black at its middle, and white at its extremity ; H 3 but ir vt '^l 102 FOREIGN BIRDS but the violet is more extcnfive than the black, and that dill more than the white. The feet are red, like the bill ; the nails whitifli at their origin, and brown near the point, and are, befidcs, very long and hooked. This Jay is fomewhat larger than ours, and may be only a variety arifing from the influence of climate *. u * Specific charafler : " The body duflcy above, and whiiifh " below ; the tail wcdgc-diapcd ; the taiKquills dilute violet at *' the bafef black in the middle, and white at the tips." I'i 16 V II. The PERUVIAN JAY. Le Geat tlu Permi, Buff, Corvuj Pernviunus, Gmel. ' The plumage of this bird is of fingular beauty; it confifts of an aflemblage of the lineft colours, fometimes melting with inimitable art, and fometimes forming a contraft which heightens the efteift. The delicate green which prevails in the upper part of its body, extends on the one fide over the fix mid-quills of the tail, and on the other it advances, pafTmg by infcnfible fhades, and receiving, at the fame time, a bluifh tint, to join a fort of white crown on the head. The bal-j of the bill is furrounded with a fine blue, which appears again behind the eye, and in relatid to tbi JAY. 103 in the fpace below it. A kind of black velvet, which covers the throat and all the fore-part of the neck, is contrafted at its upper margin with the fine blue colour, and at its lower to the jon- quil yellow which is fpread over the breaft, the belly, and the three lateral quills on each fide of the tail. The tail is tapered, and more fo than the Siberian Jay. Nothing is known with regard to the qua- lities of this bird, which has never been fcen in Europe. III. The BROWN CANADA JAY, or CINE- REOUS CROW. Lath, Cor-vus Canadenjis, Linn, and Gmel. Ganulus Canadenfu Fu/cus, BrifT. The Cinereous CrK'H: 1:. •■ it *■ ■; : , ft io6 FOREIGN BIRDS ferent fhades of violet, conftitute all the variety of its colours. The gray appears on the bill, the legs, and the nails j the black on the front, the fides of the head, and the throat ; the white round the eyes, on the crown of the head, and on the nape as far as the origin of the neck, and alfo over all the lower part of the body ; the violet lighter on the back and wings, and deeper on the tail, which is tipped with white, and compofed of twelve quills, of which the two middle ones are rather longer than thofe towards the fide. The fmall black feathers on its front arc Ihort, and fcarce flexible ; part of them projed over the noftrils, and the reft arc refleded, fo as to form a fort of ruffled creft *. • Specific charafler : " It is fomewhat violet, white below, it» " necl; and front bkck, its tail white at the tip." It is thirteen inches long. ■i i:i I' Si? il'i 1 1'.'' ' ''' . %\ VI. The GARLU, or the YELLOW-BELLIED JAY of CAYENNE. Cervus Flavus, Gmel. This alfo is a native of Cayenne ; but of all the Jays it is the one which has the Ihorteft wings ; we fhould therefore be the fartheft fror.. fufpcvSt- related to the JAY. 107 fufpeding that it crofTed the Atlantic, efpecially as it can fubfift only in warm climates. Its feet are fliort and flender. I can add nothing with refpedt to its colours, but what the fight of the figure will fuggeft; and with refpedt to its habits, we are totally ignorant. We know not even whether, like the other Jays, it can erc(St the crown feathers. It is a new fpecies *. * Specific charadler : " Above, it is duflty-greenifh ; below, yellow ; its chin and eye-lids white ; its wings and tail of a dufky< blufh colour." It is nine inches long. M VII. The BLUE JAY of NORTH-AMERICA. Corvus Crijlatiis, Linn, and Gmel. ! Garrulus Canadenjis Cceruleus, Brifl". Pica Glandaria Crijiata, Klein. The Blue Jayt Catelby, Edw. Penn, and Lath. This bird is noted for the fine blue colour of its plumage, which, with a flight intermixture of white, black, and purple, is fpread over all the upper part of its body, from the crown of the head to the extremity of the tail. Its throat is white, with a tint of red ; under it is a kind of black *gorget, and ftill lower a reddifh zone, which melts by degrees into the gray and white that predominate in the lower part of the body. The feathers on the crown of mm io8 FOREIGN BIRDS, i^Tc. .N' J ;■ iii.'f!' I* I \'y>'i of the head are long, and the bird raifes them at pleafure like a creft, which is larger and more beautiful than in our Jay : this is termi- nated on the front by a kind of black fillet, which, ftretching on both fides over a white ground as far as the na, e, joins the branches of the gorget. This fillet is divided from the bottom of the upper mandible by a white line formed by the fmall feathers which cover the noftrils. The tail is alinoft as long as the bird Itielf, and confifts of twelve ftaged quills. Catefby remarks, that the American Jay has the fame petulance in its adions as the common Jay ; that its notes are lefs difagreeable, and that the female is diQinguiflied from the male by its duller colours. Admitting this, Catefiby*s figure muft reprefent a female, and that of Ed- wards a male ; but the age of the bird muft alfo affect the vivacity and perfedion of its colours. This Jay is brought from Carolina and Ca- nada ; and in thofe countries it muft be very common, for many are fent to Europe *. • Specific charadler : " The coverts of the wings are marked •* by black tranfverfe lines, its body is coerulean, its collar black." It is twelve inches long. It feeds on fruits and berries, of which it generally waftes more than it confumes. It lays, in the month of May, five or fix eggs of dulky olive, with ferruginous fpots. It remains in the country the whole year. It is well known to failors by the name of B!ue Bird, and frequently brought to Britain from Virginia and the Carolinas. M •I 11 n *',' h' ' < - ■■' ,1 .. : m>. W'\ I M-' w J»f !• vav, HVT ckaCkrh [ 109 ] 'f* The NUTCRACKER*. Le Caijfe-Noix, BufF. Cor!(, from xa^vu, a nut, and hImu, to kill: in Latin it is called 2^'uci/raga, OJJifragus ; and by feme Turda Staatilis, Pica Abietum Guttata (Stone-Thrulh, or fpeckled Pine-Magpie) : in Turkifli, Garga: in German, Kufs- bret/cher, Nufiraehe (Nut-Crow), Tattnen heyer (Fir-Jay), Stein- heyer, Wald-Jlarl (Wood-Stare), Turki/che,--holft.fchreyer (the Turkifti Foreft-brawler) : in Polifli, Klc/k, Grabulujk : in Ruffian, Kojlohryx : in French, Pie Grivelie. t Gefner, Turner, Klein, Willughby, Linnaeus, Frifch. aiferted lip 110 THE NUTCRACKER. ^[l ..'i aflerted that it chatters more than any of thefe. Klein diftinguiflics two varieties of the Nut- cracker ; the one, fpeckled like the flare, has a ftrong angular bill, a long forked tongue, as in all the magpies; the other is of inferior fize, and its bill (for he fays nothing of the plumage) is more flender and rounder, compofed of two unequal mandibles, the upper of which is the longer, and its tongue divided deeply, very fhort, and almoft loft in the throat*. According to the fame author, thefe two birds eat hazel-nuts; but the former breaks them, and the latter pierces them : they feed alfo on acorns, wild berries, the kernels of pine- tops, which they pluck dextroufly, and even infetts. And laftly, like the jays, the magpies, and the jackdaws, they conceal what they can- not confume. Befides the brilliancy of the plumage, the Nutcracker is remarkable for the triangular white fpots which are fpread over its whole body, ex- cept the head. Thefe fpots are fmaller on the * According to Willughby, the tongue feems not capable of reaching farther than the corners of the mouth, while the bill is clofed ; becaufe in that fituation the cavity of the palate, which ufually correfponds to the tongue, is then filled by a protuberant ridge of the lower jaw, which here fits this cavity. He adds, that the bottom of the palate, and the fides of the chaps, are roughened with little points. upper THE NUTCRACKER. Ill f of las a as in fize, nage) ' two IS the very : two breaks ^ feed • piiie- l even 5pies, y can- 5e, the white y, ex- on the lapable of the bill is ite, which otuberant adds, that roughened upper upper part, and broader or '.he bread ; their effed: is the greater, as they are contrafted with the brown ground. Thefe birds are moft attached, as I have ob- ferved above, to mountainous fituations. They are common in Auvergne, Savoy, Lorraine, Franche Comptc, Switzerland, the Berpomafque, ?n Auftria in the mountains which :ire covered with forefts of pines. They alfo occur ii\ Sweden, though only in the fouthern parts of that country *. The people in Germany call them Turkey birds, Italian birds, African birds ; which language means no more than that they are foreign f. Though the Nutcrackers are not birds of paf- fage, they fly fometimes from the mountains to the plains. Frifch fays, that flocks of them are often obferved to accompany other birds into diflferent parts of Germany, efpecially where there are pine forefts. But in 1754, great flights of them entered France, particularly Bur- gundy, where there are few pines ; they were fo fatigued on their arrival, that they fuffered themfelves to be caught by the hand J. One was • *' It inhabits Smoland, and rarely occurs elfewhere." Fauna Suecica. — Gerini remarks that it is never feen in Tufcany. t Frifch. X A fkilful ornithologill of the town of Sarbourg, (Dr. Lot- linger, who is well acquainted with the birds of Lorraine, and to whom I am indebted for many fadts relating to their inilinds, their habits. ■^i'^ W ■ i ■«iJ I sjsasaM tl2 THE NUTCRACKER. was killed in the month of October that fame year at Moftyn in Flintlhire, which was fup- pofed to have come from Germany. We may remark, that that year was exceedingly arid and hot, which muft have dried up moft of the fprings, and have much affeded thofe fruits on which the Nutcrackers ufually feed. Be- fides, as on their arrival they leenied to be fa- mifhed, and were caught by all forts of baits, it is probable that they were conftraincd to abandon their retreats for want of fubfiflence. One of the reafons, it is faid, why the Nut- crackers do not fettle i«'d breed in the inviting climates, is the perpetual war waged againft them by ihe proprietors of the woods, for the injuries which they commit on the large trees, by piercing the trunks, like the wood-peckers *. Part of them is foon deftroyed, and 'le reft is forced to feek an afylum in the dcxwit unpro- teded forefts. *'( habits, and their migrations), informs me, that in the fame year (•754) fligl^ts fo numerous of Nutcrackers paficd into Lorraine, that the woods and the fields were filled with them. Tlicir llay lafted the whole month of Oftober, and hunger had Ci much en- feebled them, that ihey were knocked down with lUcks. The fame obferver adds, that thefe birds appeared again in 1763, but in fmaller numbers ; that their pafiage is always in autumn, and that fix or nine years commonly intervene between their vifits. This niuft be reftridted to Lorraine ; for iu France, efpecially in Bur. gundy, the Nutcrackers appear much feldomer. • Salerne, Nor THE NUTCRACKER. "3 Nor is this the only circumftance in which they refemhle the Woodpeckers ; they nefllci like them, in the holes of trees, which, perhaps, they themfelves have formed ; for the middle quills of the tail are alfo worn near the end *, which fhews that they, as well as the wood- peckers, clamber upon trees. In Ihorr, Na- ture lv°ems to have placed the Nutcrackers between »he Woodpeckers and the Jays ; and it is fingular, that Willughby has given them this precife arrangement in his Ornithology, though liis defcription fuggefts no relation be- tween thefc fpecies. The iris is of a hazel-colour ; the bill, the feet, and the nails black; the noftrils round, fhaded with whitifli feathers, ftraight, ftiff, and projeding ; the feathers of the wing and tail are blackifh, without foots, but only terminated for the moft part with white ; though there are fome varieties in the different individuals, and in the different defcriptions, which feems to confirm the opinion of Klein with regard to the two races or varieties, which he admits into the fpecies of the Nutcrackers, We cannot find, in writers of natural hif- tory, any details with regard to their laying, their incubation, the training of their young, the duration of their life, &c. for they haunt 1. m 'M ■'* 'Mi J|i*!.| ^^ i VOL. III. • Linnajus. I mac- '■?.] r-i %'i ir^mmsT- 114 THE NUTCRACKER. inacccflible fpots, where they enjoy undifturbcd iafcty and felicity. [A] [A] Specific charadlcrof the Nutcracker, Cori'ta-Caryecatafla, Linn. : — " It is dufky , dotted with white, its wings and tail black ; the tail-quills white at the tip, the middle ones worn at the tip." It is thirteen irxhcs long. Jt inhabits Europe and the north of Afia, but vtry feldom appears in Great Britain. M I, Wi ■ • ■!;. •i!: r IIS ] The ROLLERS. Lts Rol'icrs, Biiiu TF wc regfird the European Roller as the type -*- of the genus, and reft: its diftindive cha- racter, not upon one or two fuperficial qua- lities, but upon the general combination of its properties, we iliall be obliged to make conh- derable changes in the enumeration given by Briflbn. On this principle, which appears to be well founded, I reduce, i. The European Roller and the Shaga-Rag of Barbary, mentioned by Dr. Shaw, to the fame fpecies. 2. I range to- gether the Abyflinian and the Senegal Roller, with which Briflbn feems not to have been ac- quainted. 3. I clafs together the Roller of Mindanao ; that of Angola, which Briifon makes his twelfth and thirteenth Rollers ; and that of Goa, which Briflbn does not mention. 4. I exclude from the genus of Rollers the fifth fpecies of Briflbn, or the Chinefe Roller, be- caufe it is a different bird, and is much more like the Cayenne Grivert^ with which I fliall clafs it : I fhall place both of them, under the common name of RolU^ before the Rollers, be- I 2 caufe 1 ! l< 1 } '• k '* y 1' '^r ,'f ■ ' ^1 'I' i< f ?, m m [ W* 1 ■ fl Kl ii6 THE ROLLERS. caufe they appear to form the Intermediate fhade between the Jays and the Rollers. 5. I transfer the Roller of the Antilles to the Jays, which is the fixth fpecies of Briflbn. 6. I leave among the birds of prey the Ttzquauhtli^ of which BrifFon has made his feventh fpecies of Roller, by the name of the Roller of New Spain y the hiftory of which has been given after the Eagles. In fad:, according to Fernandez, who is the original au- thor, and even according to Seba, who copies him, it is really a bird of prey, devouring hares and rabbits, and confequently is very different from the Rollers. Fernandez fubjoins, that it is proper for falconry, and that its bulk is equal to that of a ram. y. I omit alfo the Hoxetot^ or Yellow Roller of Briffon, which I have ranged after the magpies, as being more related to that kind than to any other. Laftly, I ex- clude the Ococolin of Fernandez, fur the reafons already ftated in the article of the quails ; nor can I admit the Ococolin of Seba, which is very different from that of Fernandez, though it bears the fame name ; for it is of the fize of a crow, its bill is thick and fliort, its toes and nails very long, its eyes encircleil with red^^- pilla^ &c. In fhort, after this redudion, and the addition of the new fpecies or varieties which have been hitherto unknown, the genus will confifl of two fpecies of Rolles, and i'Q\en of Rollers with their varieties. The I [ "7 ] The CHINESE ROLLE. Coracias Sineiijts, Gmel. Galgalus Sinenjis, BrifT. The Chittc/e Roller, Lath. This bird has wide noftrils like the Rollers, and a bill refembling theirs ; but are thefe charadlers fufficient to juftify its claffification with the Rollers ? or are thefe not counter- balanced by more numerous and more im- portant differences ? Its feet are longer, its wings fhorter, and confift of a fmaller number of quills, and thefe differently proportioned * ; its tail is tapered, and its crefl: is precifely like that of the blue Canada Jay. Thefe circum- ftances, but particularly the length of its wings, have induced me to aflign it a place between the Jays and the Rollers +. • In the Chinefe Rolle, the wing confiils of eighteen quills, of which the firll is very ftiort, and the fifth longer than the reft, as in the Jay; whereas the wing of the Roller includes twenty-three quills, of which the fecond is the longcft. f Specific character : — — " It is green : below, yellowifh- «' white; the tail wedge-fliaped ; the tip white." It is eleven inches and a half long. m. w^: i 'A:- r, -'. '-, • vu . \ ' ! .>! '■.; 11; 1 S-' i W' M i The «3 The vl •.I'l ■■■p ri :t. i r'li i 'm ■I i ',!■ !! ■ ',1 111? J ft] -^ t, f;h«i!.;^ p., I, irhf*; f : i,.; !■ 1 ;: < 'sii E ii8 ] The GRIVERT, or CAYENNE ROtLE. Cc facias Cayanen/is, Gmel. Thi Cayenne Roller, Lath. This bird ought not to be feparated from the preceding, which it is entirely like, except be- caufc it is fmaller, and the colours of its plu- mage different. With regard to the inftinds and habits of thefe birds, we can draw nc com- parilon, though the refemblance in their exte- rior properties feems to denote a radical con- nexion*. • Specific cliarafter : — " It is of a dufky green; below, dirty «« white ; the eye-brows white ; the upper part of the throat " ftriated both ways with black; the tail wedge-fhaped." It is riine inches long. The GARRULOUS ROLLERf. Le Rollier d'Europe, BufF. Coracias-Garrula, Lbn. and Gmel. Galgulus, Briff. Coracias-Casrtilea, Gerini. Carrulus-Ccerukus, Frifcb. The names of Strajburg Jay\ Sea-Magpie, Birch-Magpie, and German Parrot, which this bird t Gefiier was told that the German name Roller was expreflive of its cry ; Schwcndcfeld fays the fame of Rache. One of them mufl JT^ee THE trARRt'XiOtrS KOLIiKR. 3 'If.. • .'ii .1 If" 'J \> !'&';■•- GARRULOUS ROLLER. IT9 bird has received in different countries, have been applied at random from popular and fuperficial analogies. We need only view the bird, or even a good coloured figure of it, to be convinced that it is not a parrot, though there is a mixture of green and blue in its plu- mage ; and a clofer examination will inform us that it is neither a magpie nor a jay, though it chatters inceffantly like thefe birds *. Its appearance and port are different; its bill is not fo thick J its legs much fhorter in proportion, ftiorter even than the mid-toe ; its wings longer, and its tail entirely of a different fhape, the two y\t^r quills projedling more than half an inch (at leaft in fome individuals) beyond the fix intermediate ones, which are all equal in length. It has alfo a kind of wart behind the eye, and the eye itfelf is furrounded with a ring of yel- low naked (kin f. The appellation of Strafburg Jay is ftill more abfiird ; for M. Hermann, profeffor of medicine and natural hiftory in that city, writes me. mil !■ ' Ill ■"■'1%'i yfl :r fB . i-j * ' . 111 1 H ' m i i '' \ '■ ■'k;. .1,' JiSi I mud be miftaken, and I am inclined to think that it is Gefner ; for the name Rache, adopted by Schvvenckfeld, is more analogous with thofe given to this bird in diiFercnt countries, and which are probably derived from its cry. In German, Galgen-Regd, Halk- Regel, Gals-Kregel, Racher : in Polifli, Krajka : in Swedifh, Spanjk-Kiajka. It has alfo the following names in Germany : Heiden-Elfter, Kugel-Eljier, Mandel Krae, Deutjcher-Papagey, Birk- Heha, (i. e. Heath-Magpie, Ball-Magj^ie, Almond-Crow, Ger- man Popinjay, Birch-Jay.) * Ajdrovandus. f Edwards. 14 a The :-*;F 'Mi' 120 GARRULOUS ROLLER. <( iC " The Rollers are fo rare here, that fcarcely three or four ftragglers are feen in the courfe of twenty years.'* One of thefe had been fent to Gefner, who, not being acquainted with the fatft, denominated it the Strajhurg Jay. Befides, it is a bird of paflage, and performs its migrations regularly once a-year, in the months of May and September * ; yet it is not fo common as the magpie or the jay. It is found in Sweden f and in Africa \ ; but we muft not fuppofe it fettled in the intermediate regions. It is unknown in many parts of Ger- many §, France, and Switzerland ||, &c. We may therefore conclude that, in its paflage, it moves only in a narrow zone, from Smoland and Scania to Africa. There are even points enow given to mark nearly its tra<3: through Sax- ony, Franconia, Suabia, Bavaria, Tirol, Italy If, Sicily **, and laftly, the ifland of Malta ff, which is a fort of general rendezvous for all 1 ^' ■V: V \ 1 i' ^ . ■'•; \ t1: ■, \ 1 ". !.,. * Extraifl of a Letter frorr. the Commander Godeheu of Riville, on the Migration of Birds, torn. iii. Memoires pre/cntes a ^Academic Rojale dcs Sciences, p. 82. f Fauna Suecica, No. 73. X Shaw's Travels. § Frifch. II " It was caught with us in the middle of Auguft 1561, and '* notknown." Gt-sn ^.k Je Avibus. ^f " I remember to have feen it once at Bologna," Id. ** " We faw them for lidc on the ftr.lb at Mcffina in Sicily." WiLLUGHBY. f f " We faw them expofcd for fale in the market of Malta." Id. Alfo Commander Godeheu's letter. the \ ' M GARRULOUS ROLLER: 121 and the birds that crofs the Mediterranean. The one defcribed by Edwards was killed on the rock of Gibraltar, whence it could wing its lofty * courfe to the African fhore. It is alfo (een fometimes in the vicinity of Strafburg, as "we have already n ,cl.., nd even in Lorr !... and in the heart of France f ; but ihefe are probably young ones, which Ilray from the main body. The Roller is more wild than the jay or the magpie : it fettles in the thickeft and the moft folitary woods j nor, as far as I know, has it ever been tamed or taught to fpeak :}:. Its plumage is beautiful ; it has an affemblage of the fined (hades of blue and green, mixed with white, and heightened by the contraft of dufky colours §. But a good figure is fuperior to any defcription. The young do not afilime the de- licate azure till the fecond year ; whereas the jays are decorated with their moft beautiful feathers before they leave the neft. • Gefner. f Brisson. M Lottinger informs me, that in Lorraine thefe birds pafs more feldom than the Nutcrackers, and in fmaller rumbers. He adds, that they are never feen but in autumn, no more than the Nutcrackers ; and that in [771 one was wounded in the neighbourhood of Sarrebourg, which, notwithftanding, lived thirteen or fourteen days without fuftenance. } Schwenckfeld. § Linna:us is the only one who fays that its back is blood- coloured. Fauna Sitecica, No. 73. — Was the fubjecl that he de- fcribed different from all thofc defcribed by other natnraiills ? The ' ^.■ t. ^^: i 122 GARRULOUS ROLLER. II 1- !r,i .'i 1 The Rollers build, when it is in their power, on birches, and it is only when they cannot find thefe that they lodge in other trees *. But in countries where wood is fcarce, as in the ifland of Malta and in Africa, they form their neft, it is faid, on the ground f. If this be a fad, it would follow, that the inftinfls of animals can be modified by fituation, cli- mate, &c. Klein fay8, that contrary to what happens la other birds, the young Rollers void their ex- crements in the neft J ; and this circumftancc has perhaps given rife to the notion that this bird befmears its neft with human ordure, as has been alleged of the hoopoe § j but this is inconfiftent with its lonely fylvan haunt. Thefe birds are often feen in company with the wood-peckers and crows, in the tilled mu -1,- " ■i\ ''Hi- 1! .1:4 • Frifch. f •* A fportfman," fays M. Godeheu, In a letter which I have already quoted, " aflured me, that in the month of June he faw *' one of thefe birds ifluing from a bank of earth, where was a •' hole as large as the hand ; and that having dug the fpot in the *• direftion of the hole, which went horizontally, he found, at the " depth of a foot or thereabouts, a neft made of ftraw and thorns* ** in which were two eggs." This account of the fportfman, which would be doubtful if it were fingle, feems confirmed by that of Dr. Shaw, who, fpeaking of the bird known in Africa under the name of Shaga-Rag, fays, that it makes its neft on the brinks of rivers. Notwithftanding, I am much afraid that there is fome millake, and that the King-fiftier was taken for the Roller, on account of the refemblance of its colours. X Ordo Avium, p. 62. ^ Schwenckfeld. grounds GARRULOUS ROLLER. 123 grounds which are in the vicinity cf their fo- refts. They pick up the fmall feeds, roots, and worms which the plough throws to the furface, and even the grain that is lately fown. Whea this fupply fails them, they have recourfe to «vild berries, caterpillars, grafshoppers, and even frogs *. Schwenckfeld adds, that they fometimes devour carrion ; but this mufl be during winter^ and only in cafes of abfolute want f ; for they are in general regarded as not carnivorous, and Schwenckfeld himfelf re- marks that they are very fat in autumn, and then are good eating J, which can hardly be faid of birds that feed on garbage. The Roller has long narrow noftrils placed obliquely on the bill near its bafe, and open ; the tongue is black, not forked, but ragged at the tip, and terminated towards the root by two forked appendices, one on each fide ; the palate is green, the gullet yellow, the ventricle of a faffron colour, the inteftines about a foot long, and the caca twenty-feven lines. The wings extend twenty-two inches, each con- fiding of twenty quills, or, according to others, of twenty-three, the fecond of which is the longed of all. Laftly, it is obferved that • Klein, Willughby, Schwenckfeld, Linnaus. f If thcv rake among garbage in fummer, it muft be for jnfedls. I Frifch compares their flefh to that of the ring-dove. wherever i"i: II -• A ■ 4t: ,.,, \i f.\ 1^ i It;:; 11.. I «4 GARRULOUS ROLLER. i: fi<. •wherever thefe quills are black on the outfide, they are blue beneath. Aldrovandus, who feems to have been well acquainted with thefe birds, and who lived in a country which they inhabit, aflerts that the female differs much from the male, its bill being thicker, and its head, neck, breaft, and belly of a chefnut colour, bordering on afh- gray, while the correfponding parts in the male are of the colour of the beryl, with different reflections of a duller green. I fufpedt that the two long outfide quills of the tail, and the warts behind the eyes, which appear only in fome individuals, are the attributes of the male, as the fpur in the gallinaceous tribe, the long tail in the peacocks, &c. [A] • Willughby, Schwenckfcld, Briflbn. [A] Specific charafter of the Garrulous-Roller, Coracias-Gar- rula, Linn. :— " Itis fky-blue, its back red, its tail-quills black.'* Its eggs are of a pale green, with numerous dull fpots, and of the bulk of a pigeon's. It is feldom or never fcen in Great Britain. M VARIETIES of the ROLLER* Dr. Shaw mentions, m his Travels, a bird of Barbary, called by the Arabs ^jaga-Rag^ which is of the bulk and fhape of the jay, but with a fmaller bill and fhorter feet. The VARIETIES e//i&f ROLLER. 125 The upper part of the body of this bird is brown; the head, neck, and belly of a Hght green, and on the wings, as well as on the tail, are fpots of a deep blue. Dr. Shaw adds, that it makes its neft on the banks of rivers, and that its cry is fhrill. This fhort defcription agrees fo well with our Roller, that we cannot doubt but the Shaga- Rag belongs to the fame fpecies ; and the re- femblance which the name bears to moft of the German appellations of the Roller, derived from its voice, adds to the probability *. • Mr. Latham conjeftures that the Shaga-Rag is the fame with the Variety of the Abyflinian Roller, afterwards dc- fcribcd. 'S'^ 1 •r 1 w .. .^ ! ii ■ l'-- t: t »6 3 [I I i ' FOREIGN BIRDS, WPIICH ARE RELATED TO THE ROLLER. 1. The ABYSSINIAN ROLLER. Coracias Jlji^nica, Gmel* 'T^His bird is, In its plumage, much Hke the "^ European Roller; only its colours are more lively and brilliant, which muft be afcribed to the influence of a drier and hotter climate. On the other hand, it refembles the Angola Roller, by the length of the two fide feathers of its tail, which project five inches beyond the reft. In Ihort, this bird feems to occupy a place be- tween the European and Angola Rollers. The point of its upper mandible is very hooked. It is entirely a new fpecies. VARIETY of the ABYSSINIAN ROLLER. We may confider the Senegal Roller as a va- riety of that of AbyfTinia. The chief differ- ence between them is, that in the Abyflinian bird FOREIGN BIRDS, l:fc. 127 bird the orange colour of the back does not extend, as in that of Senegal, fo far as the neck and the hind part of the head : a difference which would not be fufficient to conftitute two diftindt fpecies, efpecially as they belong to nearly the fame climate, as the two lateral quills are double the length of the intermediate ones, as in both the wings are (horter than thoff of the European Roller ; and laftly, as they are alike in the fhades, the luftre, and the diftri- bution of their colours '^, * This is the Coracias Scnegalenjis of Gmelln, the Sv:a!Itnv- tailed Indian Roller of Edwards, and the Semgul Roller of Latham. ir. The ANGOLA ROLLER, or the MIN- DANAO ROLLER. Thefe two Rollers refemble each othei fr? cx- adly, that it is impoflible to feparate Uiem. That of Angola is diftinguiflied from the other only hy the length of the exterior quills of its tail, which is double that of the intermediate ones, and by flight variations of colour. But differences fo minute may be the effect of age, of fex, or even of moulting ; and the infpec- tion of our figures, nay, the defcriptions of 8 Briffon, ir ^f ia8 F () R E I C; N lU R D S vdat.:/ h Urillon, who makes two Ipccics of llicm, will C(Milinn our conjcdure ol the iilcntity of the ily ol the hulk of two Ip pccic8. 1 licy are luuii nearly ot tlie hul the 1' uropean Roller, liave the lame general Ihapc, lis 1)111 roinewliat hooked, its naked noilrils, its fliort legfJ, its long toes, its long wingvS, and even the colours ot its plumage, though > m. The ROLLER of the INDIES. Coracias Orientalis, Gmel. Galgulus InJicus, Brifl*. The Oriental Roller, hzxYi, This Roller, which is the fourth of Briflbn, differs lefs from the preceding in the nature of its colours, which are always blue, green, brown, &c. than in the order of their diflribu- tlon ; but in general its plumage is more dufky, its bill is alfo broader at the bafe, more hooked, and l;ii r;.' .^ m i Ji^7 ':^-n I si TilE y f AUAG/VS C All ICOT. T. RH , 1/ H'' i th ROLLER. 13J and of a yellow colour : laftly, of all the Rollers it has the longeft wings. M. Sonerat has lately fent to the Royal Cabinet a bird, which is almoft in every fefpedt like the Indian Roller; only its bill is flill broader, and for this reafon it has received the epithet of large -toad-mouthed : but that appellation would better fuit the Goat-fucker *. • Specific charafter : — " It is green, its throat ftriated with *' ccerulean ; its tail-qtiills black at the tip. It is of the bulk of *' the jay, being ten inches and a half long.'* U: lli.: IV. The MADAGASCAR ROLLER, Coracias MaJaga/carienJts, Gtnel. This fpecies differs from all the preceding in feveral properties : its bill is thicker at the bafe, its eyes are larger, its wings and tail longer, though the exterior pupils of the latter do not project beyond the reft : laftly, the phimage is of an uniform purple-brown, excepting only that the bill is yellow, the largeft quills of the wings black, the lower belly of a light blue, the tail of the fame colour, edged at its extre- mity with a bar of three (hades, viz. purple^ light blue, and dark purple approaching to black. It has all the other charadters which belong to K 2 the 132 FOREIGN BIRDS related to the Rollers ; fhort feet, the edges of the upper mandible fcalloped near the point, the fmall feathers which refledt from its bafe, and the naked noftrils, &c. niv'i 7^> V. The MEXICAN ROLLER. Coracias Mexicanus, Gmel. Galgulus Mexicanus, BrifT. This is the Mexican Black-bird of Seba, which BriiTon makes his eighth Roller. It would require the infpe£tion of it to fix its true fpecies ; for this would be difficult, from the ihort notice given by Seba, who is here the original author. I place it among the Rollers, becaufe I know of no reafon to exclude it ; I therefore follow the opinion of Briflbn, tiU more perfect information confirm or deftroy the temporary arrangement.. The colours are different from thofe which are common in the Rollers. The upper part of the body is of a dull gray, mixed with a rufous tint, and the under of a light gray, with fome marks of fire-colour *. • Specific charafter :— " It is of a gray-rufous ; below, and on " the wings, of a dilute gray, mixed with flame-colour." It is much larger than a thrulb. VI. The f. The the ROLLER. VL 13^ The PARADISE ROLLER. Oriolus Aureus, Linn, and Gmel. Pa.ncilfca Aiirea, Lath. l£iericus Indicus, Lath. ^hc Golden Bird of Paradife, Edw. I place this bird between the Rollers and the Birds of Paradife, as forming the fhade which conneds thefe two kinds, becaufe it feems to have the fliape of the jrmer, and to refemble the latter by its fmall -fs, and the fituation of the eyes under and vtry near the jundlion of the mandibles, and by a fort of natural velvet which covers the throat and part of the head. Befides, the two long quills of the tail, which fometimes occur in the European Roller, and which are much longer in that of Angola, is another analogical chara°r that conneds the genus of the Roller with that of the Bird of Paradife. The upper part of the body of this bird is of a vivid and brilliant orange, the under of a fine yellow ; it has no black but under the throat, on part of the fhoulders, and on the quills of the tail. The feathers which cover the hind part of the neck are long, narrow, flexible, and recline on each fide over the lateral parts of the neck and breafl. K 3 The i:v'- ,;,:fj v.,.:f> ' Sii •■r , Si ~ % m I - r' s ;'■■ : 1 'iii\* l| '1 ■A % I r- ■ " ■ f ! ■ 1 > % *"iN' ^'«'>' 136 GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. vity of its abdomen entirely filled with fat, in- ftead of ftomach and inteftines *, (which would be quite fuperfluous, fince it eats nothing, and therefore needs not to digeft or to void :) in fhoit, which has no exiftence but motion, no element but air, where it is fupported as long as it retains breath, as fifti are buoyed up in water, and which never touches the ground till after death f. This monftrous heap of abfurdities is only a chain of confequences juftly drawn from a ra- dical error, that the Bird of Paradife has no legs, though it is furnifhed with even pretty large ones J. The fad: § is, that the Indian merchants, who trade with th? feathers of this bird, or the fowlers in her aii/omen; and that the fitter might maintain her pollure, they entwine themfelves with their long filaments. Others have faid, that they n&flle in the terrellrial paradife, and hence their name. See Mu/aum Wormianum, p. 294. * Aldrovandus. f The people of India fay, that they are always found with their bills pitched into the ground. Navigations aux Tenes Auf- /rales, tom.ii. p. 232. In faft, their bill muft neceflarily fall foremoft. X Barrcre, who feems on this head to fpeak only from con- jefture, afTcrts, that the Birds of Paradife have legs fo ftiort, and fo thickly clothed with feathers to the toes, that one Ihould fuppofe them to have none at all. It is thus that, trying to ex- plain one miftake, he falls into another. § The inhabitants of the Arou iflands believe that thefe birds are hatched with leg?, but apt to lofe them, either from difeafe or old age If this were true, it would at once explain and excuf^ the error. See tiie obfervations of J. Otto Helbigius, ColL£i. Acad, ^ I' '■ k» ^ con- and kould Is are .fe or xcufp olha. Acad. GREATER BIRD OF PARADiSE. 137 fowlers who fell them, are accuftomed, whether for the fake of preferving and tranfporling the fpecimens with more eafe, or perhaps of coun- tenancing an error which is favourable to their intereft, to dry the bird witli its feathers, after having previoufly feparated the thighs and cx- tradted the entrails. This pradlice has been fo long continued, as to have Ilrengthcncd the prejudice to fuch a degree, that thole who firfl: aflertcd the truth were, as ufual, regarded as un- worthy of credit *. The fable, that the Bird of Paradife conti- nually flies, derived an appearance of probabi- lity from the confideration of the quantity of feathers with which it is furnifhed ; for befides thofe common to other birds, it has many long feathers, which rife on each fide between the wing and the thigh, and which, extending much beyond the true tail, and mingling with it, form a fort of falfe tail, which many ob- fervers have miftaken. Thck fubalar feathers are what the naturalifts term decowpofed \ they are very light themfelves, and form a bunch 4cad. partit Strang, torn. iii. p. 448.) If what Olaiis Worniius (Mufaim, p. 295.) affeits were a fact, that each or" the toes of this bird has three articulations, this fingularity would be IH?1 greater; for in almoA all birds, the number of joints is dif- ferent in each toe, the hind one having two, including tluu of the nail, and of the fore-toes, the inner having three, the mid- One four, and the outer five. • " Antonius Pigafetta falfely afcribcs to their Ie;;3 a palm of ♦* length." Aliliovandus^ torn. i. p. 807. almoil ■I ';. V I, ' 1, i •!« ' (I I if llf 138 GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. ■ t ■ ; t >;f fi'i , j. ,■', ' I' '■■■■ K-n '• r'il h- t;' '1 I! '■- !-■ '! 1 i Mil ill. M aliroft devoid of weight, and aerial ; they will therefore increafe the apparent bulk of the bird *, diminifh its fpecific gravity, and thus aflift in fupporting it in the air. But if the wind be contrary, the abundance of plumage v;ill rather obftruit its motion ; accordingly it is obfervedj that the bird of Paradife avoids the bluftering gales t, and commonly fettles in countries the lead fubjed to them. Thefe feathers are of the number of forty or fifty on each fide, of unequal lengths ; the greater part fpread under the true tail, and others lie over it, without concealing it ; for their texture is delicately flender, and almoft tranfparent, which is very difficult to reprefeut in a figure. Thefe feathers are highly efteemed in India, and much fought after. It is not more than a century fince they were employed in Eu- rope for the fame purpofes as thofe of the Oftrich ; and, indeed, their lightnefs and bril- liancy make them elegant ornaments. But the priefts of Afia afcribe to them miraculous vir- tues, which give them a new value in the eyes of the vulgar, and have procured the bird the appellation of the ISird of Cod, * It is faid to appear as large as a pigeon, though it exceeds not the bulk of a blackbird. f The Arous confill of five iflands, and thefe birds inhabit only the middle ones ; they never appear in the others, be- caufe, being naturally weak, they cannot withftand high winds. JiCLBIGIUS. Next * iinalll inhabit ■s, be- winds. GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. 139 Next to this, the moft remarkable property of the Bird of Paradife is thofe two long fila- ments which take their rife above the true tail, and extend more than a foot beyond the falfe tail, formed by the fubalar feathers. Thefe, indeed, are real filaments only at their middle ; for at their origin and their termination, they are furnifhed with webs of the ordinary breadth. In the females the extremities are narrower, which, according to Briffon, is the only dii- tin£tion between it and the male *. The head and throat are covered with a fort of velvet, formed by fmall eredt feathers, which are ihort, ftifF, and clofe ; thofe of the breaft and back are longer, but always filky and foft to the feel. They are all of different colours, vvhich vary according to the pofition and the light in which they are viewed. The head is very fmall in proportion to the body; the eyes ftill fmaller, and placed very near the opening of the bill. Clufius reckons only ten quills in the tail ; but this afftrtion was certainly not founded on the examination of a living fubjed, and it is doubtful whether the plumage of a bird brought from fo great a diftance be entire, efpecially as it is fubjedl to an annual moulting, which lafts feveral months. During that time, which happens ♦ The inhabitants of the country fay, that the females arc (mailer than the males, accoiding to J. Otto Hclbigius. in 5i m II' ill' i 1* • "I t;':ffi-.:i 1 140 GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE; in the rainy feafon, it lives concealed ; but, in the beginning of Auguft, after hatching, it^ feathers are reftored, and in the months of Sep- tember and October, in which calm weather prevails, it flies in flocks, like the Stares in Europe*. This beautiful bird is not much diffufed : it is almoft entirely confined to that part of Afia which produces the fpiceries, and efpeclally the iflands of Arou. It is known alfo in the part of New Guinea oppofite to thefe iflands ; but the name which it there receives, Burung-AroUy feems to indicate its natal foil. Since warm regions of fpices alone are proper for the Bird of Paradife, it probably fubfifts on fome aromatic produdlions f ; at leaft it does not live folely on dew. J. Otto Helbigius, who travelled into India, tells us^ that it feeds on red berries, which grow on a very tall tree. IJnnaeus fays, that it fublifls on large butter- flies X ; and Bontius, that it fometimes preys on fmall birds. Its ordinary haunt is the woods, where it perches on the trees, and the Indians watch it in flender huts, which they * Helbigius. f Tavernitr remarks, that tlK Paradife Bird is very fond of nutmegs, and tlint it reforts to eat them in the feafon j that it pafles in flocks, like thofc which we obferve of the thruflies in the time of vintage, and that they are intoxicated by the nutmegs, and drop down. Voyage des Indes, tom. iii. p. 369. I Syllema N.itune, Edit. x. p. no. attach « havin] troduc bird HfitB t X A GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. 141 id of |at it ;.s ifi |iegs. attach to the branches, and fhoot it with theii* arrows of reeds*. It flies like the fwallow, whence it has been called the T'ernate-fwaU low f ; though others fay, that its (hape, indeed9 refembles the fwallow, but that it flies highert and always foars in the aerial regions %. Though Marcgrave ranges it among the birds of Brazil, there is no reafon to fuppofe that it exifts in America j at leaft no European vefTels have ever imported it from thence. Befides, that naturalift does not, as ufual, men- tion the name which it receives in the language of the Brazilians, and a bird, clothed in fuch delicate fwelling plum.ige, could not traverfe the wide expanfe of ocean which divides the equatorial parts of the two continents. The ancients feem to have been totally un- acquainted with the Bird of Paradife ; no men- tion is ever made of its rich decorations. Beloa pretends that it was the phoenix of antiquity j but his opinion is founded on the fabuliu^j qualities of both §. The phoenix, too, appeared • Some open the belly with a knife, as foon as tlic)' drop, and, having detached the entrails with a part of the flefli, they in- troduce into the cavity a red-hot iron ; after which they dry the bird in the chimney, and fell it for a low price to the merchants. HfiLBIGIUS. f Bontius. \ Navig. aux 'terra Aujlr. torn. ii. p. 252. § " It has a golden brilliancy about its neck ; It; other parts *♦ are purple," fays Pliny, fpeaking of the Phccnix; then he adds, " no perfon ever faw it feed." Lib. x. 2. in 'nt 1 t ,♦,, ' "5 i| 'J A ■ J 1 •ik u% GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. r>,>s i,.^^ in Arabia and Egypt, while the Bird of Pa- radife has remained always attached to the Oriental parts of Alia, which were very little known to the ancients. Clufius mentions, on the authority of fome mariners, who themfelves learned the fad. from report, that there are two kinds of this bird ; the one large and beautiful, which inhabits the iflands of Arou ; the other inferior to it in fize and elegance, which is fettled in the country of the Papous, next Gilolo*. HelbigiuF, who heard the fame in the iflands of Arou, adds, that the Birds of Paradife of New Guinea, or of the Papous, differ from thofe of Arou, not only in point of fize, but alfo in the colours of the plumage, which is white and yellowifh. I fhould regard thefe authorities as fufpicious, and infufficient to found any general conclu- fion. The dried fpecimens indeed, which are brought to Europe, prefent great diverfity of appearance ; in fize, in the number and po- fition of the feathers, in the colours of the plumage, &c. But, in fuch mutilated and im- perfect preparations, it is impoffible to decide what muft be afcribed to the efTedb of age, of fex, of feafon, of climate, and of other acci- dental caufes. Befides, the Birds of Paradife It *€ • J. Otto Helbigius fpeaks of the fpecies which is found in New Guinea, as not having in its tail the two long filaments which appear in that of the fpecies of the Arou illands. 4 being %■ of po- the GREATER BIRD OF PARADISE. 143 being very expeniive articles of commerce, many other birds, with long tails and an ele- gant plumage, have been pafled on the credu- lity of the public, and the legs and thighs pulled off, to conceal the fraud and enhance the price. We have already had an example in. the Paradife Roller, mentioned by Edwards, on which the honours of mutilation had been con- ferred. I have myfelf feen feveral paroquets, promerops, and other birds, which had been thus treated, and many inftances are to be found in Aldrovandus and Seba : and it is very common to disfigure the real Birds of Pa- radife, with a view to add to their value. I fhall therefore take notice only of two principal fpecies of thefe birds, without venturing to vouch for the accuracy of that divifion till n€W obfervations illuftrate the matter *. * Specific chara£ler of the Paradifea Apoda of Linn /E us : — *« The feathers on the flanks are longer than the body; the two " middle tul-<2<:ais long and hairy." M n : n i !§§^ i \ jF/-'r, "'.n 'f &jjf' :^-\ 1 \^y '■'HI til Am !'SiH C »44 ] The M A N U C O D E. Parad'tfea Regia, Gmel. Mamtcodiata Minor, Briff. Rex Avium Paradifeeartim, Gaza, Seba, Clufius, &C. The King's Bird, Forreft. The King Paradi/e Bird, Lath. i ■ • I T ADOPT this name from the Indian appella* tion Manucodiatay which fignifies ^/>^/ o/* God. It is ufually called the King of the Birds of Paradife ; but this appellation is drawn from fabulous accounts. Clufius was informed by the mariners, from a tradition which prevailed in the Eaft, that each of the two fpecies of the Birds of Paradife had its leader, whofe imperial mandates were received with fubmiffive obe- dience by a numerous train of fubjedts : that his majefty always flew abt)ve the flock, and iifued orders for infpeding and tailing the fprings, where they might drink with fafety, &c. * Thio. ddiculous fable is what alone con- foles Niere; sberg for the 'jfs of the multitude of vulgar opinions which Clufius has erafed from the hiftory of birds j and this, by the * This may allude to the method by which the people of India fometimes take whole flocks of birds, by poifoning the fountains to which they refort and drink, way, 1 ill ' 'tm'if m M r I i If ']'HK KI>rU P.U«AJ)ISK. t t ,. t'. i ! m^ k\'' 11 i: m pile 1 the flill opei firm two that whic by r ipan^ peace each whicl long a dig their ment! and ] longe vered Clt wing, did m might as a of tht • ( VOi !(■;«:< THE MANUCODE. >4I way, may ferve to fix our idea of that com- piler's juHsjment. The King Bird of Paradife refembles much the refl. Like them, his head is fmall, his eyes ftiil fmaller, placed near the corner of the opening of the bill ; his feet pretty long and firm ; the colours of his plumage glofly ; the two filaments of his tail nearly fimilar, except that they are fhorter, and their extremity, which is furnifhed with webs, forms a curl, by rolling into itfelf, and is ornamented with Ipangles, refembling in miniature thofe of the peacock *. He alfo has beneath the wing, on each fide, a bunch of feven or eight feathers, which are longer than in moft birds, but not fo long as thofe of the Bird of Paradife, and of a different fhape, for they are edged through their whole extent with webs of adhering fila- ments. The Manucode is fmaller, the bill white and long in proportion ; the wings arc alfo longer, the tail fhorter, and the noftrils are co- vered with feathers. Clufius counted, only thirteen quills in each wing, and feven or eight in the tail ; but he did not confider that in a dried fpecimen thefe might be complete. The fame author remarks as a fingularity, that in fome the two filaments of tht tail crofs each other, though this might ' .fi. '' ti ■ ^1': « CoUeBion Jcadmique, tom. iii. Part. Etran. p. 449. VOL. III. L often 14^ THE MANUCODE. often happen from accident, confiderinj!; their flexibility and their length *. • Specific charaAer of the Paradifta Regia of Linnxus:~' <' The two middle tail-quills are thread-like, their tip of a " crefceiu-fliape, and feathery." M The MAC NIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE f. Le Magnifque tie la NowvelU Guinee, CU LeManucodt a Boujueti, Buff. Paradi/ea Magnifca, Gmel. The two tufts (bouquets) which I regard as the dift'n dive cbaradter of this bird, appear be- hind ihe neck and at its origin. The firft con- liRs of feveral narrow feathers of a yellow co- lour, marked near the point with a fmall black fpot, and which, inftead of lying flat as or- dinary, ftand ered, thofe near the head at right angles, and the fuccecding ones with fmaller inclinations. Under the firfl: tuft we perceive a fecond, which is larger, but not fo much raifed, and more reclined . it is compofed of long detached ' filaments, which fprout from very fliort fhafts, and of which fifteen or twenty join together, -j- This bird bears fome relation to the Manucodiatn-drrhata of Aldrovandus. The latter has a fimilar tuft, formed in the fame way of unweubed feathers, but which appears longer, and U~ its bill and tail are much lunger. forming ig t'f^eir Jnn«us: — ir tip of a M \DISEt. it a Bouquets, regard as ippear be- ; firft con- jrellow co- mall black kt as or- ad at right ith fmaller a fecond, raifed, and r detached lort (hafts, n together, codiata-Cirrhata formed in the lars longer, and forming MAGNIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE. 147 forming ftraw-coloured feathers. Thefe fea- thers feem to be cut fquare at the end, and make angles, more or lefs acute, with the plane of the fhoulders. This fecond tuft is bounded on the rig^^ and left by common feathers, variegated with jrown and orange, and is terminated behii.J *v a reddifli and fhining brown fpot, of a tri. ^uiar fhape, with the vertex turned toward the tail, and the filaments of the feathers loofe and de- compofed, as in the fecond tuft. Another charadteriftic feature of this bird IS the two filaments of the tail, which are about a foot long and a line broad, and of a blue co- lour, changing into a lucid green, and taking their origin above the tail. So far they much refemble the filaments of the preceding fpe- cies, but are of a different form, for they do not end in a point, and are furniflied with webs on the middle only of the inner fide. The middle of the neck and bread is marked from the throat by a row of very fhort fea- thers, difplaying a feries of fmall tranfverfe lines, which are alternately of a fine light green, changing into blue, and of a deep duck- green. Brown is the prevailing colour on the lower belly, the rump, and the tail ; rufty yellow is that of the quills, the wings, and of their co- L 2 verts; ••«' ■■ \\ ,M I Hl« ifl 'i^i! If ». IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I |30 ■■■ m m •i u Httoi. L25 III 1.4 I ■25 1^ 2.0 1.6 .%. '^IV'^* '/ /A Photographic Sciences Corporation ?*■ 23 WEST MAIN STRUT WEBSTIR,N.Y. 14SM (7l6)t72-4S03 '^ 4?, X48 MAGNIFICENT BIRD OF PARADISE. verts ; but the quills have more than one brown fpot at their extremity, at lead this is the cafe in the fpecimen preferved in the Royal Cabinet; for it may be proper to mention that the long quills of the wings, as well as the feet, have been removed *. This bird is rather larger than the preceding ; its bill is fimilar, and the feathers of the front extend over the noftrils, which they partly cover: this is inconfiftent with the charader that has been eftablifhed of thefe birds by one of our moft intelligent ornithologifts f. The feathers of the head are fhort, ftraight, clofe, and very foft to the touch. They form a fort of velvet of a changing colour, as in al- molt all the Birds of Paradife, and of a brownifh ground. The throat is alfo covered with velvet feathers ; but thefe are black, with golden-green refledions. [A] • I know not whether the individual obferved by Aldrovandus had the number of wing-quills very complete ; but this author fays that thefe quills were of a blackifli colour. f The feathers at the bafe of the bill turned back, and leaving the noftrils bare. B r i s so n . [A] Specific charaAer of the Paradi/ea Magnifica: — " It is " fcarlet above ; the upper part of its throat green, with golden " crefcents ; the neck bearing a bunch of yellow feathers." M mm The [ 149 3 M The BLACK MANUCODE of NEW GUINEA, called the SUPERB. Paradifea Superha, Gmel. The Superb Paradife Bird, Lath. The predominant colour of the plumage of this bird is a rich velvet black, decorated under the neck with refledions of deep violet. Its head, breaft, and the hind part of its neck, are brilliant, with the variable fhades of a fine green ; the reft is entirely black, not even excepting the bill. I place this bird immediately after the Birds of Paradife, though it wants the filaments of the tail ; but we may fuppofe that moulting, or fome accidental caufe, is the reafon of this de- feat; for in other refpefts it refembles thefe birds, not only in its general fhape, and in that of its bill, but is alfo related by the identity of climate, by the richnefs of its colours, and a certain fuperabundance or luxuriancy of fea- thers which is peculiar to the Birds of Paradife : for there are two fmall tufts of black feathers which cover the noftrils, and two other bunches of the fame colour, but much longer, and di- red.jd to the oppofite extremity. Thefe rife on the fhoulders, and fpreading more or lefs over the back, but always bent backwards, form a •fl II yii^M m The 1-3 fort ISO THE SIFILET. fort of wings, which extend almoft to the ex- tremity of the true, when thcfe are clofed. We muft add, that thefe feathers are of un- equal lengths, and that thofe of the anterior furface of the neck and the fides of the breaft are very long and narrow. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the Paradifea Superha: — *' It is " fomewhat crefted with a gold-green ; below, it is a lively " green; the upper part of the throat violet j its wings black; ** its tail blue and fhining." M The SIFILET, or MANUCODE with Six Filaments. Paradifea A urea, Gmel. The Gold-breajled Bird of Paradife, If we adopt the filaments as the fpecificcha- rafter of the Manucodcs, the prefent is entitled to be ranged at their head ; for inflead of two, it has fix, and of thefe not one rifes on the back, but all of them take their origin from the head, three on ea ide. They are half a foot long, and refled: oackwards. They have no webs but at their extremity for the (pace of fix lines, and thefe are black and pretty long. Befides thefe filaments, this bird has two properties which belong to the Bird of Pa- radife ; luxuriancy of feathers and richnefs of colours. The in THE SI FILET. iS» The The luxuriancy of feathers confifts; i. In a fort of tuft compofed of ftiff narrow feathers, and which rifes at the bafe of the upper man- dible. 2. In the length of the feathers of the belly and of the abdomen, which is four inches or more ; one part of thefe feathers, extending diredly, conceals the under-fide of the tail, while another part, rifing obliquely on each fide, co- vers the upper furface of the tail as far as the third of its length, and all of them correfpond to the fubalar feathers of the Bird of Paradife, and of the Manucode. With regard to the plumage, the moft bril- liant colours appear on the neck ; behind, it is gold-green and bronze violet ; before, topaz- gold refle ftcel-coloured." It is ftxteea inches long. I 154 3 The O X - P E C K E R. if'i Le Pique-Baiif, Buff. Bufhaga Africana, Linn, and Gmel. Buphaga, Briff. The African Beef -eater. Lath. BRissoN is the firft who has defcribed this little bird, which Adanfon brought from Senegal. It is fcarcely larger than the creiled lark, and its wings extend only fourteen inches. Its plumage has nothing remarkable ; in general a grayifh brown prevails on the upper part of the body, and grayifli yellow on the under. The bill is not of an invariable colour ; in fome individuals it is entirely brown ; in others red at the point, and yellow at the bafe ; in all it IS nearly of a quadrangular fhape, and the points of the two mandibles are reflcded in a contrary diredion. The tail is tapered in fteps, and a fmgular circumftance is obferved, that the twelve quills, of which it confifts, are all pointed. Laftly, the firft phalanx of the ex- terior toe is clofely conneded to that of the mid-toe. This bird is very fond of certain worms, or the larva of infeds, which lodge under the epi- dermis in oxen. It alights on the backs of thefe animals, and pierces their Ikin with its bill, to extract thefe worms, and hence its name. 10 M the all ex- the or JV.'70 THK ^VFIlICrVN HKKF-KATKIi r*i;*' «•'> k ;. •» ■if* ;■•■]» I; «.i ll ^ "A-. fe i,' u, j< § .'c '• - '', n^^ >, -3€ -'-^ h, I t'k> i hi-i < • Ht- , XTZ '"sa^ TJIlfi ST-AHR . f 'SS ] The COMMON STARE \ VEtourneau, BufF. Sturniu Vulgaris, Linn. Gmel. Scop. Kram, &c. Sturnus, Gefner, Belon, Aldrov. Briflf. Stc. The Sare, or Starling, Will. Ray. Sibb. Alb. Penn, ice. M % t 11 FEW birds* are fo generally known, efpecially in the temperate climates, as the Stare ; for as it is a coiiflant refident of the didridt where it fettles t, and as it can be trained in the do- meftic ftate, its habits have been obferved, whether when fubjeded to reftraint, or ranging without controul. The Blackbird is that, of all the feathered race, which the Stare refembles the moft j their • In Greek >J/afC(, whence the name for Granite, 4,«fc»io», the {potted furface of that (tone refembling the plumage of the Stare ; it had alfo the appellations, Arg3>oc, Bador, ra^t,- or v}/oA;ai{ : ia Latin, Sturnus or Sturnellus : in Hebrew, Sarjir, or Ztzir : in Ara- bic, Alxarazir, Zarater, Jzuri : in Italian, Sturno, Storno, Stof nello : in Portuguefe, Sturnino : in Spaniih, Ejlornino : in German, Staar, Stam, Spreche, Rinder-Stam (Ox-Stare) : in Flemilh, Sfrewve, Sprut : in Polifh, Szpai, Spatzek, Sxpaczieck, Skerzek. f In the colder countries, however, fuch as Sweden and Swit- aerland, it is migratory. *' It defcends after the middle of fum- ** mer into the low lands of Scania," fays Linnasus, Fauna Suecica, p. 70. : " when they leave our country," fays Gefner, di A'vibus, p. 745. young 1.11 IS6 THE COMMON STARE. '5- .'. young can hardly be diftingulflied * : but after their charaders are developed, the Stare is found to be diftinguiflhed by the ftreaks and re- fledions of its plumage ; by the blunter form of its bill, which is broader, and not fcallopcd near the point f ; and by the greater flatnefs of itii head, &c. But another very remarkable difference, and which is derived from a more intimate caufe is, that the fpecies of the Stare IS folitary in Europe ; whereas the fpecies of the Blackbird are extremely numerous. There is another circumftance alfo in which thefe birds are analogous; they never change their refidence during the winter. They only feek for thofe fpots in the trad where they are fettled that have the beft afped, and are in the neigh- bourhood of fprings J ; with this difference, however, that the Blackbirds flill continue to live folitary ; whereas the Stares affemble after the breeding feafon, in very numerous flocks : thefe fly in a peculiar manner, which would • Belon. So exa£t is the refemblance between the young of thefe two fpecies, that I once knew a law-fuit grounded upon it. The appellant produced a well trained blackbird, and de< manded the recompence llipulaicd for rearing and educating it j but the defendant infilled, that the young bird which he had com- mitted in charge was a Stare. f Barrere fays, that the Stare has a quadrangular bill. He muft at leaft allow that the angles are very round, I This has probably led Arillotle to fay, that the Stare coc> ceals itfelf well in wintert fcem !:■■.■■•« THE COMMON STARE. IS7 »git; com- , He fcem feem to be directed by a fort of tadics. It is the voice of inftin£t which inceffantly impels the Stares toward the centre of the battalion, while the rapidity of their motions hurries them beyond it ; a fort of vortex is thus formed, denfer at the middle, and rarer near the verge ; and the colledive body performs an uniform circular revolution, and at the fame time con- tinues to make a progreflive advance* This mode of flying has its advantages and its incon- veniencies. The rapacious tribe is difconcerted by the whirling of the Stares, alarmed by their noify cries, and deterred by the appearance of order. But the danger is increafed of falling a prey to the arts of man : the bird-catcher fixes a packthread befmeared with bird-lime to each foot, and thus difcharges one or two Stares; thefe mingle in the flock of their companions, and in their frequent gyrations and rencounters entangle others, and a number of vidims, after wafting their efforts, tumble headlong to the ground. The evening is the time when the Stares af- femble in the greateft numbers, to provide more effcdually againft the dangers of the night ; which they commonly fpend among the reeds, whither they haften about the clofe of the day, in a noify flight *. They chatter much in the * Olina. He compares the noifeof their paffage through the air to the rattling of hail. evening If i I $ III i ■Mi h" M: ■ ''rtlllH If i %t '11 lib' '* ' ''^i% imWl ^■'■' ''li^l J•^ l,eil*l if!) '■:i^ P m «i; in '"it ' ''] m ^'''' :- im iS;.f • ||i '''i' ' w^ 4^: '■ '"OT ^■■'^' ''. '4^n3 % ;• '',^1 ;:,4!.li ' tifflK^ 'f" -' > '-^fiHi as; •" 1 ffi .)" «* y'l 1m'' ' w r| 1': %^ >'-*'i it: , , .. it I'' ];"■ "*» >■ '3 I 'Ml lb m Jt i6o THE COMMON STARE. >, ff if; I If '*■■■ bill, dropped almoft all at once, fo that thU part was bald during the month of July *, as it happens conftantly in the rook through the reft of the year. I alfo obferved that the bill was almoft all yellow on the 15th of May ; this foon changed into a horn colour, and Belon aftures us, that in time it becomes orange. In the males, the eyes have a larger fhare of brown, or it is more uniform f; the ftreaks of the plumage more diftindl and yellower; and the dark colour of the feathers which are not ftreaked is brightened by more vivid re- flexions, that vary between purple and deep green. Befides, the male is larger, weighing three ounces and a half. Salerne adds, another diftinguifhed charader of the fex is, that the tongue is pointed in the male, but forked in the female. It would appear that Linnseus had feen it pointed in feme individuals, and forked in others J. In thofc which came under my examination, it was forked. The Stares live on fnails, worms, and cater- pillars ; efpecially on thofe large caterpillars of * I know not why Pliny, fpeaking of the Stares, fays, *• But ** thefc lofe not their feathers." Lib. x. 24. t " The female has a little mail in the pupil of the eyes, *• which in the male is entirely black." Olina.— Willughby fcems alfo to allude to this flough on the eye : " The irides are " hazel, the upper part whiter." where he mull probably mean the female. J Lingua Acuta. Syft. N»t. Edit. x.—Li»gua hi/da. Faun* Suecica. I a fine • SchM the flciji are killed) the mounj thefe autj old ones il t Aldrj V^OL.I THE COMMON StAltE. i6l eyes, jghby les are mean I Faun* fine fine green, with reddifh reflexions, which ap- pear, in the month of June, upon the flowers, and chiefly upon the rofes. They feed alfo on wheat, buckwheat, millet, panic, hemp-feed, elder-berries, olives, cherries, raifms, &c. It is pretended that the lafl: is what corre<5ts befl: the natural bitternefs of their flefh, and that cherries are what they are the fondefl: of*; and tliei'e aflbrd an almofl infallible bait for wecl-netS) which are laid among the reeds, where they retire in the evenings ; and in this way an hundred may often be caught in one night : but this diverfion lafls no longer than the feafon of cherries* They are fond of following oxen and other large cattle as they feed in the meadows, at- tracted, it is faid, by the infedls which flutter round them, or by thofe^ perhaps, which fwarm in their dung, or in meadows in general* From tliis habit is derived the German name Kinder^ Stureti, They are alfo accufed of feeding on the carcafles that are expofed on gibbets f ; but it is probably in fearch only of infetts. I have raifed fome of thefe birds, and have* obferved, that when bits of raw flefli were offered to ♦ Scluvenckfeld, Salcrne, &c. Cardaa fsys, that to fweetei> the fleih of Stares, we need only cut off" tlieir head as foon as they are killed : Albin direfls them to be flayed : others allege, thac the mountain Scares are better tailed than thofe of the plains. But thefe authors can only mean the young birds, for the flcih of the old ones is always bitter and unpalatable. f Aldrovandus. VOL. III. M them, M "Hi. ..' ; .i-'i II ••fit 1 m IB 1 \i S 1 6a THE COMMON STARE. wV ■ '.11 them, they fixed on the prey with great avidity. If they were prefented with the flower-cup of a pink, containing feed already formed, they did not graip it with their claws, and pluck it like the jay, but fhook it and ftruck it againfl: the bars in the bottom of the cage, till the grains dropped out. I remarked alfo, that they drank nearly like the gallinaceous tribe, and took great delight in bathing. It is probable that one of thole which I raifed died of cold, in confequence of bathing too often during the winter. Thefe birds live feven or eight years, or even longer, in the domcftic (late. The wild ones cannot be decoyed by the call, becaufe they re- gard not the fcream of the owl. But befides the contrivance of the limed threads and the weel- nets, which I have already mentioned, a method has been fallen on to take entire families, by fix- ing to the walls and the trees where they lodge pots of earthen ware of a convenient form, which the birds often prefer to place their nefts in*. Many are alfo caught by the gin and draw-net. In fome parts of Italy it is com- mon to employ tame weafels to drag them out of their nefts, or rather their holes ; for the ar- tifice of man confifts in employing one enflaved race to extend his dominion over the reft. The Stares have the memdrana 7ii£fitans ; their noftrils are half-fheathed by a membrane j the * Olina and Schwenckfeld. legs " to I exar t " the! " gre " H t S| w THE COMMON STARE. 163 legs are of a reddiih brown * ; the outer toe is conneded to the mid one as far as the firft pba* ianx ; the hind nail is ftronger than the reft ; the gizzard is preceded by a dilatation of the afophagus^ is a little flefhy, and contains fome- times fmall ftones. The inteftinal tube is twenty inches in length, from the one orifice to the other ; the gall-bladder is of the ordinary fize ; the caca very fmall, and placed nearer the anus than is common in birds. In difleding a young Stare, one of thofe which I had raifed, I remarked that the contents of the gizzard and of the inteftines were entirely black, though it had been fed on bread and milk only. This circumftance denotes an abundance of black bile ; and at the fame time accounts for the bitternefs of the flefh of thefe birds, and the ufe which has been made of their excrements ia the preparation of cofmetics. The Stare can be taught to fpeak either French, German, Latin, Greek f , &c. and to pronounce phrafes of fome length. Its pliant throat ac- commodates itfelf to every inflexion and every accent. It can readily articulate the letter R J, 1 f their the leg* * I know not why Willughby fays that " the legs are feathered " to the toes." I never found this in any of the Stares which I examined. t " The young Caefars had a Stare and Nightingales docU in '* the Greek and Latin languages, and which made continual pro- «* grefs, and affiduoufly prattled new phrafes^ of confiderable '• length." Pliny, lib. x. 42.- X Scaliger. M 2 and m .■■m 'I it f 1 64 THE COMMON STARE. and acquires a fort of warbling which is much fuperior to its native fong *. This bird is fpread through an extenfive range in the ancient continent. It is found in Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, the Ifle of Malta, the Cape of Good Hope f , and every where nearly the fame ; whereas thofe American birds which have been called Stares, prefent a great diverfity of appearance. [A] • StufHus pifitat ore, ijtiat, pifijlrat : It was thus that the Latins cxpreflTed the notes of the Stare. See the Author of Philomela. •{■ Kolben. [A] Specific charadler of the Stare, Stv.rnns Vulgaris, Linw. — — " Its bill is yellowilh, its body black, with white points." It is near nine inches long, and its alar extent fourteen inches. The male weighs three ounces, the female fomewhat lefs. M VARIETIES of the STARE. Though the Stares retain uniformly the ori- ginal impreflion, they are not entirely exempted from the tendency to variety in nature ; but the varieties which occur are always fuperficial, and often confined to individuals. The following have been noticed by authors : I. The WHITE STARE of AldrovandusJ, with flefli-colourcd legs and a reddifh yellow X St urnus Vulgaris, var. I. Linn, and Gmel.; Sturnus Alius, Briff. J the Whiti Starling, Will. bUl, next and t] white Jughl • Nd t St\ fhalus, X Stu lot, BriJ VARIETIES «/ /;/ STARE. i6s bill, as In the common kind after they have grown old. Aldrovandus fays, that it was taken along with the ordinary Stares ; and Rzaczyniki informs us, that in a certain part of Poland * it was ufual to fee a Black and a White Stare rifmg from the fame neft. Willughby alfo fpeaks of two White Stares which were obferved in Cum- berland. ) '. II. The BLACK and WHITE STARE.— To this variety I refer ; i . The White-headed Stare of Aldrovandus f : In this bird, the head, the bill, the neck, the whole of the utider part of the body, the coverts of the wings, and the two exterior quills of the tail, were white ; the other quills of the tail, and all thofe of the wings, were as in the ordinary Stare ; the white of the head was fet off by two fmall black fpots placed above the eyes, and the white of the un- der part of the body was variegated with bluifh fpots. 2. The Pied Stare of Schwenckfeld, in which the top of the head, the half of the bill next the bafc, the neck, the quills of the wing, and thofe of the tail, were black, and all the reft white. 3. The Black-headed Stare, feen by Wil- lughby, the reft of the body entirely white |. lo '■,';*! ^i:/l kA) ■'ij* i ■;f' ar ! .5 • Near Coronovia. f Sturmu Fulgarts, var. 3. Linn, and Gmel. ; Sturnus Leucoct- phalus, Briff. X Sturnus Vulgaris, yzt. 2. Linn, and Gmel.; Sturnus Ltucomt- las, Briff. j the Black and White Starling, Will. M 3 III. The s66 VARIETIES •/ /*/ STARE. III. The GREY CINEREOUS STARE of Aldrovandus *. This author is the only perfon who has feen one of that colour, which is nothing but black melted with white. It is eafy to con- ceive how thefe varieties might be multiplied from the different diftribution of the black and white, and from the numerous fhades of gray, which refult from the different proportions in which the two original colours enter into the mixture. • Sturnus Vulgaris, var. 4. Linn, and Gmcl ; Sturnus Cinereust Briff, whit in th \y than as m be this men diftri able fpot, the I bafe a fori defcel TJ Whit C 167 J FOREIGN BIRDS, RELATED TO THE STARE. I. The CAPE STARE, or the PIED STARE. Stunius CapenfiSt Linn. & Cmcl. 'T^His African bird refembles in its general Ihape the Common Stare, and the black and white colours of its plumage are diftributcd as in the Magpie. Were it not that its bill is thicker and longer than in the European Stare, we might regard it as merely a variety, efpecially as our Stare is to be met with at the Cape of Good Hope ; and this variety would coincide with the one already mentioned, in which the black and white are diftributed in large fpots. The mod remark- able character in this bird is a very large white fpot, of a round fhape, placed on each fide of the head, and which ftretches forward to the bafe of the bill, and inclofing the eye fhoots into a fort of appendix, variegated with black, that defcends along its neck. This bird is the fame with Edwards's.Black and White Indian Starling, PI. 187. ; with Albin's M 4 Contra 7 '^■ 11 ' i\ *!: n M m i\ It 4 V, fir 168 FOREIGN BIRDS Contra of Bengal, vol. iii. PI. 31. ; with Brlf* fon's Cape of Good Hope Stare, vol. ii. p. 448. ; and even with his ninth tropic bird. He acknowledges this, and rediBes it, p. 54. of the Supplement ; and confidering the chaos of incomplete defcription, and of mutilated figures, which difgraces Natural Hiftory, he is certainly excufable. To avoid confufion, there- fore, it is of the utmoft importance to collate the different names which have been beftowed on a bird by different authors, and at different tim^s *. • Specific charafter of the Cape Stare : '——" It is blackifhi *r the fides of the head and the under part of the body white.'* The other birds mentioned are confidered by Mr. Latham as var rietics ; but Gmelin is rather difpofed to form them into a new i^ecies, the Sturnus Contra, whofe charadler is, " dufky, with a f fpot on the eye, a llripeon the wing, and the belly all whitCi'* II. The LOUISIANA STARE, or the STOURNE. Sturnus Lui/oviciatius, Linn. & Gmel. I have applied the name of Stourne^ which is formed from the Latin Sturnus^ to an American bird, which, though confiderably different, is allied to Qur Stare. The under part of its body 7 » rtlattd to ty S T A R F. 1^9 18 gray, variegated with brown, and the upper is yellow. The mod charadleriftlc marks of this bird, in refpe£t to colour, are, i. A blackifh lower of plate intermixed with gray at t the neck, and rifing diftin«f!lly out of the yellow ground. 2 . Three white bars on its head, which rife from the bafe of the upper mandible, and extend as far as the occiput ; the one refts on the top of the head, while the two others, which are parallel to it, ftretch on each fide over the eyes. In general this bird rcfembles the European Stare, by the proportions of its wings and tail, and alfo by the difperfion of thefe colours in fmall fpots : its head is likewifc flat, but its bill is longer. A correfpondcnt of the Cabinet informs us, that Louifiana is much incommoded by clouds of thefe Stares ; which would fliow that their manner of flying refembles that of the European fort. But we are not very certain if he means the fpecies of this article *. • Specific charafler of the loffj/T/rwrt Stare:——" Itisfpotted *' with gray and cluHcy, a line on the head, and the eye-lidt ff white J the upper part of its throat black." 'I : li I''*,; '! J ■ I 'i 4\\ i- % i.rVi'l'.Al ■Am :.'.M\ 'u 1! III. The B :^i« ? if 170 FOREIGN BIRDS III. The T O L C A N A* kiiMl Ml ■.^if' f:i! Sturnus Oh/curus, Gmel. Sfurnus Novte H'tfpania, Brifl*. The iir<.~'in-head Stare, Lath. The fhort account which Fernandez has given of this bird is not only incomplete, but care- lefsly drawn up ; for though he fays that the Tolcana is, in fize and figure, like the Stare, he afterwards adds that it is rather fmaller. Yet he is the only original author from whom we can obtain information with regard to this bird, and on his evidence BrilTon has ranged it among the Stares. It appears to me, however, that thefe two authors adopt very different charadlers of the Stare : BrifTon, for inflance, makes it the diftinguifhing feature of the genus, that the bill is flraight, blunt, and convex ; and Fernandez, fpeaking of a bird of the Tzanatl or Stare kind, mentions, that it is fhort, thick, and rather hooked ; and in another place he refers the fame bird named Cacalotototl io the genus of the Raven (which is called Cacalotl in the Mexican • Formed from ths Mexican name Tolocaizanatl, which figni- fies Reed-ftare. language), I'iHij'l ,-. "' ;, related to the STAR E. »7« language), and to that of the Stare *. The ar- rangement of the Tolcana is therefore not deter- mined ; I have retained its Mexican name, with- out venturing to pronounce whether it is a Stare or not. This bird is, like the European Stares, fond of places abounding in ruihes and aquatic plants* Its head is brown, and the reft of its plumage black. It has no fong, or even cry. In that it partakes of the qualities of many other Ame- rican birds, which are more remarkable for the richnefs of their plumage than the fweetnefs of their warble f . • *' Cacalotoiotl, or Raven Bird, feems to belong to the genus " Tzanail oi l\it Stares." This bird has, according to Fernandez, a black plumage in- clining to blue, the bill entirely black, the iris orange, the tail long, the flefli bad to eat, and no fong. It loves temperate and warm countries. From this (hort llatement, it is difficult to decide whether the bird in quelUon be a Raven or a Stare. f Specific charafter ©f the Sturnus Oi/curtis :'-^" It is black, ♦« its head duflcy." il: M'l. M :tw '1 I 'Mm, m :>..., »Se)> IV. The C A C A S T O L J. Sturnus Mexkanus, Gmel. Cotinga Mexicana, BrifT. The Mexican Stare, Lath. I here range this bird on the very fufplcious authority of Fernandez, and the analogy which X The Mexican name is Caxcaxtototl % it is alfo called Huei- txanatl, Tzanati in the Mexican language correfponds to our Stare. its i hlwr ii 172 FOREIGN BIRDS I its name bears in the Mexican language to that of the Stare ; nor am I acquainted with any European bird to which I can refer it. Briflbn, ■who conceives it to be a Cottingay has been obliged, in order to fupport his preconceptions, to reje£t from the defcription of Fernandez, al- ready too Ihort, the words which indicate the lengthened and pointed fhape of its bill ; this Ihape being really related more clofely to the Stare than to the Cottinga. Befides, the Ca- caftol is nearly of the bulk of the Stare ; and, like that bird, it has a fmall head, and is indif- ferent food ; it likewife inhabits the temperate and warm regions. It is indeed a bad finger, but we have feen that the native notes of the European Stare are not very captivating ; and, if it were carried into America, we may pre- fume that its imitation of the harfh mufic of tiic foreft would foon deftroy every harmonious mo- dulation *. • Specific charafter of the Sturnus Mexicanus : '~" It is flcy- *' blue, variegated with black." The t^t'' m'i'^ ^ V. The P I M A L O Tf. The broad bill of this bird might lead us to fufped that it is not a Stare ; but if what Fernan- •f This word is formed from the Mexican name Pitzmalotl. dez to lan- /. dez related to the STAR E. '73 dez fays be true, that its habits and inftindts are the fame with thofe of the other Stares, we can- not hefitate to infer that it is of an analogous fpecies; efpecially as it generally haunts the coafts of the South Sea, lodging probably, like the European fort, among the aquatic plants.— The Pimalot is rather larger. vr. The STARE of TERRA MAGELLANICA, or, the WHITE RAY. Sturnus Milibaris, Gmel. The Magellanic Stare, Lath. 1 have given this laft name to a bird, brought by M. Bougainville, on account of the white ray which, rifmg on each fide near the jundion of the mandibles, bends under the eye and ftretches along the neck. This white ray is the more remarkable, as it is environed by a deep brown ; the dark colours prevail on the upper part of the body, only the wings and their coverts are edged with yellow. The tail is of a full black, forked, and extending not far beyond the wings, which are very long. The under fide of the body, including the throat, is of a line crimfon red, fprinkled with black on the lides j the an- terior yn ■I'!; i ..ii ; 4 i • ( ■ 7 im ! I m n w '-t .•!i 'A ■ !)■<► "?Mi! If ■ 174 FOREIGN BIRDS, 6f■ ■ ] . '■■^v 'i^l • ■ i. "' ' ' ■ ''.•flii;".'*! •;Tji:i a PI , i "' Vm r^l tilt 1 M 11 ii tj t . ''lit ^l| \l' ' 1 1 n^: . ^W m t ' JWt Mofti <} '^M il- \ if ^SaSt >'? ■ ''Mm^ l-l"- m iSK£] ♦ (W [iSr '/•, ,^ iV nnMi ri "rltlP^ \ * • fWSsi^ 1 ' ' iM' *Mi\\ i' i i 1 !■ m V 1. ii t • n '■ w IJ 1 ■ A"- f 'f '% \i i 176 THE TROUPIAtES. ; ■4' ■H,.V 01 P-f/ iiA; ".1 A fkllful ornithologift (Mr. Edwards) is of opinion, that the yellow jay and the chop jay of Petiver, which Briflbn has made his fixth and his fourth Troupiale, are only the male and fe- male loriot J and that the variegated jay of Ma- dras of the fame Petiver, which is the fifth Troupiale of Briflbn, is his yellow Indian Stare ; and laftly, that the crefted Troupiale of Madras, "which is Briffon's feventh fpecies, is the fame bird with the crefted gobe-mouche of the Cape of Good Hope of the fame Briflbn ** 2. I ftiall exclude the Bengal Troupiale, which is Briflbn's ninth fpecies, fince that au- thor has himfelf perceived that it is his fecond of the Stare. 3. I fliall exclude the Forked-tail Troupiale, which is the fixth of Briflbn, and the Thrufti of Seba. All that the latter fays is, that it is much larger than the thrufli ; that its plumage is black, its bill yellow, the under furface of its tail white, the upper and its back fliaded by at light tint of blue; that its tail is long, broad, and forked ; and laftly, that, excepting the diflerence in the fliape of its tail, and in its bulk, it is much like the European thrulh. But in all this, I can perceive nothing that relates to a Troupiale ; and the figure given by Seba, and which Pr'iLii rec- • H J adds, that the two long quills of the tail were wanting in thci'c two inuiviJualb. They mull either have not yet grown, or have dropped by moulting or fome other accident, kons VOJ WB ' Ing m |n, or :on9 THE TROUPIALES. 177 kons a very bad one, no more refembles a Trou- piale than it does a Thrufh. 4. I (hall exclude the Blue Bonana of Ma- dras, becaufe, on the one hand, it is inconliftent with the law of the climate, and on the other, the figure and defcription of Ray have nothing which would charadlerife the Bonana, not even the plumage. According to that author, its head, tail, and wings are blue, but the tail of a brighter tinge ; the reft of the plumage black or cinereous, except the bill and the feet, which are rufty. 5. Laftly, I Ihall exclude the India Troupiale, not only on account of the difference of climate, but for other ftronger reafons, which before in- duced me to place it between the Rollers and the Birds of Paradile. Though we have ranged along with the Troupiales, the Caffies, the Baltimores, and the Bonanas, thefe, as they have received feparate names, are diftinguifhed by <- ifferences that are fufficiently important to form fmall fubordiiiate genera, I am able, from the comparifon of a number of thefe birds, to aflert that the Caffies have the ftrongeft bill, next to them the Trou- piales, and then the Bonanas. With refpefl to the Baltimores, their bill is not only fmaller than in the reft, but it is ftraighter, and of a peculiar fhape. They feem alfo to have different in- ftindts; I therefore retain their proper names, and treat of each feparatcly. VOL. III. N The li i.: ff ■'■■ ;;'•■■ ■ '* 'v' "^^ L m I'l m M? ''■'a 'is 17^ THE TROUPIALES. The common charaders which BrifTon aC- cribes to them are the naked noftrils, and the elongated conical form of the bill. I have al- ready obferved that the upper mandible extends over the cranium, or that the tuft, inftead of making a point, makes a confiderablc re-entrant- angle ; a circumftance which fometimes occurs in other fpecies, but is moil remarkable in the prefent. m^i«i The T R O U P I A L E *. Oriclui iMericus, Gmcl, ISerus, fiviiT. Coro.cins Xatithonms, Scop. The Vflkiv and Black Pyc, C^^cfky. 7 he BnKana Bird /rem Jamaica, Albin. The Idcric Orklc, Lath. The moft obvious features in the exterior appearance of tiiis bird are its long pointed bill, the narrow feathers of its neck, and the great variety of its plmnage : not only three colours enter into it, an orange-yellow, black and white, but thefe colours feeni to multiply by their artful diftribution. The black is fpread over the head, the anterior part of the neck, the * BriffoA gave this bird tlie Latin name Icierus, from its yellow colour; for the fume reafon Scopoli termed Xanthornus, or yellow bird ; other authors have called it Pua, Cifli, I'icus, and Tm-Jus. The favages of Brazil name it Guira-T^ngcima; thofe of Guiana Tiifoiti the frcnch colonills CV-y^^rt/tf, or yellow-bottom. middle '.T'^H TMK it'iL'Hittc oittnr.rj , M ■ ' .'I ,)'■/!. I •■ 'y''\ % ■'nU.J' riddle •: i mm - %Wi %l in or un iri! the ter the oth r tim no be i reoi othe T poin cord inch th B roi raj IS ol mag] toSlI the atli fotnc bird. but he| bably THE TROUPIALE. Iddle of the back, the tail and the 179 the orange- ; wings occupies the intervals, and all the under part ot the body ; it appears alfo in the iris *, and on the anterior part of the wings ; the black which prevails through the reft is in- terrupted by two oblong white fpots, of which the one is placed at the coverts of the wings, the other on their middle quills. The feet and nails are fometimes black, fome- times of a leaden colour. The bill feems to have no conllant colour, for it has been obferved to be in Tome white gray f, in others brown cine- reous above ij!, and blue below ; and laftly, in others black above, and brown below §. This bird is nine or ten inches long from the point of the bill to the end of the tail ; and, ac- cording to Marcgrave, its wings extend fourteen inches, and its head is very fmall. It is difperfed through the region lying between Carolina and Brazil, and through the Caribbean iflands. It is of the bulk of a blackbird ; it hops like the magpie, and has many of Its gefturcs, according to Sloane. It has even, according to Marcgrave, the fame cries ; but Albin afferts that in all its adions it refembles the Stare ; and adds, that fometimes four or five unite to attack a larger bird, which, after they have killed, they devour * Albin adds, that the eye is encircled by a broad bar of blue; but he is the only perion who has made this remark , it was pro- bably an accidental variety. f Briffon. J Albin. § Sloane and Marcgrave. N 2 orderly, -1 # >l| M ■ 11 1 W I'M lEo THE TROUPIALE. orderly, each maintaining his rank. Sloane, an author worthy of credit, fays, that the Trou- piales live on infeds. Yet there is no abfolute contradiction ; for every animal which feeds on the fmallell reptile is rapacious, and would feed on larger animals if it could do it with fafety. Thefe birds muft be of a very fecial difpofi- tion, fmce love, which divides fo many other focieties, feems on the contrary to knit theirs more clofely together. They do not feparate to accomplifh in retirement and fecrecy the views of nature ; a great many pairs are feen on the fame tree, which is almoft always lofty and fequef- tered, conftruding their neft, laying their eggs, hatching and cherifhing their infant brood. Thefe nefts are of a cylindrical form, fuf- pended from the extremity of high branches, and waving freely in the air; fo that the young are continually rocked. But fome who believe th t the birds a£t from deliberation, affert that the' parents hang their neft to avoid the attack of certain land animals, and efpecially ferpents. TheTroupialcisalfo reckoned very docile, and eafily fubjeded to domeftic flavery ; which pro- penfity almoft always attends a focial temper*. • Specific charafler of the Oriolus hlericus .•— •' Fulvous ; the " head, throat, back, the vving-quilb, and coverts^ black, with a *' white fpot on the wings." M tl *• tf " tl -:J C j8i J The ACOLCHI of SEBA*. . i jm Orioluj No-v/t HiJ^anitr, Gmcl. lihrus Mexicanus, BriiT. I'he Mexican Oriole, Lath. Seba, having found this name in Fernandez, has, according to his way, applied it arbi- trarily to a bird entirely different from the one meant by that author, at lead with regard to its plumage ; and he has again afcribcd to the fame bird what Fernandez has faid of the true jicolcbi^ which the Spaniards call Tordo^ or Stare. This falfe Acolcbi of Seba has a long yellow bill ; its head is all black, and alfo its throat ; the tail and v/ings are blackifh, and thefe are or- namented with fmall feathers of a golden colour, which have a fine effect on the dark ground. Seba reckons his Acolchi an American bird, and I know not for what reafon Briifon, who quotes no authority but Seba, fubjoins that it is mod common in Mexico. It is certain that the word Acolchi is Mexican, but we are not war- ranted to conclude the fame thing of the bird on which Seba bellows it "j". * Contrafted for AcoUhkhi. t Specific charader of the Oridus N. HIJpania :—" Yellow ; " the head, upper part of the throat, wing-quills and tail, black; *' the greater quills of the wings yellow al the tip, tlie leffer " all black." N3 M ■.:h''\ "n'i-'i •^•■£' '% '■I ■ '■"ta i ■'. s ;!?vii r..f,-,f m ■i'f! PJ w $ I i l8i 3 TheRING-T AILED ORIOLE, Latj[). U Arc-en ^eiie, BufF. Oriolus Annulatus, Gmcl. Iderus Cauda Annulate ^ Brill. Comix Flava, Klein. M Fernandez gives the name of 0%in\fcan to two birds which bear no refemblance ; and Seba has taken the freedom to apply the fame name to a third entirely different from either, except in fize, which is that of the pigeon. The third Ozinijcan is the Ring-tail (Arc-en- ^etie) of this article. 1 give it this name on account of a black arch or crefcent witn its con- cavity turned towards the head, which appears diftindly on the tail when fpread, and the more remarkable, as this is of a fine yellow colour, which is alio that of the bill and of the whole body ; the head and neck are black, and the ■wings of the fame colour, with a flight tint of yellow. Seba adds, that he received many of thefe birds from America, where they are looked upon as ravenous. Perhaps their habits are the fame with thofe of our Troupiales j the figure which Seba gives has a bill foincvvhat hooked near the point * * Specific charadlcr of the Or/o/«j //ww/«///x ;—" Yellow; the " head and neck black, the greater coverts of the wings and their " (juills edged with yellowifii ; the tail blackilh and tinged." M [ i83 J The J A P A C A N I *. Orlolus Japacatii, Gmel. Lufcinia pullo-lutea, Klein. Sloane confiders his Little Tellow and Brown Fly-catcher as the fame with the Japacani of Marcgrave ; but befides the differ- ences of the plumage, the Japacani is eight times larger, each dimenfion being double ; for Sloane's bird is only four inches long, and feven over the wings, while Marcgrave's is of the bulk cf the Bemptere, which is equal to that of the Stare, whofe extreme length is feven inches, and its alar extent fourteen. It would be difficult to refer to the fame fpecies two birds, efpecially two wild birds, fo widely different. The Japacani has a long pointed olack bill, a little curved ; its head is blackifh, its iris of a gold colour ; the hind part of its neck, its back, its wings, and its rump, are variegated with black and light brown ; its tail is blackifh below, and marked with white above j its breaft, its belly, its legs are variegated with yellow and white, with blackifh traniverfe lines j its feet brown, its nails black and pointed f. • This is the Brazilian name, according to Marcgrave. t IVIarcgrave. i f'.y. N 4 Sloane*s i «?. i84 THE JAPACANI. nL. Sloane's little bird * has a round bill, almofl; ftraight, and half an inch long ; the head and back are of a light brown, with fome black fpots ; the tail eighteen inches long, and of a brown colour, as alfo the wings, which have a little white at their tips. The orbits, the throat, the fides of the neck, the coverts of the' tail, yel- low ; the bread of the fame colour, but with brown marks ; the belly white ; the legs brown, about fifteen lines long, and yellow in the toes. This bird is common in St. Jago, once the capital of Jamaica ; it lodges generally in the buflies. Its ftomach is very mufcular, and lined with a thin, loofe, infenfible membrane. Sloane found nothing in the gizzard of the individual which he difleded, but he obferved that the in- teftines made a great number of circumvolutions. The fame author mentions a variety, which differs only becaufe it has lefs yellow in its plumage. This bird may be reckoned a Troupiale, on account of the form of its bill ; but it is cer- tainly different from the Japacani f. * Oriclus Brajtlianus, Gmel. ; hlerus Brafilienjts, Brifi". ; Muf- cicapa efujloet luteo'<' I ■ip ^ 1 194. THE LITTLE BLACK TROUPIALE. wings, which when clofed reach to the middle of the tail ; this is four inches and a half in length, tapered, and confifting of twelve quills. The hill is more than an inch, and the mid-toe is longer than the leg, or rather the tar/us. This bird is fettled in St. Domingo, and is very common in fome parts of Jamaici, particularly between Spanifli-town and Paflagefort. Its ftomach is mufcular, and generally contains ca- terpillars and other infedls *. • The fpccific :hara£ler of the Oricha Niger Is, '* Tliat it is ** entirely black." It inhabits alfo the whole extent of North America. They arrive ;u Hudfon's Bay in June, and fing fweetly till their incubation, during which they only make a fort of chuck- ing. They build their nclb with grafs and mofs, on trees at the height of eight feet. I'heir eggs are five in number, duflty, and fpotted with black. After hatching, they relume their warble ; and collcifl in vail flocks to retire in September. M The Little BLACK TROUPIALE- Orioliis Mihcr, Gmel. 'The Lfjja- Black Orule, Lath. I have (tQi\ another Black Troupiale from America, but much fmaller, and even in- ferior to the Red-wing Thrufli in fize : It was li;i or fevcn inches lo^ng, and its tail, which was fquare, only two inches and a half, and extend- ed an inch beyond the wings. The THE BLACK^CAPPED TROUPIALE. 195 M The plumage was entirely black, but more glofly ami floating with bluifli reflexions on the head and the contiguous parts. It is faid that this bird can be eafily tamed, and taught to live familiarly in the houfe. The bird of No. 606, Planches Enlum'tne^s^ is probably the female of this ; for it is entirely of a black or blackifli colour, except the head and the tail, which are of a lighter lint, as is commonly the cafe in females. We alfo per- ceive the bluifli reflexions which were remarked in the plumage of the male ; but thefe appear not on the feathers of the head, but on thofe of the tail and the wings. No naturalift has, I apprehend, taken notice of this fpecies *. • specific charafter of the Or;o/«/ Minor: — " It is black, the " dark colour of the head mingled with cccrulean." M \ ill ,■ -*,, 1 V '('■ '.!l')s 1 '"I til The 4 The BLACK-CAPPED TROU- PIALE. Le Trotipiale a Calotte Noire, BuiF. Oriolus Mexitanus, Gmel. ^he Black-crowned Oriole, Lath. This bird appears to be entirely the fame fpecies with BriflTon's Brown Troupiale of New Spain, To form an idea of its plumage, o 2 imagine i 196 THE SPOTTED TROUPIALE, imagine a bird of a fine yellow, with a black cap and mantle. The tail is of the fame colour^ and fpotlefs ; but the black on the wings is fome- what interrupted by the white which borders the coverts, and again appears on the tips of the quills. Its bill is of a light-gray, with an orange tinge, and the legs are chefnut. — It is found in Mexico, and in the illand of Cayenne *. * Specific cliaradler of the Oriolus Mcxicanus : — " It is blackifli, " the upper fide and the head yeUow." M The SPOTTED TROUPIALE of Cayenne. Orifilus Mclancholiant Linn, and Gmel. Jnthorv.us Kivvius, Briir. The SdoT.burgcr, Edw. and Lath. The fpots which occur in this fmall Trou- piale are owing to this circumftance, that ahnoft all the feathers, which are brown or blackifli ill the middle, are edged with yellow, inore or lels inclined to orange on the wings, the tail, ?nd the lower part of the body. The throat is of a pure white ; a ftreak of the fame colour which pafies clofe under the eye ftretches back between two parallel black ftreaks, one of which accompanies the white above, and the ether bends round the eye below ; the iris is of a bright THE SPOTTED TROUPIALE. »97 black )lourj ome- )rders Df the range ind in blackifii, M ALE -J Trou- that Iwn or yellow, wings. The le fame Iretches one of nd the ris is of a bright a bright orange, almoft red : — All thefe give a lively appearance to the male ; for though the iris is orange alfo in the female, its plumage is of a taruilhed yellow, which, mingling with ai pale white, produces an unpleafant uniformity. The bill is thick and pointed, as in the Trou- piales, and cinereous ; the legs are flefli- colour- ed. Its proportion may be conceived from the figure. The fpotted Carouge of BrlflTon, which in many rcfpedts refembles the Troupiale of this article, differs from it in feveral important cir- cumftances. It is not half the fize, its hind nail is longer, its iris is hazel, its bill fleih-coloured, its throat, and the fides of its neck, black ; and laftly, the belly, the legs above and below the tail are without a fmgle fpot. Edwards hefitated to which of two fpecies he fhould refer it ; to the Thrufli, or to the Or- tolan. Klein decides very readily, that it be- longs to neither, but to the Chaffinch ; yet not- withftanding his dccilion, the fhape of its bill, and the identity of the climate, determine me to adopt the opinion of Briffbn, who makes it a Carouge*. • Specific charafter of the Orhhts Melancholkus :~" It is " gray, dotted with black, with a white ftripe on tlic eyes.'* X-atham confiders the Spotted Troupiale as a variety of this bird. M 03 ■'M ST., m V Tr t. f's 'fi^ll .^i'*" m I ii«CiiiiMiiir^n-' *■,!--»> 11 ■' C 198 1 The OLIVE TROUPIALE of Cayenne. Oriclus OU'vaceus, fimel. T/je Cayenne Olive Oriole, Lath. This bird is only fix or feven inches long. It owes its name to the olive colour which prevails on the hind part of its neck, its back, its tail, its belly, and the coverts of its wings. But this colour is not uniform ; it is darker on the neck, the back, and the adjacent coverts of the wings, and fomewhat lefs fo on the tail ; it is much lighter under the tail, and alfo on a great part of the coverts of the wings, which are furtheft from the back ; with this difference between the large and the fmall fcrt, that the latter have no mixture of colour, while the former are variegated with brown. The head, the throat, the fore-part of the neck and the breaft, are of a glofTy brown, deeper under the throat, and inclining to orange on the breaft^ and running into the olive colour of the lower part of the body. The bill and legs are black ; the wing-quills, and the large coverts neareft the outer edge, are of the fame colour, but bordered with white. The J .LE s long, which ts back, wings, irker on )verts of : tail ; it Ifo on a which ifference that the hile the he head, and the nder the le breaft, the lower ire black ; eareft the bordered THE WEAVER ORIOLE. 199 The fhape of its bill is the fame as that of the other Troupiales ; its tail is long, and its wings when clofed do not reach the third of the length *. * Specific charat^er of the Oriolus Olivaceas :^" It is olive, " the head, throat, and breaft dulky, the wings black." M The WEAVER ORIOLE. • LeCap.Moref,BaS. Oriolui Tex/or, Gmcl. The two birds figured No. ^y^ and 376, FL Enl. were brought by the captain of a fliip who had coUedied forty birds from dif- ferent countries, Senegal, Madagafcar, &c. and who had called them Senegal Chaffinches. They have been termed Senegal Troupiales ; but that appellation feems very improper ; for the cli- mate is different from that of the Troupiales, and the Weaver is widely diflinguifhed by the proportions of its bill, tail, and wings, and the manner in which it builds its neft. It is perhaps the African reprefentative of the Ame- rican fpecies. The two which we have men- tioned belonged to a lady of high rank, who al- t Tlie name Cap-more is contrafled for Capuchon-moraore, which denotes its «w/ of a dujiy golden glo/t. 04 lowed %m nm ':'-m m MM ■tSLn m •■Mi irr 100 THE WEAVER ORIOLE. % lowed them to be defigned at her houfe, and has obligingly communicated fome particulars that occurred with regard to the way in which they conduded themfelves. This is the only fource of information which we have. The eldeft had a kind of cowl which appear- ed of a brown-gold glofs in the fun ; this cowl difappeared in the moulting during the au- tumn, leaving the head of a yellow colour ; but it again returned in the fpring, and was con- ftantly renewed the fucceeding years. The chief colour of the reft of the body was yellow, more or lefs inclined to orange ; this was the predominant colour on the back, and on the lower part of the body ; it bordered the coverts of the wings, their quills, and thofe of the tail^ which were ail of a blackifli ground. The young one had no cowl till the end of the fecond year, and did not even change its colours before that time ; which occafioned its being miftaken for a female, and defigned as fucb. No. 376. This miftake was excufable, fmce the diftindion of fexes is not apparent during infancy, and one of the principal cha- racters of the females is that of preferving long the marks of youth. Before the change which took place in the colours of its plumage, the yellow was of a lighter tint than in the old one ; it fpread over the throat, the neck, the breaft, and bordered, as in the other, all the quills of the tail and of the ■J (■■■( nd has rs that h they fource ippear- \is cowl the aii- ur; but vas con- ;. The J yellow, was the 1 on the le coverts : the tail, le end of hange its fioned its ifigned as excufable, apparent icipal cha- rving long ace in the was of a )iead over i bordered, tail and of the THE WEAVER ORIOLE. 201 the wings. The back was of an olive-brown, which extended beyond the neck as far as the head. In both the iris was orange, the bill of a horn colour, thicker and fliorter than in the Troupiale, and the legs reddifh. Thefe two birds lived in the fame cage, and at firft upon good terms with each other ; the young one fat generally on the higheft bar, holding its bill clofe to the other, which it an- fvvered, by clapping its wings, and with a fub- miflive air. They were obferved in the fpring to inter- weave chickw^eed in the grating of their cage ; this was therefore conceived as an indication of their defire to neflle.' They were fupplied with fmall rufhes, and they built a neft fo capacious as to conceal one of them entirely. The fol- lowing year they renewed their labour ; but the young one being new clothed in the plum- age of its fex, was driven off by the other, and obliged to conduct its work alone in another corner of the cage. But it was ftill perfecuted, and notwithftanding its fubmiffive behaviour, it was often lo roughly treated as to be left in- fenfible. They were feparated, and each was intent on building ; but the labours of one day were often deftroyed in the fucceeding — A neft is not the produdion of an individual. They had both a fingular kind of fong, fome- what fhrill, but very fprightly. The old one died fuddenly, and the young one was cut off by m m €. 31 urn m h ■il iV km t% 202 THE WHISTLER. .1* by epileptic fits. Their fize was rather inferior to that of our firft Troupiale j and their wings and tail were alfo proportionabl}' fhorter*. * Specific chamber of the OnVA/ Tlx/or •• — " It is yellow; its *• head dafky, glillenlng with gold; the quills of its wings and " tail blackifli, and orange at their margin." M The WHISTLER. wr- ■'!;■■■ 11-'' Oriclits Viridis, Gmel. litems minus Viridis, BrifT. ^'he Whi/lkr Oriole, Lath. I fee no reafon why Briflbn has reckoned this bird a Baltimore, for both in the fhape of its bill and in the proportions of its tarfus it feems more related to the Troupiales. But I leave the matter undecided, placing it between the Trou- piales and Baltimores, and applying the vulgar name which it receives in St. Domingo, on ac- count of its Ihrill notes. This bird is in general brown above, except the rump and the fmall coverts of the wings, which are of a greenifh yellow, as alfo in the whole under-part of the body ; but this colour IS dufky below the throat, and variegated with rufty on the neck and breaft j the great coverts and the quills of the wings, as well as the twelve of the tail, are edged with yellow. But to form an 1 THE BALTIMORE: 203 nferior wings ellow; its ivings and M R. oned this pe of its it feems leave the he Trou- he vulgar o, on ac- re, except he wings, alfo in the this colour gated with eat coverts the twelve 3ut to form an an accurate idea of the plumage of the Whiftler, we muft imagine an olive tint of various in- tenfity fpread over all the colours without ex- ception. To charaderize the predominant co- lour of *"* } , lage of this bird. ■!■ '•exbre, we ought to take oiive and not green, as BriiToa has done. • The Whiftler is of the fize of a Chaffinch ; it is about feven inches long, and ten or twelve inches acrofs the wings ; the tail, which is un- equally ta^ered, is three inches in length, and the bill nine or ten lines. M The BALTIMORE. Oriolus Baltimore, Linn, and Gmel. Icier us Minor, Brifl". Iderus ex auro tiigroque variiis, Klein. Tie Baltimore Bird, Catclby, Pcnn. and Lath. This bird owes its name to fome refemblance that is perceived between the nature and diftri- bution of the colours of its plumage, and the arms of Lord Baltimore '*. It is a fmall bird of the fize of a houfe Sparrow, and weighing little more than an ounce ; its length is fix or feven inches, its alar extent eleven or twelve, its tail compofed of twelve quills, and two or three • Lord Baltimore was a Roman Catholic nobleman, who ob- tained the grant of Maryland, which he planted. T. inches ■ m 'ill ii 111 -I % ji Aja^ \'.\ -Ii ■ H ''1 '1% il ,1.4: .ilf!-; ;.ii!- i':'ii m 1 1 1 ■■J .1 204 THE BALTIMORE. inches long, (Iretching more than a half beyond the wings when clofed. A fort of cowl of a fine black covers the head, and defcends before upon the throat, and behind as far as the fhoul- ders : the great coverts and the qoills of the wings are alfo black, like thofe of the tail j but the former are edged with white, and the latter tipped with orange, which is the broader the farther they are from the mid-ones, in which it is wanting. The reft of the plumage is of a beautiful orange; and laftly, the bill and legs are of a lead colour. In the female, which I examined in the Royal Cabinet, all the fore- part was of a fine black, as in the mnle, the tail of the fame co- lour, the great coverts and the wing-quills black- i(h, the whole without any mixture of other colour ; and what was fo beautiful an orange in the male, was only a dirty red in the female. I have already faid, that the bill of the Balti- mores was not only proportionably fhorter and ftraighter than in the Carouges, the Troupiales, and the Cafliques, but of a peculiar fhape : It is a pyramid of five fides, two belonging to the upper mandible, and three to the lower. I fliall add, that its leg, or rather its tarfus, is more (lender than in the Carouges and Troupiales. The Baltimores difappear in the winter, at leaft in Virginia and Maryland, where Catefby obfervcd them. They are alfo found in Canada, but Catefby met with none in Carolina. They \:-im )eyontl 'I of a before ftioul- of the lilj but \c latter ,cler the which it is of a and legs [ in the of a fine fame co- lls black- of other orange in emale. the Balti- liorter and oupiales, ape : It is ing to the tr. Ifl^all is more ipiales. winter, at :re Catefby in Canada, na. They THE BASTARD BALTIMORE. 205 They build their nefts on large trees, fu ' as the poplars, the tulip trees *, &c, They fix it to the end of a thick branch, and commonly fupport it by two fmall {hoots which enter its fides J in which circumftance the nefts of the Baltimores feem to refemble thofc of the Lo- riots t« * The tulip tree, Lirioi^ciuh-on Tulipifcra, Linn, Is peculiar to America, and fo called, bccaufc its flower-cup rcfembles a ti'lip in fiKC and (hape, and has fomevvhat of the fame tints. T. f Specific character of the Oriolus Baltimare : — " Itisblackifh, " the under-part of its body, and a ftripc on its wings, fulvous." The nell is curioufly woven of tough filaments of plants, inter- mixed with wool, and lined with hair. It is pear-fliaped, open at top, with a hole in the fide, by whicl^ the young are fed and void their excrements. In fomc parts of North America it is called, oa account of its brilliancy, the Fiery hang-mil. M The BASTARD BALTIMORE. Oriolus Spurius, Gmel. Uterus Minor Spuriiu, BrifT. tardus Alinor gutture nigra, Klein. This bird was no doubt fo called becaufe the colours of its plumage are notfo lively as in the Baltimore, and for this reafon it rnay be con- fidered as a degraded race. In fad, when we compare thefe birds, and find an exact corre- fpoudence in every thing, except in the colours, and not even in the diftribution of thefe, but only in the different tints which they affume ; we '■Vim ■ ^* i#- 'v^ m 106 THE BASTARD BALTlMOI^E. 1 ■■■». ""li I'd. Sill ■Mi, i"4 ■'il I '''»;1. ■'■I, we cannot hefitate to infer that the Baftard Bal- timore is a variety of a more generous race, de- generated by the influence of climate, or fomc other accidental caufe. The black on the head is fomewhat mottled, that of the throat pure ; that part of the hood which falls behind is of an olive gray* which becomes darker as it ap- proaches the back. Whatever in the preceding •was bright orange, is in the pi efent yellow, bor- dering on orange, and more vivid on the breaft and the coverts of the tail than on any other place. The wings are brown, but their great coverts and their quills are of a dirty white. Of the twelve tail quills, the two central ones are blackifh near their middle, olive at their origin, and yjUow at their extremity ; the next one on either fide fliews the two firfl colours mixed con- fufedly ; and in the four following quills, the two laft colours are melted together. In a word, the true Baltimore bears the fame relation to the baftard one in refpedt to the colours of the plum- age, that the latter bears to its female j in which the upper-part of the body is of a dufky white, and the under of a yellowifli white. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the Oriolus Spm-ii^s : — " It is black, " fulvous below, with a white Jlripe on the wing^." In the State ©f New- York it ufually arrives in May ; atcacats its neft to au apple-tree, and lays five eggs. t 207 3 d Bat- kce, dc- ,r fomc lie head t pure; is of an J it ap- Teceding ovv, bor- he breaft ny other neir great vhite. Of d ones are eir origin, ext one oil fiuxed con- quills, the Xn a word, itiou to the f the plum- I . in which ulky white, ._" It 13 black, • In the State lata its i^etl to av. r-il The YELLOW CASSIQUE of Brazil, the YAPOU. or, Oiloliis Pci-ficiti, Linn, and Gmcl. CalJuus Liitciis, Crifl". The Black mul Tello^v OrioL; Lath. * When we compare the Cafliques whh the Troupiales, the Carouges, and the Bahimores, all which have many common properties, we perceive that they are larger, that their bill is ftronger, and their legs proportionably fhorter ; not to mention the difference in the general ap- pearance which it would be difficult to defcribe. Several authors have given figures and de- fcriptions of the Yellow Caffique under dif- ferent names, and fcarcely two of thefe exactly correfpond. — But before we proceed to confider the varieties in detail, it will be proper to fepa- rate a bird, the characters of which fcem to be widely diftant from thofe of the Yellow Caflique of Brazil ; It is the Perfian Magpie of Aldro- vandus. That naturalift defcribes it merely from a drawing, which had been fent from Ve- nice. He reckons it to be of the fize of our Magpie. Its predominant colour is not black, * In Latin it has alfo been called Pica, Picus Minor, Cijfot Nigra, &c. ; in Italian, Gazza, or, Zal/a di Terra Nin-ua ; io Englilh, Tht Black and Whiu Davj of Brazil. 9 but i ; '>'%VM ' m !] iri I' I *' fl, rl If !• i. ao8 THE YELLOW CASSIQ.UE, but only dufkifh (fuhfufcum) : Its bill is veiy thick, fomewhat fliort ( breviufcidum ) and whit- ilh ; its eyes white, and its nails fmall j whereas the Yapou is fcarcely larger than a Blackbird, and the dark part of its plumage is jet black ; its bill is pretty long, of the colour of fulphur ; Its iris is like fapphirc, and its nails of confidcr- able ftrcngth, according to Edwards, and even very ftrong and hooked, according to Belon. We cannot doubt that birds fo diftind belong to different fpecies; efpecially if Aldrovandus's in- formation be true, that his bird is a native of Perfia, for we are certain that the Yapou is American. The principal colours of the Yapou are con- ftantly black and yellow, but the diftribution is not uniformly the fame, and varies in different individuals. — The one, for inftance, which we have caufed to be defigned is entirely black, ex- cept the bill and the iris, as we have faid, and the great coverts of the wings neareft the body, which are yellow, as alfo all the hind-part of the body, both above and below, from the thighs inclufively as far as the middle of the tail, and even beyond it. — In another, which was brought from Cayenne and lodged in the Royal Cabinet, and which is larger than the preceding, there is lefs yellow on the wings, and none at all on the lower part of the thigh, and the legs appear pro- portionably ftronger : — it is probably a male.— la the Black and White Pye of Edwards, which is ill* ■■'li,. i:!i'.'' m'iIII flr, THE YAPOU. 909 very whit- hereas :kb\rd, black ; Iphur ; •nfidcr- id even Belon. elong to lus'sin- lative of rapou is are con- bution is different !hich we )lack, ex- iaid, and the body, id-part of the thighs e tail, and brought al Cabinet, ,g, there is t all on the ippear pro- ■j a male.— ards, which is is evidently the fame bird with ours, there l8 on four pr five of the yellow coverts of the wings a black fpot near their extremity ; and befides this, the black has purple reflexions, and the bird is rather larger. — In the Yapou or Jupujuba of Marcgrave, the tail is mottled with black and white only below, for its upper f irface is en- tirely black, except the outmoft feather on each fide, which is yellow half its length. It follows, therefore, that the colours ot the plumage are by no means fixed and invariable in this fpecies, which inclines me to believe v'th Marcgrave *, that the bird which BrifToi calls the RedCqffique^ is only a variety of the fame.— I (hall afterwards ftate my reafons f . * I faw fomc entirely black, having the back of a bloo^ colour. Marcgrave. t Specific charafter of the Orielus Ptrficus :-'** It is black, ** the hind-part of its back, and a fpot on the coverts of the wings* " and at the bafeof the coverts, yellow." M VARIETY of the YAPOU. I. The RED CASSIQJJE of Brazil, or, the J UP UB A. OriolusPerJicuSf var. i. Gmel. This is one of the names which Marcgrave gives to the Yapou, and which I apply to the VOL. III. p Fid ■•■■"' '. ',; Vi,-* y\ht\ if ™., m m ,p •-w ■1: . I "4 1- [■ 4: ^|. ■:| li I'-'S. ■ :i(r! iTd THE R£D CASSIdUE, Red Caffiquc of Briffbn, becaufe it refembles- that bird in the eflmtial points ; the fame pro- portiotis, the fatn« fi^e, the fame afped, the fame bill, t'he famie 'legs, and the fame deep- black diffuftd through tnoft of its plumage. It Is triie, that the lower part of thfe back is red> inftead of yellow, and the under ibrface of the body and of the tail entirely black ; but this cannot be cdnf/dered as a material diftindlion in a bird whofe ])lumage, we have already obferved^ is fubjed to confiderable variations. Befides^ yellow an|l red are contiguous colours, and apt to melt into change ; a circumftance which may be occafioned by difference of age, of fex, of cli- mate,, or of feafon. Thefe birds are about twelve inches long, and feventeen acrofs the wings; the tail is forked and bluifh ; the two mandibles are equally arched downwards; the firft phalanx of the outer toe in each foot fecms to grow into the mid-toe ; the tail confifts of twelve quills, and the under furface is white both bek>w the black and the yellow part of the plumage. They conftru^l their nefts with grafs, inter- woven with horfe hair and hogs briftles, or with vegefble produdlions which fupply their place,, and they imitate the 'form of a cucurbit fitted to its alembic. The ncfts are brown ©n the out- fide, and about eighteen inches deep, though the interior cavity is only a foot ; the upper part is thick and prominentTdr the fpace of half a foot j and here they ate fufjp^nded from the extremis • ' ties fembles- ntie pro- ea, the ne deep age. It k is redy e of the but this laion in. obferved^ Bcfides^ , and apt hichmay ex, of cU- long, and is forked lUy arched outer toe mid-toe ; the under :k and the rafs, inter- es, or with their place^ •bit fitted to m the out- though the • ipper part is half a iootV the extremi-p- ties er, THi: JUPUBA^ sin ties of fmall branches. Sometimes four hundred of thefe nefts have been feen at once hanging m a fingle tree, of the kind which the Brazilians call Ufi; and as theYapous hatch thrice a- year, the multiplication muft be prodigious. This in- ftindt of neftling in fociety on the fame tree, marks fome analogy to our Daws *. * Linnsus and Gmelin confider the bird defcribed in this arti- cle al different from the Jupujuba of Marcgrave> and form it into a new fpecies under the name of Oriolus Hamorrhous, the Red- rufnped Oriole of Latham. Its fpecific chara£ler« " Black, with a *' fcarlet rump." M II. The GREEN CASSIQUE of Cayenne. OrioluiCriJlatust var. 2. Qmel. I fhall not here be obliged to compare or dif- cufs the relations of other authors ; for none has taken notice of this bird. Nor can I produce any information refpeding its difpofitions and inftin£ls. It is larger than the preceding ; its bill is thicker at the bafe, and longer j and its legs, though ftill as fhort, would appear to be ftronger. It has been very properly named the Green Caffique, for all the fore-part both above and below, and even the coverts of the wings, are of that colour ; the hind-part is chefnut ; the wing-quills are black, and thofe of the tail partly p 2 , black, ■'J .'"■'imis'.'' .if 1 -r^r- H 211 THE GREEN CASSIQ.UE, black, partly yellow ; the legs are entirely black, and the bill is all red. The length of this Caffique is fourteen inch- es, and its alar extent eighteen or nineteen. -i I ■n ■ M h M I ■^i l" ■ (-/ •>t K ;■'* . '.'ill i irr. The CRESTED CASSIQUE of Cayenne. Oriolus Crijlatus, Grr»el, ^nthornus Max'imus, Palias. TheCreJhdOrhky Lath. This is alfo a new fpecies, and the largeft with which we are acquainted. Its bill is proportion- ably longer and firmer than in the others, but its wings are fliorter. Its extreme length is eighteen inches, its tail five, and its bill two. It is alfo diftinguifhed from the preceding, by fmall feathers, which it briftles at pleafure on the top of its head, and which form a fort of moveable creft. All the fore-part of this Caf- fique, both above and below, including the wings and the legs, is black, and the whole of the reft of a deep chefnut. In the tail, which is tapered, the two middle quills are black, like thofe of the wrings, but all the lateral ones are yellow ; and the bill is of the fame colour. I have feen in the Royal Cabinet, a fpecimen which was rather of an inferior fize, and in which the tail was entirely yellow ; but 1 am ■ • not y black, ;ii Inch- in. THE CRESTED CASSIQUE. 213 not certain whether the two mid-quills were plucked, for it had only eight quills in all *. • Specific charafter of the Oriolus Crijiatus :—-*' It is very " black, its top fomewhat crelled by fome elongated feathers." vild; ',■5 ! >■ '■,', ayennc. irgeft with roportlon- )thers, but length is 5 bill two. ceding, by )leafure on m a fort of )f this Caf- g the wings e of the reft 1 is tapered, thofe of the rellow ; and , a fpecimen fize, and in IT ; but 1 am not IV. The C A S S I QJJ E of Louifiana. Oriolus Lueioviclanus, Gmel. The White-headed Oriole, Penn. and Lath. "White, and changing violet, ibmetimes mixed together, fometimes I'eparated, are all the co- lours of this bird. Its head is white, and alfo its tail, belly, and rump ; the feathers of the wings and of the tail are of a waving violet, and edged with white ; the reft of the plumage is dyed with a mixture of thefe colours. It is a new fpecies, lately brought from Loui- fiana. We may add, that it is the fi\ialleft of the Caffiques known ; its whole length is only ten inches, and its wings when clofed reach only to the middle of the tail, which is fomewhat tapered. - il '•Mm m P3 The ■»i.?i t ai+ 3 The C A R O U G E. Oriolus Banana, Linn, and Gmel. Xanthornus, Briff. • Tiirdui Minor Fariiis, Klein. Th( Bonana Bird, Brown and Lath. L -« ^ pf ^ l>: -'^ 1 ''^ii ..'•li; I ':L" - f • if •IS 1,1 f; In general the Eonanas arc fmaller, and have a flenderer bill in proportion than the Troupi- ales. The fubjedl of this article has its plumage painted with three colours, applied in large bo- dies.— Thefe are, i. Reddilh-brown, which is fpread over all the fore- part of the bird, on the head, the neck, and the breaft. 2. A velvet black on the back, the feathers of the tail, thofe of the ■wings, and their great coverts, and even on the bill and the legs. 3. Deep orange on the fmall coverts of the wings, the rump, and the coverts of the tail. All thefe colours are more obfcure in the female. The length of the Bonana is feven inches, that of its bill fix lines, that of its tail above three inches ; its wings when fpread meafure eleven inches, and when clofed extend to the middle of the tail, or beyond it. This bird was brought from Martinico; that of Cayenne * Briflbn regards it as the fame with the Xochitol Altera of Fer- nandez, already noticed. But its plumage is different, and though it inhabits the fame country, it builds its neft dif- ferently. {Fig. THE GAI^OUGE. 215 and have Troupi- plumage large bo- which is rd, on the ;lvet black lofe of the yen on the 1 the fmall the coverts are obfcure iren inches, , tail above ad meafure tend to the his bird was )f Cayenne ol Altera oi Fer- s different, and [ds its neft dvf- (Fig. {Fig. I. No. 607, PL Enl.) is fmaller, and the fort of cowl which covers its head, neck, 65c. is black, fprinkled with fbrne fmall white fpots or\ the fides of the neck, and little reddifh ftreaks on the back ; and lafkly, the great coverts and the middle feathers of the wings are edged with white. But thefc differences are, I conceive, too inconfiderable to prevent our fuppofing the Cayenne Bonana a variety of that of Martinico* They conftruiSt a curious kind of neft, refem- bling the quarter of a hollow globe ; and few it under the leaf of a Bonana, which (helters the neft, and forms a part of it j the reft confifts of the fibres of the leaves. In what has been faid, it would be difficult to recognife the Spanifh Nightingale of Sloane * ; for that bird is in every refpedl fmaller than the Bonana, being only fix Englifli inches in length, and nine acrofs the wings ; its plumage is dif- ferent, and it conftruds ite neft in another mode. It is a fort of bag, fufpended from the extremity of fmall branches by a thread which they fpin out of a fubftance that they extradt from a pa- rafite plant, called old mans beard^ which many have miftaken for horfe-hair. In Sloane's bird the bafe of the bill was whitifh, and encircled by a black ring; the crown of the head, the neck, the back, and the tail, were of a light * Called alfo the Watcky Picket and American Hang-neft. It is the Oriolui Nidipeudulus of Gmclin, and the Hang-uefi Oriole of Latham. p 4 brown, M mm \ mm '■■#'^ ,#1 n ■ii« 2i6 THE CAROUGE. brown, or rather reddi(h gray ; the wings of a deeper brown, variegated with fome white fea- thers, the lower part of the tail marked in its middle with a black line; the fides of the neck, the breaft, and the belly, of the colour of a dead leaf. Sloane mentions a variety, either from age or fex, which differs from the preceding, only be- caufe its back has more of the yellow tint, the breaft and belly of a brighter yellow, and there is a greater (hare of black under the bill. • Thefe birds haunt the woods, and have an agreeable fong. They feed on infeds and worms, for fragments of thefe are found in their gizzard or ftomach, which is not mufcular. Their liver is divided into a great number of lobes, and of a blackifti colour. I have feen a variety of the St. Domingo Ca- rouges, or the Yellow Bottoms of Cayenne, which I proceed to confider: it resembled much the female Bonana of Martinico, except that its head and neck were blacker. This confirms my idea, that moft of thefe fpecies are related, and that notwithftanding our conftant endeavour to reduce their number, we have ftill carried the fubdivifions too far ; efpecially with regard to foreign birds, with which we are fo imperfedlly acquainted *. • Specific charafter of the Oriolus Bonana:'^" It is fulvous, *' its head and breall chefnut, its back and the quills of its wings ♦« and tail, black." M The m>^ i ai7 3 gs of a ite fea- d in its \eck,the ead leaf, n age or only be- tint, the md there • have an ,d worms, ir gizzard 'heir liver 2S, and of lingo Ca- Cayenne» bled much 5pt that its mfirms my ;lated, and deavour to carried the regard to mperfeftly » It is fulvous, ,Us of its wings M The The LESSER BONANA, Le Petit Cut Jaune de Cayenne, BuiF. iJriolus Xanthornus, Linn, and Gmel. Xanthornus Mexicanus, BriiT. • The male and female of this fpecies are repre- sented No. 5. fig. I. and fig. 2. PL EnL They have a jargon nearly like that of cur Loriot, and flirill like that of our Magpie. They fpend their nefts, which are of a purfe fha; , from the extremity of fmall branch- es, liketh. Troupiales; but I am informed they choofe the branches that are long and naked, and feledt the trees that are ftunted and ill-formed, and lean over the courfe of a river. It is alfo faid that thefe nefts are fubdivided into compart- ments for the feparate families, which has not been obferved in the Troupiales. Thefe birds are exceedingly crafty, and diffi- cult to enfnare. They are nearly of the fize of a Lark ; their length eight inches, their alar ex- tent twelve or thirteen, the tail three or four inches, and tapered, ftretching more than half beyond the clofed wings. The principal colours • Briffon fuppofes it to be the fame with the Jjoquantototl of ' Fernandez, which has indeed the fame fize, and its plumage com- pofed of black, yellow, and white. But Fernandez fays nothing of the diftribution of thefe colours, nor furnilhes any property charaftcriilic of the fpecies. of ''' ■•''■■'ill ■■ .'■< .1.1 ■'4T w l! IE It, if u • mi*- ;| ^# ;■! %n ■'■'I ipiil ;,;:3 i!';i ai8 THE LESSi;il BONANA. of thofe reprefented No. 5, are yellow and black. In fig. I. the black is fpread over the throat, the bill, and the fpace between that and the eye, the great coverts, and the quills of the wings, and of the tail, and the legs ; all the reft is yellow. But we muft oblerve, that the middle quills and the great coverts of the wings are edged with white, and the latter fometimes entirely white. In fig. 2. a part of the finall coverts of the wings, the thighs, and the belly, as far as the tail, are yellow, and the reft all black*. We may confider, as varieties of this fpecies, I. The Yellow-headed American Carouge, or Bonana, of Briflbn. The crown of its he^d, the fmall coverts of its tail, thofe of the wings, and the lower part of the thigh, are yellow, the reft of the body entirely black or blackiih : it is about eight inches long, twelve inches acrofs the wings, the tail confifting of layers, containing twelve quills, each four inches long f. ::. The Bonana, or Carouge, of the ifland of .St. Thomas, whofe plumage is alfo black, except a little yellow fpot on the fmall coverts of the wings : it has twelve quills in the tail, which is tapered, as in the Leffer Bonan.", but fomewhat longer. Edwards has defigned one of the fai»e fpecies, PI. 322, • Specific charafter of the Lejfer Bonana Bird:—" It is yel- *' low ; the upper part of its throat, its tail, and wing-quills, « black." f Oriohu Chry/ocephalus, Linn, and Gmel. Xanthcrnus Idero^ (ejthaliis Americanus, Briff. The Goldsu-btaisd Oriole, Lath. which ^rm THE LESSER BONANA. 919 black, at, the re, the 5s, and yellow. lUs and ;d with white. I wings, tail, are fpecies, )Uge, or le^d, the ngs, and le reft of is about le wings, g twelve Bonana, whofe low fpot ,as twelve as in the Edwards PI. 32^1 .« It is yel- 1 wing-quills, thcrnus Bero^ |f. Lath. which LS which has a remarkable depreilion at the bafe of the upper mandible*. 3. The Jamac of Marcgrave, which differs very little from it with refpe^t to fize, and of which the colours are the fame, and diftributed nearly in the fame v^y as in fig. I. except that the head is black, that the white on the wings is colleded in a fmgle fpot, and that a black line extends acrofs the back from the one wing to the other f. * Orielas Cayanenjist Linn, and Gmel. Xanthornus Cayanetijis, Briff. The TdloiU'iMinged Pje, Edw. The Tellanjo-'vnnged Qriolt^ Lath. ■}• Oriolus Jamaoiiit Gmel. The Brazilian Oriole, Lath. M The YELLOW-HEADED ORIOLE, Les Coiffes Jaunet, Buff. Oriolus I^erocephalus, Linn, and Gmel.' Xanthornus Icltrocephalus Cayanetrfis, BrilT. Tht Tellcw-headed Starling, Edw. Thefe are Cayenne Bonanas, which have a black plumage, and a fort of cap that covers the head and part of the neck, but defcends lower before than behind. A black ftreak, which ftretches from the noftrils to the eyes, and turns round the bill, has been omitted in the figure. The fubjeft reprefented PI. 343, appears to be confiderably larger than another which I have feen in the Royal Cabinet. Mufl this be afcribed to ' ., , .111 .." :* It''! , ■■.'.' it.)-)? .-■■' '';.'''. '.VI kV- .''i-i.,a''iMl!''' mm ''■mm 1X0 THE YELLOW-HEADED ORIOLE. to the difference of age, of fex, of climate, or to the defedl of the preparation ? But from that variety BrifTon has drawn his defcription: its fize is equal to that of the Brambling: it is about feven inches long, and eleven acrofs the wings. M •'^'iil I...!! The OLIVE CAROUGE of Louifiana. Oriolus Capenjts, Gmel. Xanthormis Capitis Bona Spei, Briff. The Olive Oriole, Lath. This bird is reprefented PL Enl, No. 607, Fig. 2, under the name of the Carouge (Bonana) of the Cape of Good Hope. I had long fuf- peded that this bird, though brought from the Cape to Europe, was really not a native of Afri- ca ; and the point is decided by the late arrival (Odober 1773) of a Bonana from Louifiana, which is evidently of the fame fpecies, and dif- fers in nothing but in the colour of the throat, which in the latter is black, and orange in the former. I am convinced that we ought to en- tertain the fame opinion of all the pretended Bonanas and Troupialcs of the ancient conti- nent ; and that we fhall difcover fooner or later that they are either of a different fpecies, or have derived their origin from America. The '■J The olive carouge. 121 e, or i tbat i: its it is ifs the M ifiana. lo. 607, Bonana) from the of Afri- e arrival .ouifiana, and dif- le throat, ige in the ;ht to en- pretended nt conti- er or later ;s, or have The The Olive Bonana of Louifiana has much of the olive tinge in its plumage, efpecially on the upper part of the body ; but this colour is not uniform ; it is tindured with gray on the crown of the head, and with brown be 'lind the neck, on the back, the fhoulders, the wings, and the tail i with a light-brown on the rump and the origin of the tail ; and with yellow on the flanks and the thighs, and the large coverts and quills of the wings, whofe fundamental colour is brown, are edged with yellow. All the un- der-part of the body is yellow, except the throat, which is orange ; the bill and the legs are of a cinereous brown. This bird is nearly of the fize of a hou(e fparrow ; its length fix or feven inches, its alar extent ten or eleven inches. The bill is near an inch long, and the tail more than two; it is fquare, and confifts of twelve quills. The firft quill is the fhorteft of the wing, and the third and fourth the longed *. ♦ Specific charafter of the Olivt Orielt:—" It is of a dufky ** olive, below yellow." M .->, 1 ■, ■ 'mm, The I 222 ] rr.-'. The KIN K. Oriolus Sinenjti, Cmel. The Khik Oriole, Lath. This new Tpecies, brought very lately from CHnA, appears to refemble ib inuch the Bonana on the otvchand, and the Blackbird on the other, thaitit may be regarded as the intermediate (hade. TJae iiides of its bill are comprefl'ed as in the Blackbird, but not fcaJloped like tliofe of the Bonaoa ; and Daubenton the younger has pro- perly given it a diftind: name, as being really difieirent from thefe two fpecies, though it con- xieds the common chain. The Kink is fmaller than our Blackbird : its head, its neck, origin of its back, and its breads Ace of Afh-gray,and this colour acquires a deeper bue las it (approaches the back ; the reft of the body, both above and below, is white, as alfo the coverts of the wings, whofe quills are of a polifked ileel-colour, gliftening with reflexions thatplay between greenifh and violet. The tail is Thoit, tapered, and parted by this fame fteel colour and white; fo that on the two mid- quills, the white is only a fmall fpot at their ex- tremity ; this white fpot extends higher on the following quills, the farther they remove from the middle, and the fteel colour retiring, is at laft jeduced on the two exterior quills to a fmall fpot near their origin. 1 I.' 1 ■rlfi i-L* 1 % m'^ : ■■ ml 'W '} i ■l mm ' 8 ! I THE GOI.l»EX OlUOJLK , I a«3 J .'Hj y-' The L O R I O T*. Ortolus Galhuht Linn, and Gmel. Oriolust Briff. Caliula, Ray, and WSI. 7'urdus Luteus, Frifch. Tur Jus Aureus f Klein. The Wifwall, Will. -^ The Yellow 'bird from Bengal, Alb. 7'he Golden Oriole, Penn. and Lath. TT has been faid, that the young of this bird are •*■ excluded by degrees, and in detached parts, and that the firft object of the parents is to col- led and combine the fcattered limbs, and, by virtue of a certain herb, to form them into an animated whole. The difficulty of this marvel- lous re-union hardly exceeds, perhaps, that of properly feparating the ancient names which the moderns have confufedly applied to this fpecies, • In Greek, "XXv^m, from its greenifti yellow colour ; the fe- male XKoific, according to i£lian ; in modern Greek, Ivxopctyof, or fig-eater : In Latin it has alfo the names Chlerion and Chloris, be- fides Chlerius, Ortolus; Merula Aurea, Turdus Aureus, Luteusw Lutea, Luieolus, AlesLuridus, Picus mdum fufpendens. Avis Ifferust Oalgalus ; and Pliny applies thefe four names, Galiulus, Galiida, Fireo, Fineo: in Italian, Oriolo, Rtgalbulo, Gualbedro, Gedbtrt, Reigalbero, Garbtlla, Rigejo, Milzioxallo, Becquaf^o, Brujbla : m Spanifh, Oropendula, Oroyendola: in German, Bierholdt, Bierelfg Brouder-Berolft, Byrolt, Tyrolt, Kir/choldt, Gerclft, Ker/enri/t, Goldam/el, Goldmerle, Gut-merle, Olimerle, Gtlbling, IViddtw^, If^ifwal: in Swifs, H^ittewalch. The name Orialt is dtrived from th&Latini#»ri"ir I ' ''.■ ' ' 'flrl v.-'V| km w Tl*" Jvft Wm 328 THE LORIOT. liH; < |;,i ♦ '; ■(•a I than the female, and even on the upper part of the body ; but in the month of Auguft the yel-^ low begins to appear under the body. Their cry is different alfo from that of the old ones ; they fcream yo, /••■ ''I , *' .'A .'; ,'■,[• 1. ' -I v • ... 'l-f 'MB' 'film .j1 '"■'■•■<^'"' i'"^v;" TW a3» THE INDIAN LORIOT. neck of a light yellowifh caft, witl* brown fpcc- kles ; the reft of the under-part of the body is of a deeper yellow, the upper of a (hining yellow, all the wings variegated with brown and yel- low, the tail alfo yellow, except the two mid- quills, which are brown, marked with a yel* lowifli ijpangle, and tipt with yellow. M !% III. The INDIAN LORIOT. It : I Oriolus Galbula, var. 2. Gmel. ' Oriolus Indicust Briff. Chleris Indicus, Aldr. It has more yellow than any of the Loriots, for it is entirely of that colour, except, i. A horfe-fhoe, which bends round the crown of the head, and terminates on each fide in the corners of the bill. 2. Some longitudinal fpots on the coverts of the wings. 3. A belt which crofTes the tail near the middle ; the whole of an azure coloi.., but the bill and legs ire of a glowing bright red. M [ 233 J IV. The STRIPED-HEADED ORIOLE. Le Loriot Raye, BufF. Oriolus Radiatus, Grnel. OriolusCapiteJiriato, Brii Mtrula Bicoler, Aldrov. This bird has been regarded by lome as a Blackbird, by others aa a Loriot : its true place feems to be between the Loriots and the Black- birds, and fince its proportions are different from thofe of either of thefe two fpecies, I would confider it as an intermediate or related fpecies, rather than as a mere variety. The radiated Loriot is not fo large as a Black- bird, and of a more flender fhape : its bill, tail, and legs, are fhorter, but its toes longer ; its head is brown, delicately radiated with white ; its wing-quills are alfo brown, and edged with white ; all the body is of a beautiful orange, deeper on the upper-part than on the lower j the bill and the nails are nearly of the fame colour, and the legs are yellow. . i '■' ■*■■' 1. .. • I. ) '^i;!:^n 1 ' '.' '.-V ■' . ' . .I r ,.^•1^.' :■ '•ii''')! I . ■r'W Ta / IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1^128 |50 ■^" u liii 1 1^ 11.25 2.5 2.2 2.0 m 1.4 11 1.6 I III Photographic Sdences Corporation .V^ J z ^ •^ v ,v <^ ^. -^>^/^\ 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIUTIR,N.Y. MStO (716)t72-4S03 ^1 4' ,i i [ 234 ] The THRUSHES, ■t ! ii -C3l LesGrives, BufF. TurJi, I.inn. &c. 'T^HE family of the Thruflies is certainly much '*' related to that of the Blackbirds * j but it would be improper, as feveral naturalifts have done, to confound them together. The com* men people appear to have a£ted more wifely, who have applied different names to objects which are really diftind. Thofe are termed Thruflies, whole plumage is fpeckled f , or marked with little ftrokes, difpofed with a kind r)i regularity ; on the contrary, thofe are Black- birds whofe plumage is uniform, or varied with large fpots. We readily adopt this diftindion, and referving the Blackbirds for a feparate ar- ticle, we fhall treat of the Thruflies in the pre- fent. We fliall diftinguifli four principal fpecies in our own climate, and to them we fliall refer, as ufual, their varieties and the foreign fpecies mod analogous. The firft fpecies is the I'hrojile^ PI. Enl. No. 4065 and I confider as varieties, the White' * " Merulae et turdi arnica: funt aves," fays Pliny There fecms little doubt that the Blackbirds and Thruihes conlbrt, fince they are commonly caught in the fame fnares. f The word gri'vele is ufed in the original, and is formed un- doubtedly from gri've, the term for a Thrufli. headed '}! much but it 5 have ; corn- wifely, objeds termed it. or a kind Black- ed with indion, rate ar- le pre- fpecies ill refer, fpecies 'nl. No. White- There nlort, fince 'y formed un» headed THE THRUSHES. 235 headed Thrujh of Aldrovandus, the Crejled Thrttjh of Schwenckfeld ; and as foreign analo- gous fpecies, the Guiana Thrujh^ PI. Enl. No. 398, fig. I. and the Little American TbruJJj^ mentioned by Catefby. The fecond fpecies is the Mijfel^ Pi. Enl. No. 489, which is the turdus vifcivorus of the an- cients, and to which I Ihall refer the White Mijfel as a variety. The third fpecies is the Fieldfare^ PI. En!. No. 490 ; it is the turdus pilaris of the ancients. The varieties, the Spotted Fieldfare of Klein, and the White-headed Fieldfare of Briflbn. I reckon as the analogous foreign kinds, the Ca- rolina Fieldfare of Catefby, which Briflbn makes his eighth fpecies of Thruflies, and the Canada Fieldfare of Catefby, which Briflbn makes his ninth fpecies. The fourth fpecies is the Red-Wing^ PI. Enl. No. 51, which is the turdus illacus of the ancients. Laftly, I fhall fubjoin fome foreign Thruflies which are too little known to be referred to their proper fpecies: fuch are the Green Barhary Thrufh of Doftor Shaw, and the Cbinefe Hoami of Briflbn, which I fliall admit into the Thruflies, upon the authority of that naturalift, though it appears to me to difler from them in its plumage and in its fliape. Of the four principal fpecies belonging to our climate, the two firfl;, which are the Throttle and ITJ'-fti' M. ;•! ittll i m I M^ii ^^mt ^ Am '. '■! 236 THE THRUSHES. II ■t i i I •« I ' m aivd the MMTel, rei^emble each other. Both ap« pear to be leCs fubje^ to the necefHty of migra* tion, iince they o£ten breed in France, Germany, Italy, and in Oxort in thofe countries where they pafs the winter. Both fing delightfully, and they are of the fmall number of birds whofe warble is compofed of a fucce£Son of notes ; and they bpth feem to be of an unfocial difpolition, for, according to fome obfervers, they perform their journies alone. Frifch traces other ana- logies alfo between the colours of their plumage, and the order of their diftribution, &c. The twQ other fpecies, viz. the Fieldfare and the Red-wing, are alfo analogous in fome cir- cumftances. They travel in numerous flocks, are more tranfitory, and feldom neftle in our climates ; for which reafon they fing very fel- dom *, and their fong is unknown not only to many naturaUfts, but €ven to mod fportfmen. It is rather a fort of chirping, and when a fcore meet on a poplar, they chatter all at once, mak- ing a very loud noife, which is far from being melodious. Both fexes t "le Thrufh are nearly of the fame fize, and vqually liable to change the:r plumage from one feafon to another f . In all • Frisch. — " Infummer (fay? Turner), the Turdus Pilaris is feldom or never feen with us (in England) ; in winter no birds are more numerous." t " They have one colevir in wiQ(er« anoth«» in fuouner.'* AillSTOTLE. -U/ of Joth ap- f migra- ermany, lere they lly, and Is whofe tes; and fpofition, ' perform :her ana- plumage, Idfare and fome cir- ous flocks, ;le in our r very fel- lOt only to fportfmen. len a fcore ince, mak- •rom being arly of the lange the'ir f . In all (Turdas Pilaris winter no birds ir in fttouner.'* THE THRUSHES, «37 of them the firft phalanx of the outer toe is joined to that of the mid-toe, the edges of the bill fcalloped near the tip. None of them fubfifts on feeds ; whether becaufe it fuits not their ap- petite, or that their bill and ftomach are too weak to break and digeft them. Berries are their chief food, and hence they have received the epithet of baccivorous. They alio cat in- feds, worms, &c. and it is in queft of thefe that they come abroad after rain, rove in the fields, and fcrape the ground, efpecially the MifTels and the Fieldfares. They make the fame fearch in winter in places of a warm aipedt where the ground is thawed. Their flefli is a delicate fooJ, efpecially that of the firft and fourth fpecies, which are the Throttle and the Red- Wing : but the ancient Romans held it in ftill higher eftimation than we, and kept thefe birds the whole year in a Ibrt of voleries, which deferve to be dcfcribed *. Each volery contained many thoufand Thrufhes and Blackbirds, not to mention other birds excellent for eating, fuch as Ortolans, Quails, &c. So numerous were thefe voleries in the vicinity of Rome, and in the territory of the Sabines, that the dung of the Thruflies was employed to manure the lands, and what is remarkable, to fatten oxen and hogs f. * *♦ Inter aves turdu* . . . Inter quadrupcdcs glcrU prima leptts." Maktial. t Varro, CtreRu/iica. Lib, i. 31. 7 Thefe :v<.;'; -■/■■•- '.O ■' -^§ '■J*l*' ■i^ ■ill ■'Pi 4 Ff ^;; i- iii 111 i if: «38 THE THRUSHES. Thefe Thruflies had lefs liberty in their vo- leries than our field pigeons in their dovecotes ; for they were never fufiered to go abroad, and they laid no eggs : but as they were fupplied with abundance of choice food, they fattened to the great profit of the pioprietor*. The vo- leries were a kind of vaulted courts, the infide furnifhed with a number of roofts. The door was very low, the windows were few, and placed in fuch manner as to prevent the pri- foners from feeing the fields, the woods, the birds fluttering at liberty, or whatever might awaken their fenfibility, and difturb the calm fo conducive to corpulence. A little glimmer- ing was fufficient to dired: them to their food ; which confifted of millet, and a fort of pafte made with bruifed figs and flour. They had alfo given them the berries of the lentilk, of the myrtle, of the ivy, and whatever in Ihort would improve the delicacy and flavour of their flelh. They were fupplied with a little ftream of wa- ter, which ran in a gutter through the volery. Twenty days before they were intended for killing, their allowance was augmented ; nay fo far was the attention carried, that they gently removed into a little anti- chamber the Thruflies * Each fat Thru(h, except at the time of migration, fold for three dinarii, equal to about two fhillings fterling. And on the cccafion of a triumph or public feftival, this fort of trade yielded a profit of twelve hiiiKircd per cent. See Cofluinella« ot re Rujiicd lib. viii. 10. — and YanO; lib. iii. 5. which r*i THE THRUSHES. 839 mm ;ir vo- icotes ; d, and ipplied ined to he vo- e infide be door w, and the pri- ads, the r might he calm ;limmer- ;ir food ; of pafte 'hey had k, of the )rt would leir flefli, n of wa- e volery. ;nded for 1 ; nay fo ey gently Thrufhes ition, fold for And on the trade yielded , tie re kupca, which which were plump and in good order, to enjoy more . quiet ; and frequently to heighten the illufion, they hung boughs and verdure imitat- ing the natural fcenery; fo that the birds might fancy themrdves in the midft of the woods. In (hort, they treated their flavcs well, becaufe they knew their intereft. Such as were newly caught, were put in fmall feparate voleries along with others that had been accuftomcd to con- finement ; and every contrivance, every footh- ing art, was employed to habituate them fome- what to bondage j yet thefe were birds never completely tamed. We can at prefent perceive feme traces of the ancient pradice, improved indeed by the Ikill of the moderns. It is common in certain provinces of France to hang pots in the tops of trees which are haunted by the Thruflies ; and thefe birds finding convenient fheltered nefts, feldom fail to lay their eggs in them to hatch and rear their young *. This plan con- tributes doubly to the multiplication of the fpe- cies; for it both preferves the brood, and by faving the time fpent in building nefts, it ena- bles them to make two hatches in the year f . When they find no pots, they conftrud: taeir * Belok. f It appears even that they fometitnes have three hatches ; for Salerne found in the month of September a Thrufti's neft in a vine containing three eggs not yct hatched, which appeared to be ef the third hatch. nefts .MM ' fl Hi •Hjfrrff 1 mm ■I 1-^^ It 'lit I it" '* if ' 'St 31 g 340 THE THRUSHES. nefts in trees or even bulhes, and with great art ; they cover the outfide with mofs, ftraw, dried leaves, &c. but ihey line the infide with a hard cafe formed of mud, compared with ftraws and fmall roots. In this refped they differ from the Pies and Blackbirds^ which lay their eggs on a foft mattrefs. Thefe nefts are hollow hemifpheres about four inches in dia- meter. The colour of the eggs varies in the different fpecies between blue and green, with fome dull fpots that are moft frequent on the large end. Every fpecies has alfo its peculiar fong; and fometimes they have even been taught to fpeak *. But this muft be under- ilood chiefly of the Throftle and the Miffel, in which the organs of voice feem to be the moft perfefl:. It is faid that the Thrufhes fwallow the ber- ries entire of the juniper, the mifletoe, the ivy, &c. f , and void them fo little altered, that when they fall in a proper foil, they germi- nate and produce. But Aldrovandus affirms that, having made thefe birds fwallow the grapes of the wild vine and the berries of the mifletoe, he could never difcover in their ex- crements any of thefe that retained its form. The Tiirufties have a ventricle more or lefs mufcular, no craw, nor even a dilatation of the • " Agrippina, the wife of Claudius Cafar, had a Thrufli which imitated human Ipeech." Pliny, lib. x. 42. f Linnxus,, cefophagus^ \ 3* ■1 J n P« fq evi m THE THRUSHES. 241 great ftraw, e with I with \ they ich lay- efts are in dia- in the n, with on the peculiar in been I under- /liffel, in the moft the ber- etoe, the e altered, cy germi- js affirms allow the ies of the their ex- form. Dre or lefs ion of the had a Thru(h afophagus. ttfophagut which may fupply its place, and fcarce any cacum ; but all of them have a gall bladder, have the end of the tongue parted into two or three threads, and have eighteen quills in each wing, and twelve in the tail. Thefe birds are fad and melancholy, and as the natural confequence of that difpofition, they are the more enamoured of liberty. They fel- dom play or even fight together ; ftlll lels will they bend to domeftic flavery. But their love of freedom is not equalled by their refources for prefervation. Their oblique and tortuous flight is almoft their only protedion againft the ihot of the fportfman, or the talons of the bird of prey *. If they reach a clofe branchy tree, they remain ftill through fear, and can hardly be beat out f . Thoufands of them are caught in fnares ; but the Throttle and the Red-Wing are the two fpecies which can the moft eafily be caught by the noofe, and almoft the only on, .; that can be taken by the call. Thefe noofes are nothing but two or three horfe-hairs twifted together, and forming a run- ning knot. They are placed round the juni- pers or fervice-trees in the neighbourhood of a fountain or a mere, and when the place is well chofen, and the fprings properly fet, feveral • Skilful fportfmcn affure me that Thruflies are difficult to Ihoot, even more fo than Snipes. t This is, perhaps, the reafon that they are faid to be deaf; Kft/ipolt^oj *«;c'^»!, deafer than aThrtiJh, was a proverb in Greece. But all the fowlers affure me that the Thri:th has a very quick ear. VOL. III. R hundred m ■ '*'* l> III .1 m ■ji • .-Hi'-'s*-'!! i i i Ml III f(»; ;W f» .1 T 1 iiloi! 3!*^ ■'*' . V ,M i'' > n s ill i i 11)1-'? 242 THE THRUSHES. hundred Thrufhes have been caught in a day in the fpace of a hundred acres. It is afcertained from obfervations made in different countries, that when the Thrulhes ap* pear in Europe about the beginning of the au- tumn, they arrive from the countries of the north in company with thofe numerous flocks of bird* which, on the approach of winter, traverfe the Bahic fea, and leave Lapland, Siberia, Livonia, Poland, and Prulfia, for more temperate climates. So a])imdant are the Thrufhes then on the fouthern fliore of the Baltic, that, according to the computation of Klein, the fingle city of Dantzic confumes every year ninety thoufand pairs. It is equally certain that the furvivors which emigrate again after the rigors of winter, direct their courfe towards the north. But the different fpecies arrive not all of them at the fame time. In Burgundy, the Throftk appears the firfl about the end of September, next the Red-Wing, and lafl of all, the Fieldfare and the MifTel ; but the latter fpecies is much lefs nu- merous than the three others, which might be expected, fmce it is more difperfed. We mufl not fuppofe that all the fpecies of Thrufhes pafs conftantly in the fame number j fbmetimes they are very few, beeaufe the feafon has either been unfavourable to their multiplica- tion, or to their migration* j at other times they * I n,m affuretl that fomc years the Red-Wings arc very rare in fi'ovcnce ; ard this i' the cafe a'.fo in the northern countries. are THE THRUSHES. '43 a day lade in hes ap* he au- le north of bird* erfe the Livonia, :Umate8. on the )rding to ; city of thoufand furvivors f winter. But the m at the e appears next the re and the lefs nu- might be fpecies of ; number J : the feafon muUiplica- • times they arc very rare in countries. :ly intelli AVC extremely numerous obferver * has informed mc^that he i.iw prodigi- ous clouds of Thruflies» chieHy RL(l-VVinf;3 and Fieldfares, aUght in the month of March at lirie, and cover an extent of feven or eight leagues. This appearance, which was unexampled, laded near a month, and it was remarked that the cold had continued very long that winter f . The ancients faid that the Thrufhes came every year into Italy from beyond feas about the autumnal equinox, and that they returned about the vernal equinox, and that in both paflTages J they afTembled and refted in the iflets of Pontia, Palmaria, and Pandataria, which are nigh the Italian coafts. They repofe too in the ifland of Malta, where they arrive in Odtober and November; the north-weft wind brings fomc flocks, the fouth or fouth-weft foraetimes beats them back. But they do not always ar- rive with certain winds, and their appearance depends oftener on the ftate of the air than on its motion ; for if, in calm weather, the fky fuddenly darkens with the preludes of a ftorm, the ground is then covered with Thruflies. Nor does the ifland of Malta appear to limit the migration of the Thrufties towards the • Hebert. t Letters of M. le Commandeur Godeheu de Riville, torn. i. pp. 9I) 92. Mem. Etratt. X Varro, De Re Rujiica, lib. iii- 5. Thefe iflets lie fouth of the city of Rome, fomewhat to the eaft : That of Pamlataria is at prefent known by the name Veninune. R a fouth ; H Vujh, Will. 'T^His fpecies, in the French language, gives name to the whole genus. I have there- fore ranged it in the firft place, though in point of fize it occupies only the third. It is very coiiunon in Ibme parts of Burgundy, and called by the country people The Little Tbrujh f , or Little Red-Wing X' It commonly arrives every year about the time of vintage, probably at- tracted by the maturity of the grapes ; and hence undoubtedly it has received the name of Vine-Thru/h. It difappears during the frofts, and again makes a tranfient vifit in the months of March or April before its migration in May. On the departure of the flock, they always leave a few ftragglers behind, which are either un- able to follow the main body, or, yielding to • In Greek, K.iy\a. cr V.vy%n : In Latin, Turdus : In Italian, Tordo Mezzano : In Spanifti, Zorzal : In German, Drojfel, or Dropel (hence the Englifli napie) ; and in Brandenburg, Zippe: In Poland, Drczd; In Smoland, Klera; and in Ollrogothia, Klaedra. f Crivelte. J MauvieiU, ^■ ' is; ( m THE THROSTLE. 247 the mild infli of fpring, ftop and breed luence the forefts that occur in their route *. This i9 the reafon why fome Throftles conftantly re- main in our woods, where they build their nefl: on the wild apple and pear-trees, and even in junipers and in the buflies, as has been obferved in Silefia f and in England :{:. Sometimes they fix it in the trunk of a thick tree ten or twelve feet high, and prefer, for the materials, wood rotten and worm-eaten. They generally pair about the end of winter, and form lading unions. They make two hatches in the year, and fometimes a third, when their former have not fucceeded. The firfl laying confifts of five or fix eggs, of a deep blue with black fpots, moft frequent at the large end ; and in the fubfequent hatches the number regularly diminifhes. It is difficult in this fpe- cies to feparate the males from the females ; their fize being the fame in both fexes, and the co- lours of their plumage, as I have faid, fubjed: to vary. Aldrovandus faw, and caufed to be de« lineated, three of thefe birds, caught in^different ■Ww n ,*'■': ■f: ' ■m the * Dr. Lottinger afiures me, that they arrive ii» the months of March and April in the mountains of Lorraine, and that they re- turn in September and Oftober. Hence it would follow that in : I thefe mountains, or rather in forefts that cover them, they pafs the fummer, and from thefe retreats vifit us in autumn. But muft we apply this local remark of Lottinger's to the whole fpccies ? Ob- fervations alone will decide. t Frifch. X Britiftj Zoology, R 4 feafons ; •:V. mmt 148 THE THROSTLE. i'.r li %A n w f feafons ; all which differed in the colours of their bill, of their legs, and of their feathers : in one of them the ftreaks on the bread were hardly perceptible. FriCch afferts, however, that the old males have a white ray above the eyes, and Linnaeus makes thefe white eyelids one of the characters of the fpecies. Almoft all the other naturalifts agree, that the young males can hardly be diflinguiflied but by their early inclination to chant : for the Throftle fmgs de- lightfully, efpecially in the fpring *, whofe re- turn it announces ; and as it breeds feveral times in the year, it enjoys a fucceffion of the vernal pleafures, and may be faid to warble three-fourths of the year. It fits whole hours on the top of a tall tree, draining its delicate throat. Its warbling confifts of feveral different couplets, like that of the Miffel, but dill more varied and more charming ; which has obtained for it in many countries the denomination of the Singing Thrujb. The fong is undoubtedly in- tended to attrad the female j for even the imperfect imitation of it will produce that effed. Each brood follows feparately their parents ; fometimes feveral of thefe chancing to meet in the fame wood, would induce us to think that s ., . I * On its iirft arrival, about the end of winter, it has only a fee- ble whiftle, day and night, like the Ortolans. they w THE THROSTLE. 249 3urs of lathers : ift were owever, ove the eyelids Imoft all ig males :ir early fings de- i/hofe re- s feveral )n of the 0 warble ole hours :s delicate 1 different ftill more i obtained ion of the )tedly in- even the uce that parents ; meet in ;hink that las only a fce- they they aflbciate in numerous flocks * ; but their union is fortuitous and momentary ; the fami- lies foon feparate, and even the individuals dif- perfe after they are able to provide fingly their fubfiftence f . Thefe birds are found in Italy, France, Lor- raine, England, Scotland, Sweden, where they haunt the forefts which abound with maples J. They migrate from Sweden into Poland fifteen days before and after the feftival of St. Michael, when the weather is warm and calm. Though the Throftle is quick- fighted, and very alert to avoid its declared enemies, and to efcape from manifefl dangers ; it has at bottom but little cunning, and is quite unguarded againft concealed ftratagems : it is eafily caught either by the call or the gin, though lefs fo than the Red- Wing. In fome parts of Poland, fuch numbers are taken that fmall barks are loaded with them for exportation §. It is a bird that delights in woods, and in fuch places the fnares may be laid with fuccefs. It feldom is met with in the plains, and even when it vifits the vines it conftantly retires into the neighbouring copfes in the evening, and during the heat of the day ; • Frifch.— Dr. Lottinger alfo fays, that though they do not migrate in troops, many are found together or pretty nigh each other. t I am afTured, however, that they like the company of the Calendar Larks. t Linnzus, faufta Snecica, § Rzaczinfki. fo ■■■:''i-,':i'V ■ .''1' ■" ■, ■ li '.''■1 ■'V {. M mm i' i iW: m I t. 1 i 250 THE THROSTLE fo that to fucceed in catching the Throftic, we ought to choofe the proper time ; its departure in the morning, and its return in the evening, or the mid-day, when the fun's rays are moil opprefllve. Sometimes they are intoxicated with eating ripe grapes, and theq they fall an cafy prey. Willughby informs us, that this Ipecies breeds in England, and refides there the whole year; and he adds, that its flefli is excellent, but par- takes of the quality of its food. Our Throftle fubfifts in autumn on chefnuts, beech-maft, grapes, figs, ivy-berries, juniper-berries, the fruit of the fervice-tree, and fuch like aliments. We are not fo certain what it lives upon in the fpring. In that feafon it commonly appears on the ground in the woods, in wet places, and among the bufhes which fkirt the flooded mea- dows, where it may be fuppofed to fearch for earth-worms, fnails, &c. If an intenfe vernal froft happens, the Throttles, inflead of flying to milder climates, retire to the fprings, and languifh and pine ; and a continuance of this fevere weather will deftroy many of them* This would feem to fhew, that cold is not the fole caufe of their migrations, but that they have a certain circuit to defcribe annually in a given time. It is faid that pomegranates prove a poifon to them. In Bugey, the nefts of the Throllles are much fought after, ©r rather their ill n i THE THROSTLE. isi dc, we parturc irening, •e xnoft )xicated fall aa ;s breeds lie year ; but par- Throftle :ch-maft, ries, the aliments. )n in the ppears on aces, and ded mea- 'earch for nfe vernal of flying ings, and ce of this of them, is not the they have in a given s prove a fts of the QX rather their ;-« their young, which are dreflfed into delicate difhes. I fhould fuppofe that this fpecies was un- known to the ancients ; for Ariftotle reckons only three kinds *, which are all different from the prefent, and of which we (hall treat in the following articles. Nor can we imagine that Plinv meant this when he fpeaks of a new fpe- cies which appeared in Italy in the time of the war between Oiho and Vitellius ; for that bird was almoft as large as a Pigeon f , and therefore four times the fize of the Throftle, which weighs only three ounces. I have obferved in a Throftle which lived fome time with me, that when it was angry it cracked and fnapped with its bill ; its upper mandible was alfo moveable, though much lefs than the lower ; alfo its tail was fomewhat forked, which is not very evident from the figure J. * Hifi. Anim. lib. ix. 20. f Pliny, lib. X. 49. X Specific charafterof the Throftle, Tardus Mu/icuSj Linn.-" '• Its wing-quills are ferruginous at their inner bafc." It is nine inches long, and its alar extent thirteen and a half. It fings, efpecially in the evenings of the fpring, from the top of the higheft tree ; and breeds in bufhes and thickets. Its neft is formed with earth, mofs, and ftraws, the infide plaftered with clay. It lays five or ixx. eggs of a bluiih green, variegated with a few black fpots. M I Ji? ■yli ;A^ '■' ' ,' ■ > ■ 1 ' '! ' ■['■ ''J I r' :>i;l< H:; mm ■mm \i \'-\ ■■■ I ' t •! I A%>, C 25^ 3 . VARIETIES of the THROSTLE. I. The WHITE THROSTLE. The folc difference confiils in the whitenefs of its plum- age ; a quality which, though commonly afcribed to the influence of the northern cli- mates, may be produced by accidental caufes in the more temperate countries, as we have remarked in the hiflory of the Raven : but this colour is not fpread ovc^r the whole body, nor is it pure. The bread and ne^k are marked with the fpeckles peculiar to the Thruflies, though far more dilute and faint ; the back is (haded with a mixture of brown, and the breaft tinged with rufous, as in thofe figured by Frifch, pi. 33, but without any defcription. Sometimes none of the upper part of the body, except the head, is white, as in that defcribed by Aldrovandus ; at other times the lower part of the neck only is marked by a white^crofs-bar, like a half col- lar; and, in different individuals, this colour certainly mingles varioufly with thofe proper to the fpecies. — But diflindions of that fort can- not form even permanent varieties. II. The CRESTED THRUSH, mentioned by Schwenckfeld, muil alfo be regarded as a variety of this fpecies ; not only becaufe it is of the fame fize, and its plumage fimilar, ex- cept '. > le fole plum- imonly jrn cU- , caufes re have but this ', nor ift :ed with though I (haded ft tinged les none he head, )vandu8 ; eck only half col- is colour proper to fort can- VARIETIES cf tht THROSTLE. a5j cept a whitifh tuft, formed like that of the Crefted Lark, and alfo its collar white, but be- caufe it is very rare. It may be even faid, that hitherto it is unique^ fmce Schwenckfeld is the only perfon who has feen it, and that only once when it was caught in 1599 in the forefts of the Dutchy of Lignitz. — It may be proper to mention, that thefe birds have fometimes a creft formed in drying, from the contradion of cer- tain mufcles of the ikin which cover the head. ' y.:H *: V'.,- 1 :^i' i.^'.' 4; •"■?>• I n mm . ! , J- I:, w lentioned ded as a aufe it is Hilar, ex- cept i <■ C aS4 J FOREIGN BIRDS, THAT ARE RELATED TO THE THROSTLE* ■14] .'J f • , :;.! -r t - The GUIANA THRUSH. La Gri've de la Guyane, BufF. Tardus Guianenfts, Gmel. 'TpHE coloured figure conveys nearly all th n>'r M ^ ii h pA' r: I ', H ( 4\\ tS6 FOREIGN BIRDS which appear on its hreafl ; but it feems the xnoft nearly related to our Throllle and Red- Wing, and a comparifon of the points of fimi- larity is neceifary to determine the fpecies to ivhich it belongs. This bird is fmaller than any of our Thrufhes, as in general are all the birds of America, if compared with their archetypes in the old con- tinent. Like the Red-Wing, it does not fnig, and has fewer fpeckles than that fpecies, and there- fore than any of the genus ; like the Red-Wing alfo, its flefli is delicate. — So far the American Thrufli refembles the Red-Wing, but it has more numerous relations to our Throftle ; and, in tny opinion, more decifive ones. It has beards round the bill, a fort of yellowi{h plate on the breafl: ; it readily fettles and remains in a coun- try which affords it fubfiftence; its, cry is like the winter- notes of the Throftle, and therefore un- pleafant, as generally are the cries of all birds that live in wild countries inhabited by favages. Befides, the Throftle, and not the Red-Wing, Is found in Sweden, whence it could f afily mi- grate into America. This Throftle arrives in Pennfylvania in the month of May ; it continues there the whole of the fummer, during which time it hatches and raifes its young. Catelby tells us, that few of thefe Throftles are feen in Carolina, whether becaufe a part only fettle of what arrive, or that, as we have already obferved, they conceal theiim fclves il i the Red- fimi- es to u(he8, :ica, if I con- g,and there- -Wing oerican it has jj and, a beards on the a coun- like the ore un- 11 birds favages. 1-Wing, ifily mi- ia the whole of :he3 and few of whether or that, sal iheim felves 1^ : I *i ' Id M Ki J? /•/ vt^" i » ' ' I ?^' ! *1 I rnr. i TJiKtr^sit . in *' C1' t'lf-v;, V'l ■.-"•■■■■■> n ■,(.•!, ■ '■ i, i '■•^vi-v -^ ■ .1 ■■. 1 I':.? 1 :,p,. ^ ., • '. p m ■» ' i ' 25S FOREIGN BIRDS day, while the female is employed in hatching, and becaule it haunts wet places. But though its fong has a greater extent, it is far from be- ing lb pleafant as that of the Nightingale. It is commonly accompanied with a very brilk mo- tion, and a trembling of the whole body. The bird climbs like the Creepers along the reeds and the low willows in fearch of infedts, which conftitute its food. The habit of this bird in frequenting the marlhes would feem to exclude it from the family of the Thrufhes ; but it refembles them fo much in its external form, that Klein, who faw one almoft alive, fince it was killed in his prefence, doubts whether it could be referred to another genus. He informs us, that thefe birds inhabit the iflands in the mouth of the Viftula, and make their nefl: on the ground along the fides of the little hillocks covered with mofs *. He fufpeds that they pafs the winter in the denfe marfhy forefts f ; and he adds, that the upper-part of their body is a rufous brown, the lower of a dirty white, with fome afh fpots ; the Pajere d'Jcgiia: in the language of the American Indians, Jtototloquichitl, according to Nieremberg; Acototloqukhitl, ac- cording to Fernandez ; Caracura, according to Laet The French name RcuJJeroU is derived from roujje, the feminine of roux, which denotes its rufous plumage. * It builds among the canes, fays Belon, witli fmall rced-ftraw, and lays five or fix eggs. t Belon at firlt fuppofed the Reed-Thrulh to be a bird of paf- fage, but afterwards difcovered the contrary. .^ bill relatcii to the THROSTLF. 259 tching, though om be- . It is Sk mo- . The le reeds , which ting the rom the les them iin, who ed in his sferred to lefe birds e Viftula, ilong the mofs *. ir in the „ that the |Own, the lots; the lean Indians, Voquichitl, ac- The French If roux, which bill black, the infide of the mouth orange, as in the Thrufhes, and the legs lead-coloured. An intellig'^nt obferver has aflured me that he was acquainted in Brie with a fmall bird of this kind, and vulgarly called Fffarvatte^ which alfo prattles continually, and lodges among the reeds like the other* This recon- ciles the oppofite opinions of Klein and Brilfon with regard to the fize of the Reed-Thrufli j the former maintaining that it is as large as a Throftle, the latter that it does not exceed the Lark. It flies heavily, and flaps with its wings ; the feathers on its head are longer than the reft, and form an indiftindt creft. Sonnerat brought from the Philippines a true Reed-Thrufh, exactly fimilar to that of No. 513*. * Specific charafter of the Turdus Jnmdinaceus ;— " It is dufky- " ferruginous, below of a chalky-white, its wing-quills marked " with tawny ftripes at the tips." It is larger than a Lark, be- ing feven inches long. Its egg? are yellowilh-white, with duiky fpots. M m wm "M IP mm ill j.MrJ ■;• r . I In rced-flraw. bird of paf- bill s 2 IV. The 26o FOREIGN BIRDS IV. The MISSEL THRUSH*: .,.-'fT^:''- im- La Draini, Buff. Turdus Vi/d'vorus, Linn. Gmcl. Gefner, Aldrov. &c. Turdus Major, Briff. 1' Urdus Fijcivorus Major, Ray. T/je Mi/eltoe-ThniJJ.-, or Sbreitch, Cliarl. The Mijel- Bird, ov Shrite, Will. The Miflel weighs five ounces, and is diftln- guiflied by its magnitude from all the other Thruflies : but it is far from being fo large as a Magpie, which Ariftotle is made to aflert f ; an error probably of the copyift ; or perhaps it attains to a greater fize in Greece than with us. The Greeks and Romans confidered .he Thrufhec as birds of paflage J, not excepting the Miflel, with which they were perfe£tly ac- quainted under the name of vifcivorous Thrufh, or feeder on mijletoe^herries §. In • In Greek, llts-o^o?, or Mt/growaWvo; : In Turkifh, Garatauk : in Italian, Tordo, Turdela, Gardenna, Drejfa, Drejfano, Gafotto, Columbina : in German, Zeher, Zerner, Ziering, ScLnarre, Schnerrer : in Polifli, Orozd, Naywiekjky, Jemiclucha, Cnapio : in Welch it is called Pen y lliuyn, which fignifies majhr of the coppice. f Hijl. Anim, lib. ix. 20. X hx\'ko\..HiJi.Anim. lib. viii. 16. — Pliny, lib. x. 24.— V.irro De Re Rujlica, lib. iii. 5. § Bird-lime (vifciis) was formerly made from the berries of the milletoe : hence the Latin proverb Turdm malum fibi cacnt ; that parafae SiC. is diftln- tie other I large as affert t i perhaps it vith us. ered the excepting edly ac- Thrufh, In h, Garatauk : Ifano, Gafotto, ig, Schnarrct cha, Cnapio: majhr of the :. 24.— Varro I berries of the ^tbi caci^t ; that parafne :¥t7i 7^ riO.l. Til£ :IVIISS£I. BIKD.rn>.2.'rJEtE TI1KOSTI.E. ,*!.. *r i-t.vu lv:/ .1 ' !-i:>: !i* \'"\ c:^:^t \m 11 .at m. "•-.•^. 4i« '''■II . r. .'.■,!.<•' -'•'i ■■•?■'■ Mm I. -■ >\ ;>■» rtlated to the THROSTLE. idt ■1- In Burgundy, the Miflels arrive in flocks about the months of September and Odober, coming moft probably from the mountains of Lorraine *. Part of them purfuc their journey, and depart always in numerous bodies in the beginning of winter, while the reft remain till the month of March j for fome of them always continue during the fummer both in Burgundy, and in other provinces of France, of Germany, of Poland f, &c. In Italy alio, and in Eng- land, fo many neftle that Aldrovandus faw the new brood fold in the markets ; and Albin re- gards the Miflels as not birds of pafliagelt. Thofe parafite plant being fuppofed to be propagated on the oak from the berries voided by the Miflels. Bird-lime is now obtained by macerating the inner bark of holly. • Dr. Lottinger of Sarbourg aflures me, that fuch of the Thrufties as remove from the mountains of Lorraine on the ap- proach of winter, depart in September and Odobcr, and return in the months of March and April ; and that tb'";- h.ced in the forefts with which the mountains are covered, Sec. This account agrees well witli what we have given froin our own obfcrvation. But I muft confefs that another remark of that gentleman dif- agrees with one of a very intelligent ornithologift : Tlie latter (M. Hebcrt) pretends that in Brie the Thrulhes aflcmble at no time of the year; whereas M. Lottinger afllrts that in Lorraine they always fly in flocks, and in faft they leem to arrive in troops about Montbard, as I have remarked. Can their habits difier in different count.ies, or in different times? This is not altogether unexampled ; and I muft add, from a more particular obiervatioii, that after the November paflage is over, thofe which remain in our diftridls live feparately till the time of hatching : in ihort, that the aflTertionsof thefc two obfervers may be true, with certain reftridlions. f Rzaczynfki. X The authors of the Britilh Zoology are of the fame opinion. s 3 which -■'••i. ■ ■t 't'l ■K.'!:t,.. • ■,>'•{'■■ V-.'wVf.:' M iiil m >f #'' m H /, ^i^ "'I :i1 262 FOREIGN BIRDS which remain lay and hatch fuccefsfully. They build their nefts, fometimes in trees of a mid- dling height, and fometimes on the top of fuch as are extremely tall, but always prefer thofe which are moft covered with molk They con- ftrud both the infide and outfide with herbage, leave's, and mofs, efpecially the white mofs ; and their ncft refembles more that of the Blackbird than of the other Thrulhes, except its being lined with bedding. * They lay four or five gray- fpotted eggs; they feed their young with caterpillars, worms, flugs, and even fnails, the fliell of which they break. The parents eat all forts of berries during the fummer, cherries, grapes, olives, the fruits of the cornel and the fervice-treesj and in winter they fubfift upon the berries of the juniper, of the holly, of the ivy, of the buck-thorn ; upon beech-mail, floes, fennel, and, above all, upon milletoe berries. When difturbed they cry Ire, tre, tre\ hence their name in the dialect of Burgundy draine and even forae of the Englifti names. In the fpring the females have no other notes ; but the males, fitting 011 the tops of the trees, fing charmingly, and their warble confifts of dif-» ferent airs that form a couilantly varied fuc- ceflion. In winter they are no lon^"*er heard. The male differs not in external appearance from the female, except that he has more black in his plumage, Thefc related to the THROSTLE. 263 Thcfe birds are of a gentle pacific temper ; they never fight with one another, but yet are anxious for their own fafety. They are more cautious even than the Blackbirds, winch are generally reckoned very (hy and timorous ; for thefe are fometimes decoyed by the call, while the Miflels refift the allurement. They are, how- ever, caught fometimes in gins, though lefs fre- quently than theThroftles or Red- Wings. Belon aflerts, that the flefli of the Mifltl, which he calls the Great Thrufli, is of a fiipe- rior flavour to that of the other fpecies ; but this is contrary to the account of all other luiural- ifts, and to my own experience. Our MiiFels live not indeed upon olives, nor our fmall Throf- tles upon mifletoe-berries, as thofe of which he fpeaks ; and it is well known how much the dif- ference of foodafFecSts the quality of game*. * Specific charafter of the Turdus Vifcivorus : *' Its back " is dufky, its neck fpotted with white, its bill yellc.vifli." The Miffel Thrufli refembles much the Tli ilUe, but the fpots on its breaft are large and round, not elongated as in the latter; and the inner coverts of its wings are white, thofe of the Throlb i yellow. It is alfo of fuperior fjze ; for it is eleven inches long, fixteen and a Half broad, and weighs near five ounces, it builds its neft in buihes, or in the fides of trees, particularly the adu M •m^:'^ " Mi; * ,\ ' •!. -i;^ S4 VARI- L i -JA . -J [ 264 ] s"tiii^ VARIETY of the MISSEL THRUSH. The only variety I find in this fpecies is the Whitifli Miflel noticed by Aldrovandus. The quills of its tail and wings were of a light and almofl vA-hitifli colour, the head and all the up-* per-part of the body cinereous. We may remark in this variety the alteration of the colour of the quills, of the wings, and of the tail, which are commonly fuppoled to be the lead liable to change, and as being of a deeper dye than the other feathers. 1 may add that there are always fome Miflels which breed in the Royal Garden on the leaf- "f^fs trees ; they feem to be very fond of yew berries, and eat fo plentifully of them that their excrements are red ; they are alfo attached to the fruit of the lote. In Provence the people have a fort of call with which they imitate the vernal fong of the Miflel Thrufh and of the Tiiroftle. The perfon con- ceals himfelf in a green arbour, from which he can fee through a loop-hole a pole, which he has fattened to a neighbouring tree; the Thruflies are inyitcd by the call, and ex^ peding to meet wuh their companions, alight pn the pole, and fall by the Ihot of the fowlqr. C 265 3 fi'f .1 * !. I. ISH. IS is tho J. The ght and the up- ilterat'ion ngs, and fed to be ing of a le Miffels the leaf- d of yew hat their ached to call with he Miffel rfon cor>- )in which )le, which tree; the and ex- B)ns, alight fowler. The FIELDFARE*. La Litorne, Buft'. Turdut Filarii, Linn. Gmel. Gefner, and Aldrov. Tardus Pilaris, feu TurJela, Bri/T. npHis Thrufli is the largcft after the Mlflel; *■• and like it can hardly be decoyed by the call, but may be caught by a noofc. It differs from the other Thruihes by the yellow colour of its bill, the deeper brown of its legs, and the cinereous fometimes variegated with black, which fpreads over its head, behind its neck, and upon its rump. The male and female have the fame cry, which will equally attract tlie wild Fieldfares jn the feafon of migration f . But the female is diftinguifhed from the male by the colour of her bill, which is much duller. Thefe birds, which breed in Poland and Lower Auftria J, never neftle in France. They arrive in flocks with the Red-Wing about the beginning of De- cember, and make a loud noife as they fly %* • In Greek, y^iyj^c, wiiich is alfo adopted in Latin : in Italian, Vifcada, Fi/cardo, (I fufpcil thefe names to belong to the Mi.ifel Thrufli:) in Sj^anifh, Ztrzol : in German, Krammet-VogeU Ztcmm • : in Swifs, Reckolttr, li'c.icUer, U'achbdder-drojlel : in Po!i(h, Drozd-Sizedni, Kiuic^M : in Daiiifli, Dolhelt Kramsfiigl: jn Norwegian, Graae Trofl, Field-Trojl, Nord,:n Finds I ibe : in iS'.vedilh, Kramsfogd, Smjkata. t Frilch. X Klein, and Kramer. § Rzaczynflci. They vi!,;':|!;'Vl '.,■''»'•' ■■■'■■J ;:1Mt.''i|,i n- «,■■:« ■mm .■ ]\ .M :■'.'. if •). n 266 THE FIELDFARE. They haunt the unploughcd fields which are interrperfed with juniper biifhes, and when they appear again in the fpring *, they prefer the wet meadows. In general they inhabit the woods much lefs than the two preceding fpecics. Some- times they make an early but trauficnt appear- ance when the fcrvices are ripe, of which they are very fond, though they neverthelefs return at tise ufual time. It is not an uncommon thing to fee the Fieldfires aflemble to the number of two or three thoufand in a fpot where there are ripe fervices, which they devour with fuch voracity, that they throw half of them on the ground. Aftc;r rains they frequently run along the ditches in fearch of worms and flcgs. In the time of hard frofts, they live upon the haws of the white- thorn, the berries of the mifletoe, and thofe of other plants j . We may infer then that the Fieldfares are of a much more fecial difpofition than the Throf- tles or the Miflels. They fometimes go fingle, but for the moft part they form, as I have al- ready remarked, very numerous flocks, fly in a body, and fpread through the meadows in fearch of food, never lofing fight of their fociety. They all collect together upon the fame tree at certain hours of the day, or when at any time * They arrive in England about the beginning of Oftober, and depart in the month of May. British Zoology. •f Lottinger. they i I . ' ^ THE FIELDFARE. 2^7 ich are en ihey the wet ; woods , Some- appcar- ,ch they s return fee the ' two or ; are ripe voracity, 2 ground, he ditches e time of vs of the etoe, and ires are of he Throf- go fingle, ; have al- :s, fly in a s in fearch ir fociety, me tree at Lt any time f oaober, and they they are alarmed at the near approach of a perfon. Linnaeus mentions a Fieldfare, which was bred in the houfe of a wine- merchant, and be- came fo familiar that it would run along the ta- ble and drink the wine out of the glafles ; it drank fo much that it grew bald, but being (hut up in its cage and denied wine, it recovered its plumage *. This little anecdote prefents two remarkable fadts ; the cffedL of wine upon the feathers of a bird, and the inftance of a tame Fieldfare, which is very uncommon ; for the Thruflies cannot be, as I have before faid, eafily dornefticated. The Fieldfares are the more numerous in pro- portion to the feverity of the weather; they feem to be even a fign of its continuance, for the fowlers and thofe who live in the country judge that the winter is not over as long as the Fieldfares are heard. They retire in lummer into the northern countries, where they breed and find abundance ot junipers. Frifch afcribcs to this fort of food the excellent quality he dif- covered in their flefli. I own that there is no difputing about talles,biit I mull fay that in Bur- gundy this Thrufh is reckoned very indifferent eating, and that in general the flavour commu- nicated by juniper is always fomewhat bitter. Others aflert that the flcfli of the Fieldfares is * fauna Succicn, p- 71. never . . f' V ii.* 'I til ••'• ' '. '' "t. «v ■ ,■•'•1 " K ■'■ T ■•\ '^.l■Vl' '(if ■■i:* 263 THE FIELDFARE. I fl '1 • ^'k I.. ,,M i( .. J. never better or more fucculent than when it feeds on worms and infedls. The Fieldfare was known by the ancients un- der the name of Tttrdus Pilaris ; not becaufe it has been always caught with a noofe, as Salei ne fays, a quality which would not have diftin- guiflied it from the other Thruflies, but becaufc the hairs or black bridles round its bill, which projedt forwards, are longer in this fpecies than in the Throftle or the Milfcl. We may add, that its claws are very ftrong, as remarked in the Britifli Zoology. Frifch relates, that if the young of the Milfel be put in a Fieldfare's neft, it will feed and educate them as its own ; but I would not thence infer, as Frifch has done, that we might expe£t to obtain an hybridous race ; for no perlbn furely looks for a new breed be- tween the hen and the drake, though the hen often rears whole hatches of ducklings. [A] [A] Specific charailer of the Fieldfare, 7«rrt'«j /'//«;•« ; — *' Its *' tail-quills are black, the outermoft whitifli at the tip of their " inner margin, the tail and rump hoary." It is ten inches long, feventeen broad, and weighs four ounces. The Fieldfares never breed in Great Britain, but arrive in flocks with the Red-Wings in the end of September, and retire in the beginning of March : but what is fmgular, they appear for a fortnight about Michael- mas, and again for about a week in April. Linnseus and Latham think tliat the Fieldfares were the Thru(hcs wliich the Romans fattened in their volerics, M VARI- ..' .i when it ents un- ecaule it J Saleine e diftin- t becaufc 11, which icies than may add, narked in hat if the "are's neft, m ; but I done, that ous race; Ibreed be- the hen IM laris:—" Its tip of their ;n inches long, leldfares never le Red-Wings g of March : out Michael - IS and Latham the Romans VARI- C 269 ] VARIETY of the FIELDFARE. The PIED or SPOTTED FIELDFARE. It is variegated with white, black, and many other colours, lb dillributcd that except the head and the neck, which are white fpottcd with black, and the tail, which is entirely black, the dufky hues, interfperfed with white fpots, prevail on the upper-part of the body; and, on the con- trary, the light colours, efpecially the white, are fpread over the lower- part marked with black fpeckles, moil of which are fhaped like fmall crefcents. This Fieldfare is of the ordinary fize. We ought to refer to this the White-headed Fieldfare of Briflbn. It has no black fpeckles, and as its white is what alone diftinguifhes it from the common Fieldfare, we may confider it as intermediate between that and the Spotted Fieldfare. It is even natural to fuppofethat the change of plumage would begin at the head, fmce the colour of that part varies in. different individuals. 1 ''I «':■ 11. T .'-'YHJ ■■ill ''-^^^^ « ■' "'fff • C 270 J FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE FIELDFARE. '♦:: }t-: 4':"-'h |:i, ' i .T. ir i -k ii..(. ;.:! I. The CAYENNE FIELDFARE. Tardus Cayanenfis, Gmel. • " The Cayenne Thrujh, Lath. Y REFER this Thrufh to the Fieldfare, becaufe *■■ it appears to be more clofely related to that fpecies than to any other, by the colour of the upper-part of its body and of its legs. It differs in many refpe£ls from the whole genus : its breaft and the under-part of its body are not fo diftin£lly dappled ; its plumage is more exten- fively variegated, though in a different manner, almoft all the feathers of the upper and tinder- fide of the body being edged with a lighter co- lour, which marks nicely their fhape; and laftly, the lower mandible is fcalloped near the point; — and thefe differences are fufficient to conftitute it a diflin£t fpecies, till we are better acquainted with its habits and difpofitions *. * Specific charadler of the Turdus Cayanenfis :—-" It is cine-" «* reous, below partly white, the greater coverts of its wings, and " the quills, black; the upper-part of the throat, the bill, " and :lie legs, black." It is of the ftze of the Throftle, being eight inches lung. II. The s, DFARE. ARE. ;, becaufe ed to that )ur of the It difFers ;enus : its are not fo )re exten- it manner, nd tinder- ighter co- ape ; and d near the ifficient to are better dons *. _" It 13 cine-" its wings, and [•oat, the bill, rhroftle, being II. The FOREIGN BIRDS, C?V. a; I IL The CANADA FIELDFARE. 7'urdus Migratortus, Linn. Gmel. and Klein. ^ttrdus CanaJeitJis, BrilT. The Fieldfure of Carolina, Catefty. The Red-breajted ThruJJ}, Penn. and Lath; Fieldfare is the name which Catefby applies to the Thrufh defcribed and figured in his Na- tural Hiftory of Carolina ; and I adopt it the more readily, fince that fpecies fpends at leaft a part of the year in Sweden, and could thence migrate into the New World, and produce other varieties. In the Canada Fieldfare the orbits are white, there is a fpot of the fame colour between the eye and the bill, the upper- part of the body is brown, the under orange before, and varie- gated behind with dirty white and rufty brown, ihaded with a greenifli tinge; there are alfo fome fpeckles under its throat, whofe ground colour is white. In winter it advances in numerous flocks from the northern parts of America to Virginia and Carolina, and returns in the fpring. It refembles our Fieldfare in this circumftance, but it fmgs better *. Catefby fays that it has a ♦ We muft remember that the fong of a bird cannot be knov^ii unlefs it be heard in the feafon of lovcj and that the Fieldfare ne- ver breeds in our climates. jfharp ll 1 ''•,'*Tl.''. ;:i.l:':-il,n,;il '' "'It : ■»! :!.!|' 'Ml Ui' ■ "tss -. ■ ■ r ■i;r mtm ■4 M •'!H '• li i 1^' y.\< l.'.'ll J'^'sil '?: 272 FOREIGN BIRDS tiii I fharp note like the Guy Thrulli or MifTeL- He alfo tells us that one of thefe Canada Field- fares having difcovered the firft privet that was planted in Virginia, took fo great a liking to the fruit, that it remained all the fummer. Catefby was informed that thefe birds breed in Maryland, where they remain the whole year. [A] [A] Specific charadler of the Tunlus Migratorius :—" It Is " gray, its belly rufous, its eyelids white, the outermoft tail-quill ** white at its inner tip." The Red-breallcd Thruflies feem to traverfe the whole extent of North America. In Hudfon's Bay they appear in pairs about the beginning of May : at Moofe Fort they neftle, and hatch in fourteen days; at Severn Settlement, four degrees farther north, they require twenty-fix. In the State of New- York they arrive in February, lay their eggs in May, and retire fouthwards in Oftober. They live upon worms, in- fers, the feeds of the faffafras Ihrub, and various forts of berries. Their neft is compofed of roots, mofs, &c. The male is aflidu- ous in aiding his mate during incubation. She lays four or fivo eggs^of a fine fea-grecn. M The . rtlattd to the FIELDFARE. 273 -fm 1. HI. The RED-WING*. Le.Mawvis, Buff. 7urdui lliacus, Linn, and Gmel. TurJus Minor, Geiner. Turdus Was, feu Tylas, Aldrov. Tht Red-iyiHg, Svjinepipe, or Wind Thrujh, Will. This fmall Thrufli is the moft ufeful of them iatl, fince it is the bed to eat, efpecially in Bur- gundy, where its flefh is delicious f* Befides, it is oftener caught in the noofe than any other, and is therefore the mod valuable fpecies both for its quantity aiid its quality J. It generally appears the feconJ, that is, after the Throftle and before the Fieldfare ; and it arrives in large bodies in November, and departs before Chrift- mas. It breeds in the woods near Dantzic §, * In Italian, Malvizze, Tordo-faceJlo, Cion, Cipper : in Spanifli* Mah'is': in German, Wein-droftel (Wine-throltle), Rcth-droftel Hed-throflle), Heide-droflel (Heath-throftle), Pfefdroftel (Pipe- throfUe), Bcbtmltt Betmtrlin, Boemerle : in SwiU, Berg -T'ro/f el, Wintsult GirerU, Gixerle : in Polilh, Drozd mnieyjfj) : in Swediih, KUra, Kladra, TalUTraJi. t Linnaeus afTerts the contrary, Syft. Nat. p. 169. This dif- ference between one country and another depends probably on that of the quality of the food, or perhaps on that of tailes. t Frifch and the fowlers aflert, that it is not eafily taken with noofes, when they are made of white or of black hairs : in Bur- gundy they are made of thefe two forts twifted together. § Klein. VOL. III. T hue I ili'.'-'l-i t*' ■- ,' IM * ''■■•■■ •■ :) ■ ,1 : '44 :m p '#=ii -\'j m ;i.;4 ■,.'1' 'f. 1; ,. 1 .1, ■ Hi) :w ■:«:V;!5;r ' ill' I'-l':': A 274 FOREIGN BIRDS M i i ■'!! '1 - i ■I''''' W but feklom or never fettles in our provinces, or in Lorraine, where it arrives in April, and re- tires about the end of the fame month, and ap- pears not again till autumn ; though that coun- try aflbrds abundance of proper food in its vaft forefls. It halts there a certain time at leaft, and docs not, as Frifch afl'erts, remove merely into fome parts of Germany. Its common food is berries and fmall worms, which it finds by fcraping the ground. It is diftinguifhed from the otlier Thrufhes, by its feathers being mora glofly and fhining, its bill and eyes of a deeper black than the Throflle, whofe fize it approaches, and by its having fewer fpeckles on the breaft. It is alfo remarkable for the orange colour under its wing, a circumftance which has occafioned its being called in feveral languages, Red-ivinged Thni/fj. Its ordinary cry is tafi, fan, kan^ kan ; and when it perceives a fox, its natural enemy, it leads him off to a great diftance ; as do alfo the Blackbirds, repeating always the fame notes. Mod naturahfts remark that it never fmgs j but this aflertlon needs to be qualified, and we can onljr fay that it is feldom heard to fing in countries where it does not appear in the feafon of love> as in France, England, &c. An excellent ob- fcrver, M. Hebert, has informed me, that he has witnciTed its chanting in the fpring in Brie -^ twelve or fifteen of them fat on a tree and war- bled like linnets. Another obferver, who lives - in ttiated to the FIELDFARE. «75 in the fouth of Provence, *Ah me, that the Red- Wing only whiftles, which it does inceflantly ; we may infer, therefore, that it, does not breed in that country. Ariftotle mentions it by the name of H'lan 7'hrufi\ as being the fmalleft and the leaft fpot- ted of the Thruflies *. TI\is epithet feems to imply that it was brought into Greece from the coafls of Afm, where once ftood li'tum^ the city of Troy. I have traced an analogy between this fpecie^ and the Fieldfare. They are both foreign, and only vifit our climate twice a year f ; they af- femble in numerous flocks at certain hours to chirp together ; they are fimilarly marked with fpeckles on the bread. But the Red- Wing is alfo related to the Throftle ; ins flefti is not in- ferior in quality, the under-furface of its wing is yellow, but more lively indeed, and of an orange tinge ; it often occurs fmgle in the woods, and vifits the vineyards, like the Throf, tie, with which Lottinger has obferved it often to fly in company, efpccially in the fpring. From the whole it appears that this fpecies is furniflied with the means of fubfifting of the other two, •-i;\-V ■I'll '■ ■'■^r '.if mm I '■'U:,v3 ■^-^ ^ • Ariftotle, Hijl. Anim. lib. ix. 20. f In natural Hiftory, as in many other fubjedls, general obfer- vations always admit of exceptions. Though for the moft part the Rcd-Wing does not fpend the winter in our climates, I am aflured by M. Hebert, that he killed one year in a hard froft feveral dozens on a white-thorn, which was ftill loaded with its berries. T 2 and 1» \i 'II 276 FOREIGN BIRDS, (sT^ and that in many refpe^ts it may be regarded as forming the (hade between the Throille and the Fieldfare. [A] [A] Specific charaAer of the Turdus Iliaeus ;— *• Its wings are «• ferruginous, its eye-lids whitiih. " It is fmaller than the Field- fare, and nearly nine inches long. It breeds in the north of Eu^ rope, in hedges and buihes, and lays fix eggs of a b'-ilh green* fpotted with black. M ^ . * , !* i:i|j I :; i i §■ 1 I J: ill :l "4i . * M C 477 ] FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE THRUSHES AND BLACKBIRDS. L The BARBARY THRUSH* La Grive BaJfetU de Bariarie, BuiF. Turdus Barbaricus, Gmel. The Greek Thrufi, Shaw. TT refembles the Thrulhes in its general ihape, in ^ its bill, and the ftreaks on its breaft difperfed regularly upon a white ground ; in ihort, by all the exterior chara'> *■• ■;..•'•;; ' 1 Qi m ) ' M T 4 It :t ' 'Is' I aSo FOREIGN BIRDS rthuJ t» It 18 found in Carolina, and, according to Briflbn, it is very common in the iflands of Andros and Ilathera. IIJ. The SMALL THRUSH of the Philippines. Turdut fbilippenfit, Gmel. 7be Philippine Thruh, Lath. We owe this to Sonnerat. The fore-part of its neck and breaft are dappled with white upon n rufous ground ; the reft of the lower-part of the body is dirty white, bordering on yellow, and the upper-part of the body is of a deep brown, with an olive tinge. The fize of this bird is inferior to that: of the Red- Wing ; we cannot afcertain its alar extent, fince the wing-quills in the fpecimen which we have obferved are incomplete. IV. The H O A M Y of China. Tardus Sinenjis, Linn, and Gmel. . Th€ Cbine/t Thrujb, Lath. BrifTon is the firft who has defcribed this bird, or rather the female of it. This female is fome- what , ■ , tht THRUSHES and BLACKBIRDS. 281 what fmaller than a Red- Wing, which it re- fembles as well as the Throdle, and (lill more the Oinada Thrufli, its legs being proportion- aWy longer than in the other Thrulhes ; they are yellowi(h,asis the bill ; the upper-part of the body is of a brown, bordering upon rufous, the finder of a light and uniform rufous ; the head and neck are (Iriped longitudinally with brown ; the tail is alfo of the fame colour, only barred tranfverfely. Such is nearly the defcription of the external appearance of this bird ; but we are not in- formed with regard to its inilin£ts and habits. )f it be really a Thrufh, as it is faid, its breafl; U like that of the Red Thrufh, not dappled. V. The LITTLE THRUSH of St. Domingo. This Thrufli is, in point of fmallnefs, like the American Thrufh ; its head is ornamented with a fort of crown or cap of bright orange, ver- ging upon red. The fpecimen figured by Edwards, PI. 252, differs from ours in not being dappled under the belly. It was caught in November 1751, at fea, eight or ten leagues off the ifland of St. Domingo ; which led £dwards to fuppofe that It was one of thofe birds of paffage which every year .' ■■•■'; I- If,. (■ ■ -J 4i ^v..•■ t ■ .•■',)!■ id^J^'A m < .■ . i:i. ,1 'I 2 82. FOREIGN li I R D S y^hued tn * 'fi year leave the contlv.cnt of Ni rtli America on the approach of winter, ami depart from the Cape of I'loriila in qiicft of inildcr feafons. This conjedurc was verificcl. Bartiaiu informed lul- wardi?, rhat tlielc birds arrived in IVrmfylvania 111 tlic montli of April, and remairjd there dur- inqtlie whole fummcr. He added, that the fe- male built its neft on the jn-ovmd, or rather in heaps of dry leaves, where it formed a fort of cxeavation ; that it lined it witli graft;, and al- tvays chofe the Hope of a hill facing the font!), and that it layed four or five eggs I'ootted with brown. 3uch differences in the colour of the eggs, in that of the plumage, and in the mode of neftling, feem to point at a nature di(lin■ • « ■■l;-l :|; ;<" I Jill VI. The LITTLE CRESTED OUZEL of China. I place this bird between the Thruflies and the Ouzels, or Blackbirds, becaufe it has the port and the ground colours of the Thrufhes, but without the dapples, which we may con- fidcr in general as the diftindivj chara£ler of that genus. The feathers on the crown of the head are longer than the reft, and the bird can credl them into a creft. It has a rofe-colour mark " ir the TIlRUSIIl'S and DLACKBIRD.S. 283 mark behind the eye J another more confulcrahlo of the lame colour, but not lb bright, under the tail ; and its legs are of a rcddifli brown. Its fize is nearly that of the Lark, and its wings, which when difplayed extend ten inches, fcarcdy reach, when clofcd, to the middle of the tail. The tail confifts of twelve tapered quills. Brown more or lefs deep is the prevailing co- lour of the upper-part of the body, including the wings, the creft, and the head, but the foui* lateral quills on either fide of the tail arc tipt with white. The under-part of the body is of this laft colour, with fome tints of brown over the breaft. I muft not forget two blackifli ftreaks, which, rifing from the corners of the bill, and extending over a white ground, make a kind of muflachoe, which has a remarkable effea. I <<■■'■ 'r ■ ,S , .r. i m !■; I /.J [ 184 ] The MOCKING BIRDS. '('•i.M tes Moqueurs, Buff. TJ^VERT remarkable bird has always many names, but if it be at the fame time a na- tive of a foreign climate, this embarraffing mul- titude, difgraceful to Natural Hiftory, is in- creafed by the confufion of fpecies. Such is the cafe with the American Mocking Birds. It is eafy to perceive that Briflbn's Mocking Bird, and the Cinereous Blackbird of St, Domingo, PI. Enl. No. 558, both belong to the fame fpecies, the only difference being that the former has fomewhat lefs of the gray colour in the under-fide of the body than the latter. It will alfo appear, from comparifon, that Briffon's Blackbird of St. Domingo is likewife the fame, diftinguifhed only by fome lighter or deeper tints on its plumage and its tail-quills, which are hardly at all tapered. In like manner we ihall find that the Tzonpan of Fernandez is either the female of the CencontlatolUy that is, of the Mocking Bird, as Fernandez himfelf fufpefts, or at leaft a permanent variety of that fpecies *. ' ' %\ * Hijtaria Avium No'Vtt Hi/pania, cap. xx.— Nieremberg calls it Tzanpan, Hul. Nat. lib. x. cap. 77. ; and Edwards, T'zau- fan. It ■■'?' OS. s many le a na- ng mul- , is in- Such is irds. It ng Bird, )omingo, :he fame ithat the lolour in itter. It Briffons [he fame, deeper hich are we Ihall lither the of the ifufpefts, fpecies *• [»berg calls Irds, 1'zau- It THE MOCKING BIRDS. t8$ It is true that its plumage is lefs uniform, be- ing mixed above with white, black, and bro^vn# and below with white, black, and cinereous ; but the fundamental colour is the fame, as alfo itsTize, its general (hape, its fong, and climate- We may fay the fame of the Tetzonpan and CentzonpantU of Fernandez * ; for in the fhort mention which that author has made of it, fea- tures of analogy are to be met with in fize, in colour, and in fong, and no inftance of difparity occurs. Befides, the referoblance between the names T%onpan^ Tetzonpatty Centzonpantliy feem» to (hew that they mark a fmgle fpecies, and that the diverfity has arifen from the miftake of the tranfcriber, or the difference of the Mexican dia- lers.— ^Laftly, we can fcarcely hefitate to admit among the fpecies the bird, called by Briflbn the Great Mocking Bird^ and which he fays is the fame with Sloane*s Mocking Bird, though, ac- cording to the dimenfions given by Sloane, this is the fmalleft of the kind ; but Sloane regards it as the CencontlatoUi of Fernandez, which Briflbn makes his ordinary Mocking Bird. But Briflbn Ijtas himfelf, without perceiving it, admitted the podtion which I hold ; for he quotes two paf- fages from Ray, which applied to the fame bird, and refers one to his great, and the other to his fmall fpecies. The only difference between the two is, that the great Mocking Bird has a • Cap. cxr. fome- mi ■h- V.,"l IV '! . 1 1 '1 • ; t ; m -.'li. .■t•fl^, ., ' i m 1 'i-. , -.#) ay :' ..'.■•111! ".■.•I'* I - . : (' \ .^1^ )'. % %"•■: 486 THE FRENCH MOCKING BIRD. fomewhat browner plumage, and longer legs * ; and its defcribers have taken no notice of its ta- pered tail. After this rediidlion, there remains only two fpecies of Mocking Birds, viz. The French Mocking Bird and the Ordinary Mocking Bird* I fhall treat of them in the order I have named them, as it is nearly that of their relation to the Thrulhes. The FRENCH MOCKING BIRD. %i -. :t , >i. ( (,' *.' Turdus Ru/ia, Linn. Gtnel. and Klein. Turdus Carclincnjis, Brilf. Fox-coloured Thrujh, Catcfby, and Penn. The Ground Mocking Bird, Lawfon. The Ferruginous Thrujh, Lath. None of the American Mocking Birds refem- bles fo much our Thruflies in the fpeckles on the breaft, as this ; but it differs widely from them in the proportions between the tail and wings, thefe ending, when clofed, almoft where the tail begins. The tail is more than four inches long, which exceeds the third of the whple length of the bird, that being only eleven '"* The expreflion of Slonne is fomewhat ambiguous ; he fays that its legs and feet are an inch and three quarters long. Doei he mean the leg with the tarfus, or the tarfus with the toes ? Brif- fon underftood it to fignify the tarfus alone. (This laft: is certainly the ufual meaning of the leg of a bird in Englilh, and accordingly ^ye have tranflated the French pied by leg. Tr.) 5 inches. legs ^ ; f its ta- inly two French ng Bird* e named on to the BIRD. rds refem- icckks on dely from e tail and oft where than four rd of the nly eleven aous; he fays long. Dor«^ le toes ? Brif- [aft is certainly id accordingly TPIE FRENCH MOCKING BIRD. 287 inches. Its fize is iiitermcdbte between that of the Mifiel and the Fieldfare. Its eyes are yel- low, its bill blackifli, its legs brown, and all the upper-part of the body of a fox colour, but with a mixture of brown. Thefe two colours alfa predominate on the wing-quills, though fepa- rately ; the rufous on the outer webs, the brown on the inner. The great and middle coverts of the wings are tipt with white, which forms two ftreaks that crofs the wings obliquely. The under-fide of the body is dirty white, fpotted with a dufl';y brown, but thefe fpots are •ore ftraggling than in our Thruflies : the tail iv tipered fomewhat drooping, and entirely ru- fous. The fong of the French IMocking Bird has fome variety, but not comparable to that of the proper Mocking Bird. ♦ It feeds commonly on a kind of black cher- ries, which are very different from thofe of Eu- rope, fince they hang in clufters. It remains all the year in Carolina and Virginia, and con- fequently is not, at leaft in thofe provinces, a bird of paffage : — another analogous circum- ftance to our Thrushes *. * Specific chara_ i: k 1 ■ ^fr : f. >. n i ' 1 if t ^88 ] The MOCKING BIRD. 7'urdus Polyglot tus, Linn, and Gmel. Minus Major, Briff. Tie Jimericaii Nightingale, SiHg Thrupi Ct Cray Mocking BirJt Sloane. The Mocking Bird, Catefby. i^he Mimic Thrujh, Penn. and Lath. We have here a ftriking exception to the ge* neral remark made by travellers, that in pro- portion as the plumage of the birds in the Nevf World are rich, elegant, and fplendid^ fo their notes are harfh, raucous, and monotonous. The Mocking Bird is, on the contrary, if we believe Fernandez, Nieremberg, and the native Ame- ricans, the fweeteft chorifter of the feathered race, not excepting the Nightingale. It equals that charming bird in the melody of its fong j but it poffeflfes befides the power of imitating the cries of other animals : hence is derived its name. Nor is it fatisfied with barely re-echoing the founds. It gives them foftnefs and grace. Accordingly the favages have beftowed upon it the appellation of cencoritlatoUi ; that is, four hundred languages ; and the learned have em- ployed the epithet polyglot. But the Mock- ing Bird mingles adion with its fong, and its meafured movements accompany and exprefs the fucceflion of its emotions. Its prelude is to rife flowly with expanded wings, and foon fink rd* slacking Birdt to the ge* It in pro- n the New dj fo their nous. The vre believe itive Ame- e feathered It equals if its fong ; |f imitating derived its re-echoing and grace, ed upon it ,t is, four have em- the Mock- ing, and its ,nd exprefs prelude is , and foon fink THE MOCKING BIRD. 289 fink back to the fame fpot, its head hanging downwards. Its adlion now correfponds with the varied natures of its mufic. If the notes are brifk and lively, it defcribes in the air a number of circles crofUng each other; or it afcends and defcends continually in a fpiral line. If they are loud and rapid, it with equal brifknefs flaps its wings. Is its fong unequal ? it flutters, it bounds. Do its tones foften by degrees, melt into tender ft.uins, and die away in a paufe more charming than the fweeteft melody ? it gently diminiflies its adlion, glides fmoothly above its tree, till the wavings of its wings begin to be imperceptible, at leaft ceafe, and the bird re- mains fufpended and motionlefs in the air. The plumage of this American Nightingale by no means correfponds with the beauty of its fong ; the colours are very ordinary, and have neither brilliancy nor variety. The upper-fide of the body is a grayifli brown j the upper-lide of the wings and of the tail arc fi:ill of a deeper brown; only it is interrupted, i. on the wings by a white mark which crofles it obliquely near the middle of its length, and fometimes a few fmall white fpeckles are fcattered on the fore- part. 2. On the tail by an edging of the fame white colour ; and laftly, on the head with a circle of the fame, which forms a fort of crown*, and extending over the eyes appears like two diftincl eye-lids. The under-fide of the body • Fcrnandca. VOL. III. U i» mt ,1 ■."•.1(1 11 ■ .^'ii ,/•'- ^ 1*' -:i « 11 .;:;.:l^ti|j ft 29^ THt MOCKING BIRD. is white from the throat as far as the end of the tail. We perceive in the figure given by Ed- wards a few dapples, fome on the fides of the neck', and others on the white of the great co- verts under the wings. The Mocking Bird approaches the Red-Wing in fize ; its tail is fomevvhat tapered *, and its feet are blackiOi ; its bill is of the fame colour, and with long biiflles that grow above the angles of its opening ; laftly, its wings are fhorter than thofe of our ThruOies, but longer than thofe of the French Mocking Bird. It is found in Carolina, Jamaica, New Spain> ^c. It in general loves the hot climates, but can fubfift in the temperate. In Jamaica it is very common in the favannas of the woody parts of the ifland ; it perches on the higheft branch- es, and chants its long. It often builds its neft on the ebony trees. Its eggs are f'potted with brown. It feeds on cherries and the berries of the white- thorn and cornel tree "f , and even on infects. Its ficfli is efteemed excellent. It is not eafily raifed in a cage ; but this may be accompliihed by care and kind treats. ent. It is befides a fa- miliar bird, which feems to be fend of man, ap- proaches his dwellings, and even perches on the chimney tops. In the fubjcft which Sloane diffeded, the fto- macli was a little mufcular,thc liver whilifli, and • This appears not in Sloanc's figure. t The Dogwood, Ccrnus Florida, Linn, the i of the by Ed- :s of the rreat co- ed-Wing nd its feet , and with Ties of its than thofe ofe of the Jew SpaiHt mates, but maica it is 70ody parts eft branch- i its neft on ith brown, the whitc- on infe£ts. s not eafily cotnpUlhed elides a fa- |f man, ap- Iches on the ;d, the fto- ybuifli, and the THE MOCKING BIRD. 291 the Inteftines were folded in a vaft number of circumvolutions. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the American Mocking Bird, Turdus Polygkttust Linn. — " It is of a dull a(h-colour, below pale-afh, the «' primary wing lui!'- itt in their outer half." T. he north- ern provinces < mcii^ ^s New- York, they ap^ .ar only dur- ing the fummer. Tn the warmer parts of the continent they fing inceflantly, by night and day, from March to Auguft. l^hey often breed in fruit-trees, but are fliy during the time of incuba- tion. They lay five or fix eggs, which are blue, thickly fpotted with rufous. There is a fmaller kind of Mocking Bird, which has obtained the following appeJ' icions from naturalifls : Turdus Orpheus t Linn, and Gmel. Mimus, Briff. Avis Polyglot fa. Will. The Lejfer Mocking Bird, Edw. The Mocking Thrujh, Lath. Its fpecific charadlcr : — " Its back is duflty, its brcaft and its " lateral tail-quills are whitifh, its eye-brows white." • M U 2 ''• ■■■[*'■ :':.: <4!.li'| ■ 'k \ ■■,!■■■' Hi -411 ^i 'mm .'■ •;[-■?.; I'll..'. ■•■? l! ^m '(' J- fi:" I »., ,r>'' r>i 1 ' ■■r SI'! [ 292 J The BLACKBIRD* Le Merle. BufF. Junius Mcrula, Lintii and Gmcl. Merula, Bclon, Gefner, Liifl*. &c. ^TpiiE adult male of this fpecies is of a deeper ^ and purer black than the Raven, and hence its Englifh name. Indeed, except the orbits, the talons, and the fole of the foot, which have always a yellow call, it is entirely black in every pofition. In the female, on the contrary, the fame decided black is not fpread through the whole of the plumage ; it is mixed with dif- ferent (hades of brown, ferruginous, and gray, the bill is but feldom yellow, and the fong is different from that of the male ; — all thefe cir- cumftances combined have made it be miftaken for a bird of another fpecies. The Blackbirds are diftinguifhed from the- Thrufiies not only by the colour of their plum- age, and the different livery of the male and of the female, but by their fong and their natural habits. They never fly in flocks like the * In Greok, Korr-jfor, or Kirli^.^, alfo K^-J/t^x'.". the Latin ramt^ Mcruln is tlcrivcd by Varro from Mera, (meie, alone, j'oli- tary,) which denotes the retired difpoiition of the bird : in Italian, lilerlo : in Spanifli, Mier'.n : m Portiigucfe, Mi'Ir/u. in German, Scbv,cr!^e Amfd (Dlack Ouze!) : in Flemifli, Mn-laer, Meerel : in Swtdifh, Kchl-troJ} : in Danilh and Norwegian, iiol/ort. 1 3 Thrulhes,^ ''Ill «^ a deeper nd hence ,c orbits, uch have : in every :rary, the ■oiigh the with dif- and gray, le fong is thefe cir- miftaken from the- heir plum- lale and of »eir natural Is like the ,vo- •. the Latin \iure, alone, joh- jiri' : ill Italian, in German, ihrli'o-, Metreli \, iiol/ort. Thrulhes^ A'i^7o' THE J9Z.^CKi)iar> '' 'it '\'\ '-*'[ 'Jl^'^ft til ..,tp ■;. Ms :iM,.4| ^ • -H .1 ,, ■ !» .->■' V , ' , .' ■< i ■ -H^ . ; ^ >^'" ; i; f:m 1 , '• : 1.' i V ; V c* ' .., z>< THE DLACKBIRD. 293 Thruflies, and though they are more favage with regard to each other, they are lefs fo with regard to man ; for they are more eafily tamed, and Uvc nearer the hamlets. They are alfo rec- koned very crafty, hecaiife they have a quick fight to defcry the fowler at a diftance, and fhun his approach. But if we ftudy their nature more clofely, we fliall find that they are more reftlefs than cunning, more timorous than fuf- picious, fince they allow themfelves to he caught with bird-lime, with noofes, and with all forts of fnares, provided the hand whi^h fets thefe be concealed. When they are fhut up with other birds, their natural inquietude degenerates into petulance; they purfue and continually harafs their com- panions in flavery ; and for that reafon they cannot be admitted into voleries, where feveral kinds of fmall birds are kept. They may be raifed apart for the fake of their fong j not indeed on account of their na- tural mufic, which is hardly tolerable except in the fields, but becaufe they have a facility of im- proving their notes and of learning others, of imitating tones of different inftruments *, and even the human voice f. As the Blackbirds, like the Thrufhes, early tngage in love, they foon begin to warble ; and * Olina, Uccclliera, p. 29. f Olina. /^V. — Philoilrat. F//a /Ipollonii, lib. vii. — Gefncr, Dt 4vil>us, p. 6c6. u 3 ■ as .?'■■ ■■' •!■ I mm :, : >: v.A. . - / Vv ' ■ 'ill' 1 I '294 THE BLACKBIRD. ••i- * *)- ■'•^fi as they have more than one hatch, they chant before the vernal warmth, and continue their ftrain when the other fongfters of the grove droop in filence. This circiimftance has led fomc to fancy that they never fuffer any change of plumage j but fiich a fuppofition \s> neither true nor probable*. They are found in the woods, towards the end of the fummer, in moult, fome having their head entirely bald : Olina and the author of the Britifli Zoology lay, that, like the other birds, it is filent during that lime ; the latter adds, that fometimes it renews itsfong in the beginning of winter, but moft commonly it has in that feafon only a harfh difcordant cry. The ancients pretended that in winter its plumage changed into rufous f j and Olina, one of the moderns the heft acquainted v.'ith the birds which he defcribes, fays, that this happens in autumn : whether it be bccaufe this alteration of colour is the efFe«f>; of moulting, or that the females and the young Blackbirds, which really incline to rufous rather than to black, are then more numerous and oftenei* feen than the adult males. "^i hefe birds make their fiift hatch in the end of winter; it confifts of five or fix eggs of a bluifli green, wiih frequent and indiftind fpots • " The 1 lackbiids thruflies, and flares, lofe net their fea- thers." Pliny, lib. x. 24. t ]bid, lib. X. 20. of ' ■ .Ml THE BLACKBIRD. 295 of a ruft colour. This firft hatch fcldom pro- fpcrs, becaiife of the feverity of tlic vvcatlicr; the fccond fuccccclo better, though it is only of four or five cj.^gs. The Blajkhirtls ncil is con- ftrudled nearly like that of the Thrulhcs, except that it is lined with a mattincr. It is com- mealy placed in buflics or trees of a moderate height. They would feem naturally difpofcd to place it near the ground ; and experience alone of the danger of luch a fituation inllrudls thorn to give it fonie elevation *. A neft was brought to me only once, which had been found in the trunk of a hollow pear-tree. Mofs, which always occurs on the trunk, anci mud, which is to be found at the foot of the tree, or in its neighbourhood, are the mate- rials that form the body of the neft. Stalks of grafs and fmall roots are the fofter fubftanccs with which they line it ; and they labour with fuch afliduity that in eight days they complete the work. The female hatches alone, and the male is no farther concerned tha " in providing her fubfiftence. The Author of iltc Treatifc on the Nlgbthigalc affirms, that he has {q.q\\ a young Blackbird of the fame year, but already flrong, cheerfully engage In rearing the infant • *• I have diligently 'jxamined a neil fouiul near the ground " in a place overgrown with thorns." Gi;sner.— A Blackbird obferving that a cat ate its two firll hatches in its ncll at the bot- tom of a hedge, mrJe a third on an apple-tree, eighr feet high. Salernk. U4 brood '■-pi <■ I H... i* '^> )xX : ■ , ',. r" ■ I ■;'i ■ i ■I • I • I r> .'1 HI 1 ill' ■■ 1 IB.I' ; ' ;■ "1^ ' '1 f iii9 ■It- iff Sl).'*!| M I'^'if;: t! iili* ''if;: .1 ■.! ' •■■'I'l'.*' i 1 >. ' 296 THE BLACKBIRD. brood of its own fpccies ; but he does not in- form us of its fex. I have remarked that the young drop their feathers more than once the firft year ; and that, at each time, the plumage of the male becomes blacker, and the bill yellower, beginning at its bafe. Wilh regard to the females, they retain, as I have faid, the colours of infancy, as they alfo retain mod of its qualities. However, the infide of their mouth and throat is yellow, like the males ; and in both may be perceived a fre- quent motion of the tail upwards and down- wards, with a flight fhudder of the wings, ac- companied by a feeble broken cry. Thefe birds do not leave the country in win- ter *, but choofe fituations the bcft fheltered, fet- tling commonly in the thickeft woods, efpecially when thefe are fupplied with perennial fprings, and confift of evergreens, fuch as pines, firs, laurels, cyprefTes, myrtles, junipers, which both afford them fubfiftence, and protect them from the rigour of the feafon. They fometimes feek for cover and food in our gardens. • Many people aiTert that they leave Corfica about the 1 5th of February, and return not till Oftober; but M. Artier, Royal Profeflbrof Philcfophy at Biflia, doubts the faft, becaufe in that ifland they can always enjoy the proper tcmpeiaturc ; in cold wea- ther i the plains, and in the fultry leafons in the mountains, lie adds, that there is always abundance of food, berries of all kinds, gnipes, and particularly olives, which in Corfica arc not entirely gi'thered till the end of April. Lottinger believes that the males pafs the winter in Lorraine, but that the females remove to a little difl^nce in fevere weather. The i'. i] Vr iOt in- p their id that, ecomes ig at its ■ retain, as they ver, the ow, like ed a fre- i down' ings, ac- j in win-* tered, fet- efpecially 1 fprinsP, .incs, firs, hich both hem from imes feek iboutthc 15 th Artier, Roy:il becaufe in tWat in cold wea- ountains. Ht^ esof all kind?, re not entirely that the males move to a little THE BLACKBIRD. 297 The wild Blackbirds feed on all forts of ber- ries, fruits, and infeds ; and as no country is fo fterile as not to afford fome of thefe, and as the Blackbird is reconciled to all climates, it is found in almnfl every part of the world, but va- rying according to the impreflions which it re- ceives. Thofe which arc kept in the cage, eat flefli alfo, either dreffed or minced, bread, &c. but it is faid that the kernels of pomegranates prove poifonous to them as to tlie Thrulhes. They are very fond of bathing, and they mu^ have plenty of water in tlie voleries. Their flefti is good, and not inferior to that of the Miflel or the Fieldfare, and feems even to be preferred to that of the Throftle and of the Red- Wing, in countries where it can require a fucculence from the olives, and a perfume from the myr- tle-berries. The birds of prey are as fond of feafting on them as man, and commit an equal havoc: without that their multiplication would be exccffive. Olina fixes their period of life at feven or eight years. I diffeded a female, which was taken on its eggs about the 15th of May, and which weighed two ounces and two gros. In the ovariuvi was a clufter confiding of a great number of unequal fized eggs ; the iargeft two lines in diameter, and of an orange colour; the fmalleft were of a lighter colour, and of a fubftance lefs opaque, and about one-third of a line in diameter. Its bill !|^i ■'■ r'-.' ' ■■| '1 V::ip ^-m '•■ '>.;:;: ;. •■r'.i'! ' ■ &:0 ,/'' ' f«!* :;h* "* ■■'■„»':, •,>■■•. il ■ .■■V4H'-':' «•.'• ,,■. .-■*■■ m n ■"'.hi' iif. /; 1 29? THE BLACKBIRD. bill was quite yellow, alfo the tongue and the whole infide of the mouth, the inteftinal tube feventcen or eighteen inches long, the gizzard very mufcular, and preceded by a bag formed by the dilatation of the eefophogiis ; the gall blad- der oblong, and the cacum wanting. [A] [A] Specific charaftcr of the Blackbird, 7«r. , VARIETIES of the BLACKBIRD. THOSE THAT ARE WHITE, OR SPOTTED WITH WHITE. The plumage of the Blackbird is fubjedt, like that of the Raven, the Crow, the Jackdaw, and other birds, to great changes, from the influence of the climate, or from the adion of lefs ob- vious caufes. In fa£t, white Teems to be in moft Animals, what it is in many plants, the colour into which all the others, and even tlie black, degenerate by a quick tranfition, and without pafling through the intermediate fhades. The only varieties of this fort which appear to belong to the common Blackbird, are, i, the White one, which was fent to Aldrovandus at Rome; and, 2. the White-headed one of the fame author. Both thefe have the yellow bill and feet of the ordinaiy fpccies. ^ 1 jffi. ,'t '■ c-- •I H.Yi ■•,;■'-; 1^ (xt. i'^r ;.^ .■vit-i ''. -] '•■ it; ; ! ■ ■'1. ^■ •# • ■• «< •r. >«. ■A ' ..k ■^ |r.|p J? 77 4JM :■ t . : • |i i" ' "ii- >'i ! ^ ■ '1 • :ic:.; ; ^ 'iTHE. Rr2rG^-ox'"'/.j':ir^ C 299 3 The RING OUZEL*. Le Merle a Phi/lron Blanc, Buff. Turdta ^orquatus, Linn, and Gmel. Merula Torquata, Bnll. Ray, and Will. 'T^His fpecies is marked above the bread with -^ a borfe-fhoe, which, in the male, is of a very bright white, but in the female is of a dirty tawny colour ; and as the reft of the fe- male's plumage is a rufous brown, the horfe-£hoe appears much lefs diftindt, and is fometimes en- tirely obfcured f . Hence, fome nomenclators h; .vc imagined that the female belonged to a par- ticular fpecies, which they termed The Mountain Blackbird. The Riug Ouzel much refembles the com- mon Blackbird ; the ground colour of their plumage is black, .the corners and the infide of their bill yellow ; they are nearly of the fame lize and the fame port : but the former diflin- guilhed by the horfe-flioe, by the white enamel of its plumage, chiefly on thebreaft, belly, and wings X ; by its bill, which is fliortcr and not * In Italian, A/f;-«/a ^-///•r/Zro (or Crng Blackbird) : in German, Ring-Amjd, Rotz-Amfel (i'notty, or fiLihy Oiizcl, bccaufe it feeds fometimes on the maggots found in horfe-dung) : l/^'ald Amfcl (Wood Ouzc-n : Stein- Jmftl, Bcrg-Amjel (Mountain Ouzel): Schnce-^'.fiifel (Snow Ouzel). -fWlLLUGHBy. X Willughby faw at Rome one of thefe birds, which had its horfe-fhoe gray, and all its feathers edged with the fame colour. lie judged it was a young bird, or a fea:ale. fo . . "■ I-!. '&^'M% I tr" ill ' ',11 ' M "'4 '''i !''■: ■ ''■■ i. ; I r. 300 THE RING OUZEL. '■|! ' ( M : t ' I' * fo yellow ; by the fiiape of the middle-quills of the wings, which arc fquare at the end, with a fmall projecting point in the centre, formed by the extremity of the Hiaft j laftly, by its cry*, which is different, as alfo its habits and difpo- fitions. It is a real bird of paflage, though its route cannot be prccifely traced. It follows the chain of tlie mountains, but does not keep in any certain track f . It feldom appears in the neighbourhood of Montbard, except in the be- ginning of Odober, when it arrives in fmall bodies of twelve or fifteen, and never in larger numbers. Thefe feem to be a few families that have draggled from the great body ; they fel- dom ftay more than two or three weeks, and on the flighted frod entirely difappear. But I mud own that Klein informs us that thefe birds were brought to him alive in winter. They repafs about April or May, at lead in Burgundy, Brie :f, and even in Silefia and m Frifia, accord- ing to Gefner. It is uncommon for the Ring Ouzels to in- habit the plains in the temperate part of Europe; * This cry in autumn is mv ar, or : but a perfon of veracity aflurcd Gcfncr, tliax he heard this Ouzel fing in the fpring, and very agreeably. f It does not appear every year m Silcfia, according to Schwenckfeld : this is alfo the cafe in certain cantons of Bur-. S;undy> X M. Ilcbcrt afl'iires me that in Brie, wlicre l-.c' has fowK-d much at all feafon.s he killed a great number of thefe Oi\7,els in the months of April and May, and that he never chanced to meet with any in the month of Oftober. In Burgundy, on the contrary,, tiicy fecm leli rare in autumn than in fpring. vet M • •' ', ju'iUs of with a med by ts cry *, d difpo- ough its lows the t keep in rs in the n the be- in fmall in larger nilies that they fel- :s, and on ut I muft [iirds vyerc ley repafs urgundy, I, accord- :els to in- pf Europe; jfon of veracity |he fpring, and according to nuons of Bur- IfowK'd much at L in the months Icet with any in (rary, tUcy I'ecm vet THE RING OUZEL. 301 yet Salerne affirms that their ncfts have been found in Sologne and in the forefl of Orleans ; that thefe nefts were not conftrudled like thofe of the ordinary Blackbird ; that they contained five eggs of the fame fize and colour (a circum- ftance different from what happens in the Black- birds) ; that thefe birds breed in the ground at the foot of buflies, and hence probably they are called BuJJj-Birds or Terrier Blacks birds *. Certain it is that in fome feafons of the year they are very frequent on the lofty mountains of Sweden, of Scotland, of Auvergne, of Savoy, o Switzerland, of Greece, &c. It is even prol ble that they are fpread in Afia, and in Africa is far as the Azores ; for this fpe- cies, fo focial, fo fond of dwelling in mountains, and having its plumage marked with white, correfponds well to what Tavernier fays of the flocks of Blackbirds which pafs from time to time on the frontiers of Media and Armenia, and rid the country of grafshoppers. It alfo agrees with the account which Adanfon gives of thofe Blackbirds fpotted with white, which he faw on the fummits of the mountains in the ifland of Fayal, keeping in flocks among the arbutes, on the fruit of which they fed, chatter- ing continually 'j". Thofe which ramble in Europe fubfift like- wile on berries. Willughby found in their fto- • Merles Terriers, on Buiti^onniers, f Voyage au Senegal. xnach •111 fi ■ ■;;' I'll ' ■■'■ !. /■ ,?' "■"■■'t-.t'iM ■t i. ■' .;■-!. 'I'i •'•'■•■■ i' ! ( ■ 1 11 5'. •.tr^i ••1 ' r -J .■ 30* THE RING OUZfiL. m ! mach vcftiges of infeds, and berries refembling goofeberries ; but they prefer thofe of ivy and grapes. It is in the feafon of vintage that they are generally fo fat, and their flelh fo favoury and fucculent. Some fowlers fay that the Ring Ouzels at- traft the Thruflies ; they remark too that they allow themfelves to be more eafily approached than the common Blackbirds, though they are more difficult to decoy into fnares. I found, on difi'eclion, that their gall-bladder is oblong, very fmall, and confequently quite different from what Willughby defcribes it to be ; but the fituation and form of the foft parts, it is w'ell known, are very fubjcdl to vary in animals. The ventricle was mufcular, its inner coat wrinkled as ufual, and inadhefive. In this membrane I faw fragmerits of juniper berries and nothing elfe. The inteftinal canal, mea- fured between its tw^o extreme orifices, was about twenty inches ; tbf* ventricle or gizzard was placed between the fourth and fifth of its length. Laftly, I perceived forae traces of cacum, of which one appeared to be double. [A] [A] Specific charaftcr of the Ring-Ouzel, Turdus Terqualus, Li N N.— " it is blackifli, with a white collar, its bill ydlowifli." It is larger than the Blackbird, being eleven inches long and fe- vcntcen broad. It inhabits the raouiuainous parts of this ifland in fmall bodies of five or fix. The Mcrula Saxatilis, or the Rock Ouzel, is reckoned by La- tham the young of the Ring-Ouz;;!, from which it differs, chiefly Siy the dulnefs oi its colours. M C 303 ] VARIETIES of the RING-OUZEL. .i.! I. THOSE WHICH ARE WHITE, OR SPOTTED WITH WHITE, Ariftotle was acquainted with White Ouzels, and made them a diftindt fpecies, though they have the fame fong and the lame bulk with the common Ouzel or Blackbird ; but he knew that their inftinds were different, fmce they pre- ferred the mountains * : and thefe are the only diftindive characters which Belon admits f. They are found not only in the mountains of Arcadia, of Savoy, and of Auvergne, but alfo in thofe of Silefia, and among the Alps and Ap- pennines, &c. \, They are alfo birds of paC- fage, and migrate with the Ring-Ouzel at the fame feafon. The white colour of the horfe- flioe in the Ring-Ouzel may extend over the reft of the plumage. I fliould therefore con- ceive that thefe, thougli ufually referred to the Blackbirds, belong really to the Ring-Ouzels. In the white one which I obferved, the quills of the wings and tail were whiter than any of the reft, and the upper-part of the body, except • " They are frequent about Cyllcne in Arcadia, and breed " no where elie." ///'/?. AnUn. llb.ix. 19. \ He fays exprefsly that Uie White Ouzel never defcends into the plains. \ WlLLUGHBY. the ■.,:H It! 'A ??';■< "'if:' ■1,. it ''^^ ■■■■■■ k'l- , '^^i 'I'.-ii' '.'Hi; !l :|; ■ t f ■■•■..■ iV '■'■■■n •fiir M I Si i J •?t' 1,, n'. ii #' ♦•I-, '! 1 f , 304 VARIETIES c/ tht RING OUZEL. the top of the head, was of a lighter gray tlian the under. The bill was brown, with a little yellow on the edges j there was alfo yellow un- der the throat and on the brcaft, and the legs were of a deep gray brown. It was caught in the vicinity of Montbard in the beginning of November before the froft ; that is, at the exaft time of the pafTage of the Ring- Ouzel ; for a few days before, two of that fpecies were brought to me. In thofe which are fpotted, the white is com- bined varioufly with the black ; fometimes it is confined to the quills of the wings and tail, which are commonly fuppofed to be lead fub- jedt to change of colour * j fometimes it forms a collar that encircles the neck, but is not fo broad the white horle-flioe of the Ring-Ouzel. as This variety did not efcape Belon, who fays that he faw in Greece, in Savoy, and in the valley of Maurienne, a great number of collared Black- birds, fo called on account of a white line which bent quite round the neck. Lottinger, who had an opportunity of obferving thefe birds in the mountains of Lorraine, where they fometimes breed, informs me, that they commence breeding very early; that they conftrudl and place their nelt nearly like the Thrufh ; that the education of their young is completed before the end of June ; that they retire every year, but that the time of their departure is not fixed ; that this ufually be- Aldruvandus, gins VARIETIES «///;.' RING OUZEL. 305 gins about the end of July, and lafts the whole of Augiift, during which time not one is [cen ill the plain, a proof that they follow the chain of the mountains, but their retreat is uncertain. Lottinger adds, that this bird, which formerly was very common in theVofges, is now feldom found therct II. The GREAT MOUNTAIN OUZEL. ■ ,1: ,4 '! ■ . -'\ ' ■•■^!-:. . 1 ■ ' ! .ill ; .;1l,-; I* It is fpotted with white, has no horfe-fhoe, and is larger than the Miffel. It arrives in Lor- raine ,ibout the end of autumn, and is then ex- ceffively fat. The bird-catchers feldom fucceed with it J it feeds upon fnails, and is dexterous in breaking the Ihells. When thefe fail, it fub- firts on ivy-berries. It is excellent eating ; its ftrains, far inferior to thofe of the Blackbird, are harih and difnial *. • I am indebted for thefe fads to Dr. Lottinger. M VOL. III. .1' , ■1 i'1 ' ■" ■ '.■ • ',1 4. i' ■'■■'I'l ' 1 J . . 1 • f -. ■ (• A . ■■''- \.[ . :••■,!■■ .in ■: J' >.,.■ • .. ' 1 1, ' 'A ll i 306 D The ROSE-COLOURED OUZEL ♦. ( V •v^-i' ,'. Le Merle Catleur d« Refit BufF. TurJiu Refius, Linn, and Gmel. MeruU R«Jia, Briff. Ray, and Will. Sturmiu Ra/hitt Scopoli. The Refit or CtumatioH'toUurul Oiaul, Pcnn. LL the ornithologifts, who have taken notice of this bird, mention it as vety rare, as fo- reign, and little known ; that it is feen only in its palTage, and the country to which it belongs is un- certain. Linnaeus tells us indeed, that it inhabits Lapland and Switzerland ; but he fays nothing with regard to its inftinds and mode of life. Aldrovandiis, who firft defcribed this bird, only remarks that it appears fometimes in the plains near Bologna, where it is known by the bird- catchers under the name of Sea-Stare^ (Stomo Marino) ; that it fits on the dung- hills, grows very fat, and is excellent eating. Two birds of this kind were found in England, and Edwards fuppofes that they were driven thither by the violence of the wind. We have obferved feveral in Burgundy, which had been caught in their paflage, and it is probable that they purfue their excurfions as far as Spain, if what Klein fays be * In Spaniih, Ta^u: in G(nnan, Haarko^figt'Drpffel (Hair- headed Thrufli). true. if. ■ M THEH-OSK COIjOURED THRITSII. :i • ■• ' •A' 4 ,. ' h ■ ■■ \ ■yX'^'W « , i ■■„.■ ' i; 1 !'■ ■ f' ' .'(r'-', r' - ••>t ■ ■' 1,1 ^' ■ ■■ :.;f If ■■•:^ ,"■■ f of by THE ROSE-COLOURED OUZEL. 307 true, that they have a name in the Spanilh language. The piumage of the male is remarkable ; its head and neck, and the quills of its wings and of its tail, are black, with brilliant reflexions which play between green and purple. The belly, the back, the rump, and the fmall co- verts of the wings are of a rofe colour, which has two tints, the one light, the other deep, with a few black fpots fcattered here and there on a kind of fcapulary, which defcends above as far as the tail, and below to the abdomen. Befides, its head is ornamented with a fort of creft which reclines like that of the Chatterer, and which muft have a fine effeA when the bird erects it. The lower belly, the inferior coverts of the tail and the thighs are of a brown colour ; the tarfus and the toes of a dirty orange ; the bill partly black, and partly flefh-coloured. But the diflribution of thefe colours feems not fixed in that part ; for in the fubjeds which we have ob- ferved, and in thofe of Aldrovandus, the bafe of the bill was blackifh, and all the refl of a flefh colour ; whereas in thofe examined by Edwards, the point of the bill exhibited the black, which changed by degrees itito a dirty orange on the bafe of the bill and on the legs. The under-fide of the tail feemed marbled, the efFeft produced by the colour of its lower coverts, which arc blackifli and tipt with white. X 2 In !(:: ;i:i !t:' ; 1- n , ■■41". Ill U li.:,. '■■■ ' i ,1 : H : t' J 'T * st \ 'S - »( ■{■;'• ' ' 'i '^:-S I • ■■ '. ,%" 1', <;■■■ ■ 'f! ■■},' : '^ 'M joS THE tlOSE-COLOURED OUZEL. In the female the head is black like that of the male, but not the neck, nor the quills of the tail and of the wings, which are of a lighter tinge ; the colours of the fcapulary are alfo lefs vivid. This bird is rather fmaller than the common Blackbird ; its bill, wings, legs, and toes, are pro- portionably longer. In fize, figure, and even inftindt, it is much more analogous to the Ring- Ouzel, for it likewife migrates. However, we muft own, that one of thefe Rofe-coloured Ouz- els, which was killed in England, kept com- pany with yellow-billed Blackbirds. Its length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, is feven inches and three-quarters, and to the ex- tremity of the nails feven and a half ; its alar ex- tent thirteen or fourteen, and its wings, when clofed, reached almofl to the middle of the tail. [A] p i' m [A] Specific charadler of the Turdus Ro/eus :— " It is fome- ** what of a carnation colour, its head, its wings, and its *' tail, black; the back of its head crefted." It very rarely appears in England. It annually rcforts in great flocks about the river Don, where it breeds among the rocks. The Turdus SeUucis of Gmelin is really the fame fpecics, which in Syria obtains the name of locufl bird. It vifits Aleppo in the months of July and Augufl: in purfuit of the fwarms of locufts ; aad hence the Turks regard it as fomewhat facr'^d. M r.^- ■■ ■';■•; 4 ■ > ■ .' IM ' i ^ ii^ .-.-» r| II ■ ■■.■... i! v' ! -.. i i^i '■ A.' , tiM :^^79 ■*j \t\ \v '?'•• THE ROCK SHltlKE ri: il ► V, [ 309 3 The ROCK BLACKBIRD*. 1, '-mi >.:\' I Le Merle de Rxhe, BufF. Tardus Saxatilis, ") 1 ■ T r a >CjmeI. Lamus Infaujtus, J MerulaSaxatilis, Ray, Will, and Briff, The Greater Red-Start, Alb. The Rock Croiv, Penn. THE name indicates fufficiently the haunts of this bird : it inhabits precipices and moun- tains; it is found in the wiideft parts of Bugey; it fits commonly on the large ftones, and conltantly without cover ; fo that it is difficult to get near it with a fowling-piece, for as foon as it perceives the perfon, it removes to another place. Its fhy- nefs feems to be lefs owing to native wildnefs, than to its apprehenfions of man, and its expe- rience of his artifices. Nor is ' . fo much ex- pofed as many other birds to danger from that cjuarter. The lofs of liberty alone is what it has to dread ; for though excellent eating, it is more prized on account of its fong, which is foft, va- ried, and much like that of the Pettychaps. It foon acquires the notes of other birds, and even learns our mufic. It begins by day-break, and "vvelccraestlic return of the morning j and it re- news its ftrain with the letting km. If during the night we go near its cage vv'ith a light, it * In Ir^i!:!n, Codivo/fo Ulaggiorc, CicrnJJoW, Crsjtrc/ie : in Gcr- nan, i>ni/i-K>i,:\Ie, Stcin-Trcjlcl, Steiri'Rit'/irrg, X 3 inime- f ' ' i ' ' ■*i :A: 3 iiiil ill 111 I ^e THE ROCK BLACKBIRD. immediately fmgs ; and in the day-time, if it is not warbling, it feems humming and preparing new airs. Thefe birds conceal their nefts with the utmoft care, and build them in the holes of the rocks, and in the bottom of the mofl inacceilible ca- verns. It is with the greateft difficulty and ha- zard that we can fcramble to thefe, which they defend with courage, darting at the eyes of their plunderers. Each hatch contains three or four eggs. They feed their young with worms and infeds, on which they live themfelves. They can fubfift however on other food, and when they are raifed in a cage, it fucceeds well to give them the fame pafte as the Nightingales. But they muft be taken from the neft ; for after they have flown, they cannot be enticed into any kind of fnare ; and if they be caught by furprifc, they will never furvive their liberty *. The Rock Blackbirds are found in many parts of Germany, in the Alps, in the mountains of Tyrol, in thofe of Bugey, &c. I received a female of this fpecies caught on its eggs the 1 2th of May ; it had built its neft on a rock in the neighbourhood of Montberd, where thefe birds are very rare and quite unknown ; its colours were not fo bright as thofe of the male. This laft is rather fmaller than the common Black- bird, and entirely different in its proportions. • Frisch. »3 Its THE ROCK BLACKBIRD. 311 Its "Wings are very long, fuch as would fuit « bird that neftles in the bottom of caverns ; they meafure thirteen or fourteen inches when ex- panded, and if clofed they reach almoft to the end of the tail, which is only three inches in length. The bill is about an inch* With regard to the plumage, the head and neck are covered as it were with a cinereous cowl, variegated with fmall rufty fpots. The back is darker near the neck, and lighter near the tail. The ten lateral quills of the tail are ferruginous, and the intermediate brown. The wing-quills and their coverts are of a dufky co- lour, and edged with a lighter tinge. La(lly> the breaft, and all the iower-part of the body, orange, variegated with fmall fpeckles, fome white, others brown; the bill and legs are blackifh. [A] [A] There are two kinds of Rock Btackbirdsi or Ouzels ; a greater and a leffer. The former has fometimes been denominated a Crow or Shrike. It is the Turdut Snfau/iut of Lathami who thus charadlerizes it : " It is blackifh, variegated with du&y and " tawny, its head fpotted with cinereous tawny, its lateral tail- *' quills rufous." It is of the fize of a Thru(h, and occurs chiefly in Italy and the fouth of Europe. The LefTer Rock Ouzti is the one whofe habits are exhibited in the text. It is the Turdus Saxatilis of Latham. Its fpecific cha. xaiSkcr: *' Its head coerulean, its tail ferruginous." M .1. ■f\ tern 'I X 4 }^\:' Wi^^ .^1 C 312 ] Ir 11! •» ^j ;; u * "j? The BLUE OUZEL*. LeMcrkBleit, Buff. Tui'dtts Cyanus, Linn, and Gmel, .,••'. MeruliiCferuiea, BrilT. * Titraus Solitaritts, Klein. " Cyanos, feu Ctxrulea Avis, Ray, . : rhs Indian Mock-Bird, Will. , The Solitary Sparroiv, £>- v. The Blue Thrujh, Lath. THIS bird has the fame ground colour with the Rock Blackbird; that is, a cinereous, blue, without any mixture of orange; the fame fizCjthe fame proportions nearly, the fame tafte for certain kinds of food, the fame fong, the fame habit of fettling on the fummits of mountains, and of building its neft in the moft v.rnggy rocks. In fhort, we might be inclined to refer it to the fame fpecies. Accordingly, many naturalifts have miftakcn the one for the other. The co- lours of its plumage vary fomewhat in the de- fcriptions, and it is probably fubjedl to real va- riations, ariling from the difftrence of the indi- viduals, that of age, of fex, of climate, «Scc. The male which F.dwards has delineated, PI. XVIII. was not of an uniform blue throughout ; the tinge of the upper-part of the body was deeper * In Italian, ?uerlo Biav. : in German, Blau-Vogel, Blau- Stcin-AirjU, KiiiH'Blau-2.immcr (Little lilue Zimmcr). than ^yff^r? 5: . ■ ^. ■1,; . j 'r ■'' rii:..i'. If' ;•*•:. J., ; ■ ■•iv[:'f' .' ■•■.'.Li,..: ,, . ,"1 w . ...;;• ■'\'»:\' MMm :i^' THI'. 7*j:.tfB TURti^SH: ^ •^.'■■ •■.■•!'f' .; ' . THE BLUE OUZEL. 3«3 than that of the lower; the quills of Irs tail blackifli, thofe of its wings brown, and alfo the great coverts, which are edged with white ; its eyes furrounded by a yellow circle, the infidc of its mouth orange, its bill and legs of a brown verging on black. There vv wd leem to be more uniformity in the plumag > f tho female. Belon, who faw fomc ■ efc birds at Ra- gufa in Dalmatia, tells us, that they are alfo found in the iflands of Negropont, Candia, Zante, Corfu, &c. ; that they are very much fought for, on account of their fong ; but he adds, that they do not inhabit France or Italy. How- ever, the arm of the fea which fcparates Dal- matia from Italy is no infurmountable barrier, efpecially to thefe birds, which, according to Belon himfelf, fly much better than the com- mon Blackbird, and which could at leaft make the circuit and penetrate into Italy by the State of Venice. Befides, it is a fadl that thefe Ouzels are found in Italy ; the one defcribed by Briflbn, and that figured in our PL EfiL No. 250, were both fent from that country. Edwards had learnt from current report that they neftled on inacceffible rocks, or old de- lerted towers*, and he faw fomc which were * M. Lottinger tells me of a Lead-coloured Ouzel which pafles into the mountains of Lorraine in the months of September and Odober, wnich is then much fatter and better t;iltcd than our common lilackbird:), but refemblcs neither the male nor the fe- male of tiiat Ipt'-ies. As no defcription accompanied this note, I cannot decide whether it refers to the Blue Ouzel. killed 1:1- ';t I 11 ,;M.ii. i-M4 ; V.r ■^V: * w "I ■ -n-Jn ,.«^.. ^r^:^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) '^ A ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 ItiKt |2.s WUu M U 11.6 I ^- 0> <^^ A / ^.•!>- ^',^* > PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporation '^'?5f' 23 WIST MAIN STRHT WliSTIt,N.Y. 14SM t716) •73-4503 o'^ if 314 THE BLUE OUZEL. killed near Gibraltar; from which he infers, with great probability, that they arc fpread throagh the whole of the fouth of Europe. But this mull be underftood of the mountainous tra£ts, for it is rare to find them in the plains. They commonly lay four or five eggs, and their flefh, efpecially when they are young, is rec- koned good eating *. [A] • Belok. [AJ Specific chara£ler of the TurJus Cyanus :— ** Its qoills are *< blue-a(h coloured at the margin, its mouth and eye-lids yellow." |t is eight inches long, butfinaller than the Blackbird. M 'Hi £ 3>$ ] The SOLITARY OUZEX* Lt Mtrlt SoUtairtt Buff. Turiut Sehtaritut Linn, and GmeU Mtrula Selitariat BriflT. fa^r Solitariuj, Ray. 7*/^/ £ (>/i>ary Tifrr^^, Lath. THIS alfo 18 an inhabitant of the mountains, and famous for its elegant ftrains. It is well known that Francis I. king of France, took Angular pleafure in liftening to it ; and even at prefent the male of this fpecies is tamed and fold at a very high price at Geneva and Milan f, and ftill dearer at Smyrna and Ccnftantinople |« The native warble of the Solitary Ouzel is ex- tremely liquid and tender, but rather plaintive, as muft be the fong of every bird which leads a lonely exiflence. It remains always fingle, ex- cept in the feafon of love. At that joyous pe- riod, the male and female not only afTociate to- * It is probably the Kco-irv^o; Bmoc, or the Little Blackbird, of Ariftotle, which refembled the Blackbird, only its plumage was brown, its bill not yellow, and it lodged among rocks or on roofs. In modern Greek, Mt^aa : in Italian, Pa£ira Solitaria ; and alfo Merulo Solitario, Saxatili, Stercorofi, Merle Chiappa (Buttock* Blackbird) : in Turkifh, Kajabulbul, which fignifies Rock Night- ingale ; the Swediih Sten-Naecktergahl has the fame meaning : in Polilh, mobel 0/ohny, t Olina, Gefner, Willughby. X It is fometihies fold in thefe cities for fifty or a hundred pi- allres. Hassbl<}viit. -ether, v^mi ft;ifi:l' ■ -Hf :* 4 ■ > ■ ■ 'J < - * .1 • 1 TiM:: i 11 /:|H:t,.1 r 3i6 THE SOLITARY OUZEL. pcther, but dcfert In company the wild and dreary heights where they had lived ieparately, and rcfort to the milder abodes of man. They feem to leek fpesftators of their pleafures, and come forward in thole intoxicating moments, when other animals court tlic iilcnce of retreat. But they lodge at a confiderable height above the furface, and thus in the midlt of population they llum the dangers to which they would be expofed. They build their nefl: with ftalks of grafs and feathers in the top of a ieparate chim- ney, or on the ruins of. an old caftle, or on the fummit of a lar<;: tvee, and almolt always near a fteeple or lofty touer. The male fits whole hours or days upon the vane or weather- cock, and foothes the tedious fituation of his mate by a continual w^arble ; but pathetic as are his ftrains, they are ftill infufficient to exprefs the warmth and tendernefs of his emotions. A folitary bird feels more delicately and ardently than others. Sometimes he rifes chanting, flap- ping his wings, difplaying the feathers of his tail, briftling thofe on his head, and panting with delight, he defcribes many circles in the air round his beloved mate as the centre. If the female be feared by any uncommon noife, or by the fight of any new objed., flie re- tires into her fort, but foon returns to the neft, which file never abandons. As foon as the young are hatched, the male ccafc;,. 10 finij, but not to love ; he gives another proof ild and larately, They res, and moments, retreat, [it abdve :)p\il;uion would be ftalks of ite chim- or on the ,vays near fits whole weather- Dn of bis etic as are to exprefs emotions, d ardently iting, flap- lers of his id panting :les in the :re. Ancommon ed, flie re- to the neft, the male ves another proof THE SOLITARY OUZEL. 3^ proof of his affedion by fliaring in the trouble of rearing the brood, and bringing provifions in his bill. In animals the ardor of love is ever proportioned to the tendernefs for the ofT- fpring. They commonly lay five or fix eggs ; they feed their young with infeds, on which, and on grapes, they fubfift themfelves *. They arrive in April in thofe countries where they pafs the fummer, and depart about the end of Auguft ; they return every year to the fame fpot where they firfl; fixed their abode. It is uncommon to fee more than two pairs fettled in the fame trad t- The young, when they are taken out of the neft, are capable of inftrudion, and they learn to chant or to prattle. They begin to fing at midnight, on the approach of the light of a candle. When well-treated they can live in a cage eight or ten years. They are found on the mountains in France and Italy J, in almofl; all the iflands of the Archipelago, efpecially in Zira and Nia, where it is faid they neftle among the heaps of ftones §, and in the ifland of Cor- fica, where they are not cqnfidered as birds of paflage {|. But in Burgundy, thofe which ar- • Willughby, Belon, &c. f There is every year a pair of them In the belfry of Satnte- Reine, a fmall town in my neighbourhood, fituated on the decli- ?ity of a hill of moderate height. X Belon. § Haii'elquift. II Artier, ProfelTor of Natural Hiftory at Baftia, 6 rive ■$ •I* '''■'• \ rb- ■/■ 3x8 THE SOLITARY OUZEL. rive in the fpring, and lodge on the chimney tops, and in ruined churches, were never known to fpend the winter in that province. The So- litary Ouzel may not migrate in Corfica, and yet flit from one part to another, according to the change of feafons, as it does in France. The fmgular habits of this bird, and the charms of its fong, have infpired in the people a fort of veneration for it. I know fome places where it is looked upon as lucky, where they would hardly fuffer its neft to be difturbed, and dread its death as a public misfortune. The Solitary Ouzel is rather fmaller than the common Blackbird, but its bill is flronger and more hooked near the point, and the legs are ihorter in proportion. Its plumage is brown of different (hades, and fpeckled throughout with white, except on the rump, and on the feathers of the wings and tail. Alfo, its neck, throat, bread, and the coverts of the wings, are in the male of a blue tinge, with purple reflexions, en- tirely wanting in the female, which is of an uni- form brown, with yellowifli fpeckles. In both, the iris is of an orange yellow, tlie opening of the noftrils wide, the edges of the bill fcalloped near the tip, as in almoft all the Blackbirds and Thrufiies ; the infide of the mouth yellow, the tongue parted into three threads, of which the mid one is the longeft ; twelve quills in the tail, nineteen in each wing, the firft of which is very fliort : laftly, the firft phalanx of the outer toe is iimney known heSo- ind yet to the charms i fort of where it ' would id dread than the ngcr and legs are brown of out with ; feathers c, throat, kre in the dons, en- )f an uni- In both, pening of fcalloped :bird8 and ;llow, the which the in the tail, ichisvery outer toe i» THE SOLITARY OUZEL. 319 IS joined to that of the middle one. The total length of the bird is eight or nine inches ; its alar extent twelve or thirteen ; its tail three ; its leg thirteen lines; and its bill fifteen ; the wings, when clofed, reach beyond the middle of the tail. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the TurJus SoUtariut .*•-« It is iaScf, *' a. great part of it fpotted with white, its tail blackifli." M ^. M '-'■ii-^. -if •ii.."-4;! A ; ■■':mA UMX:., I '■•'■-•il'' !r V. E i' !'.' .:Ull 'i.f i.?' i,U-p v) ■:vi1r.i| :th'' ■•■■■'• i . mm . . 'si: ■•■4 C 3^0 1 FOREIGN BIRDS, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE SOLITARY OUZEL. I. The PENSIVE THRUSH. Le Merle Sclhalic dc'Mamlh, Buff. Turdu! Manilknfis, Gmel. 'T^His fpecies feems to be intermediate be- "*• tween the SoHtary Ouzel and the Rock Blackbird. It has the colours of the latter, and diftributcd partly in the fame order; but its wings are not fo long, though when clofed they reach to two-thirds of the tail. Its plumage is a flate-blue, uniform on the head, the hind-part of the neck, and the back; almoft quite blue on the rump, fpeckled with yellow on the throat, and on the fore-part of the neck and top of the breaft. The fame blue colour is deeper on the coverts of the wings, with fimilar fpeckles, though fcattered more fparingly, and fome white fpots, which are ftill fewer. The reft of the under- fide of the body is orange, fpeckled with blue and white ; the quills of the wings and of the tail are blackiih, and the latter edged with rufous J FOREIGN BIRDS, C/r. 311 rufous; laftly, the bill is brown, and the legs almofl black; The Penfive Ouzel is nearly of the fize of 'the Rock Blackbird ; its total length is about eight inches, its alar extent twelve or thirteen, its tail three, its bill only an inch. The female has no blue or orange in its plum- age, but two or three fliades of brown, which form pretty regular fpeckles on the head, the back, and all the under-fide of the body. — ^Thefe two birds were prefented by M. Sonnerat. M •',1^- •vu r ,♦.4 ■■■' if :■■ li' r • - , t •1 ■; it. The HERMIT THRUSH. Le Merle Solitaire Jet Philippines » BufFi Turdui Eremhay Gmel. The figure of thu bird, its port, and its bllli refemble thofe of the Solitary Ouzels, and its plumage is fomewhat analogous td that of the Penfive Ouzel, but it is rather fraaller. Each feather in the under-fide of the body is rufous of various (hades, arid edged with brown. The feathers of the upper-fide of the body are brown with a double border, the inner blackiih, and the outer dirty white. The fmali coverts of the wings have an afli-caft, and thofe of the rump and tail are quite cinereous. The head is oilvey VOL. HI. T verging ) \\ 1 -.^..»- Villi 1 '1 1 '■'■■.' ' ■ ■ >■ ■y<-'r !i ' '1 .. '.' ;'v 5l ^iiv^iil^-: ,nr-i 322 FOREIGN BIRDS, tic. verging on yellow, the orbits iwhitini, the quills of the tail and of the wings edged with gray j the bill and legs brown. The entire length ot the Hermit Ouzel is about feven inches and a half, its alar extent twelve, and its wings, if dofed, reach to three- fourths of its tail, which contains twelve quills, and is only two inches and three quarters long. This bird, which was fent by M. Poivre,refem- bles in fo many refpeds the Penfive Ouzel, that I fhould not wonder if it be afterwards found only a variety of age or fex ; efpecially as it is brought from the fame country, is frnaller, and its colour intermediate between thofe of the male and of the female. M I.. t i^i J FOREIGN BIRDS, •^HICH ARE RELATED TO THE EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. • .ij' .-t.r y.J T. The AFRICAN THRUSH. Le yaunoir^ du Cap de Bo fine E/perance, Buff". Turdui Mono, Linn, and Gmel. Merula Capitis Bona Spei, Brifl*. 'T^HiS bird has the black and yellow colours of the European Blackbirds : but the black is more brilliant, and has reflexions which in cer- tain pofitions have a greenifh cad. The yellow, or rather the rufous colour, is feen only on the quills of the wings, of which the three firft are tipt with brown, and the following with this brilliant black I have mentioned. The fame lucid refulgent black occurs on the two middle quills of the tail, and on that part of the middle quills of the wings which is uncovered ; all that is hid of thefe middle quills, and all the lateial quills of the tail, are of a pure black. The bill is of the fame black, but the legs are brown. The African Thrufh is larger than the com- mon Blackbird ; its length is eleven inches, its * A w*rd compounded of Jaune, ydlow> and }'oiri blade ; which are the colours of its plumage. Y 2 alar ^i-i ' •,'■■'■ i ,r^ M I '■.^t.. "1% 'mm :-m 'I* n I 324 FOREIGN BIRDS rtlateJ to alar extent fifteen and a half, its tail four ; its bill, which is thick and ftrong, is fifteen lines, and its leg fourteen ; its wings, when clofed, reach not to the middle of its tail. M II. The CRESTZD BLACKBIRD of China. Gratula Crijfatella, Linn, and Gmcl. Meruia Sineti/is Crifiata, Brifl'. Sturnuj trinibus einereis, 8tc. Klein- The Chinc/e Starling, or BlackiirJ, Edw. Tift Crefttd GrakU, Lath. Though this bird is fomcwhat larger than the Blackbird, its bill and legs are fhorter, and its tail much (horter; aimed all its plumage is blackifh, with a dull blue tinge, but not gloflfy ; a white fpot appears in the middle of the wings, and imprefTed on the quills, and a little whitQ on the tips of the lateral quills of the tail ; the bill and legs are yellow, and the iris of a fine orange. There is a fmall tuft of pretty long feathers on the forehead, which the bird can briftle up at pleafure. But notwithfbnding this mark of diflindion, and the differ- ence perceived in its proportions, we may per- haps regard it as a variety, produced by climate, of our YelloW'billed Blackbird. It has, like that th EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 325 that bird, a great facility in learning to whiftle airs, and in repeating words. It is difHcult to be brought from China into Europe. Its length is eight inches and a nJf ; its wings, when clofed, reach to the middle of the tail, which is only two inches and a half long, and compofcd of twelve quills nearly equal*. • Specific charaftcr of the Gracula Criftatella, Linn.—*' It " is black, the primary wing-quills white at their bafe> and the '< tail-quills at their tips ; the bill yellow." M III. The RUFOUS-WINGED THRUSH. >1 11 'i; ■1 , 1 -) ' 1 ,". ■■■ PS. 1 ^' !i| Lt Podobi du Senegal, BufF. Tardus Erythropterust Gmel. We are indebted to M. Adanfon for this foreign and new fpecies ; its bill is brown, its wings and legs rufous, its wings fhort, its tail long, tapered, marked with white at the extremity of the late- ral quills, and of the lower coverts. In e very- other part the Podobe is of the colour of our Blackbirds, and refembles them in fize, and in the Ihape of the bill, which, however, is not yellow. Y3 IV. The f*" ii ■ ■ (' ..: .'■■■ /■ j'-r v'i.V •'> 326 FOREIGN BIRDS related ti IV. The BLACKBIRD of China. Tardus Perfpicillafus, Gtncl. The Speilach Thrup, Lath. This Blackbird is larger than ours, its legs much ftronger, its tail longer and differently fliaped, for it is tapered. The moft remark- able feature in its plumage, is what appears like a pair of fpeftacles, placed at the bafe of the bill, and extending both ways upon the eyes ; the fides of thefe fpedacles are nearly of an oval form, and black, fo that they are diftindly de- fined on the gray plumage of the head and neck. The fame gray colour, intermixed with a green- jfli tint, is fpread over the whole of the upper- fide of the body, including the wings and the intermediate quills of the tail ; the lateral quills are of a much deeper colour ; part of the bread, and the belly, are of a dirty white, with a little yellow, as far as the lower coverts of the tail, which are rufous. The wings when clofed ex-' t^nd not far beyond the origin of the tail. V. The iif EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 347 V. The GLOSSY THRUSH. Le Fert-Dorc, on Merle a Longue ^etie du Senegal *, BuiF. 7ur(ttis Aliens, Gmel. The extreme length of this bird, which is about feventeen inches, is only two-thirds of that of its tail. Its alar extent by no means cor- refponds to the fame proportion, being narrower than that of the common Blackbird, which is a much fmaller bird. Its bill is alfo proportion- ably ihorter, but its legs are longer f . The pre- vailing colour is the fine glofly green that ap- pears in the plumage of Ducks ; the only differ- ence is derived from the various tints and reflex- ions which in different parts it affumes. It, is blackifli on the head, with gold colour fhining through ; and on the rump and the two long intermediate quills of the tail are purple reflex- ions ; on the belly and thighs a changing green, with rofe-copper. Almoft all the reft of its plumage is of a rich gold green. * /. e. The Golden-Green, or Long-tailed Blackbird of Se- jiegal. f The me.nfurcs given by Briilbn arc thefc : — Total length eighteen inches ; from the point of the bill to the end of the nails ten and a half; ?.!ar extent fourteen and a quarter; the length of the tail eleven ; the bill thirteen lines; the legs eighteen. V4 There ■? t' M *m \ .>. U< 1 I '•■ "1 ■te .■rllf' ■ ;■ ' *^ ' 3»8 FOREIGN BIRDS relaud u There is in the Royal Cabinet a bird exadly like this, only its tail is not near fo long. It is probably the fame bird, but caught in the time pf moulting *. * It is titledj The Green Ouxel of Senegal, •Jil VI. The CRESCENT BLACKBIRD of America, Le Fer-a-Cbeval, o\x Merle a Collier d^Jmerique, BufF. Alauda Magna, Linn, and Gmel. Sturnus Ludo-vicianus, var. Lath. Merula Americana Torquata, Briff. The Large Lark, Catelby. The Cre/cent Stare, Penn. and Lath. The only black part of the plumage of this bird is a mark (haped like a horfe-fhoe, which defcends upon the breaft, and a bar of the fame colour rifing on each fide under the eye, and extending backwards. The firft of thefe fpots. feems, from its determined figure, to be the moft charaderiftic of this fpecies, and diftinguiflies it the beft from the other collared Blackbirds. This horfe-ihoe is traced on a yellow ground, which is the colour of the throat and of all the under-fidc of the body, and which appears again between the bill and the eyes ; browri predominates on the head and behind the neck, and light gray on the fidps, Alfo the top of the head the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 3^9 head Is marked with a whitifh ray ; all the up- per-fide of the body is of a partridge-gray ; the quills of the wings and of the tail * are brown, with fome rufty fpots ; the legs brown and very long; and the bill, which is almofl black, is ihaped like that of our Blackbirds ; like them alfo it fmgs agreeably in the fpring, though it has not the fame extent of notes. It fcarcely eats any thing but the fmall feeds which it finds on the ground f ; in which refped it refemblea the Larks, though it is much larger, exceeding even our Blackbird, nor is its hind-nail length- ened as in the Larks. It perches on the top of bufiies, and its tail is obfervcd to have a brifk motion upwards and downwards. In fad:, it is neither a Lark nor a Blackbird ; and yet of all the European birds, it refembles the latter the mod. It is found not only in Virginia and Ca- rolina, but in almod the whole continent of America %. The fubject examined by Catefby weighed three ounces and a quarter ; its extreme length ten inches, its bill fifteen lines, its legs eighteen ; its wings when clofed reached to the middle of its tail. [A] * Linnxui fays, that the three lateral quills of the tall arc partly white. Syjl. Nat. Edit. x. p. 167. f For inftance, thofe of the Yellow-flowered Ornithcgalum, X Linnxus aflerts that it occurs alfo in Africa. [A] Authors are much divided with refpeft to the clafllfication of this bird : Lawfon and Catefby call it a Lark ; Briffon reckons it a Blackbird; Pennant makes it a Stare $ and Latham regards it as -!/<: mi! M^ ■'■ • i.'-'Tt,!'' ■ 1 >,.U '•■■•! « . ' .Ji..! I • ■! ■ i^- ''•'.( ::• ■■' ■ > ■' -i ■'■■•■rl:-::;; ..f.r, • ■• , t- v-.-i..,; ;(i ■.■■„. J*!;-.'.'-!' ■ Tit*:: <'Mik "■ ■ .>i" •330 FOREIGN BIRDS related ta liii m I ns a variety of the Louifiana Stare already defcribcd ; and Gmelin feems inclined to the fame opinion. It is thus charafterizcd by ^Ir. Latham :— " Above it is variegated with rufty brown and «• blackifh, below yellow, with a black curved llripe on the breaft, •' the three lateral quills of the tail white," It lives in favannas, and is elleemed good eating. In the State of New-York it ap- pears in the beginning of April, breeds in June, and retires in September or Oftober, It neftles on the ground, and its eggs arc wlutifli. M VII. The GREEN BLACKBIRD of Angola. 'i !:i Bive and Cnrn Datv, Edw. The upper-part of the body, the head, the neck, the tail, and the wings, are of an olive green j but brown fpots appear on the wings, and the rump is blue. On the back, and on the fore-fide of the neck, is a mixture of blue with green ; the blue again occurs on the upper-part of the throat : violet predominates on the breaft, the belly,the thighs, and the feathers which cover the ears: lalHy, the lower coverts of the tail are of an olive yellow, the bill and legs of a deep black. This bird is of the fame fize with the fifty-f third Thrulii of Briifon ; the proportions are likewife the fame, but the plumage of the latter is different, being entirely of a Hue duck-green, with '-^'^■\^ J the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 331 with a fpot of fteel-violet on the anterior part of the wing. Thefe birds are nearly of the bulk of our Blackbird, their length being nine inches, their alar extent twelve and a quarter, their bill eleven or twelve lines ; their wings when clofed reach to the middle of the tail, which confift of twelve equal quills. It is probable that thefe two birds belong to the fame fpecies, but I cannot decide which is the original ftem, and which the collateral branch. [A] , [A] This bird is a variety of the Shining Thrujh of Latham, thp Turdus Nitens of Linnsus, and the Turdus ViriJis Angoknfis of BriUbn. The charafter of the fpecies is, •' That it is green, witli ♦' a fpot of fhining violet on the coverts of the wings." M vin. The GILDED THRUSH. ''\ J» 1 J I ;t-;'i", ;.:'a MA Le Merle Violet du Royaume de Juida, Buff. The plumage of this bird is painted with the fame colours as the preceding, that is, with vio- let, green, and blue, but differently diftributed ; violet is fpread without any mixture on the head, the neck, and all the under-part of the body ; blue en the tail and its upper coverts ; and laft- r ll-; i'Si.-rfi: M:#ri1 !"•*: u 1 f h m Ij , y 332 FOREIGN BIRDS n/ated u ly, green on the wings ; but thefe have befides a blue ftripe near their inner margin. This bird is alfo of the fame fize with the preceding : it appears to have the fame port y and as it comes from the fame climates, I ihould be tempted to refer it to the fame fpecies, were it not longer winged, 'vhich implies other in- ftinds and habits. But as the length of the wings in dried birds depends greatly on .he mode of preparing them, we cannot admii the circumftance juft mentioned to conftitute a fpe- cific difference ; and it will be prudent to wait the dccifion of accurate obfervation. IX. The CEYLON THRUSH. Le Plaftron-Koir tie Ct-ilu>i, Buff. Turdus Zcyknus, Linn, and Gtncl. Merula Tci-quata Capitis Dona Spti, BriiT. The Green Pje of Ceylon, Edw. I beftovv a feparate name on this bird, be- caufe thofe who have feen it do not agree with regard to the fpecies to which it belongs. Brif- fon makes it a Blackbird, and Edwards a Pie or a Shrike. For my own part, I conceive it to be a Ring-Ouzel, not venturing, however, to de- cide, till farther information clear up the fub- jea. iht EUROPEAN BBACKBIRDS. 333 je XL The BROWN BLACKBIRD of the CAPE of GOOD HOPE. ' Turdus Btcolor, Gmel. The H^hite-rumped Thrujh, Lath. We are indebted to Sonnerat for this new fpe- cies. It is nearly the fize of the Blackbird j ics total length ten inches, and its wings extend a little beyond the middle of the tail. Almoft all its plumage is of a varying brown, with reflex- ions of dulky green : the belly and rump arc white. XIL The .;*.ll the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 337 XIT. The BANIAHBOU of Bengal. Turdui Canoriis LnntHt Faujlui, Linn, and Gmcl. Merula BengaUnJis, BriJT. The Broivn Indian Thriijh, Ed>v. The Crying I'brujh, Lath. Its plumage is every where brown ; deeper on the upper-part of the body, lighter on the under, and alfo on the edge of the coverts and wing-quills ; the bill and legs are yellow ; the tail tapered, about three inches long, and ex- tending half its length beyond the clofed wings. Such are the chief circumftances which charac- terize this foreign bird, the fize of which fome- what exceeds that of the Throftle, Linnasus informs us, on the authority of fome Swedish naturalifts who had travelled into Ada, that the fame bird occtirs in China ; but it feems there to have been afFeded by the cli- mate, being gray above and ruft-coloured be- low, with a white flreak on each fide of the head. The epithet of canorus^ which Linnseus bellows on it, no doubt from accurate information, im- plies that thefe foreign Blackbirds have an agree- able warble. ■ i ■; •' , ' ■ , ' 1 * ' 1 . . = ■ t it' - \ ^^ ilii'' ■ 1 \ . : "i*., : ■ VOL, III. XIII. The I 338 FOREIGN BIRDS rtlattd to XIII. The CINEREOUS BLACKBIRD. in VOurovnng, OU Merle C.indre dt Madaga/car, BufF. ^tirdks-Urcvaiig, Gmcl. MiriJa Madagajairifiijts Ciiierea, Urifl". The name Cinereous Blackbird gives a very jiift idea of the predominant colour of the plum- age : but the intcnfity is not every where the fame : it is very deep, almoll black, with a flight tinge of green on the long and narrow feathers that cover the head : it is lighter without mix- ture of other tinge on the quills of the tail and of the wings, and on tlie great coverts of the lyltcr. It has an olive caft on the upper-part of the body, on the fmail coverts of the wings, on the neck, en the throat, and on the bread. LaPily, it is lighter under the body, and about the lower belly, and there is a flight tinge of yellow. This Blackbird Is nearly as large as our Red- Wing, but its tail is rather longer, its wings fomewhat fliorter, and its legs much fhorter. Its bill is yellow, as in our Blackbirds, marked near the end with a brown ray, and furniflied with fomc briftles round the bafe ; its tail con- fifts of twelve equal quills, and its legs are of a brown colour. I'M} 4 XIV. The "" EL'ROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. ,, XIV. T^- PIGEON THRUSH. ^"rdusColumLinus, Gnjcl. liar, and feeks the con '• " ""'"""x *»'"!- geon-houfe.. But' i If m "'" '" "'= P'- ■nore than the S "e „ f 1 ' "" '^'^^'=''=^'» only reaeh the midd'e of I ta 7'""",' "'■'^'' " nearly that of the rIi w ' ^'^ ^'' '^""' age eonfifts of one ofoj" H '"^'Z"'' "' ''''""- «hi. i. a varying 4et^hr^' "°' """°™ ' Pofition. haf dK' r r ■ "'? ^'•'"S 'o "^ This fpecies is new . ' ""'' ■'^'''--'^ions. to Sonnerat Th ' ^' ="'" '"''^'"«' ^r it c Cape of pood Hope, fome ind J^e brought from th jongtothefamefp, "'g their ividuals that evidently be- iec.es, but Which diflir in hav- fump white, both on th under furfaee and in I • ,°" ""-' "PP<^f a'"' •'eafcribedtocir""^'™^"-- '"'" •'■^- e or to a"-e * ? tins .Specific charaacr of -"hdfent coloured re/e;;:: the Turdus Columhim fus It IS green. Z 2 M XV. Th^ 1. 'I* •1 ' 'i I' '-,'! i.-; 4.' ^•:r ii'-..r 5' * ■ ri !:■ I •..f('' ■■■ ■ - 4"^' .'II M' 340 FOREIGN BIRDS related to A . XV. The OLIVE THRUSH. he Merle Olive dti Cape de Bonne E/perancCf BufF. Tardus OUvaceits, Linn, and Gmel. The upper- part of the body of this bird, in- duding what appears of the quills, of the tail, and of the wings, when they are clofed, is of an olive-brown ; the neck and the breaft are of the fame colour as the throat, but without ftreaks ; all the reft of the under-part of the body is of a fine fulvous colour : laftly, the bill is brown, as well as the legs, and the infide of the quills of the wings and the lateral quills of the tail. This Blackbird is as large as a Red-Wing ; its alar extent near thirteen inchcvS, and its total length eight and a quarter ; the bill is ten lines> the leg fourteen ; the tail, which confifts of twelve equal quills, is three inches long ; and the wings, when doled, reach only half its length *. * Specific charafter of the Tardus Oli-vaceiis ;— " It is fomewhat *• duflcy, below dulky." M XVI. The * ^™OPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 341 XVI. The BLACK-THROATED ^^ ^l^'-^e^a Gorge Non-e,cS. THRUSH. aiut Di cmingue. Buff. fpace between the ev^ = j ^l ' *"''«^en on the other it defcen \?:;:,V 't!"^ ^"""^ *«= torder, with different ttd7A "^°"' extends upon the eyes amJ, °\'^'-°"'n. which *e top of the head thf "^''-Ifo'-P^rtof Pofterior f„face of he nee^ th"e h't'"'' "^^ ftiall coverts of the wini ^'"'^' *"« h°dyj •W"'y ove h thlT'^'r'- -'''■"ttered on :ii# i mm life. ..liufh'iht- : a^il •«■,•<, if'' ■.■•:i l'j.,« 1 -?■■ 34* FOREIGN BIRDS nlaied to on the outfide with a blackifli colour ; the bill and the legs are black. This bird, which has not been hitherto de- fcribed, is nearly of the bulk of the Red-Wing ; its total length is about feven inches and a half, its bill one inch, its tail three ; and its wings, which are very Ihort, reach fcarcely the fourth of its tail. M XVII. The CANADA BLACKBIRD. This refembles the mofl: the Mountain Black- bird, which is only a variety of the Ring Ouzel. It is fmaller, but its wings bear the fame propor- tion to its ta.i, not reaching beyond the middle, and the colours of its plumage, which are not very t'ifTerent, are diftributed in the fame man- ner. The ground colour is conftantly dark- brown, variegated with lighter fliades in every part, except in the quills of the tail and of the wings, which are of an uniform blackiih brown. The coverts of the wings have reflexions of a deep but fhining green ; all the other feathers are blackifh, and terminated with rufous, which, disjoining them from one another, produces a regular variety, fo that the feathers may be counted from the rufoua fpots. U XVIIL Tlie ; the bill therto de- ed-Wing ; md a half, its wings, the fourth BIRD. :ain Black- ing Ouzel, ne propor- he middle, ch are not fame man- ntly dark- s in every and of the :iili brown* xions of a er feathers Dus, which, produces a 's may be M :VIIL The "^ EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. xviir. The INDIAN OLIVE BLACKBIRD. "TurJus Indian, Gmel. 1""'* of „,e vvl 1 f T'''"'^ °*" "'^ All the under.p f;/;A,t; '"P ""^^'S^-"- but of a lighter ti ,1c , . , "f ^'•"'""l-colour, i°- Th/i,::e ! irof hf ™« "p- ^^'- brown, ecl-ed mnN • , ^'ng-qmlls are the Red-Wing, ,. whole legSs eiTf" V*""" "s alar extent twelve and a flir-f^ ,'"*"'• -^ a half, i. hi,, thh^ee. ,ii ^ W "?"^ - .-., .,.en e,ofed reaeh 'to-^Ilrddt XIX. The INDIAN CINEREOUS BLACKBIRD. S^'/rrt'w Cinereus, Gmel ^/^^ ^Jh-cokured nr„p. Lath ""uer. J he great co- ^ verts 34T Mil'' ''^I 4 ^ hi' ft £ ' ' n\ •■ J: 'r' *.'..* „ • A* , ^ : . ■ »' J - ', f 4 1 jjif '..'..' y* ' '. 'it . ' :•» 1 • 1 : , If I) ft ( ' I., It . Ill 344 FOREIGN BIR'DS related to verts and the quills of the wings are edged with white-gray on the outfide j but the middle quills have this edging broader. They have likewife another border of the fame colour on the infide, from their origin, to two-thirds of their length. Of the twelve tail-quills, the two middle ones are cinereous, like the upper- part of the body ; the two following are partly of the fame colour, but their infide is black : the eight others are entirely black, as alfo the bill, the legs, and the nails. The bill has fome blackifh briftles near the angles of its opening. — This bird is fmaller than the Red- Wing ; it is feven and a quarter in length, twelve and two-thirds alar extent ; its tail is three inches, its bill eleven lines, and its leg ten. iii i4 m lii .1 VJ- B! Am ■' n II XX. The BROWN BLACKBIRD of Senegal. Turdus Senegalenjts, Gmel. Merula Senegalenjis , Briff. The Senegal Thrujh, Lath, Nothing can be more uniform and ordinary than the plumage of this bird, or more eafy to defcribe. It is grayifh brow^n on the upper and anterior parts, dirty white on the under-part, brown on the quills of the tail and of the wings, and alfo on the bill and legs. It is not fo large as the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 34S with ewile nfide, :ngth. ones body i :olour, ;rs are .nd the es near fmaller quarter :nt; its and its knegah ordinary [e eafy to Ipper and ider-part, le wings, fo large as as the Red- Wing, but its tail is longer, and its bill fhorter. Its whole length, according to Briflbn, is eight inches ; its alar extent eleven and a half, its tail three and a half, its bill nine lines, its leg eleven. Its wings do not reach farther than the middle of its tail, which confifts of twelve quills. XXI. The TANOMBE, or the MADAGASCAR BLACKBIRD. Titrdus MadagafcarienfiSy Gmel. Merula Madagafcarienjis , Briff. Tkc Madagajcar 'Thrujh, Lath. I have retained the name by which this bird IS known in its native region. It is to be wifhed that travellers would thus preferve the real names of the foreign birds j we fhould then be able to diftinguifli the fpecies to which each obfervation applied. The Tanombc is rather fmaller than the Red- Wing ; its plumage is in general of a very deep brown on the head, neck, and all the upper-part of the body ; but the coverts of the tail and wings have a tinge of green. The tail is a gold green, edged with white, as alfo the wings, which have, befides, fome violet changing into green -I ,, ;::f*y- . . I. ^ ... M' , ., V , . ■; '»!:■■ ■; :**'•: m II r ll 3|6 FOREIGN BIRDS re/ated to green at the tips of the great quills, a colour of polifhed fteel on the middle quills and the great coverts, and an oblong mark of fme gold- yellow on the fame middle quills. The breaft is of a rufous brown, the reft of the under-part of the body white ; the bill and legs are black, and the tarfus very fliort. The tail is fomewhat forked ; the wings reach only to the middle, but its alar extent is greater in proportion than in the Red- Wing. I may obferve, that in a fubjedl which I had occafion to fee, the bill was more hooked at the point than reprefented in the figure, and in this refped the Tanombe feems to refemble the Solitary Blackbird. XXII. The MINDANAO BLACKBIRD. Turdus Mindanenjis, Gmel, The Mindanao Thrujh, Lath. The fteel colour which appears on part of the wings of the Tanombe, is, in the Mindanao Blackbird, fprcad over the head, the throat, the neck, clK breaft, and all the upper-part of the body as far as the end of the tail. The wings have a white bar near their outer margin, and the reft of the under-part of the body is white. This m ilour of e great • yellow is of a t of the and the forked ; its alar le Red- t which hooked ire, and mble the IRD. ft of the lindanao |roat, the tt of the le wings rin, and [white. This the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 347 This bird exceeds rot feven inches in length, and its wings reach only the middle of the tail, which is fomewhat tapered. — It is a new fpecies, introduced by Sonnerat. Daubenton the younger has obferved another individual of the lame kind, in which the ends of the long quills of the wings and of the tail are of a deep varying green, with feveral fpots of wavy-violet on the body, but chiefly behind the head. It is perhaps a female, or elfe a young male. xxiir. The GREEN BLACKBIRD of the Ifle of Francr. Turd'is Maurhianus, Gmel. The Mauritius Thriijh, Latli. The plumage of this bird Is quite uniform, all the oulfidc being bluifli green, verging to brown, but its bill and legs cinereous. It is imaller than the Rcd-VVing; its length is about feven inch- es, its alar extent ten and a half, its bill ten lines, and its wings reach to the third of its tail, which is only two inches and a half. The feathers that cover the head and neck are long and narrow.— |t is a new fpecies. XXIV. The m\ * t r ../ > ' '\kt :■■■' . ■:.'M ■ :i#ii:Ki^ A, 348 FOREIGN BIRDS related t» V\t u XXIV. The BLACK CASQLTE, or the BLACK- HEADED BLACKBIRD of the Cape of Good Hope. Though at (irft fight this bird feems to re- femhle moft in its plumage that of the follow- ing article, the Brunet^ and particularly the Tellozv-rumped Blackbird of Senegal^ which I confider as a variety of the fame fpecies, we ftill perceive obvious differences in its colour, and more important ones in the proportions of its limbs. It is not fo large as the Red- Wing ; its total length nine inches, its alar extent nine and a half, its tail three and two-thirds, its bill thirteen lines, and its leg fourteen. Its wings, therefore, fprcad lefs than thoie of the Brunet, but its bill, tail, and legs, are proportionably longer. Its tail is alfo of a different form, and confifts of twelve tapered quills ; each wing has nineteen, of which the longefl: are the fifth and the fixth. With regard to its plumage, it refembles that bird in the brown colour of the upper-part of its body, but it differs by the colour of its helmet, which is of a fhining black ; by the rufous co- lour of its rump, and of the upper-coverta of its tail ; by the rufty caft of its throat, and of the whole of the under-part of its body, as far as 7 the '*' EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. ,,, white rpot whic^app ;"::'=■;■ 'y ."- '•■"■•'" which belongs to ^he ,. """. '"'"e-^. ■•""1 l^'ft'y. by the white mTi-f''''='^'' = ^'"l lateral one,,, and w ^h J T ''™*""^-^ "'« nearer the outfide '■^"' "' ""= 1'"" » i*/.- !=»* '■ . ' I H i .f-' XXV. The BRUNET of the Cape of G I'r^"/ y'"f-' ^mn. and GmeJ ooJ Hope. '"'• is,.M, n„,jh, i,„i,. "^ .Vo, Jiy The predominant colour rf ,? , ""« bird is deep brown n, , '''"""'S^ °f 'he head, the nod !,?',.' '" 'P''^''"'' °vcr •""fy. the tail, ani'wi" ?: i:'"-''"-';'"^ ^' "- 0" the breaft and (Ides ? ' "„""'''^'' ''«'"« the belly and thighs and „ '" °"'"^ '''^ °" tiful yellow on fhe' l„ ^'''"' ''''" '° ^ beau- This yellow J t , Z' ™""' °' "^ '-''• is contrafted with t^^etl ;°'"''^'^-"""^' -' " tail, which are of rmr? °'''"'^"'''^'>f ''- than above. The bi ^f ' '''■""•" ''^'^^^ black. ■"" ""'' ''£^ '-"-e entirely TJii li r-4 ?«-.,V ' >^ 3S«> FOREIGN BIRDS relatid t» .« J 1 1 y ^ si 11 pi li 1 ■ •" 1 ■ ■' 1 "■ •* vSl w 11 M 9hi« \ -, ''-a w^ r !r M ' i I % * »(.■ 'N n lit This bird is not larger than a Lark ; its winga meafure ten inches and a half acrofs, and hardly reach to the third of its tail, which is near three inches long, and confifts of twelve equr\l quills *. • Specific charaiflcr of the Tunlns Capntjis ;— «* It is dufky, its " belly fonicwhat ycllowilh, its vent yellow." VARIETY of the CAPE BRUNET. The bird reprefented PI. EnL No. 317, by the name of the Tcllow-rumpcd Blackbird of Senegal '^^ is much analogous to the Brunet, only it is rather larger, -and its head and throat are black. The remaining parts are of the fame colour in both, and nearly of the fame propor- tions ; which would lead us to fuppofe that it is a variety produced by difference of age or of fex. But having occafion afterwards to obfcrve that, among a great number of birds fent by Sonnerat, many marked " Cape Blackbirds'' were exa£lly like the fubjeift defcribed by Brif- fon, and not one with a black head and throati it feems more probable that the bird, No. 317, is only a variety derived from climate. The bill of this bird is broader at the bafe, and more curved than that of»thc ordinary Blackbird. • Merle a cul-jaiine du Siufgcl, XXVI. The ''' EUROPEAN I5LACKBIROS. ZSi XXVI. Til c I3R0WN JAMAICA BLACKBIRD. 7< iru.a 'iiraiitii/s ■imal Menda Fu/ca, R Gmcf. r, '^'/■''=ff'!-'ite.c}y,nmUn,ujf,^ i lent. ath. Beep l)r ^eep hrovvn Is tJie pre head, the upper.part of " Js the predominant coIo and the tail ; brown tiic body, th fore- fide of the breaft wliitc under the belly, lower- - - ^f '-1 lighter fliad w of the ^ ^vinp-s O 1 and of tl e on the le neck:. feat white is fi: and fo er-part of th » and on the ix[\ of '^o^y- Thcmofl dirty th( "'•ein tills birdi. that M .u '^^'"^''^ablc "t' the iegs orange. Irs inches four line Its •oat and biij ^rc cxtr-ine lenn-tPi :« iii "^e hues, its tail two incl >/ extent nine inch i^nie lines, its U^ t hill el ^vo inches and ^CS ^-^Ci cJL^ht C3 or <-^^tn lines; all En^rli.'] qnartcr, it^ pears then that it S'-n mearore. Jt W forefts JS not ib Jaro-p c?n. '^"S- ItrcnerulIvV "' ^^•?:^ ^^ our Red fa I ^cneially haunts t/ie mr..,,...:.,. .Slo: and is cfteemed e niountains and ne informs u i^rudure of this bird orange-yellow *. * Specific charafler of tl ifii-brovvn, th with g^od eating. All tl '^'V^^ to the interi 'lat ^^ that its fat is of or an le tilJ and Jcg s orange "PFr-paitoHt. throat /'^VT/. ai.d i;s heJI 's h.'acJ:. '^n, its y vviiitiil- XXVIf. T\u '111. I ■f ;j H .! y II' t t i 1 !'. i' ■• Bit *, i! 1 352 FOREIGN BIRDS related t» XXVII. The CRAVATED BLACKBIRD of Cayenne. 7'urJiis Cinnamomeus, Gmcl. Thi Black-breajkd i'hrujh. Lath, The cravat of this Blackbird is very broad, of a fine black edged with white ; it extends from the bale of the lower mandible, and even from the fpace included between the upper man- dible and the eye, as far as the middle of the bread, where the white border widens, and is marked with tranfverfe rays of black : it covers the fides of the head as far as the eyes, and in- clofes three-fourths of the circumference of the neck. The coverts of the wings are of the fame black as the collar ; but the fmall ones are tipt with white, which produces fpeckles of that co- lour ; and the two rows of great coverts have a fulvous edging. The reft of the plu.nage is cinnamon colour, but the bill and legs are black. This Blackbird is fmaller than our Red- Wing ; the point of its bill is hooked as in the Solitary Thruflies. Its whole length is about feven inches, its tail two and a half, its bill eleven lines, and its wings, which are fliort, extend but a little way beyond the orijrm of the tail. M - XXVIII. The Il-'' iht EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. ?fi •-H^li ' xxviir. The CRESTED BLACKBIRD of the Cape of Good Hope* TiiiJui CafiT, Linn, and Ginct. Tht Cape Thrufi, Lath. <■' The creft is not permanent ; it ^onfifts long narrow feathers, which naturally recline on the top of the head, but which the bird can briftle at pleafure. Its colour, and that of the head and the breaft, is a line black, with violet reflexions ; the fore-fide of the neck and breail have the fame wavy glofs on a brown ground. This brown is fpread on all the upper-part of the body, and extends over the neck, the coverts of the wings, part of the tail-quills, and even un- der the body, where it forms a fort of broad cincture which pafles under the belly ; but in all thcfe places it is foftened by a whitifli colour which edges and defines each feather, in the fame way nearly as in the Ring Ouzel. The lower coverts of the tail are red, the up- per white, the abdomen alio white, and the bill and legs black. The corners where the bill opens are fhaded with long black briftles projeding forwards. This Blackbird is fcarcely larger than the Crefled Lark. Its wings meafure eleven or twelve inches ricrofs, and when clofed do not VOL, III, A A reach '%\ :k: 'J '^Viil-^J 1 :^1!''';'! 354 FOREIGN BIRDS related td t .' I - IT 'i ' 'tv If ' 1 : ' learh thr- middle of the t.ilV T!ie longed fea- thers a.c ^he fourth and fifth, and the firftis the fhorteft of ail * , . • Specific charafter oi xhe Tardus Cafer:—'" It is fomewbar, " crellcd, its lump and belly white, its vent red." M XXIX. The Alvll OYNA BLACKBIRD. Turdus Amhotnenjis, Gmel. The Amioina'J hriijh. Lath. I allow this bud to remain in the place af- figned it '^" PrifTon, though I am not quite cer- tain whether it really belongs to this genus. Seba, who firO noticed it, tells us that he ranged It among tit Kirhtingales, on account of the fweetncls of ito fong ; it not only chants its loves in the fpring, but ereds its long beautiful tail, and bends it in a liiigular manner over its back. All the upper- part of its body is reddifli browji, including the tail and the wings, except that thele are marked with a yellow fpot j all the under- part of the body is of this lall colour, but the lower fur.^ace ( f the tail-quills is golden. Thele are twelve in number, and regularly diminifh- , ( !T '^ iff S '" XXX. The ■If .. ' , . .( t^e EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. XXX. 355 ,,| Hi. ,1 im:^ The BLACKBIRD of the Ide of Bouiboa. 'Turdiis Borl'ciiica, Gmel. The Bourbon Thrti/J.', Lath. The fize of this bird is nearly that of tlie Crefted Lark ; it is (tw^n inches and a half long, and eleven and one-third acrofs the wings ; its bill ten or eleven lines, its legs the fame, and its wings reach not to the middle of its tail, which is three inches and a half long, and confequently almoft half the whole length of the bhd. The top of the head is covered with a fort of black cap ; all the reft of the upper-part of the body, the fmall coverts of the wings, the whole of the tail and breaft, are of an olive-afh colour ; the reft of the under-part of the body is olive, verging on yellow, except the middle of the belly, which is whitifh. The great coverts of the wings are brown, with fome mixture of ru- fous ; the wing-quills are parted by^ thefe two colours ; the brown being placed within anr' neath, the rufous before. We muft, howe. , except the three middle- quills, which are en- tirely brown ; thofe of the tail are brown alfo, and interfered near their end by two bars of different fhades of brown, but from the fime- nefs of the ground colour they are very iadil- tin(ft : the bill and legs are ydlovvilh. :» :■■'■■ i I* ; ■■ :|, mm' •i li F I 1 !■'' ■•:\V v4i:-' A A 2 XXXI. The i: 11^ mK P |i : I' 1 i'" 1 m>- ^ 35^ FOREIGN BIRDS related t9 XXXI. The DOMINICAN BLACKBIRD of the Philippines. VurJus Domiiiicantis, Gmel, The Dominican Thriifl}, Lath; The length of the wings is one of the mod temarkable charaders of this new fpecies ; they reach as far as the tail. Their colour, as well as that of the under-fide of the body, is brown, on which appear a few irregular fpots of the colour of polifhed fleel, or rather of changing violet*. This brown ground afl'umes a violet caft at the origin of the tail, and a greenifli at the end ; it is lighter on the fide of the neck, and becomes •whitifh on the head and all the lower-part of the body. The bill and legs are light brown. This bird is fcarcely iix inches long. It is a nev/ fpecies, for which we are indebted to Son- nerat. • Thefe violet fpots, irregularly fcattered on the upper-fide of the body, have led Daubcnton the younger to I'uppofe, that tiiis Individual was killed at the dole of the moulting feafon, before the true colours of its plumage had liability. m ■, T' ' » Hi'' xxxir. The GREEN CAROLINA BLACKBIRD. Catcfby, who obferved this bird in its native region, informs us, that it is fcai-gely larger than a Lark, *v:>i,i>:';i the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 357 Lark, and its figure Is nearly the fame ; that it is extremely fliy, and conceals itfelf dexteroufly ; that it haunts the banks of the large rivers, two or three hundred miles from the fea, and flies with its feet extended backwards (as ufual in thofe of our own birds, whofe tails are very ihort), and that its fong is loud. It probably fubfifts on the feeds of the purple-flowered night- ihade. All the upper-part of the body is of a dull green, the eye is almoft encircled with white, the lower jaw delicately edged with the fame colour ; the tail brown ; the under-fides of the body, except the lower belly, which is whitiflj, the bill and the legs, black : the quills of the wings do not reach much beyond the origin of the tail. The total length of the bird is about feven inches and a quarter, its tail three, its leg twelve lines, its bill ten. * v., Iv ■ ■f'ji i*' ■ .• r •..'.(■ -rH- , f,' XXXIII. "■.Ir'l'i'i^^ The TERAT BOULAN, or the INDIAN BLACKBIRD. Tiirdus Orientalis, Gmel. Meriila Indica, Brifl". 7/'? Ajh-rumped Thrujh, Lath. I'he chara£lers of this fpecies are thefe : The bill, legs, and toes, are proportionably Ihortcr A A 3 than YV 5S FOREIGN BIRDS related to )"■ \^' ■f! i: i 1.4 ^ ' - k - • than in the others ; the tall is tapered, hut dlf- lerently from ordinary ; the fix middle quills arf of equal lengths, and it is properly the three lareral quHls on each fide that are tapered. The upper-part of the body, the neck, the head, and tlie tail, are Mack, the rump cinereous, and the three lateral feathers on each fide tipt with white. The fame white prevails on all the under-part of the body and of the tail, on the fore-fide of the neck, and of the throat, and extends both ways over the eyes ; but on each fide a fmall black ftreak rifes at the bafe of the bill, and* feems to pafs under tlie eye, and extend beyond it. The great quills of the wings are blackifli, edged half-way with white on the infide; the middle quills, and alfo the great coverts, are likewife edged with white, but on the outfide, and through their whole length. This bird is rather larger than the Lark ; its alar extent is ten inches and a half, and its wings extend a little beyond the middle of its tail. Its length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, is fix inches and a half, and to the end of the nails five and a half; the tail is two and a half, the bill eight lines and a half, the kg nine, and the middle toe feven. XXXIV. The the EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 359 XXXIV. The SAUI JALA, or the GOLDEN BLACK- BIRD of Madagafcar. Tuy^us Nigerrimus, Gmel, JMentla Madagajcarknjis Auvca, Briff. The BU\<.k-chicLed Thrujb, Lath. This fpecies, which is an inhabitant of the ancient continent, retains in part the pkunage of our Blackbirds. Its bill, legs, and nails, are blackifli ; it has a fort of collar of line velvet black, which pafles under the throat, and extends only a little beyond the eyes ; the quills of the tail and of the wings, and the plumage of the reft of the body, are always black, but edged with lemon colour, as they are edged with gray in the Ring Ouzel ; fo that the Ihape of each feather is beautifully defined on the contiguous feathers which it covers. This bird is nearly of the fize of tl r Lark ; its alar extent is nine inches and a half, and its tail is fhorter than in our Blackbirds, in pro- portion to the total length of the bird, which is live inches and three quarters, and alfo in pro- portion to the length of its winr^s which ftretch almoft to two-thirds of its tail. The bill is ten lines, the tail fixteen, the lei^s eleven, and the middle toe ten. \^-i w ' ■' mm- A A 4 XXXV. The i *'9 11 ImK mL ' mm I • mB» 1 ■ 1 1 :t?- 1^ 3<5o FOREIGN BIRDS re/ated ti XXXV. The SURINAM BLACKBIRD, 7'urdiis Surinamus, Gmel. Meni/et Stirina tnjis, Briiu The Suiinam Thrujht Lath. We find in this American Blackbird the famo ground colour that predominates in the commoa Blackbird. It is almoft entirely of a (hining black, but diverfified by other tints. On tha crown of the head is a yellovvifh fulvous plate ; on the bread are two marks of the fame colour, but of a lighter Ihade ; on the rump is a fpot of the fame hue ; on the wings is a white line that borders them from their origin to the third joint j and laftly, under the wings is white, which pre-^ vails over all the lower coverts : fo that in flying this bird difcovers as much white as black. Its legs alfo are brown, and its bill only blackilb ; and alfo the wing-quills, and all thofe of *.lie tail, except the two firll and the laft, which are a yellowilh fulvous colour at their origin, but only in the infide. The Surinam Blackbird is not larger than a Lark ; its whole length is fix inches and a half j its alar extent nine and a half; its tail three yearly ; its bill eight lines, and its legs feven or eight ; laflly, its wings ftretch beyond the mid- dle of its tail, X^XVI. Tho m Ike EUROPEAN BLACKUIRPS, 3^* XXXVI. The P A L M I S T E. Tiinliis Pahnarum, Linn, and Gmel. The Palm Thrujh, Lath. This bird owes its name to its habits of lodg* ing and nc.ftling in palm-trees, where it no doubt gathers its food. Its bulk is equal to that of the Lark ; its length is fix inches and a half, its alar extent ten and one-third, its tail two and a halfj and its bill ten lines. What ftrikes us firft in the plumage is a fort of large black cap, which defcends both ways lower than the ears, and is marked on each fide with three white Ipots, the one near the forehead, the other above the eye, and the third below it. The neck is afh-coloured behind where it is not co- vered by this black cap, and white before, as alfo the throat. The breaft is cinereous, and the reft of the under-part of the body is white- gray. The upper-part of the body, including the fmall coverts of the wings, and the twelve quills of the tail, is of a beautiful olivc-grcen ; the parts of the wing-quills that appear arc of the fame colour, and the reft is brown. The bill and legs are cinereous. — The wings ftrctcli a little beyond the middle of the tail. The bird, which Briflbn has made another fpetjies of the Palmifle, differs from the preceding ;;'H- 'A&- 362 FOREIGN BIRDS ulaied t9 in nothing but tliar its cap, inftead of beinq; en- tirely blac'c, has an afli-coloured ?)ar on the top cf the liead, and has rather lefs white under rhe body. Bur in every other refped the rel'ein- blance is cxa£t, and not a word of the defcrip- tion needs to be altered; and as they inhabit tlie fame country, I do not hefitate to ronclude that thefe two individuals belong to the fame fpecies, and I am difpolbd to think that the firll is the male, and the fecoud the female. It- XXXVIL i'hc WHITE-BELLIED VIOLET BLACK- BIRD of Juida. T:iyJiis LcHCignfl^r, Gnicl. 7'6t Whidab Thrujh, Lath. 7'he name of this bird contains almoft a com- plete de!"cription of its phunage. I need only add, ihat the great wing-quills are blackilh, that the bil! i > of the fame colour, and the legs cine- reous, it is rather fnialler than the Lark ; its length is about fix inches and a half, its alar ex- tent ten and -a half, its tail lixtcen lines, its bill right, its legs nine. — The wings ilretch three- fourths of the tail. XXJCVIII. Th; w ile EUROPEAN BLACKBIRDS. 3^3 inq: en- the top tier fhe relein- jefcvip- in habit onclude le iame ihe fii-a iLACK- a com- ;ed only :lih, that ^s cine- ark ; its alar ex- its bill h threc- XXXVIII. The RUFOUS BLACKBIRD of Cayenne. TurJtis Riiffrons, Gmel. The Rufctii Thrujh, Lath. The front and fides of its head, the throat, and all the fore-part of its neck and belly, are rufous. The top of the head^ and all the up- per-part of the body, including the fuperior co- verts of the tail, and the quills of the wings, brown ; the fuperior coverts of the wings black, edged with bright yellow, which is confpicuous on the ground colour, and terminates each row of thefe by a waving line. The lower coverts of the tail are white ; the tail, the bill, and the legs, are cinereous. This bird is fmaller than the Lark ; its total length is only fix inches and a half. I could not meafure it acrofs the wings ; but thefe were certainly not broad, for when clofed they did not reach beyond the coverts of the tail. The bill and the legs are each eleven or twelve lines. •Yi.f; ■ •.■ i.i"*;r'i XXXIX. The III. The • f«. ", ^^4 FOREIGN BIRDS related t^ XXXIX. The LITTLE RUFOUS THROATED BROWN BLACKBIRD of Cayenne. VurJus Pii'lorali], Lath. Ind. 7"/^ Velh^vbreflJledThruJh, Latli. 1 fcarccly need add any thing to this defcrip- lion. The rufous extends over the neck and breaft ; the bill is cinereous black, and the legs greenifli-yellow. It is nearly of the fize of the Goldfinch ; its total length is hardly five inches, the bill feven or eight lines, the legs eight or nine ; and the wings reach beyond the mid- dle of the tail^ which in all is only eighteen lines* XL, The OLIVE BLACKBIRD of St, Domingo T'uriiu.i Hi/faniolenjjs, Gmel. ^Inula Olivacea Dominicenjis, Brin*. ^he Hil'paniola ThrujJjt Latli. The upper-part of its body is olive, and the under gray, mixed confufedly with the fame colour. The inner webs of the tail-quills, of thofe of the wings, and of the great coverts of 1 2 thefc, tiji EUROPEAN BLACK:BIRDS. 36S *M ne. defcrip- eck and the legs ;e of the e inches, eight or the mid- eighte:ii )omingo and the Ihe fame mills, of Everts of thefc, thele, are brown, edged with white or whitifh ; the bill and legs are grayifli-brown. This bird is fcarcely larger than the Petty Chaps ; its whole length is fix inches, its alar extent eight and three-quarters, its tail two, its bill nine lines, its legs of the fame length j its wings reach beyond the middle of its tail, which confifts of twelve equal quills. We may confider the Olive Blackbird of Cay-' enne^ PI. Enl. No, 558, as a variety of this; the only difference is, that the upper-part of the body is of a browner green, and the under of a lighter gray ; the legs are aUb more blackifli. XLI. The OLIVE BLACKBIRD of Barbary. Mr. Bruce faw, in Barbary, a Blackbird, which was larger than the Miflel ; all the upper-part of the body was an olive yellow, the fmall co- verts of the wings the fame colour, with a tinge of brown, the great coverts and the quills black, the quills of the tail blackifli, tipt with yellow, and all of equal length ; the under-part of the body of a dirty white, the bill reddifli brown, the legs (hort and lead-coloured ; the wings reached only to the middle of the taiU It refembles much the Barbary Throftl^ already defcribed. M 'UK ■'in'- ' ' I - ■!■ ■ . . '-€'ih' >><:*' \ i -^ 1 366 FOREIGN BIRDS n-latcd to defciibed, but it has no fpeckles on its breaft ; and befides, there are other differences, wliich would lead us to refer them to two diftincl\ fpecics. XLir. The MOLOXITA, or the NUN of Abyflinia. Turdiis M(.'.ia'\ C3' H; Ik .' ". : -i 372 THE AZURIN. deeply indented, and which runs almoft parallel to the margin of the clofed wing. The bill and legs are brown. This bird is rather larger than a Blackbird ; its whole length is eight inches and a half, its tail is two and a half, its bill twelve lines, and its legs eighteen. The wings, when clofed, reach almoil to the middle of the tail. m f 373 3 The S H O R T TAIL. Lis Breves, BufF. "^Tature has eftablifhed important diftinc- "^ tions between thefe birds and the Black- birds ; and I therefore do not hefitate to range them feparately. The Ihortnel's of the tail, the thicknefs of the bill, and the length of the legs, are charaderiftic features ; and thefe muft in- volve other differences in their port, their habits, and perhaps in their difpofitlons. We are acquainted with only four birds of this fpecies ; I fay fpecies, for the refemblancc in the plumage is fo exadt, that they muft be regarded as varieties only of a common ftem. In all of them the neck, the head, the tall, are black or partly black ; the upper-part of the body is green of various intenfity j the fuperior coverts of the wings and tail are of a fine beryl colour, with a white or whitifli fpot on the great quills of the wing ; laftly, in all, except that of the Philip- pines, the lower part of the body is yellow. I. The SHORT-TAIL PHILIPPINE*. Its head and neck arc covered with a fort of cowl entirely black, the tail of the fame colour ; the under-part of the body, including the coverts and the fmall quills of the wings neareft the back, of a deep green ; the breatt and the top of * Cor-vus Brachjuriis, var. I. Gmcl. Mcrula Viiidis Atrica- filla Moluccenfu, JirUr. B B -? the wm i* 'm 'f « ■■■ht mm ■mi mm m :■ .^l■ : '■ i) '■■■ 'v 'S ■ ■ .,:iL. I u..,J? ,ft,'!,.-v' ■.tf. ;:,''>n ■VII.' 374 THE SHORT TAIL. the belly of a lighter green ; the lower belly and the coverts of the tail of a rofe colour ; the great quills of the wings black at their origin and at their extremity, and marked with a white fpot between the two J the bill yellowiQi brown xv the legs orange. The whole length of the bird is only fix inches and a cjuarter, becaufe of its fhort tail ; but it is more than eight inches, when meafured from the point of its bill to the end of its feet. It is nearly as large as the common Blackbi-d ; its wings are twelve inches acrofs, and reach be- yond the tail, which is only twelve lines long ; the legs are eighteen. II. The SHORT TAIL which Edwards has figured, PI. 324, by the name of Short-tailed Pie of the Eajl-Indies *. Its head is not entirely black ; it has only three bars of that colour rifing from the bafe of the bill, the one ftretching over the top of the head and behind the neck, and each of the others pafling under the eye, and defcending on the fides of the neck. The two laft bars are parted from the middle one by an- other bar, which is divided length wife by yellow and white ; the yellow being contiguous to this middle bar, and the white contiguous to the black lateral bar. Alfo, the under-part of its tail and the lower belly are rofe-coloured, like the preceding ; but all the reft of the qnder-pa^t of the body is yellow, the throat white, and the * Corvus Bracl\\urus,\'Jir. 2. Gmel. CoturnixCapenJ'is, Klein. The Madras Jay, Kxy. The Bengal ^ailt AVom. ^ tail wm THE SHORT TAIL. 375 ■-'N :■! ■ : tail edged with green at the end. It was brought from the ifland of Ceylon, in. The SHORT TAIL of Bengal *. Like the firft it has the head and neck covered with a black CO t«, jut on this two large orange-co- loured eye-brows are diftindlly defined : all the under-part of the body is yellow, and what was black in the great quills of the wing in the two preceding birds, is in this of a deep green, like the back. This bird is fomewhat larger than the firft, and of the fize of an ordinary Black- bird, IV. The SHORT TAIL of Madagafcar f. The plumage of its head is alfo different from what we have juft feen; the crown is of a blackilh brown, which aflumes a little yellow behind and on the fides ; the reft is bounded by a half collar, which is black, and encircles the neck behind at its origin j and by two bars of the fame colour, which rifing from the extr*^- mity of this half collar, pafs under the cyc,^ and terminate at the bafe of both mandibles ; the tail is bprdered at the end with a beryl co- lour ; the wings are like thofe of the firft ; the throat is mottled with white and yellow, and the under-part of the body is of a colo r between yellow and brown, • Corvus Brachyurus, Gmel. Mcmla ViriMi Moluccdii/ts, BrifT. Ti>e Short tailed CrpzVf Lath. + Cervus Btachjufus, var. 3. Gmel. B B 4 !4I n , . ■. '•'<.' ■■•'J.- • ;■'!'/, 1 'I" ■' ' f Im: .■.■ If. -r] : f 376 3 The MAINATE of the Eaft Indies *. Gracula Rellgic/a, Linn, and Gmel. Mainatui, BrilT. Minor Grakle, Lath. 'nr^iiE flighteft comparifon will convince us, "■• that this bird ought to be removed from the Blackbirds, Thrufhes, Stares, and Jackdaws, with which it has been haftily ranged, and claffed with the Goulin \ of the Philippines, and cfpecially with the Martin J, which belong to the fame country, and have likewife naked fpots on the head. This bird is fcarcely larger than a common Blackbird j its plumage is entirely black, but more glofly on the upper-part of the body, the throat, the wings, and the tail, and has green and violet reflexions. "What is moft remarkable in the bird, is a double yellow comb, irregularly jagged, which rifes on. each fide of the head, behind the eye ; the two parts recline and approach each other, and on the back of the head they are parted only by a bar of long nar- * It is the Indian Stare of Bontius, the Cor-vus Javanenjis of Olbeck, and feems to be the Mtrula Perfica of Camel, (Philcf. Tranfaft. No. 285.) This lafl author fays, that " it is a fono- ♦* reus and chatte-ing bird, black, but naked about the eyes like •' the llling, bui lefs fo." A few lines below this, llling is writ- ten Itingt which is our Goulin, \ Buhl Grakle, Lath. J Paradi/e Grakle^ Lath. row Nit dies *. ince us, ed from ackdaws, jed, and ines, and lelong to ked fpots rger than ; entirely irt of the tail, and ,t is mod w comb, h fide of ts recline ,ck of the long nar- lyavanenjis of Imel, (Philcf. r it is a fono- the eyes like {llling is writ- akU, Lath. row JC^j THE MIMOIt OIIA.KLE 9 ,.1) '■If'.. '4 A ':*-'i'W' •'•1 ''^-■■■Im Alii u I'i ■ •■'5 !^'Ji-£rr;i: ■!fr iL THE M A I N A T E. 377 row feathers, which begins at the bafe of the bill ; the other feathers on the crown of the head form a fort of black velvet. The tail, which is eigliteen lines long, is yellow, but receives a reddiih tinge near the tail ; laftly, the legs are of an orange yellow. The tail of this bird is fhorter, and the wings longer, than in the com- mon Blackbird ; thefe extend within half an inch of the end of the tail, and mcafure eighteen or twenty inches acrofs. The tail confifts of twelve quills, and of thofe of the wing, the firft is the (horteft, and the third the longefl:. Such is the Mainate, No. 268, PL Etil.-^ But we muft own that this fpecies is fubjedl to great variety, both in its plumage, in its fize, and in the double comb which charaderizes it. Before entering into detail, I (hall mention that the Mainate has great talents for whi-ftling, chant- ing, and even fpeaking ; that its pronunciation is more free than that of the Parrot; that it has been called by diftinclion the Speaking Bird, and that its garrulity becomes troublefome *. ♦ Specific charafter of the Gracula Religio/a : — *' It is violet '* black, with a white fpot on the wings, and u naked yellow ftripc '< on the back of the head." It is ten inches a id a half long • lives upon fruits^ cherries, grapes, &c. M i'" rrii;. VARI- C 378 3 VARIETIES of a • MAINATE. I. The MAINATE of Briflbn. It differs from our?, bccaufe it has on the middle of the firfl quills of the wing a white fpot which docs not appear in the coloured figure ; whether that it did not exift in the iubjcd, or efcaped the de- figner ; we may obferve that the edge of the firft quills is black, even where the white fpot crolTcs them. II. The MAINATE of Bontius. Its plum- age is blue of many tints, and confequently fomewhat different from thijt of ours, which is black, with reflexions of blue, green, violet, &c. Another remarkable difference is, that this blue ground was Rrewed with fpecks, like thofe ot the Stare, in point of fhape and arrangement, but different with regard to colour j for Bontius fubjoins that they aj:e cinereous- gr a/. III. The LITTLE MAINATE of Edwards. It has the white fpot of Briffon's on its wings ; but what dillinguifties it fufficiently is, that the two crefts uniting behind the o^-f/^///, form a hatf crown, which ftretches from one eye to the other. Edwards differed one, which was a fe- male ; and notwithftanding the difproportion in point of fizc, he leaves it to be decided, whe- ther it was not a fcii;iale of the following : IV. The VARIETIKS of the MAINATE. 379 IV. The GREAT MAIN.\TE of 'Edwards*. Its crcfl is tljc fame as in the prccedinp;, and it differs from that only in fjze, and in iliglit va- riations of colour. It is nearly the bulk oC the Jay, and coofcquently double the precedinr;, and the yellow of the bill and legs has no rcddllli tinge. — We are not informed whether the cr^jfl of all theie Mainates i^ fubjedl to change of en- lour, according to the different fcafons of the year, and the various palTi js by which they arc actuated. * Gracula Rcligiofa, .. - Linn, and Ciiu.. The Grertcr Mi- nor, f.ik\}. and Lath. ' K ■\ << Pi ■(■■ ' SI ill I 380 ] The G O U L I N*. CracuJa Calva, Linn, and Gmel. Merula Calva Philippenjis, Brifl*. The Bald Grakle, Lath. rr-^iiERE are two fpecimens of this fpecies in •*' the Royal Cabinet. In both, the upper- part of the body is of a light filver-gray, the tail and wings darker, each eye encircled by a bit of fliin entirely bare, and forming an irregular cllipfe, inclined on its fide, the eye being the inner focus : laflly, on the crown of the head is a line of blackifli feathers, which runs between thefc two fkins ; but one of thefe birds is much larger than the other. The largeft is nearly of the bulk of the common Blackbird ; the under- part of its body is brown, varied with fome white fpots, the naked fkin which furrounds the eyes flefh-coloured, the bill, the legs, and the nails, black. In the fmaller, the under-part of • Camel J In the Philofophical Tranfaftions for 1703, fays, that the Go'Jin is known in the Philippine iflands by the names of Iting, Jlling, and Tabadura. He adds, that it is a fpecies of Palalacut which is a Great Woodpecker. In this lall aHertion he is perhaps niiftaken ; but there is little doubt that his Gulin or Goulin is the bird now under tonfideration. His defcription is as follows : — *« It is of the bulk of the Stare : its bill, its wings, its tail, and -'• its legs, are black, the reft filvery ; the head is naked, except « a line of black feathers that runs on the crown. It fings and *' chatters much." the cies in upper- the tail 3y a bit regular ing the he head between is much arly of under- ih fome ndsthe nd the part of fays, that ^s of Iting, Palalaca, I is perhaps ulin is the iFoUows : — Is tail, and sd, except fings and the THE GOULIN. 381 the body is of a yellowifli brown ; the bald parts of the head yellow, and alfo the legs, the nails, and the anterior part of the bill. Poivrc informs us, that this naked fkin, fometimes yellow, fome- times flefh-coloured, which furrounds the eyes, is painted with a bright orange when the bird is angry ; and this muft probably happen likewife in the fpring, when the bird burns with a paf- fior as impetuous but more gentle. I retain the name of Goulin, which it receives in the Philip- pines, becaufe it is diftlnguilhed from the Black- bird not only by the bald part on its head, but by the fhape and thicknefs of its bill. Sonnerat has brought from the Philippines a bald bird, which refembles much the one figured No. 200, PL EfiL but differs in the fize and plumage. It is near a foot in length ; the two bits of naked fkin which encircle the eyes are flefli-coloured, and parted from the crown of the head by a line of black feathers, which runs between them. All the other feathers which furround this naked fkin are alfo of fine black ; and fo is the under-part of the body, the wings, and the tail : the upper-part of the body is gray, but this colour is lighter on the 'rump and neck, deeper on the back and the loins. The bill is blackifli; the wings very lliort, and fcarcely extend beyond the origm of the tail. If the two bald Blackbirds in the Royal Cabinet bclcng to the fame fpecies, we muft regard the larger as a young fubjedt, which had not attained its full growth, M'-A A '•••■ ■■'■' d. W I ."i. 'f • •■'•V h u^ 3»t THE GOULINi growth, or received its true colours, and the Imaller as one flill younger. Thefe birds commonly neflle in the holes of trees, efpecially on the cocoa-nut tree ; they live on fruits, and are very voracious, which has given rife to ihe vulgar notion, that they have only one inteftine, which extends ftraight from the orifice of the ftomach to the anus *. * Specific charafter of the Gracula Calva: — " It is fomewhat •* alh-colotired ; its head naked on both fides." r 3^3 3 The PARADISE GRAKLE. Le Martin, BufF. Paradi/ea Trijlis, Linn, r J Gmel. ' Gracula Trifiis, Lath. Ind. Merula Philippenjjs, BrilT. 'T^HIS bird feeds upon infers, and the havoc ■*" which it makes is the more confiderable, as it has a gluttonous appetite : the various forts of flics and caterpillars are its prey. Like the Carrion Crows and Magpies, it hovers about the horfes, the oxen, and the hogs, in fearch of the vermin which often torment thefe animals to fuch a degree as to exhauft them, and even oc- cafion death. The patient Quadrupedes are glad to get rid of thefe, and fuffer, without mo- leftation, often ten or twelve Paradife Grakles to perch on their back at once : but the intruder^ are not content with this indulgence ; the fkin need not be laid bare by fome wound ; the birds will peck with their bill into the raw flefli, and do more injury than the vermin which they ex- tra£l. They may indeed be confidered as car- nivorous birds, whofe prudence direds them to attack openly none but the weak and the feeble. A young one was known to feize a rat two inches long, exclufive of the tail, dafli it re- peatedly againft the board of its cage, break the 1 5 bones, >7 r <.\^-: 't ;f.' ■;■•*' ';.'■, . ;!'v ^■' . a- ■''•:,. Iff' •' f -li :5 ' ^F, .'..'1'! ly •% Mi 'ii^^ V< :• I I' A"' 384 THE PARADISE GRAKLE. bones, and reduce every limb to a pliancy fulted to its views; and then lay hold of it by the head, and almoft in an inftant Ivvallovv it entire. It refted about a quarter of an hour to digeil ir, its wings drooping, and itvS air languid ; but, after that interval, it ran v;ith its ufual cheerfulnefs, and about an hour afterwards, having found an- other rar, it fwallowcd that as it did the firft, and with as little inconvenience. This bird is alfo very fond of grafshoppers ; and as it deftroys immenfe quantities, it is a va- luable gueft in countries curfed with thefe in- fects, and it merits to have its hiftory interwoven with that of man. It is found in India and the Philippines, and probably in the intermediate iflands ; bat it has long been unknown in that of Bourbon. Not above twenty years ago, Def- forges- Boucher, Governor- general, and Poivre, the Intcndant, perceiving this ifland defolated by grafshoppers *, deliberated ferioufly about the means of extirpating thefe infcdls ; and for that purpofe brought feveral pairs of Paradife Gra- klcs from India, with the view to multiply them, and oppofe them as auxiliaries to their formi- dable enemies. This plan promifed to fucceed ; when unfortunately fome of the colonifts, no- ticing thefe birds eagerly boring in the neu'^-fown fields, fancied that they were fearchiug for grain, * Thefe grafshoppers liad been introduced from Madagafcar, tlieir eggs being conveyed in the foil with fome plants. 8 were THE PARADISE GRAKLE. 3^^- "Were iuftantly alartned, and reported througU the whole illand that the Paicidile Grakle wag pernicious. Thecaufe was conlidered in form : in defence of the birds it was urged, that they raked in new-ploughed grounds, not for the grain, but on account of the infedts, and were i'o far beneficial. However, they were profcribed by the council, and two hours after the fentence was palfed, not one was to be found in the illand. This prompt execution was followed by a fpeedy repentance. The grafshoppers gained an afcendency, and the people, who only view the prefent, regretted the lofs of the Paradife Gra- kles. De Morave, confulting the inclinations of the fettlers, procured four of thefe birds e'ght years after their profcription. They were re- ceived with tranfports of joy. Their preferva- tion and breeding were made a ftate affair ; the laws held out to them protection, and the phy- ficians on their part declared that their flefh was unwholefome. After fo many and fo powerful expedients, the defired cH'ccl: was produced j the Paradife Grakles multiplied, and the grafshop- pers were entirely exrirpat<^d. But an oppofite inconvenience has arifen ; tic birds, fupported no longer by infedits, have had recourfc to fruits* and have fed on the mulberries, grapes, and dates. They have even icraped up the grains of wheat, rice, maize, and beans ; they have rifled the pigeon- houfes, and preyed on the young ; and thus, after freeiu';; the fettlers from the VOL. III. c c grafs- M ;5" ^tipi ■■♦•'^' 1-^ If 386 THE PARADISE GRAICLE. grafbhoppers, tliey have themfelves become a more dreadful fcourge *. Their rapid multi- plication renders it difficult to ftop their pro- grefs ; uiilefa perhaps a body of more powerful rapacious birds were employed againft them ; a plan which would foon be attended with other difficulties. The great fecret would be to main- tain a certain number of Paradife Grakles, and, at the fame time, to contrive to reftrain their farther multiplication. Perhaps an attentive ob- fervation of the nature and inftinds of grafs- hoppers, would fugged a method of getting rid of them, without having recourfe to fuch c - penfive auxiliaries. Thefe birds are not timorous, and are little diflurbcd by the report of a mufket. They commonly take pofl'eflion of certain trees, or even certain rows of trees, often very near ham- lets, to pafs the night. They alight in an even- ing in fuch immenfe bodies, that the branches are entirely :ovgred with them, and the leaves concealed. When thus alTembled, they all be- gin to chatter together, and their noify fociety is exceedingly troublcfome to their neighbours. Yet their natural fong is plealant, varied, and ex- tenfive. In the morning they difperfe into the fields, either in fmall flocks, or in pairs, accord- ing to the feafon. * They are dill more pernicious, as they devour the ufeful In- ftrfts, particularly that railed the Lii/L- Lion, which preys upon tlie woolly lice that fomuch iiijiire the coffee -ihrubs. 8 Thev THE PARADISE GRAKLE. 387 They have two hatches in fuccefTion every year, the firft being in the middle of fpring. Thefe turn out well, unlefs the feafon be rainy. Their nefts are very rude, and they take no pre- caution to prevent the wet from penetrating. They faften them in the leaves of the palm or other trees, and whenever an opportunity prc- fents, they prefer a hay-loft. Thefe birds are warmly attached to their young. When their nefts are about to be robbsd, they flutter round, and utter a fort of croaking, which indicates their rage, and dart upon the plunderer. Nor do their fruitlefs exertions extinguifli their af- fecSlion ; they follow their brood, which, if fet in a window or open place, the parents will care- fully fupply with food ; nor will they in the leaft be deterred by anxiety for their own fafety. The young Paradlfe Grakles are quickly train- ed, and eafily learn to prattle. If kept in the poultry-yard, they fpontaneoufly mimic the cries of all the domeftic animals, hens, cocks, geefe, dogs, flieep, &c. and their chattering is accom- panied with certain accents and geftures, which are full of prettinefles. Thefe birds are rather larger than the Black- birds ; their bill and legs are yellow as in thefe, but longer, and the tail fliorler. The head and neck a^e blackiflj ; behind the eye is a naked reddifh fkin, of a triangular fliape, the lower- part of the breaft, and all the upper-part of the c c 2 bod v. iSv^^'i, IMP ^v^fS ■ r 388 THE PARADISE GRAKLE. body, including the coverts of the wings and of the tail, of a chefnut brown ; the belly white, the twelve quills of the tail, and the middle quills of the wings brown ; the large ones blackifh, from the tip to the middle, and thence to their origin white ; which produces an ob- long fpot of that colour near the edge of each wing when it i<5 clofed ; and in this fituation the wings extend to two-thirds of the tail. It is fcarcely pofTible to diilinguiih the female from the male, by the external appearance ^. * The principal fads in the hiftory of this bird were commu- nicated by M. M. Sonnerat andDe la Nux, correfpondents of the Cabinet of Natural Hiftory. M !■:< i lof lite, Idle mes :nce ob- :ach Lthe i' : ' ti- i '» • .'■■ f.'ij fri'll male 'sa ;' )T ,•! ■*■ tmmu- of the M vH '■H K fy ir-if P contiguous, inhabited by a people fo rertovvncd, is not better known to us than that of Caiifoinia, or of Ja- pan §. The migrations of the Chatterers are in every country pretty regular with regard to the fea- fon ; but if thcfe be annual, as Aldrovandus was told, the birds by no means purfue con- * The fubJcL^ figured ard defcribcd in the Brilifli Zoology was killed on I'lamh' rou^h-Moor, YorklLire. The two which Dr. Liller faw were lulled near the city of York. See Philofophieal ' Tr.infadlions, No. 173, Art. 3. f A few years ilncc a Chatterer was killed at Marcilly near the Ferte-Lowendhal ; and lately four were taken at Bcaucc in the heart of winter, which had taken ihelter in a pigeon-houfe. Sa- le r n e . X Aldrovandus. § Bowles* Natural Hiftory of Spain has been fince publldi- €d. T. Gcfncr fays, that he never faw the Cliattcrcr, aud that it i;i almoA every where very rare. We may ai Icall conclude that it is rare in Switzerland. ftantly THE CHATTERER. 393 ftantly the fame route. The young Prince Adam cl'Averfperg, Chamberlain of their Im- perial Majeflies, and one of the Lords of Bo- hemia, who poirdics the moft cxtenfive chafe- grounds, and makes the noblcft uic of them, fmce he aims at the prn^refs of Natural HiRory, informs us, in a Memoir add reflcd to the Count de Buffon *, that this bird flits every three or four years f f*om the mountains of Bohemia and Stiria, iiito Auftria, in the beginning of the autunui ; tliat it returns about the end of that feafon j and that, even in Bohemia, not one is feen during the winter. However, it is faid, in Sileha, the winter is the time when thcfe birds are found on mountains. Thofc whicli have ftrayed into France and England appeared in the depth of the winter, but always in fniall num- bers : a circumftarce which would iliew that they were parted from the great body by fomc accident, and too much fatigued, or too young to recover their route. We might alfo infer, that France, England, and even Sweden, are not fituated in the courfe of the principal mi- gration ; but we cannot draw the fame con- clufion with regard to Italy, for immenfe num- bers of thefe birds have there been feveral times obferved to arrive. This was particularly the * This Prince fcnt with his Memoir a ftuflcd Chatterer froia his colledion, and prci'cnted it to the Royal Cabinet. f Otliers fay every five years, and others every fevcn years. Gesner. cafe 1 ■If •.•i'i ":•;• '.it k ' Hi!*- '■*'■, :i . •• i ■' i-J » • S ',1" l' it" > ,11} > '...»?■'; "'.;..?!-fi K I'-.'iJ''*' -I, .'■'t- 4-: f. ♦fwl 39+ THE CHATTERER. R^' cafe in 1571., in the month of December; at that time it was not uncommon to fee flocks, of an hundred or more, and forty were often caught at once. The fame event took piace in February 1530*, when Charles V. canfed him- felf to be crowned at Bologna j for in countries where theft, birds appear at diftant intervals, their vifits form an epoch in political hiflory, efpecially fuice v.hcn they are very numerous, they announce to the frightened imaginations of the people war and peflilcnce. From thefe ca- lamities we muft, however, except that of earth- quakes; for in 1551, when the Chatterers again appeared, it was obferved that they fpread through Mcdcna, Placentia, and almoil all parts of Italy f, but conflantly avoided Ferrara, as if they had a prtfcnlimciit of the earthquake which happened ibon after, and difperfed even the birds of that country. We cannoc well aflign the caufe that deter- mines thcfe birds to leave their ordinary refi- dence, and to roam into diftant climes. It is not excefiive cold ; for they are embodied for their expedition as early as the beginning of au- tumn ; and bcfides, their migration is only oc- cafional, happening once in three or four years, or only after fix or fevcn years, and their nume- • As Italy is warmer than Germany, they might appear there later, and I doubt not but in more northern countries they remain a great part of the winter in years when it is not rigorous. \ Aldrovandus. rous n-' THE CHATTERER. 395 rous hoft often darkens tlie licavens *. Arc we to afcrihe thcfc i-nigrutlons to their prodi^rjous multiplication ; like the locufts, and tliofe rats of the north called Icmifigs ; and, as has hap- pened to the human fpecies, when they were lefs civilized, and confequently flronger, and more independent of the equilibriuin which at length ellabliflics itfelf between all the powers of nature? Or aie the Chaircrors compel- led repeatedly by local fcarcity to quit their abodes, and feel: fubfidence in other climates ? It is faid that they penetrate flu- into the ardic regions ; and this is conlirmed by Count Strah- lenberg, who, as we have already noticed, '[iw them in Tartary. When the Chatterer refides in wine countries, It feems fundeft of grapes ; whence Aldrovan- dus calls it. /impdis^ or Vine Bird. Next to tliefe, it feeds ap.' . tlie berries of privet, of bramble, of juniper, oi laurel ; upon almonds, apples, forbs, wi'd goofcberries, ligs, and, In general, upon. ;' eking juicy fruits. The one which AI- drovandus kept near three months, would not eat ivy-berries or raw flclli till driven to extremity, and T'cver touched grain. Th it wliich they tried to breed in the vicimgcric at Vienna was fed upon crumbs of white bread, malhed car- rots, brulfed hcmp-fced, and juniper berries, * Gffncr, which \ ■ , '' h t ; ' '." ■ V-% .Ir }..'^ '"it'. \ \ !;'.-■ "Mm M-\ '.•r' i} 396 THE CHATTERER. ., ..'I Itf ^\ pj/, wliich it preferred * ; but in fpite of all the care which was taken, it lived only five or fix days. Not that the Chatterer is difficult to tarne, but that a bird, which has roamed at will, and been accuftomed to provide its own fubliftence, thrives alvv-ays befl in the llatc of liberty. Reaumur remarks, that the Chatterers love cleanlinefs, and \vhcn confmcd they conftantly void their excre- ments in the fame fpot "f. Thefe birds are entirely of a focial difpofition j they commonly fly in flocks, and fometimes form immcfife boclios. Ikfide this general ami- cable turn, and independent of their attachment to the female?, they are fufceptible of particular friendihips to individuals of the fame fex. Bm their afiedionate temper, which implies more gemleiiefs than adivity, more fecurity than dif- eernment, more fmiplicity than prudence, more fcnfibility than vigour, precipitates them oftener into danger than fuch as are more felfifli. Ac- cordingly, theie birds are reck.>iied the mofl flupid, and they are caught in the greatefl num- bers. They arc gev.crally taken with theThrufh, which migrates about the fame time, and their flefh has neari)^ the fame tafte ^ ; which is na- tural to fappofe, fince they live upon the fame- food. • Memoirc cf tlie Prince d'Avcrfpcrg. f Su- Sal'jrni', p. n;^, I G-.r:ic'f t^!ls us th.Tt tlicir fledi is verv deiicato, fcrved u]- pl the bell tables ;iinl thf liver cfpecially higlily valued. 'I'lie F'-iiice d'Averfper^ afl'uici u;,t!)iit it ii better tailed than tliatof" tlieTluuili and THE CHATTERER. 397 food. I (hall add, that many of them are killed at once, for they fit clofe together '■. They utter their cry as they rife from the ground ; this is -zi, ss/, r/, according to Frifch, and all thofe who have ietii them alive ; it is rather a chirrup than a fong, and hence their name of Chatterer, Reaumur will not even admit that they can chant j but Prince d'Averf- perg fays that their notes are very pleafant. Perhaps, in countri- . where they breed, they may warble in the feafon of love, while they only chirp or chatter in other places ; and when confined in cages they may be totally filent. The plumage is agreeable when the bird is ftill ; but when it difplays its wings, expands its tail, and ereds '•'*-& creft, in the adt of flying, its appearance is charming. Its eyes, which are of a beautiful red, fhine with uncommon luftre in the middL- of the black band, in which they are placed. This black extends under the threat, and quite round the bill ; the different fhades of wine colour on its head, back, and breaft, and the afti colour of the rump, are fur rounded with a frame enamelled with white, with yellow, and with red, formed by the different fpots of the wings and tail : the latter is cinereous at its ori- gin, blackifli in its middle, and yellow at its N . ,11 ■'. !l .'■.'I ■■)■ " \* ;'„' ■I. •., ■M,.: . ti' : I'P ifiJ^ and Blackbird. On the other hand, S hwenckfeld fays taat It is very inditFerent eating, and unwhclelbme. This muit depend mucli on tlie quality of the i'ubltances on which tlic bird feeds. * Frifth. 15 end: m 398 THE CHATTERER. mi end : the quills of the vvin[;s are blacklfli, thd third and fourth are marked with white near the tip, the five following marked with yellow, and moft of thcfe terminated with broad tears of a red colour, of which I have fpoken in the be- ginning of this article. The bill and legs are black, and lliorter in proportion than in the Blackbird. The total lengrh of the bird is, ac- cording to Briflbn, feven inches and three-quar- ters, its tviil two and a quarter, its bill nine lines, its legs the lame, and its alar extent thirteen inches. For my part, I have obfcrved that the dimenfions were all greater than here ftated 5 owing, perhaps, to difference of age or fex, or even between the individuals. 1 am not acquainted with the plumage of the young Chatterers, but Aldrovandus tells us that the margin of the tail is of a duller yellow in the females, and that tiic middle quills have whitifli marks, and not yellow, as in the males. He adds a circumftance which is hard to believe, though he aflerts it from his own obfervation, that in the females the tail confifts of twelve quills, but in the males of ten only. It is much more credible that the male fpccimens examined by Aldrovandus h:id loft two of their quills*. ♦ Specific charaflcr of the J/it/c'!is Gcmilus :—■" The back of «* its head is crcited, the feconaury wlng-quills are membranousj «• and coloured at the tip." VARI- m If ' iissQ B'iJ C 399 1 VARIETY of the CHATTERER. .!!)';;. We may oblerve tlut the Chatterer is pro- portionably much broader acrofs the wings than the Blackbird or Thruflics. Aldrovandus has allb remarked, that ih^Jiernum is of a Ihape bet- ter adapted for cutting the air, and accelerating its courfe. We need not then be furprifed that it performs fuch diftant journies in Europe; and lince it fpends the fummer in the countries of the north, we fhould naturally expedl to difcover it in America. And this is adually the cafe. Rer^umur received feveral from Canada, where they were called Rccolld *, on account of the refemblance perceived between the creft and a monk's frock. From Canada they could eafily fpread into the fouthern colonies. Catefby de- fcribes them among the birds of Carolina : Fer- nandez faw them in Mexico near Tezcuco f : I have examined fome '^^hich were fent from Cay- enne. This bird is not above an ounce in weight, according to Catefl^y ; its creft, when erected, is pyramidal, its bill is black, with a large opening, its eyes placed on a bar of the fame colour, feparated from the ground by two white ftreaks, the extremity of the tail edged * It is the Cajuar.tcts'loi Femandc/. t He Oiys that it ucliphts to dwell in the mountains, that it lives en fmall feeds, tlut its long \-. ordinary, thut its flelh is iadiffcrcnt food. with .If .,;iy 'i' !J w I "J" •U' % f ' Mi' .■-. "■■•it. ,-',.('« -tl .■ 's«,. ( .4'iwt tv' ■:?H!';'1 ■'.If ' ':!!:i'h I j 400 VARIETY c/ /** CHATTERER. with a Ihining white, the upper-part of the head, the throat, and the back, hazel, with a wine-tinge ; the coverts and quills of the wings, the lower-part of the back, the rump, and a great part of the tail, of different ihades of ci- nereous J the breaft, and the inferior coveits of the tail, whitifh ; the belly and flanks of a pale yellow. It appears from this defcription, and from the meafures which have been taken, that the American Chatterer is rather Imaller than the European fort ; that its wings have lefs of the enamel, and are rather of a dufkier hue ; and that the wings do not extend fo far in propor- tion as the tail. But it is undoubtedly the fame fpecies ; for feven or eight middle quills of its wing are terminated by the little red appendices. Brooke, furgeon in Maryland, told Edwards, that the females wanted thefe appendices, and that the colours of their plumage were not fo bright as thofe of the males. The Cayenne Chatterers which I examined had really not thefe appen- dices, and the (hades of the plumage were in general fainter, as it commonly happens in the females. * The ; of the with a e wings, , and a ;s of ci- )verts of )f a pale on, and en, that than the J of the Le ; and propor- he fame Is of its endices. rds, that that the right as latterers appen- A^ere in s in the M ■# t tli H,, r . i i- •ft ] I! i !l Tlie I •i': n h i M if % e H .! .1 1 \^m-li:- I PIGj.THEH>ftVFINCHJ'I&2THE COMMON- CiiOSSBILIi. '.^ if C 401 ] The GROSBEAK*. Lt Gios-Bfc, BufF. Loxia-CocDthrauJles, Linn, .ind Gmcl. Locoihraiijics, Gcfncr, Aldrov. Brirt". &c. The Grojhiuk, or Haivftnch, Will, i.avv, &c. 'T^iiis bird is an inhabitant of the temperate -■' climates, from Spain and Italy, as far as Sweden. The fpecies, though rather ftationary, is not numerous. It appears every year in fome of the provinces of France, and leaves them only for a fhort time in the fevereft winters f. It generally inhabits in the woods during the fum- mer, and fometimes the vineyards j and in win- ter it rcforts near the hamlets and farms. It is a filent bird which is feldom heard, and feems • Its Greek and Latin name Coccathraujles \% derived from Ko«*oc, a grain or kernel, and S^avu, to break, becaufe it feeds upon chcrry-ftones : However, that appellation might have been given to fome other bird that had the fame habit ; for Hefychius and Varro, the only ancient authors in whofe writings the word is found, fay no more than that " the Coccothraujies is a certain bird." In Italy it is called Fro/one, Frifine, Grifone, Franguet del Re, Franguet Montana : in Germany, Heine-By£er,^Bollebiek, Kir/ch-Finck, Katt- Bei/z, Rifch Lejke : in Switzerland, Klepper : in Sweden, Taibin. f It is difficult to reconcile this remark, of which I am certain, with the account given by the authors of the Britifti Zoology, that the Grofbeak is feldom fcen in England^ and never except in win* ter. Perhaps, as there are few forcils in England, there are alfo few of thcfe birds, which refide only in the woods ; and as they approach the hamlets only in winter, obfervers may never have fcen them but in that feafon. ,H.'t .. T I J. * J- "■''^' ■ 1 ■ ir t : .r. .!"":;. m VOL. III. D D to IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // > .<.% 1.0 t^ 1^ ^S JIf 1^ {12.2 1.1 f.-^ia WUl. ■ — - ^ lll'-^ ' ^ 6" ► V] .> / Photographic Sdences Corporation 33 WBT MAIN STtHT WMSTM,N.Y. USIO (716)«7a^S03 37 i\ ^ ^^ «0 402 THE GROSBEAK. to have no fong or decided warble. .Nor is its organ of hearing fo perfedt as that of other birds, for though it refides in the foreils, it can- not be enticed by the call. Gefner, and mod naturalifts after him, have faid, that the Grof- beak is good eating. I have tafted the flefh, but it feemed neither pleafant nor juicy. I have obferved in Burgundy that thefe birds are much fewer in winter than in fummer, an4 that great numbers of them arrive about the loth of April in fmall flocks, and perch among the copfes, building their nefts* on trees, gene- rally at the height of ten or twelve feet, where the boughs divide from the trunk. The mate- rials are, like thofe of the Turtle, dry fticks, matted with fmall roots. They commonly lay five bluifti eggs fpotted with brown. We might fuppofe that they breed only once a-year, fmge tl^ fpecies is not numerous. They feed their young with infeds, chryfalids, &c. ; and when they are about to be robbed of their family, they make a vigorous defence, and bite fiercely. Their thick ftrong bill enables them to crack nuts, and other hard fubftances j and though * A Groibeak's neft was found the 24th of April 1774,003 plum-tree ten or twelve feet high» in the fork of a branch ; it was of a round hemifphcrical Ihape, compofed externally with fmall roots and fome-lichcns, and internally with othc fmall roots inore flender ; it contained four eggs fomewhat pointed, their great diameter nine or ten lines, their fmall diameter fix lines ; they were marked with fpots of an olive brown, and with irregular blackifli ftreaks faintly imprelTed on a ground of bluifh light-green. Note communicated by M. Guencau dt MQntbsilkrd, 7 t^ey 1 ,1 :m:^ THE GROSBEAK. 403 they are granivorous, they alfo live much upon infefls. I have kept them a long time in vo- leries ; they rejett flelh, but readily eat any thing elfe. They muft be confined in a fepa- rate cage, for without feeming at all difcom- pofed, or making the leaft noile, they kill the weaker birds that are lodged with them. They attack, not by ftriking with the point of the bill, but by biting out a morfel of the fkin. When at liberty, they live upon all forts of grain, and ker- nels of fruits ; the Orioles eat the pulp of cher- ries, but the Grolbeaks break them to obtain the kernel ; they feed alfo on fir and pine cones, and on beech maft, &c. This bird is folitary, fhy, and filent ; its ear is infenfible, and its prolific powers are inferior to thofe of mod other birds. It feems to have its qualities concentrated in itfelf, and is not fubjedt to any of the varieties which alraoft all proceed from the luxuriance of nature. The male and female are of the fame fize, and much refemble each other. The fpecies is uniform in our climate ; but in foreign countries there exift many analogous birds, which fhall be enume- rated in the fucceeding article *. [A J • The upper-mandible is cinereous, but of a lighter tint near the^bafe ; t^e lowcr-mandible is cinereous at the edges which clofe into the upper ; its undcr-fide is flefli-coloured, with a cinereous caft. The tongue is flefhy, fmall, and pointed; the gizzard is very mufcular, preceded by a pouch, containing in fummcr bruifed hemp-feeds, green caterpillars almoit entire, and very 0 0 2 fmall ■m ;J. '■■Ill' >1 't.-' 40* THE GROSBEAK. fmall ftones. In a fubjeA which I difleded lately, the inteftinal tube from i\vt pharynx to the craw was three inches and an half long, and from the gizzard to the anus about a foot. It had no cacum or gall-bladder. Obj'ervatwns communicated by M. Gueneau de Montbeillard, the izd Jpril 1774. [A] Specific charafter of the Loxia Coccoihraujles : — *' It has a *• white line on the wings, the middle quills of the wings are " rhomboid-fhaped at the tips, the quills of the tail are black on " the thinner fide of the bafe." C 405 3 The CROSSBILL*. Le Btc Croije^ BufF. Loxia Cur-virojlra, Linn, and Gmel. Loxia, Gefner, Aldrov. BriflT. &c. 7he Shell. Apple, or Cro/ibill, Will. Edw. &c. rr^HE fpecies of the Crofsbill is clofely related •* to that of the Grofbeak. Both have the fame fize, the fame figure, the fame inftinds f . The Crofsbill is diftinguifhed only by a fort of deformity in its bill, a charader, or rather a de- feat, which belongs to it alone of all the winged tribe. What prove'' that it is a defcdt, an error of nature rather than a permanent feature, is, that it is variable ; the bill in fome fubje£ts croiTes to the left, in others to the right; but the productions of nature are regular in their de- velopement, and uniform in their arrangement. I {hould therefore impute this difference of po- rtion to the way in which the bird has ufed its bill, according as it has been more accuflomed to employ the one fide or the other to lay hold of its food. The fame takes place in men, who, * Gefner gave it the name Loxia, from the Greek ^o|o?, ohliqut, on account of the crolfing of its bill. In Germany it is called Kreutx-Schnabel {Ctok\yA\), Kreutz-Vogel : in Poland, ^z/wo«oj .• in Sweden, Korfnaef, Kiaegclrif-ware. t Frifch conceives them to be fo nearly allied, that they would breed together. V n Z froar' ^!i ^'1! ,. \^)i^;. 4t 4! »f I-- .,;■ r. :^; 4o6 THE CROSSBILL. ■ • from habit, prefer the right hand to the left *. Each mandible of the Crofsbill is affeded by an exuberance of growth, fo that in time the two points are parted afunder, and the bird can take its food only by the fide ; and hence if it oftener ufes the left, the bill will protrude to the right, and vice vcrfJ, But every thing has its utility, and each fen- tlent being learns to draw advantage even from its defeats. This bill, hooked upwards and down- wards, and bent in oppofite directions, feems to have been formed for the purpofe of detach- ing the fcales of fir-cones, and obtaining the feeds lodged beneath thefe, which are the principal food of the bird. It raifes each fcale with its lower mandible, and breaks it off with the upper ; it may be obferved to perform this mancEUvre in its cage. This bill alfo affifts its owner in climbing, and it dextroufly mounts from the lower to the upper bars of its cage. From its mode of fcrambling, and the beauty of its colours, it has been called by fome tbc Ger- man Parrot, • This obfervation mull be qualified. If habit were the fole caufe of this diilerence, as many people would be left-handed as right-hand-d. But the number of the former is very fmall, com- pared with that cf the latter, and therefore the right-hand muft by original conditution be Itronger than the left, however much the difference is afterwards ir.crcafed from habit. The fame reafoning feems applicable to the Crofsbill. T. The i 'Jl THE CROSSBILL. 407 The Crofsbill inhabits only the cold climates, or the mountains in temperate countries. It is found in Sweden, in Poland, in Germany, in Switzerland, and among the Alps and Pyrenees. It is quite ftationary in countries where it lives the whole year; but fometimes it accidentally appears in large flocks in other regions. In 1756 and 1757, great numbers were feen in the neighbourhood of London. They do not ar- rive at ftated feafons, but fcem to be rather directed by chance, and many years pafs with- out their being at all obferved. The Nut-Crack- ers, and fome other birds, are fubjed: to the fame irregular migrations, which occur only once in twenty or thirty years. The only caufe which can be afligned is, that they have beea deprived of their ufual fubfiftence in the cli- mates where they inhabit, by the inclemency of the fcafon ; or have been driven upon the coaft by the violence of a ftorm or hurricane : for they arrive in fuch numbers, and appear fo much exhaufted, that they are careleis of their exiil- ence, and allow themfelves to be caught by the hand. We might prefume that the fpecies o* the Crofsbill, which prefers the cold climates, would be found in the north of the New Continent, as in that of the Old : yet no traveller to America has taken notice of it. But bcfides the general prefumption which is verified by analogy, there is a fad which feems to prove our opinion ; the p D 4 Crofsbill ■\'l: • 1 '.>■ .i;f.l;;V t I;-,' .?. J ,.; 408 THE CROSSBILL. Crofsbill is found in Greenland, whence it was brought to Edwards by the whale-lilhers ; and that naturalifl, who was better acquainted than any perfon with the nature of birds, remarks properly, that both the land and the water fort which inhabit the ar£tic regions, appear indiffe- rently in the north cf America or of Europe. The Crofsbill is one of thofe birds whofe co- lours are the mofl: fubjedl to vary ; among a great number we can fcarcely find two indivi- duals that are exad;ly fimilar j not only are the ihades of the plumage different, but the pofition of the colours change with the fcafon and the age. Edwards, who examined a prodigious number of them, and fought to mark the limits of variation, paints the male with a rofe co- lour, and the female with a yellowifh green ; but in both, the bill, the eyes, the thighs, and the legs, are precifely the fame in regard to ftiape and co- lours. Gefner tells us that he kept one of thefe birds, which was blackifh in September, and affumed a red colour in October. He adds, that the parts where the red began to appear, were the under-fide of the neck, the breafl, and the belly; that this red afterwards became yel- low, and that winter efpecially is the feafon when thefe changes take place, and that, at dif- ferent times, it is faid they receive a red, yellow, green, and cinereous cafl. We mufl not, there- fore, with our modern nomenclators, reckon as a feparatc fpecies, or a particular variety, a greenijfi THE CROSSBILL. 409 limits e co- but egs, co- hefe and that were ty, a en'tjli greenipy Crofsh'tll *, found in the Pyrenees, fince it occurs equally in other places ; and in certain feafons it has in all countries that colour. Ac- cording to Frifch, who was perfectly acquainted with thefe birds, which are common in Ger- many, the colour of the adult male is reddifli, or green mixed with red ; but they lofe this red, like the Linnets, when they are kept in the cage, and only retain the green, which is more deeply imprefled both in the young and in the old. For this reafon they are called in fome parts of Germany krinis or gninit::^^ that is, greenifli bird. The two extreme colours have not therefore been well chofen by Edwards ; we muft not infer, as his figures would fuggefl, that the male is red, and the female green ; there is every reafon to believe, that in the fame feafon, and at the fame age, the female difters from the male only in the greater faintnefs of th - colours. This bird, which is fo analogous to the Grof- beak, refembles it alfo in ftupidity. One may approach it, fire upon it without fearing it, and fometimes even catch it by the hand ; and as it is equally inadive and fecure, it falls an eafy victim to all the birds of prey. It is mute in fummer, and its feeble notes are only heard in winter f. It is quite placid in captivity, and • Loxia Pyrenaicut Bai:rere. Loxia Ru/e/a'tis, Briflbn. f Gesnbr. lives !-■ -|:> M^ ' ' 'f':-- .! ,5'. i ■'■ >i {ryj l^r :;!;• '« ¥ iilJ;'i'*t| H.' . M Ill •%?! i^l 411 FOREIGN BIRDS related to here preferved the name which it receives in its native climate, becaufe it differs from all the reft. The female is of the fame fize with the male, but its colours are different, its head being brown» and alfo the upper-part of its neck, which in the male is yellow, &c. Briifon gives alfo a figure and defcription of their neft *. [A] * Thefe birds conftruA a neft of a Tingular form. It is com< pofed of little interwoven fibres of leaves, which form a fort of fmall pouch, whofe moath is placed in one of the fides. To this mouth is fitted a long pafliage, compofed of the fame leafy fibres, turned downwards, with its aperture fituatcd below, fo that the real entrance to the neft is entirely concealed. Thefe nefts are faftened by their upper-part to the fmall branches of trees. Brissok. [A] Specific charadler of the Loxia Philippina : — " It is duflcy, ** below yellowiih-white, the top and breaft yellow, the throat «' duUy." XII. The O R C H E F, Loxia Bengalenjis, Linn, and Gfflel. Pajir Bengaltnjist Brifif. The Bengal Sparrovjt Alb. ^he Telltmi-htttdtd Indian Sparrow, £dw. The Pengal Grojltakt Lath. The fecond of thefe little foreign Grofbeaks 18 the Eaft-India bird delineated PL EnL No« 393. Fig. 2. under the name jof Indian d'ofi beak, I have termed it gold-bead (Orcbef) be- caufe th GROSBEAK. 423 caiife the upper-part of Its head is of a fine yellow, and being different from all the refl, required a diftinO: name. — This fpecies is newi and has not been noticed by any preceding na« turalifl *. , • Specific charaAer of the Loxia Btngaltnfit .•— " It is gray, '' with a yellow cap ; its temples whitith, its lower-belly whitilht *' fpotted with duiky." It is fomcwhat larger thatt the Houfe Sparrow. XIII. The NUN GROSBEAK. Lexta Collaria, Linn, and Gmel. Le Ores Bee Nonet te, BufF. ,''(1 . ii The third of thefe little fpecies is that of Fig. 3. No. 393. P/. En/, which we have called tbe Nun^ becaufe it has a fort of black biggen on its head. It is a new fpecies alfo ; but we can fay nothing more of it, being unac- quainted with its native climate. "We bought it from a dealer in birds, who could give us no in- formation on that fubjed f. t Specific charafter of the Loxia Collaria:—" It is yellowiA, *' iu breaft and collar yellQw» its temples black." EE4 XIV. The ,111. '#* ^ -'1 ■ ■ . r 0 y"' ''■ m ■1 'w:t 424 FOREIGN BIRDS rtlattd t» XIV. The GRAY GROSBEAK. Loxia C riff a, Gmel. The fourth of thefe is new, and as little known as the preceding. It is Fig. i. No. 393. PL Enl. called the Virginia Gro/bcak. But we fhall term li grey-whitt: (Grifalbin), becaufe its neck and part of its head is white, and all the reft of the body gray ; and as it differs from the others, it merits an appropriated name *. • Specific charafter of the Loxia Grifia ;— •* It is of a coeru- •• lean gray, its neck and front white." It is four inches long. XV. - The Q^U ADRICOLOR. The fifth of thefe little foreign Grofbeaks is the bird defcribed by Albin, under the name of the Chinefe Sparrow^ and afterwards by Brif- fon f , under that of the Java Grojheak^ and de- lineated Fig. 2. No. 1 01. PL EnL by the fame name. We fhall, however, term it the S^ua-' f The female, fays this author, differs from the male, its thighs being of a llght-chefnut, and the colour of its tail not fo vivid. drieolor^ ii)i GROSBEAK. ♦«S dricokry to diftinguilh it from all the reft, and mark its prmcipal colours ; for it is a beautiful biril, and painted with four brilliant colours; the head and neck being blue, the back, the wings, and the end of the tail, green ; there is a broad red bar, like a girth, under the belly, and on the middle of the tail ; and laftly, the reft of the breaft and belly is light-brown Of hazel. We are ignorant of its habits. :s IS ^e of Jrif- de- lame [highs XVI. The JACOBINE, and the DOMINO * Loxia Malacca, Linn, and Gmel. Coccothraujies Moluccenjis, Brifl". The Molucca Grojbeak, Lath. The fixth of thefe is the bird known to the curious by the name of Jacohine^ which we re- tain as applicable and difcriminating. It is re- prefented PL EnL Fig, 3. No. 139. and titled ** The Java Groftjeak, called the Jacobine." We conceive that Fig. i. of that plate, termed the Molucca Crofsbilty is of the fame fpecies, and probably a female of the firft. We have feen thefe birds alive, and fed them like Canaries. Edwards defcribes and figures them by the name • Specific charadlcr :— '• It is dufkilh ; its head, its throat, its f tail<^uills, black ; belovV it is waved with black and wliite." of '' i i .1.'*' 42<5 FOREIGN BIRDS related to cfCoury*, PI. XL. and from the meaning of this word, he infers that they inhabit India, and not China f. We would have adopted thU term, had not that of Jacohine already come into ufe. Fig. 2. No. 139. and Fig. i. No. 153. are two birds which the virtuofi call Domino s^ and which they diftinguifh from the Jacobines. They are fmailer indeed, but ought to be re- garded as varieties of the fame fpecies. The males are probably thofe which have the belly fpotted, and the females thofe which have it of an uniform white-gray. The defcription of them occurs in Briflbn's work, but not a word \% faid of their natural habits. ♦ It is called a Coiurie, becaufe its ordinary price is one of the fmall ihells whicli pafs in India for money ; but thefe are not curr Tent in China. •\ It is the Loxia Punflularia of Linnaeus, the Ceccothraujiei Ja- FOREIGN BIRDS rtlatid t& behind, which is an uncommon difpofition, and occurs only in a few fpecies. Thefe two dif* criminating features feem to me fo important, that the bird required an appropriated name, and I have preferved that by which it is known in its natal region. The head, the throat, and the fore-part of the neck, are of a fine red, which extends in a pretty narrow ftripe under the body, as far as the lower coverts of the tail. All the reft of the ander- part of the body, the upper-part of the neck, the back, and the tail, are black; the upper- coverts of the wings brown, edged with white, the quills of the wings brown, with a grcenifh border, and the legs of a very dull red. The wings when clofed reach not beyond the middle of the tail. XX. The SPOTTED GROSBEAK of the Cape of "Good Hope. The bird reprefented by this name. Fig. i. No. 639. PL EnL though different from the European Grofbeaks in its colours, and the dil- tribution of its fpots, appears fo much a-kin to that fpecies, that it may be regarded as a variety produced by climate, for which reafon we have given it an appropriated name. And Sonnerat 14 alfures the G JL O S B E A K, 431 afTures us pofitively that it is the fame with that of the fird article ; and he adds, that thefe birds appear different, becaufe they change their co- lours evsry year. XXI. V';' '] The CRAVATED GRIVELIN. The bird delineated PL Enl, No. 659. Fig. 2. under the denomination of the Angola Grof- beak, becaufe we received it from that province of Africa, appears to be related to the Grivelin ; and as all the neck and the under-part of the throat is covered and encircled by a fort of white cravat, which extends even over the bill, we have given it the name of the Cravated Crivelirtj, We are ignorant of its habits. w It ■I; I' if; W 11 •Jv f m (•'>«' r 434 1 The HOUSE SPARROW*. Le Moineaii, Buff. Fringilla DomcJUca, Linn. Paffir Domefticus, Gcfner, Aldrov. Brifl", &c. A 9 the fpecies of Sparrow comprehends a mul- titude of individuals, fo its genus feems at firft infpedion to include a number of fpecies. One of our nomenclators reckons it to contain no lefs than fixty-feven different fpecies, and nine varieties, making in all feventy-fix birds f ; among which we are furprized to find many- Linnets, Finches, Green Birds, Canary Birds, Bengal Birds, Senegal Birds, Mayo Birds, Car- dinals, Buntings, and many others not related to the Sparrows, and which ought to be diftin- guiflied by fcparate names. To introduce order into this contufcd group, we fhall firfl remove from the Sparrow, with which we are well ac- quainted, all the birds juft mentioned, which are alfo fufficiently known to enable us to decide that they do not belong to the fame genus. Fol- lowing then our general plan, we Ihall confider • In Greek, T^^uy^-iTn-. Moft tranflators and natur^lifts hare made it to be iir vOo.- : the fait is, that this Lift name : - pc.ieric, and applicable to all the Sparrows : in Italian, PaJJera, or PaJJere Ca- faringo : in Spani(h, Pardal: in German, HuJJ-S^ar, liausSper- Ji,-!g : in Swedilh, -I'a^'lu'/ig, Graivparf. f Brifibn. each H J\l^8J V^*. a mul- ems at fpecies. tain no id nine )irds t ; [ many ' Birds, s, Car- related diftin- order remove tvell ac- Ich are decide Fol- onfider lifts haye .leric.and ?aj]ire Ca- IJaus- Sper- ■ ,ff' • »;; "it •(■■■■; FIGllME SPAHROW^. FIG-^THElMOTTXavVIX SPARROW. each \\-\. i THE HOUSE SPARROW. (33 each of thofe which inhabit Europe a prin- cipal fpecies, and afterwards refer to them the analogous foreign kinds. We fhall alfo feparate from the Common or Houfc Sparrow the Field Sparrow and the Wood Sparrow ; two birds more related than any of the preceding, and alfo inhabitants of our cli- mate ; to each we fhall allot a didind article. This is furely the only way to avoid con- fufion. Our Sparrow is too well known to need a de- fcription. It is reprefcnted Nos. 6 and ^^» PU EnL fig. I. No. 6. is the adult male after it has caft its feathers ; and fig. i. No. ^5, the young male before moulting. The change of colour in the plumage, and in the angles of the mandibles, is general and uniform ; but the fame fpecies is fubjedt to accidental varieties ; for fome Houfe Sparrows are white, others variegated with brown and white, and others almoft entirely black*, and others yellow f. The only dif- ference between the females and the males is, i'l .1 (Pi' * Black Sparrows occur in Lorraine ; but they are undoubtedly the common fort , which as they lodge conilantly in the glafs-houfes, which are frequent along the foot of the mountains, are fmoked. Dr. Lottinger, being in one of thefe glafs-houfes, obferved a flock of common Sparrows, among which were feveral black ones. An old perfon, who dwelt on the fpot, told him, that they fome- nmes appeared fo much difguifed, (hat they could not be diltin- guilhed. f Aldrovandus, VOL. III. F F that ■ t ' t1 % 434 THE HOUSE SPARROW. that the former are fmaller, and their colouri much fainter. Befidcs thefe firft varieties, fome of which arc general and others individual, and which occur in all the European climates, there are others in more diflant regions ; which would prove that this fpecies is fpread from the north to the fouth in our continent, from Sweden* to Egypt f, Senegal, &c; But in whatever country the Sparrow is fettled, it never is found in defert places, or at a diftance from the refidence of man. It likes neither woods nor vail plains. It is more frequent in towns than in villages ; nor is it feen in the ham- lets or farms that are buried in the depth of fo- refts. It follows fociety to lit c at their expence j and indolence and voracity lead it to fubfifl on the provifions of others. Our granaries, our barns, our court-yards, our pigeon-houfes, and, in fliort, all places where grain is fpilt, are its favourite refort. It is extremely deftru£live • its plumage is entirely ufelefs, its flefh indifferent food, its notes grating to the ear, and its fami- liarity and petulance difgufting. In fome places Sparrows are profcribed j:, and a price fet on their heads* • Linnans. f Profper AlpiniM. X In many villages of Germany, the peafants are obliged avt- nually to produce a certain number of Sparrows' heads.. Fr i sqw . Q But THE HOUSE SPARROW. 4.35 But what will render them eternally trouble- fome and vexatious, is not only their excefllve multiplication, but their fubtlety, their cunning, and their obftinacy to abide in places which fuit them. They are crafty and artful, eafily diftin- guiih the fnares laid for them, and wear out the patience of thofe who try to catch them. It is only in feafons of fcarcity, and when the fnow covers the ground, that the fport will fucceed ; and little imprelTion can be made on a fpecies which breeds thrice a-year. Their neft confifta of hay, lined with feathers. If you deftroy it, they will in twenty-four hours build another ; if you plunder the eggs, which are live or fix*, often more, they will in the courfe of eight or ten days lay others ; if you drive them from the trees or the houfcs, they will refort in greater numbers to your granaries. Perfons who have kept them in cages, affure me, that a fingle pair of Sparrows confume near twenty pounds of corn annually. We may judge from their num- bers what prodigious deftrudion they muft make in our fields ; for though they feed their young ■with infeds, and eat many themfelves, they principally fubfifl on our bed grain. They fol- low the labourer in feed-time, and the reaper in harveft. They attend the threfliers at the barns, and the poulterer when he fcatters grain to his fowls. They vifit the pigeon-houfes, and even xA |1' »■ f 111 But • Olina fays, that they lay fometimes eight, and never fewer than four. F F 2 pierce :r;v 43^ THE HOUSE SPARROV/. pierce the craw of the young pigeons to extrad. the food. They eat bees, and arc thus difpofcd to deftroy the only infcds ufcful to man. In fliort, it is much to be wilhcd that fomc method could be devifed for deftroying them. I have been lold, that if fulphur were fmoakcd under the trees, where in certain fcafons they aflemblc and llccp at night, they would be fufTocated and drop dead. I have tried the experiment, with- out fucccfs, though I took much pains, and was intercftcd in the ilFue ; for I could not get them driven from the neighbourhood of my voleries ; and I perceived that they not only difturbed the \varbling of my birds, but that by the continual repetition of their harfh cry, ////, ///;, they fcn- fibly fpolled the fong of the Canaries, Sifkins, Linnets, &c. I then placed on a wall, covered with great Indian chefnuts, in which tlie Sparrows alTcm- blcd in great numbers in the evening, pots filled " with fulphur, mixed with a little charcoal and rofm ; and thefe fubflanccs being fet on fire, caufed a thick fmoke, which had no cfTedl bul to waken the birds. As the volume afcended, they removed to the tops of the trees, and then retired to the neighbouring houfes, but not one dropped. I obferved only that they did not for three days vifit the trees that were fmoaked, but afterwards returned to their former habit. As thefe birds are hardy, they can be eafily raifed in cages, and live feveral years, cfpecially if 4 THE HOUSE SPARROW. 437 if the females be withheld from them * ; for it is faid tluit their exceflive vcncry abridges the period of their lives. When they are taken young, they arc fo docile as to obey the voice and catch fomevvhat of the fong of thole birds with which they are bred ; and being naturally familiar, they become more fo in the ftate of captivity. Ikit when at liberty, they are rather folitary ; and hence, perhaps, the origin of their name j". Since they never leave our climatci and are always about our houlcs, it is eafy to perceive that they commonly fly fingle or in pairy. There are, however, two fcafons in the year when they alTemblc, not to fly in flocks, but to chirp together, in autumn on the willows by the river fides, and in fpring on the firs and other evergreens. They meet in the evening, and in mild weather. They fpend the night on the trees, but in winter they are found either alone or with their females in a hole of the wall, or beneath the tiles of roofs. And it js only in exceflfive frofts that five or fix are found lying together, probably to keep them- felves warm. * " Some fuppofe th?t the malp Sparrows cannot live longer " than a year. The proof is, that none are obfcrvcd to have a *• black beard in the fpring, but only fometime after, as if none " had furvived the preceding feafon. It is alleged that the fe- t( males are more vivacious ; for they arc caught along with young " ones, and are diftinguilhed by the hardnefs of their bills." Arist. Hijl. Anim. lib. x. 7. t Perhaps the French word Moineau is derived from the Greek ivlwor, foLlS. F F 3 The {1* \ 5! ;:r % . - ; t 438 THE HOUSE SPARROW. The males fight obftinately for the poffeflion of their females, and in the violence of their ftruggle, they often fall to the ground. Few birds are fo ardent, or fo vigorous in their love. They can embrace twenty times in fucceffion with the fame fire, the fame trepidation, and the fame expreflions of rapture. What is fingu- lar, the female firll fhews a degree of impa- tience at a fport which mud fatigue her lefs- than the male, but which may alfo yield her lefs pleafure, fmce there are no preludes, no ca- reffes, no adjuftment. Much petulance is fhevvn without tendernefs, and a flutter of adion which betrays only a felfifli appetite. Compare the loves of the Pigeon v;ith thofe of the Sparrovv', and you will perceive almoft all the lliades fiom the phyfical to the moral qualities. Theie birds ncftle commonly under the tiles, in the lead-gutters, in holes of the wall, in pots that are eredled for them, and often about the fides of windows which have Venetian blinds. A'few, however, build their nefus in trees. I have re- ceived fome of thefe which were found in large clicfnuts and lofty willows. They place them on the lummit of thefe trees, and conftru£t them Xviih the fame materials, tv'ss. hay on the out- iide and leatheus within ; but what is fingular, they add a fort of cap above which covers the neft, fo as to prevent the water from penetrat- ing, and kave an opening for entering at under this cap. When they lodge in holes or covered places, THE HOUSE SPARROW; 43^ places, they judicioufly dlfpenle with this cap. Inftind difcovers here a fort of reafoning, and at Icaft implies a comparifon of two fmall ideas. Some Hcufc Sparrows, more indolent, though bolder than the reft, do not give themfelves the trouble of building, but drive off the Martins, and poflefs their nefts. Sometimes they fight the Pigeons, and eftablifli themfelves in the holes. — This little tribe exhibit therefore habits and inftinds more varied and perfect than mod other birds. This refults undoubtedly from their living in fociety. They enjoy the benefits of the domeftic ftate without furrendering any por- tion of their independence. Hence that fub- tlety, that circumfpedion, and that accommo- dation of inftindt to fituations and circum- ftances. [AJ [A] Specific charafter of the Common or Houfe Sparrow, Fringilla Domtjlicat Linn.—" The quills of its wings and tail " are brown, its body gray and black, with a fingle white ilripe *' on its wings." It is near fix inches long. The eggs are afli- white, with thick duflcy fpots. The male is diftinguilhed by his black throat; the female has a duller plumage. They occur throughout Europe> and in Africa and Afia. M .1 '":■■" J.'fe 1 F F 4 C 440 ] FOREIGN BIRDS, RELATED TO THE HOUSE SPARROW. mmatmm I. ^TpiiE bird, delineated fig. i. No. 223. PI. EnL under the name of Senegal Sparrow. We fhall retain that denomination, fmce it appears to be of the fame fpecies with the Common Houfe Sparrow. The only difference is, that the bill, the top of the head, and the lower- parts of the body, are reddifli ; whereas, in the European Sparrow, the bill is brown, the crown of the head, and the lower-parts of the body, gray. But in every other refpedl, they are the fame ; and we may regard the difference of co- lour as refulting from the influence of climate. The bird of which the male and female are in fig. I. and 2. No. ^^^, PL Enl, appears to be only a variety of this. **<•*— wMitfi II. We may extend thefe remarks to the bird fig. 2. No. 183. PL EnL tQrmtd t\iQ Red-bilkc/ Senegal FOREIGN BIRDS, ^V. Sejicgal Sparrow, which we (hall confu'cr, cially fmce it belongs to the fame clir/.a;. the preceding, as a variety of it, occafion. diffcrence of age or fex. III. The BLACK SPARROW. Tlicre are other foreign birds however, whicl. though analogous to the Houfe Sparrow, mui be regarded as of a different fpecies. Such i. the American bird, which the inhabitants of ri} French Weft-India iflands call the Black Father., (Pcre noir). It is reprefented fig. i. No. 2ci. PI. Enl. It would appear to be fettled not oniv in thefe iflands, but on the continent of Soai:- America, as at Mexico; for it is mentioned W Fernandez under the Mexican name of Tub., h tototly and defcribed by Sir Hans Sloane as a n , tive of Jamaica *. We fuppofe alfo that the f v. . ; birds, figured No. 224. are only varieties of ti.lf The only thing which weakens this conjedU;': is, that they were found in climates very difl;i:r from each other: i. from Macao, the 2d frc.;; Java, and the 3d from Cayenne. I flill cc:;- -ceive, however, that they are varieties of the Black Sparrow j for the climates allotted to them by the importers are not to be confidered • The Black Sparrow marked with fafl'ron docs. Sloane. ,,.M ... , as 442 FOREIGN BIRDS related to w> m% as certain ; and befides, this fpecies may occur equally in the hot countries in both conti- nentc. Thv others alfo which be regarded lore are orners alio wnicn may De rega as varieties of this ipecies. The B.aziil Spar- row, of which Tig. i. No. 291. Pi. Enl. is the male, and fig. 2. the female, refembles the Black Sparrow, fo that we cannot hefitatc to afli^^n it the fame place. The refemblance is indeed the moft pevfed; in the male, for the female differs widely in its colours ; but this circumftance only apprizes us of the uncertainty of any clallifica- tion founded on the plumage. Lafllyj There is another fpecies which we fliould range with the Black Sparrow, but for the' great difference in the length of the tail. This bird is delineated fig. i. No. 183 PL Enl. under the name of the Sparrow of the kingdom of yuida. We may confider it as a variety of the Black Sparrow, dillinguiflied by its long tail, which ccnfdls of unequal quills. If we have been rightly informed with refpedt to the cli- mates, it would appear that the Black Sparrow is found in the /'Antilles, in Jamaica, in Mexico, in' Cayenne, in Brazil, in the kingdom of Juida, in AbyfTuiia, in Java, and as far as Macao ; that is, in all the tropical countries, both of the New and of the Old Continent. IV. The l]\ th< HOUSE SPARROW. 4^3 \j occur b conti- regarded -iil Spar- il, is the he Black aflij^a it deed the le differs nee only clailiilca- liich we , but for the tail. Fl Enl higdom of ty of the ong tail, we have the cli- Sparrow Mexico, of Juida, :ao ; that ' the New IV. The DATE S P A R R O AV *. Le Dcitfier, ou Moinenu dc Datte, Buff. Fringilla Cap/a, Gmel. TJje Cap/a Finch, Lath . Dr. Sliaw fpeaks of this bird in his Travels under th Bruce h of the Cap/a Spc name as iliewn me a miniature drawing d Mr. of it. IV. The from which I have made the following de- fcription : The Date Sparrow has a fhort bill, thick at the bafe, with fome whifkers near the angles of its jundtlon ; the upper-mandible is black, the lower yellowifh, and alfo taf. legs ; the nails black, the anterior part of the head and throat white, the reft of the head, the neck, the up- per, and even the lower furface of the body, gray, tinged with reddifli ; but the tint is deepeft on the hreafl; t, and on the fmall upper-coverts of the wings ; the quills of the wings and of the tail are black ; the tail is /lightly forked, pretty * Mr. Eiiicc, after liaving attentively examined this bird, found it to be the fame with the Mafcalouf of AbyiTmia. It is there called alfo the Bird of the Cro/s, becaufe it ufually arrives the da,- of the Exaltation of the Holy Crofs, which denotes the clofe of the rair.y feai'bn. Mr. Bruce adds, that at the fources of the Nile a bird appears af:er the rains which refembles much the Mafcalouf, ex- cept that it has a much fliorter tail, t Shaw fpeaks of fome reflexions which he perceived on its brcall. long, 444 FOREIGN BIRDS, ^c. long, and ftretches two-thirds beyond the ex- tremity of the wings. This bird flies in flocks ; it is familiar, and ventures to pick up grains at barn-doors. In that part of Barbary, fouth of the kingdom of Tunis, it is as common as the Houfe Sparrow in France ; but it fings much better, if what Shaw advances be a fadt ; that its warble is fuperior to that of the Canaries and Nightingales *. It is a pity that it is too delicate to be carried out of its native country ; at leaft all the attempts that iiave hitherto been made of tranfporting it alive have proved uniuccefsful, ♦ I (hould have been tempted from the finenefb of its notes to range it with the Canaries ; but Mr. Bruce, who had often feen It, and to whom I communicated my idea, perfiftcd in his opiniois that it ought to be clalTed with Sparrows. C 445 3 The TREE SPARROW*. LeFriqutt, BufF. Fringilla Kontana, Linn, .ind Gmel. Pajfer Mont anus, Aldrov. Ray, and Briff. Pqfferittus, Gefncr. The Mountain Sparroiv, Will. ^^^^HIS bird is undoubtedly of a differentf fpe- -*• cies from the Houfe Sparrow. Though, they inhabit the fame climate and the fame trads, they never affociate together, and their habits are, for the moft part, diffimilar. The Houfe Sparrow never leaves our dwellings, but lodges and breeds in the walls and roofs. The Tree Sparrow feldom vifits us, lives in the fields, haunts the fides of the roads, perches on fhrubs and low plants, and builds its neft in crevices and holes at a little height from the ground. It is faid to neftle alfo in the woods, and in the hollows of trees ; but I have never feen them in the woods but tranfiently, and they certainly prefer the open fields. The Iloule Sparrow flies heavily, and always to fhort diftances ; nor can it walk without hopping and making awk- ward movements. The Tree Sparrow, on the contrary, whirls round more fmartly, and walks better. This fpecies is not ^o numerous as that • In German J Baum Sperling, FeU Spatz, or Rd>nMllNHWI I. The GREEN SPARROW. Le PaJJi Vert, BufF. It is delineated fig. 2. No. 201. PL Enl. un- der the name of Rcd'headed Cayenne Sparrow. VOL. III. G G We 450 FOREIGN BIIlDS rilattd tt We (hall term it the Green Sparrow^ becaufc its body is greenilh. But though in point of co- lour it differs as much as pofTible from our Tree Sparrow, it is nearer related to this than to any- other European bird. II. The BLUE SPARROW. LePoJJ'eBleii, Buff. The fame may be faid of the Blue Cayenne Sparrow of fig. 2. No. 203. ; and as boththefe birds inhabit the fame climate, we can hardly decide whether they are diftinfl fpecieSjOr ought to be ranged in the fame. -. • .- III. The F O a D I. This bird is called in Madagafcar, Foudi Le- hemefic. Briffon mentioned it firft under the name of the Madagafcar Cardinal, It is deli- neated fig. 2. No. 134. PLEnL by the title of Madagafcar Sparrow, There are two birds, the Cardinal of the Cape of Good HopCy fig. 2. No. 6. and the Spar- row « the TREE SPARROW. 4|t row of the Cape of Good Hope ^ fig. i. No. 134. which both appear to me to be varieties of the Tree Sparrow, the former being the male, and the latter the female ; for the only difference is, that the under-part of the body is black ; but in all other refpe£ts they arc alike, and as we have reafor. to believe that they live in the fame cli- mate, we may conclude they belong to the fame fpecies. IV. The CRESTED TREE SPARROW. Le Friquet Uuppe, BufF. FringiUa Crijiata, Gmel. The Black faced Finch, Lath. It is like the Tree Sparrow in fize and fhape, though much different in point of colour. It is delineated fig. i.and 2. No. 181. PL Enl. un- der the names of the Cayenne and Carolina Spar- row, Fig. I. is probably the male, and fig. 2. the female of the fame fpecies. [A] [A] Specific cnarafter of the Fr/»f«//