IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^^4^ * V ^;^ *^ ^^f^ k V 1.0 I.I Ug|28 |25 15.0 ^^^" IMJJH U2 1^ 122 u lift lU 14.0 |20 IL25 m 1.4 Iii4ll4 PhDliogra{iiic Sdences Corporationi r signif ie "A SUIVRE", ie symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, piatea, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one expoaura are fiimad beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, aa many framea aa required. The following diagrama illuatrata the method: Lea cartea, planchaa, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAe A des taux da rAduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra raproduit en un aaul clichA, 11 est filmA A partir de I'angia aupAriaur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en baa, an prenant le nombre d'imagae nAcaasaira. Las diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthoda. 1 2 3 32X ' 1 2 3 4 5 6 ;?i^' V X"' k I ■.;**«!"5wyS'- T H fe NATURAL HISTORY O F BIRD S. FROM THE FRENCH OF THE COUNT DE BUFFODT. ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS; A N D A PREFACE, NOTES, and ADDITIONS^ i3Y THE TRANSLATOR. IN NINE Volumes. VOL. vn. LONDON: PRINTED FOR A. STRAHAN, AND T. CADELL IN THE STRAND j AND J, MURRAY, N° 31, F1EET-8TRBET, M DCC xciir. 6;>L 67 3 /57 \> 7 «> rti. O. Cx-C- ?)fi CONTENTS .OF T H 1 SEVENTH VOLUME. fT'HE Woodpeckers The Green fVoodpecker Page — — 6 Foreign Birds of the Ancient Continent^ which are related to the Green Woodpecker 1. The Palalaca, or Great Green Wood- pecker of the Fhilipines 2. Another Palalaca, or the Spotted Green Woodpecker of the Fhilipines 3. The Green Woodpecker of Goa 4. The Green Woodpecker of Bengal 5. The Goertan, or Green Woodpecker of Senegal — — 6. The Little Striped Woodpecker of Senegal 7. The Gray-headed Woodpecker of the Cape of Good Hope — "~ 2 5 ^iRDs of the New Continent y which are related to the Green Woodpecker , — * aS 1. The Striped Woodpecker of St. Domingo ib. 2. The Little Olive Woodpecker of St. Domingo 28 a a 3. TUq 18 — ib« 19 20 21 24. CONTENTS. II' ^j 1 f^:- ^-l 1 Page ^3. The Green Striped Woodpecker of Cayenne 4. The Little Striped Woodpecker of Cayenne 30 5. The Yellow Woodpecker of Cayenne 31 ^. The Ferruginous Woodpecker, Lath, 34 7. The Black breaftcd Woodpecker 315 8. The Rufous Woodpecker — 36 9. The Little Yellow-throated Woodpecker 37 10. The Lcaft Woodpecker of Cayenne 38 11. The Gold winged Woodpecker — 39. X2> The Black Woodpecker — 41 Birds ^fthe New Continent ^ wh ch are related to the Black tVvurJpecker - — — 46 I. The White billed Woodpecker ib,« S. The Pileated Woodpecker — 48 3. The Lineated Woodpecker — ^ 4. The Red-necked Woodpecker «»• 53 5. The Lefler Black Woodpecker $^ 6« The Red-headed Woodpecker 5« 7, The Greater Spotted Woodpecker 57. 8. The Lefler Spotted Woodpecker 61 Birds of the Jncient Continent ^ which are related to the Spotted fVoodpecker — 64, 1. The Nubian Woodpecker, Laib. ib, 2. The Great Variegated Woodpecker of the Iflc of Luijon — 65 3. The Little Brow n-fpotted Woodpecker of the Moluccas — — 66, Bird s of the New Continent ^ which are related to the Spotted fVoodpecker — — 67 1. The Spotted Woodpecker of Canada ib. 2. The Vaiied Woodpicker ■-• 68 , 3. The Variegated Jamaica Woodpecker 69 4. The Striped Woodpecker of Louifiana 71 S. The CONTENTS. 3+ 35 36 37 38 39. 4« 4^; 48 53; 54 57 61 64 ib. 66 ^7 jj. The Variegated Wooilpcck.tr of Enccnada (t. The Hairy Woodpt\:k.er — 7, The Little Variegated Woodpecker of Virginia, Bi4^\ — — 8. T he Variegated Woodpecker of Carolina 91 The Variegated Undated Woodpecker 10. The Woodpecker Creepers — The PTryjjcck -— — The Barbets -— — - ^he Tamatia — — The Tamatia with the Head and Throat Red The Collared Tamatia — -^ The Beautiful Tamatia — -«. The Black and White Tamatias — The Barbets — »— The Tellow throated Barbet — STi&tf Black' throated Barbet — . 37?^ Black-brea/ied Barbet m. Ti;*? Great Barbet — -.« ^T?/? Greeu Barbet < »— — 7i&^ Toucans — i — T/&tf Aracaris — 2l&(? Grigri «— ir&(? Kou'ick — The Black' billed Aracari The Blue Aracari — 5?^^ Barbican — Paffo 72 ib, 73 74 75 77 »7 88 — 9' — 93 9J 9S 97 9« — 99 ■~» loa — 101 103 112 113 116 118 119 120 ib. 122 124 — ib. 126 123 The M'- I iv... CONTENTS. Tbe CalaoSf or Rhinoceros Birds Ibe Tcck — — She Manilla Calao — - — ^he Calao, of the IJland of Panay *Ihe Molucca Calao — — 7he Malabar Calao — — The Brae, or African Calao — The Ahyffmian Calao — — Tv^^ Philippine Calao — — IT/Jj^ Round' helmeted Calao »— IT/^^ Rhinoceros Calao — ^- Foreign King Fijhers -^ ^— ^r^^/ Kino Fishers of the Old Continent 1. The Greateft King Fifher — 2. The Blue and Rufous King Fifher 3. The Crab King Fiflier — 4. The Thick-billed King Fiflier 5. The Pied King Fiflier -^ 6. The Crcfted King Fiflier — . 7. The Blaclc-capped King Fiflier g. The Green-headed King Fiflier 9. The King Fiflier with Straw* coloured Head and Tail — — 10, The White-collared King Fiflier 7 he Middle-fized King Fishers of the Ancient Continent — — 1. The Baboucard — — 2> The Blue and Black King Fiflier of Senegal — — 3. The Gray-headed King Fiflier 4. Yellow -fronted King Fiflier ^. The Lon^g-fliafted King Fiflier % Page '■V 130 «34 i K7 ^ ■' 138 140 :■ 142 >47 7a 148 % 150 ^S3 HS 1 158 *73 174 jsfl ib. 17s • 176 178 179 182 183 184 J i8s 186 188 ib. ''fl 189 i:^ 190 191 192 Small CONTENTS. Page Stftall Kino Fishers of the Ancient Continent — — 193 1. The Blue. headed King Fi(hcr ib. 2. The Rufous King Fifher — 194- 3. The Purple King Fiftier — ib. 4. The White. billed King Fiiher J95 5. The Bengal King Filher — 197 6. The Three-toed King Fiflier 198 7. The Vintfi — — »99 ^he Kino Fishers of the New Continent, Great Species , — — 201 I. The Taparara -— — ib. a. ThcAlatli — — 203 3, The Jaquacati — — 205 4. The Matuitui — — 207 ^ddU-ftzed K.i'mG Fishers c/ //^^ New Continent — — 209 1. The Green and Rufous King Fiflier ib; 2. The Green and White Kipg Fiflier 210 3. The Gip-Gip — — an Small King Fishers of the New Continent, 1. The Green and Orange King Fiflier 212 2. The Jacamars — — 213 3. The Jacamar properly fo called 2x4 4. The Long-tailed Jacamar — 216 5. The Todies — — • 218 6. The North American Tody — 219 7. The Tic-Tic, or South American Tody 221 ^. The Orangc-bellicd Blue Tody 222 ^he Aquatic Birds 224. the Hi f ; CONTENTS. the Stork — — — The Black Stork — — Foreign Birds which are related to the Stork 1. The M.nguari ■" —• 2. The Couricaca --• — 3. The Jabiru •*- — 4. The Nandapoa ^*- — 'The Crane The Collared Crane — — — Cranes 0/ the New Continent — 1. The White Crane — -• 2. The Brown Crane ^^ — i^oreign Birds which are related to the Crane I. The Numidian Crane — 1. The Royal Bird — — 3. The Cariama — "-" 4. The Secretary, or Mcflengct 5. The Kamichi — — 'the Common Heron > The Great JVhite Heron — The Black Heron — — T^be Purple Heron — - The Violet Heron — T'he iVhite Garzette — The Little Egret — • Herons of the New Continent " — 1. The Great Egret — — 2. The Rufous Egret — *-• 3. The Demi Egret — — 4. The Soco *- — Page 261 365 ib. 267 270 275 277 295 296 ib. 299 301 ib. 306 3«3 316 323 329 350 353 354 35S ib. 357 361 ib. 362 362 364 5. The CONTENTS. Pflge 5. The Black -capped White Heron 365 6. The Brown Heron —• ib. 7. The Agami Heron — — 366 8. The Hoai — — 367 9. The Houhou — — 368 JO. The Great American Heron 369 II. The Hud Ton's Bay Heron — 370 — 37« The Crab Catchers — < Crab Catchers of the Old Continent 27a 1. The Squaiotta Heron — • ib. 2. The Rufous Heron — 373 3. The Chefnut Heron — 37+ 4. The Sguacco Heron «» 375 5. The Mahon Crab Catcher — 376 6. The Coromandel Crab Catcher ib* 7. The White and Brown Crab Catcher 377 8. The Black Crab Catcher — ib. 9. The Little Crab Catcher — 378 10. The Blongios — — 379 Crab Catchers of the New JVorld 381 1. The Blue Crab Catchers — ib. 2. The Brown- ncciced Rlue Crab Catcher 382 3. The Iron-gray Crab Catcher 383 4. The Red-billet White Crab Catcher 384 5. The Cinereous Crab Catcher 385 6' The Purple Crab Catcher — ib. 7. The Cracra — — 3B6 8. The Chalybeate Crab Catcher 387 9. The Grenn Crab Catcher — 388 10. The Spotted Green Crab Catcher 389 11. The Zilatat — — 390 VOL. VII, 12. The U| l.if.'X . ( *^#'r n i. C O N T P: N T S. Page 12. The Rufous Crab Catcher with Green Head aiul Tail — — 390 13, The Gray Crab Catcher with Gieen Head and Tail — — 391 ^he Open Bui — 37^^ Bitiern — Birds of the Old Continent which are related to the Bittern — 1. The Greater Bittern 2. The LifJc iSittcrn 3. The Rayed Grown Bittern 4. Thr Rufous Bittern 5. The Little Senegal Bittern 6. The Spotted Bittern Birds of the New Continent which are related to the Bittern ' 411 — 392 - 394 e related — 405 -«■ ib. ^_^ * 406 — 407 — 408 — 409 — 410 1. The Starred Bittern — 2. The Yellow Bittern of Brazil 3. The Little Bittern of Cayenne 4. The Hudfon'i Bay Bittern 5. T he Onore — 6. The Rayed Onore — 7. The Onore of the Woods ^he Bihoreaii ■ • — 7he Bihoreau of Cayenne — ^he tufted Umbre -~ ^he Comlviy or Courlan — ^he Savacou — — TU IVhite ^poon Bill — ib. 412 414 415 416 4«7 419 422 423 425 426 431 Ibe ■t 1 J !■ CONTENTS. ^he Woodcock — Varieties of the Woodcock I. The White Woodcock . — 3. The Rufous Wcodcocic — 3. The Greater and Leffer Woodcock Page 4+2 — 458 — ib. — ib. 459 Foreign Bird which is related to the Woodcock 460 I. The Savanna Woodcock «— jb. ^he Snipe — - — ^g, ^he Jack Snipe — — ^^q The Brunette 472 Foreign Birds which are related to the Snipes 473 1. The Cape Snipe -^ 2. The Madagalcar Snipe 3. The China Snipe — The Barges m The Common Barge — The Barking Barge — The Variegated Barge — The Rufous Barge -— The Gre't Rufous Barge The Rufous Barge of Hudjon's Bay The Brown Barge ■ The White Barge — The Horfemen — . The Common Horfeman — The Redfjank -^ The Striped Horfeman — The Variegated Horfeman The White Horfeman — • ib. 474 475 476^ 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 48 8 489 490 492 494 496 The CONTENTS. i ^he Green Horfeman 7 he Ruff and Reeve ^he Maubeches — *tbe Common Mauheche ^he Spotted Maubecbe ^he Gray Maubeehe ^e Sanderling — The Green Sandpiper The Common Sandpiper The Sea Partridge - The Gray Sea Partridge ■The Brown Sea Partridge The Giarole — The Collared Sea Partridge The Sea Lark — TheCinde — Page 497 498 505 ib. .9b 507 ib. 508 509 i^^B 516 ^^1 517 518 ib. ^^H 519 '^^1 521 524 THE illi * 'a I i :\iuU''--'- ^-f ^^ \ THE c : ■; .v V ', , , Natural history O F M. ■: ) B rr D S. ::;^ I the WOODPECKERS*; ^ ■■ LesPics. BufF. .vvl :• PiVf. Linnxus, &c. ■;k .^ .i>;^.v- THOSE animals alone, whicli live upon the fruits of the earth, join in fociety. Nature entertains them with a perpetual banquet, and abundance begets thofe gentle peaceful difpofitions which are fitted for ibcial intercourfe. Other animals are con- ftantly engaged in the purfuit of prey j • In Greek the Woodpecker was called Al^5*50)to^snr1l}f, ifiguoxoXawIflv from hv^oi, a tree, ^^u?, an oak, and xoXxirlu, to hollow out by blows ; alfo Sti^oxoTr©-, from ^vXov, wood* and Mirlu, to cut, and in Hefychius ZircXtxl^, Ariftophanes calls it, OiXixay, from izr(X»Ktf, an ax, alluding to the form and ofRce of its bill : in modern Greek Kov^kovn yis. Pliny terms it Picus jlrborarius. The Hebrew name is Jnapba, and according to others, Ble/chlat, In Italian Pico, or Picchio. In Gerritan Specht. In Flemilh Spi ht. In Spanifh Bequebo. In Polifh Dzie^iol. In Turkifli Sagarieck. VOL. VII, B urged 9 WOODPECKERS. urged by want, reftrained by apprelienfions of danger, they depend for fubfiflence on the vigour of their own exertions : they have fcarce time to fatisfy their immediate defires, and no leifure to cherifh the bene- volent afFe6lions. Such is the folitary con- dition of all the carnivorous birds, except a few cowardly tribes which prowl on putrid carrion, and rather combine like robbers, than unite as friends. And of all the birds which earn their fubfiftence by fpoil, none leads a life fo laborious and fo painful as the Woodpecker. Nature has condemned it to inceflant toil and llavery. \V^hile others freely employ their courage or addrefs, and either flioot on rapid wing, or lurk in clofe ambufh j the Woodpecker is conftrained to drag out an inlipid exiftence in boring the bark and hard fibres of trees, to extra6t its humble prey. Neceflity never fufFers any inter- miflion of its labours ; never grants am interval of found repofe : often during the night it fleeps in the fame painful poflure as in the fatigues of the day. It never fhares the cheerful fports of the other in- habitants of the air : it joins not their vocal concerts, and its wild cries, and faddening tones, w^hile they difturb the filence of the forefl:, exprefs condraint and effort. Its move- Woodpeckers. ^ movements are quick 5 its gcftures, full of inquietude ; its looks, coarfe and vulgar ; it fhuns all fociety, even that of its own kind *, and when it is prompted by luft to feek a companion, its appetite is not foft- ened by delicacy of feeling. Such is the narrow and grofs inftindt fuited to a mean and a gloomy life. The organs with which the Woodpecker is fur- hifhed, correfpond to its deftination. Four thick nervous toes, two turned forwards^ and two backwards*, the one refembling a fpur, being lortgeft and ftouteftj all of them armed with thick hooked nails, con- ne6led to a very fhort and extremely muf- cular foot, enable the bird to cling firmly, and to creep in all directions on the trunks of trees -f-. Its bill is edged, ftraight, wedge- fhaped, fquare at the bafe, channelled long- wife, flat, and cut vertical at its tip like a chifel x this is the inftrument with which it pierces the bark, and bores into the wood, to extra6t the infeQs, or their eggs* The fubftance of the bill is hard and folid ||, and rifes out of the cranium, which is very thick. Powerful mufcles adt upon its fhort neck, and direfl its inceflaftt blows, which • Aldrovandus. t AriUotle. Li^. ix, 9. )i Belon and Aridotle. B 2 fonie« Bff. '. i 4 WOODPECKERS. fometimes penetrate even to the pith cf the wood. It darts its long tongue, which IS tapered and rounded Hke an earth-worm, and tipt with a hard bony point,* like a needle. Its tail confids of ten fliif quills, bent inwards, truncated at the ends, belet with hard briftles j and this often fervcs it as a red, while employed in a conflrained, and often inverted, pofture. It breeds ia the cavities which it has in part formed itfelf J the progeny iflue from the heart of the tree, and, though furnifhed with wings, they are almoft confined to the verge of its circumference, and condemned to tread the dull round of life. The genus of the Woodpecker contains a great number of fpecies, which differ in (ize and in colours. The largeft is equal in bulk to the crow ; and the fmalleft ex- ceeds not the titmoufe. But few individuals are included in each fpecies ; which muft ever be the cafe where a laborious courfe of life checks multiplication. Yet nature has placed Woodpeckers in all countries where (he has planted trees, and in greater plenty in the warm climates. There are only twelve fpecies in Europe, and in the arflic regions ; but we may reckon twenty- £evcn from the hot countries of America, of Africa, and of Afia. And thus, though we M I 'I' WOODPECKERS. 5 we have confiderably abridged the number, thirty-nine fpccies ftill remain 5 fixteen of which were hitherto unknown. — We may obferve in general, that the Woodpeckers of either continent differ from other birds in the ftiape of the feathers of the tail, which terminate in a point more or lefs fharp. The three fpecies of Woodpeckers known jn Europe are the Green, the Blacky and the Variegated. Thefe have no varieties in our climates, and would feem to have migrated from the parent families in both continents. After thele European ones, we (hall range |!^e foreign Woodpeckers ^kin to them, ^ 3 [ 6 3 . I i :. f The GREEN WOODPECKER*. I ,• J : .'. i ,. It Pie Vert, BufF. Picus Viridis. Linn. Gmel. &c. &c. Th» Wood' Spite, Kainfo'wU High-hot or Hew-hoU, Will. 'Tp H I s 15 the beft known, and the moft common of the Woodpeckers. It ar- rives m the fpring, and makes the forefls refound with the fhrill harfli cries tiacacan^ tiacacan^ which are heard at a great diflance. Thefe founds are uttercd[ chiefly when it bounds in the air, (inking, and again riling by ftarts, and defcribing its waved tracks j but though it mounts only to a fmall height, it can fly from wood to wood. In the pair- ing feafon, it has, befides its ordinary cry, a call of court ftiip, which refembles in fome meafure a loud continued burft of laughter tio tiot tio, tio^ tio, repeated thirty or forty times in fucceflion -(-. * Ariftotle terms it KoXt^. Among the Romans it re- celved the appellation Picus Martius, being conftgned to the God of War. In Italian it bears the names Plccio, and Pico Ver3e. In German, Grun-Speckt. In Swedifh, Wed- inarr, Groen-joeling and Groe»-Spick, In Danifh and Nor- wegian, Grott'Spat and Gnul-Spat. In Lapponic, Zhiane, f Aldrovandus fays, that it is filent in fummer; pro- bably it refumes its cry in autumn, for in that feafon we have heard it make the woods to refound. The Wf ICm^ THE GREETSr\V?)ODPECKEB.. GltEEN WOODPECKER. > The Green-Woodpecker is fcen oftetier on the ground || than the other Woodpeck- ers, particularly near ant-hills, where we may be fure to find it, and even to catch it \>y means of a noofe. Ir inferts its long tongue into the narrow hole, through which the ants commonly ilTue, and as foon as it feels the tip covered with thefe infefts, k withdraws, and fwallows them. But when thefe little republicans are ina6tive and flill, or torpid with cold, the bird alfaults their citadel, and, employing both feet and bill, foon makes a breach, and at eafe de- vours them, and their chryfalids. At other times it creeps againd the trees^ which it flrikes with incelTant blows ; and, labouring with the moil (Irenuous activity, it often ftrips them of all their bark. The flrokes of its bill are audible at a didance^ and may be diftin£lly counted. In other refpefls it is indolent, and will fufFer a perfon to approach near it, and will endea- vour only to conceal itfelf from the fportf- man, by warping round the branch, and flinging on the oppofite fide. It has been faid, that, after a few knocks, it removes to another part of the tree to obferve if it has pierced it; but its view is rather to D Willoghby. n ■ ^ 4 gather 'I M i^r: i il I* ■ i I i\ W i III I > i ' r'* 8 GREEN WOODPECKER* gather on the bark the infcdls which it has roufed and put in motion : and, what is more certain, it judges from the found of the blow in what cranics the worms are lodged, or where there is a proper cavity for its own accommodation. It ufually forms its nell in the heart of fomc worm-eaten tree, at the height of fif- teen or twenty feet above the ground, and ofteneft in the fofter kinds of wood, the afpin, or the willow, rather than the oak. Bpth male and female, by turns, labour inceflantly in boring the frefli part of the timber, until they penetrate to the rotteti center. Then they fafhion and enlarge the cavity, and throw out with their feet the chips and wood dull: fometimes they make the hole fo deep and crooked, that the light cannot enter, and they rear their young in the dark. They commonly Liy five eggs, which are greenifh, with fmali black fpots. The infant brood begin to creep before they are able to fly. The parents feldom leave them 5 they rooft very early, and re- pofe in their holes till day. Some naturalifts have thought the Green- Woodpecker was the rain- bird of the an- cientSi pluvia /^v/St bccaqfe it is generally believed to foretell rain by an unufual cry, which is drawling and plaintive, j[)beu, ph^u^ GREEN WOODPECKER. 9 pbeu^ and may be heard at a very confidcr- able diftance. Hence the Englifli call it rain-fowl, and fome provinces of France, fuch as Burgundy, it is vulgarly termed the miller s procurer (procureur du meunier), Thefe oblervers allege^ that as this bird fhews a forefight of the ftate of the atmo- fphere, fuperftiiion would naturally afcribe to it a more profound and wonderful faga- city. The Woodpecker held a principal rank among the aufpices * ; its hiflory or fable was interwoven with the mythology of the ancient heroes of Lctium -f* ; its geftures were regarded as fignificant, and its appearance foreboded impending fate, Pliny relates a curious incident, which ex- hibits in the ancient Romans two qualities that might be deemed incompatible, fuper- ilitious phfervance, and elevation of fen- timent J, . « . The • Pici Martii , . , in atf/picatu magni , , • principal^ tatio /tint in aug¥riis* YWn. Lib. 9f. i8. f Picus, fon of Saturn, and father of Faunus, was grand- father of king Latinus. For defpifing the love of Circe, he was changed into a Green Woodpecker : he became one of the rural gods, under the name of Piiumnus. While the ihe-wolf fuckled Romulus and Remus, tHis facred Wood- pecker was feen tp alight on their cradle. See farther, Gefner, p. 678. X A woodpecker alighted on thj head of the prator -/Ellas Tubero,while he was fitting on his^ibunalin the forum, and buffered , -l i f SJ! 10 GREEN WOODPECKER. The fpecies of the Green Woodpecker i^ found in both continents -, and, though it contains few individuals, they are widely fpread. The Green Woodpecker of Louifi- ana is the fame with that of Europe || ; and that of the Antilles is only a variety §, Gmelin mentions his having feen, among the Tungufe Tartars, a cinereous Green Woodpecker, which muft be akin to the European *. Nor (hall we hefitate to range with it the gray-beaded Woodpecker from Norway, defcribed by Edwards, and which fufFered itfelf to be taken by the hand. The augurs being con. fulted on this prodigy, declared, that the empir*? was threaten- ed with deftru£lion, if the bird was liberated, and the praetor with death, if it was kept. Inftantly Tubero tore it with his hands ; (hortly after, Pliny adds, the refponfe was ful- filled. Lib.x. i8. II Dupratz. § There is a bird called carpenter in St. Domingo, no doubt, becaufe it fliapes and hollows trees; if it be not the Green Woodpecker of Europe, it is a bird of the fame fpecies ; it has its colours, its form, its note, and its habits. It does much injury to the palm trees, which it bores in many places, and often quite through, which makes them frail and perifliable. It is alfo very fond of the cocoa nut. We are obliged to hunt it when that fruit comes to maturity. Note of the Chevalier Lefebvre Defnayes, ** • The Tungufes of Nijaia-tunguoka afcribe virtues to the cinereous Green Woodpecker; they roaft this bird, pound it, mix it with any fort of fat, except that of bears, becaufe this quickly grows rancid, and with this compound befmear the arrows which they ufe in tlie chace : an animal ftruck with one of thefe arrows, 4nftantly falls. Voyage en SiberiCf par GmclIn, torn. H. p. 113. Klein ~~ i GREEN WOODPECKER. u Klein and Briflon confider as a diftin^l fpe- cics. In fa£l, the only difference between it and our Green Woodpecker, is, that its plumage is paler, and its head not marked with bright red, though there is a tint of that colour on the front. Edwards very juftly attributes the alteration of its hues to the influence of climate. Briflon makes the yellow Woodpecker of Perfia ano- ther * fpecies, though in all probability it is nothing but a Green Woodpecker. Its fize and almofl: its colours, are the fame ; and AMrovandus formed his defcription from a figure exhibited at Venice ; and fuch (lender authority merits no attention. Belon conceived the black Woodpecker to be a fpecies of the Green Woodpecker j and this error has been adopted by Ray, who reckons two kinds of Green Woodpeckers. Thefe overfights are occafioned by the mif^ application of terms : fuch has alfo been the cafe with the appellation picus martius^ which is often beftowed on the Woodpeckers • Picus Perficus. Gmel. Picus Luteus Perficus. BriJ/. Picus Luteus Cyanopus Perficus. Aldrov, Picchio Giallo (yellow). Z/»». Specific charadler : it is yellow ; its upper furface, the tips of the quills of its wings, and the fpaces about its •yes are ferruginous. in 12 GREEN WOODPECKER. in general, though originally it belonged cxclufively to the Green Woodpecker. Gefner has aflferted, and Aldrovandus has endeavoured to prove, that the Colios of Ariftotle was the Green Woodpecker : but almoll all other naturalifls have maintained that it was the Oriole. It may therefore be proper to difcufs thefe opinions, both with a view to complete the hiftory of thefe birds, and to elucidate two difficult pafTages in Ariftotle. In Theodore Gaza's edition of Ariftotle, the word kim^, which he tranflates Galgu/us^ or Oriole, occurs twice in the fame chapter. It is fii ft reprefented as hoftile to the At^fi^o;, and then as aifociating with that bird, and haunting the fides of rivers and bufties * : that fort of life is not afcribed to the for- mer, which to avoid confufion ought to be read komo?. And what Ariftotle mentions in another paifage -f , when he treats more fully of the koa«os J ; that they are nearly as large as the turtle, that their voice is ftrong, &c. agrees perfedly with the character of the Green Woodpecker: but it has befides a V\ 4 ^^ I 'I : Hi • ITa§it iro1«/*o» )^ A«XfA young Green Woodpeckers which 1 was rearing, and which were ftill in the neft, fight with each other cbllinately. When I opened trees where was a brood, the parents con- ilantly forfook them, and left them to perilli of hunger. The woodpeckers are vicious and quarrelfonie ; birds weaker than them arc ever their viftims; they break the fcull with their bill, without afterwards preying on it. I had one in . i a room ■ ' illl • '.lli \ %' i4 GREEN WOODPECKER. According to Frifch, the pi ales alone have red on the headj and Klein makes the fame affertion. Salerne fays, that they were miftaken, and that the young ones have all the upper fide of the head red^ even in the neft. According to the obfer- tation of Linnaeus, this red varies, and appears mixed fometimes with black fpots, and fometimes with grey ones, and, in a few inftancesj without any fpots at all. Some individuals, which are probably old males, affume a red tint on the two black muftachoes which arife from the corners of the bill, and their colours are in general more vividw Frifch relates, that in Germany dur- ing winter, the Green Woodpeckers plun- der bee-hives. We doubt this fa6l, efpe- cially as in France few or none of thefe birds remain through the inclement feafon, and it is unlikely that the colder climate of Germany fliould prove more inviting. When we difle^l them, we commonly find the crop filled with ants. They have no cacum, which is wanting equally in all birds of this kind -, but inftead of it there a room with partridges, anid it killed them all one after another. When I entered, it climbed up my legs. It walked out into the fields, and returned to eat in its room< Thej are very familiar, but feel no attachment. li GkEtN WOODPECKER. j$ is a dilatation of the inteftine. The gall- bladder is large ; the alimentary canal two feet long ; the right tefticle round, the left one oblong and arched , which is the natural flrufture, fince it was verified on a great number of fubje6Vs *, But the mechanifm of the tongue has been a fubjedt of admiration among all naturalifts. Borelli and Aldrovandus have defcribed the form and fundlions of that organ : Olaus Jacol^aus, in the A£ls of Copenhagen, and Mery, in the Memoires of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, have delineated its curious anatomy. The tongue of the Green Woodpecker is, accurately fpeaking, only the bony tip, and what is ufually taken for the tongue is the os hybides inverted with a membranous coat, and ex- tending backwards into two long branches, at firft offeous, and afterwards cartilagi- nous : thefe, after encircling the windpipe, refle6l towards the head, and running clofe in a furrow along the Ikull, they are in- ferted on the forehead at the root of the bill. They are elaftic cords, furnifhed with an apparatus of mufcles, both extenfors and retraBors^ which ferve to move and direct this fort of tongue. The whole is (heathed * Willnghby, by ;Vr Jl:'! i . I 'ill. ■I ¥ h ! i iilllllS ■ I! liwHii ;;^! ■A J m t I ■ ■• 1$ CREEN WOODPECKEli. by the prolongation of the ikin, which lines the lower mandible, and which extends! when the os hybides is protruded, and coU lapfesi in annular wrinkles, as that bone is retracted. The bony tip, which is the real tongue, is connedted to the extremity, and Covered with a fcaly horn, befet with fmall hooks bent back : and that it may be capable both to hold and to pierce its prey, it is naturally moiftened with a vifcous fluid, that diftills from two excretory du(5ls which rife from a double gland.-^After this ftruc- ture the tongue of all the Woodpeckers is falhioned ; indeed we might conclude front analogy, that it alfo obtains in fuch birds in general, as protrude their tongue by extending it, - . > . v .;. ^ The Green Woodpecker has a vety large head, and can briftle the red feathers that cover its crown, which induced Pliny t6 term it tufted*. It is fometimes caught by the decoy, but very rarely : it anfwers not the call fd much as the noife made by flriking the tree where it lodges, and which refembles that ufually occafioned by its own boring. Sometimes it is feized by the neck in fprings, as it creeps along the ftake. But it is very coarfc food, r.nd always ex- ♦ Cirrhos pica martio. ceedingly i I A. m GREEN WOOriPECKER. jf iceedingly lean and dry ; though Aldrovan- dus fays, that thefe birds iare eaten in win- ter at Bologna, and are then pretty fat: this acquaints us, at leaft, that they remain during that feafon in Italy> while they dif- appear iii France [A]. [A] SpeciEc cbaraAer of the fiCM Viridit: it iigiten* its head crimfonfe 1 \ • J i - VOL. VII. c ,4 "^ ^ ; •*■•'• ':!:'•! i 1.1'' Mm. f III £ »» } FOREIGN BIRCSI a » T H t Anc?ent Continent, which are related to the GREEN WOODPECKER. The P A L A L A C Ai O R. GREAT GREEN WOODPECKER of the Philippines. Firjf Species, Picus Philipparttm. Lath, #^AMEL, in his account of the birds that ^^ inhabit the Philippines, and Gemelll Carreri, agree, that in thofe iflands there is a fpecies of Green Woodpecker as large as an ordinary hen ; meaning probably with regard to length, and not to bulk. It is called Palalaca by the iflanders, but Her- rero^ or the Forger, by Spaniards, on ac- count of the loud noife which it makes in ftriking againft the trees, and which may be heard, fays Camel, at the diftance of three hundred paces. Its voice is cparfc and raucous \ its head red and tufted ; its plumage of a green ground. Its bill is extremely firm and folid, and enables it to excavate its nell in the hardeft trees* K-v:- If f I: «9 1 I d to the CKER ►irds that Gemelll ds there as large biy with ^. It is mt Her- on ac- it makes I which diflance is cparfe ted; its ' bill is )Ies it to M' Another PALALACA, OR THE SPOTTED GREEN WOODPECKER of the Philippines. Second Species, Picui Manillenfti, Gmel. Tht Manula Green Jt^oodpecker* Lath. '"pHis differs entirely from the former irt ■*• its fize and colours. Sbnnerat calls it the Speckled Woodpecker (Pic Grivel^), It is of an intermediate bulk between the variegated and Green Woodpeckers, though nearer that of the latter : on each feather in the whole of the forefide of the body, there is a fpot of dufky white, framed in blackifll brown, which fofms a rich ena- mel J the mantle of the wings is rufous, tinged with aurora-yellow, which, on the back, afTumes a more brilliant hue, verging oh red ; the rump is carmine ; its tail rufty gray ; and its head bears a tuft, waved with yellowifh rufous on a brown ground. G 2 •Ijl-^ d I to ) • I "I r-N The GREEN WOODPECKER of Goa. Third Species* Picus Goenjti, Gmel* T T is fmaller than the European. The red feathers ort its head are gathered into a tuft, and its tcri pies are bordered by a white ftripe, which widens on the arch of the neck ; a black zone defcends from the eye, and tracing a zigzag, falls upon the wing, whofe fmall coverts are equally black ; a fine gold fpot covers the reft of the wing, and terminates in greenifh yel- low on the fmail quills ; the great ones are as it were indented with fpots of greenifh white, on a black ground j the tail is black ; the belly, the breaft, and the forefide of the neck, as far as under the bill, are mailed lightly with white and black. This bird is one of the moft beautiful of the Wood- peckers j it bears a ftriking refemblarice to the following, which, joined to the circum- ftance, that they inhabit contiguoufly, would induce us to conclude that they arc the fame, or at leaft two kindred fpecies. C " ] KER 1. The gathered iered by he arch ds front lis upon equally ) reft of lifh y el- ones are greenifh s black ', £ of the ; mailed s bird is Wood- lance to circum- f, would are the s. The GREEN WOODPECKER of Bengal. Fourth Spttiti, Ficus BengaUnJis. Linn. Gmel. Klein and Gerini. The Bengal Creeper. Albin. Tkv Spotte4 Indian Woodpecker. Edw, Tt is olF the fame fize with the preceding, ■*• and fimilar to it. The gold colour is inore fpre^d on the wings, and covers the l)ack alfo ; a white line, rifing from the ^ye, defcends on the fide of the neck like the black zigzag of the Goa Woodpecker 5 the tuft, though more difplayed, appears only on the back of the head *, whofe crown and forefide are clothed with fmaU black feathers, beautifully fpotted with white drops ; the plumage under the bill, and on the throat, is the fame in both birds ; the breaft and ftomach are white, crofled and mailed with blackifli and brown, but lefs fo in this than the preceding. Thefe mi- nute differences would not perhaps be fuf- f cient to diftinguifli the two fpecics j but • A charafter more remarkable than that of hJack mapu ^y which Linnseu^ defines the fpecies. c 3 the r Iw I > >il 22 GREEN WOODPECKER. the Goa Woodpecker has its hill one third longer than that of Bengal [A|. With the Bengal Woodpecker. J (hall range not only the Green Bengal Vv ood- pecker of Brillbn f, but aifo his Cape-of Good -Hope Woodpecker J, which indeed bears a clofer refemblance. The reafon perhaps is, that the one from the Gape-of Good -Hope was defcribed from nature, while the other was taken from Edward's figure, which is only fomewhat larger than our Green Bengal Woodpecker. Albin, who defcribes the fame bird, reprefents it as (\\[\ larger, and as equal in bulk to the Euro- pean. But notwithftanding thefe differences in the colours and fize, it is eafy to fee the fame bird through the three defcriptions. [A] Specific characler of the Picut Bengalenjts : it is green, jts creil red, its nape black ; below aud before it is whiter fpotted with black. f Picus Viridis BengaXenfis. Brlfl*. Thus defcribed : " it is crefted ; above yellowifh green, below white; the margins of its feathers, brown ; its creft, red ; the fore part of its head, and the lower part of itd neck, variegated with white and black ; the upper part of its neck, black ; a bright white bar extending from the eyes along the fides of the neck; its tail -quills blackifli, Jhaded with dull green." X Picus Capitis Bona Spei. BrifT. Thus defcribed : ** it is orange above, Alining with ft golden hue ; below dirty white ; the margins of its fea- thers, brown; the upper and back part of its head, red; the upper part of its neck and its rump, Itlackiih ; a brighd White bar extended from the hoftrils below the eyes, an4 i|long the fides of the neck; its taii.G^uiljs, blackiHi."^ t »» ] The GOER TAN, I Green Woodpecker of Senegal, Fi/ib S/eda. ... ■ v^ .> .< PUuj-Gfirtan. Gmel. The Crlmfon-rumptd I'^todptcktr, ^1p HIS Woodpecker, which ife termed ''^ Gikrtan at Senegal, is not lb large as the Green Woodpecker, und fcdrcdy e<)uai to the variegated one. The upper furfi^e of the body is brown-gray, tinged with dull green- ifh, fpotted on the wings with waves of faint white, and interrupted on the head and rump by two marks of fine red ; all the under fnrface of the body is gray (Gain- ed with yellowifh. This fpecies and the two following were unknown to natu« falifls. iJ H c 4 I U ] #1 Th^ Little Striped WOODPEeKER pf Senegal. Sixth Sptdet, ficus StnigaUnfis* Gmel. The Gold-backed Woodpecker. Lath. 'TP HIS Woodpecker is not larger than ^ fparrow 5 the upper fide of its head is reds a brown half-mafk paiTes over the front, 4nd behind the eye; the plumage, which is waved on the fore part of the lx>dy, exhibits fmall fefloons, alternately brown, gray, and dull white -, the back \% of a fine gold fulvous, which alfo tingesf the great quills of the wing, whofe coverts, as well as thofe of the rump, are greeni(h* Though much inferior in fize to the Euro- pean Woodpeckers, we (hail find that thi^ African fpecies is by no means the Anallei^ pf this extenfive genus. "(S I a$ ] T|ie Gray-headed WOODPECKER of tht Cape of Good Hope. Stvtutb Sfeeiet, Picus Aurantius, Linn, and Gmel, Picut Capitis Bontt Spei. Briff. The Orange Woodpecker, Lath. A LMOST all the Woodpeckers have ^ •*^ mottled plumage, but in the prefent |io colours are fet in contrail. A dull olive brown covers the back, the neck and the breaft; the reft of the plumage is deep gray, which is only fomewhat lighter oa the head ; there is a red tinge at the origin of the tail. — This Woodpecker is not fo Jarge as a lark. [A] [A] Specific chara^er of the Picut Aurantius : above it is orange ; its nape, its rump, and the quills of its tail are |>lack. mm l\ ■'■ 'ij ,1''' ■If f]>, ' ■* i p.\ r a6 3 P I R P S of the New Continent, ► i Which are related to the GREEN WOODPECKER. The Striped WOODPECKER of St. DpmingQ, Firjl Sfecies, Picus Striatut. Gmel. Picus Dominicetifis Striatut, Br I^« The Rayed Woodpecker, Lath. 13 R I s s o N defcribes thi$ bird in two 4if- ferent places j firfl under the name of the Striated Woodpecker of St, Domingo, and again under that of the Little Striated Wood- pecker of St, Domingo, which he aflerts to be fmaller than the former, though the meafures which he affigns in detail are the. fame ; and with the falvo, t/jat the fecond may be the female ofthefirjl, he regards them as two diftindt fpecies. But a fingle in- fpedion of the figures will fuFice to fhew, that the differences refult fclely from age ^^'\ y STRIPED WOODPECKER. t^ or fex. In the firft, the crown of the head \s black } the throat gray j the olive tinge of the body lighter, and the black ftripes on the back are not fo broad, as in the fecond, which has the whole of the crown of the head red, and the fore part of the body pretty dull, with the throat white ; but, in other refpefls, their (hape and plumage are perfe6lly fimilar. This bird is nearly as large as the variegated Wood- pecker ; all Jts upper garb is cut tranf- verfely with black and olive bars j the green tinge appears on the gray of the belly, and more vividly on the rump, whofe extremity is red ', the tail is blacky ■•1 I M k „; r »8 1 ■II. ''i IhIi The Little Olive WOODPECKER of St, Domiqga Second Specif s» jpicus Paferittus. Linn, and Gmel* Picus Dominicenjii Minor, BrifT. ^be Pajerine Woodpecker, Xiath. np HIS fpecies is fix inches long, an4 "*" nearly of the fize with the lark % the crown of the head red, and its fides rufty gray 5 all the upper furface is yellow- iih olive, and ail the under furface (Iriped acrofs with whltifti and brown ; the quills of the wing are olive, like the back, on the putfide, and on the infide brown, and fringed on the edge with whitifh fpots, deeply en- grained ; a chara(fler in which it refembles alfo the Green Woodpecker : the feathers of the tail are gray mixed with brown. Not with (landing its diminutive fize, this Woodpecker is one of the rtoutcft ; and it pierces the hardefl trees. It is alluded to in the following extract from the Hiftory of the Buccaneers : ** The carpenter is a bir4 i)ot larger than a lark y its bill is about ai^ incli 1 1' OkEAt STRli*Eb WOOt>PECkEfe, 2^ irtch long, and fo ftrong, that in the fpace of one day it will bore into the heart of a palm-tree : and we may obferve, that this wood is fo hard, as to fpoil the edge of oui: beft cutting tools [A]." [A] Specific charafter of the Picus PaferiHut: it is yel- iowiih-olive^ ilriped below with brown and bright whitifli. I The Great Striped WOODPECKER of Cayenne. Third Species, Picus Melanochlores. Gmel. The Gold-crejled Woodpecker, Lath, tXT" E make no doubt but that this is the ^ fame with the American crefted varies gated Woodpecker ''^ y defcdbed incompletely by Briflbn, from a pafiage of Gefner. The creft is of a gold fulvous, or rather aurora- red ; there is a purple fpot at the corner ci the bill ; the feathers are fulvous and black, with which the whole body is alternately • Picus varius Americanus Crijiatus, Brifl*. Thus defcribed : ** it is crefted, variegated with fulvous and black ; its creft gold-fulvous, its cheeks reddiih ; a purple fpot between its bill and its eyes; its tail-quills black.'* variegated : 1 m m ■:l.l''* ; 'i-W" I:K n !l f II l| 34> LITTLE STRIPED WOODPECKER. variegated : and thefe charaif^ers are fuf- ficicnt to difcriminate it. It is of the fame fizc with the Green Woodpecker; its plumage is richly mailed with ycllowifh fulvous and fine black, which intermingle in waves, in fpots, and in fefloons j a white Ipace in which the eye is placed, and a black tuft on the front, give a marked afpefl to this bird, sind which is ftill heightened by the red creft and purple muftachio [A]. [A] Speci^c charadler of the Hirutido Metancchhros : this is variegated with black and bright yellow, its creft golden, its tail black. The Little Striped WOODPECKER of Cayenne. Fourth Species. Picus Cayanenjis, Gmel. ^he Cayenne Woodpecker, Lath* C\ F the Striped Woodpeckers, which Brif- fon ranges after the variegated Wood- 'fjecker, fevcral belong undoubtedly to the Green Woodpecker. This is particularly true of the Striped Woodpeckers of St. Do* iTiingo, and that of Cayenne, which we are now to defcribe. In fa<^, thcfe three have a yeU LiTTLt STRIPED WOODPECKER. 31 a yellowifti green caft, analogous to the colour of the Green Woodpecker, and the undulated rays that fpread on the plumage feem to be enlarged from the model of thofe which mark the wing of the European bird. The Little Striped Woodpecker of Cay- l^nne is feven inches and five lines in length. It refembles much the Striped Woodpecker bf St. Domingo in its colours, but is fmaller; black waved bars extend on the olive gray brown of its plumage ; gray, fringed with black, covers the two exterior quills of the tail on each fide, the fix others are black ; the back of the head is red j the front and throat are black, only this black is inter- fc6led by a white fpot lying under and ex- tending back. \ .:.■>,( i ii 1 the Yellow WOODPECkfeR of Cayenne. Fi/th Swedes* Picus Exf UfiJui. Gmel. Picus Cayanenfis Albas, firl/T; Pitut Flavicans. Lath. '^ HOSE birds, which are enamoured of "^ the folitude of the defert, have muU tiplied in the vaft forefts of the new world, and the more {Oi as there man has yet encroached little on the aiitient domains of nature. We have received ten fpecies of Woodpeckers from Guiana, and the Yellow Woodpeckers feem peculiar to that country. Mod of thefe are fcarcely known to natu- ralifls, and Barrere has only noticed a few* The firft fpecies is defcribed by BrifTon under the name of fFbite Woodpecker * : its plumage is of a foft yellow ; the tail black ; the great quills of the wing brown, and the middle ones rufous ; the coverts of the • Picut Cayanenfis Alius, Brifl*. Thus defcribed : " it is dirty-white ; a red longitudinal bar on either fide upon the lower jaw ; its tail-quills black* i(h.». wings YKLLOW WOODPECKER. 33 Vvings are brown gray, fringed with yellow- ifh white. It has a creft which reaches to its neck» and which, as well as the whole of th« nead, being pale yellow, is (liongly contrafted with its red muftachocs } its ap- pearance is thus remarkable, and tlie ibft un- common colour of its plumage diftinguifhes it from the reft of its genus. The Creoles of Cayenne call it the Tclhw Carpenter, It is fmaiier ihan the Green Woodpecker, and much more flender; its length nine inches. It forms its neft in large trees, rotten at the core j after it has bored hori- zontally to the decayed part, it defcends, and continues the excavation to the depth of a foot and a half. The female lays three eggs, which are white, and almoft round ; and the young are hatched in the beginning of April. The male (hares the female's folicitude, and, during her abfence, he plants himfclf in the entrance. Mis cry is a whiftle compofed of fix notes, die fiifl of which are monotonous, and the two or three laft flatter. The female has not the bright red bar which appears in tlie mule on each fide of the head. There is fome vaiiety in this fpecies, certain individuals having all the fmall coverts of the wings of a fiuj yellow, and VOL. VII. D tl;e i 'lii ■A m 34 FKRRUGINOUS WOODPECKEBI. the great ones edged with that colour j irf others, fuch as that probably which BrilFoii defcribed, the whole plumage is difcoloured and bleached, fo as to appear only a dirty white or yellowifli. The FERRUGINOUS WOOD- PECKER, LatL Le Pic Mordore. Buff. Sixth Species. Picus Cinnamo}neus. Gmel. A FINE bright red, which is brilliant and golden, forms the fuperb attire of this bird. It is almoft as large as the Green Woodpecker^ but not To ftout. A long yellow creft in pendulous filaments covers the head, and falls backwards j from the corners of the bill, rife two muftachoes of a fine light red, traced nicely between the eye and the throat; fonie white and citron Jpots embellifli and variegate the rufous ground of the middle of the upper furface ; the rump is yellow, and the tail black, 'j^'he female, both of this fpecies, and of the Yellow Woodpecker which comes from the fame country, has no red on the cheeks. t 3S 1 The BLACK-BREASTED WOOD- PECKER. Le Pic a Crava/e Notre. BulF. Stvtnth SpecUst Picus Multicolor. Gmel. 'TpH I s is alfo one of the Yellow Carpen^ ters of Cayenne. It has a fine black horfe-fhoe, which meets the neck behind, covers all the forepart like a cravat, and falls on the bread ; the reft of the under- fide of the body is rufly fulvous, and alfo the throat and the whole head, whofe crefl extends to the neck ; the back is of a bright lufousj the wing is of the fame co- lour, but the quills crofled with a few black flreaks pretty much afunder, and fome of thefe extend to the tail, which has a black tip. This Cayenne bird is as large as the Yellow Woodpecker, or even the Ferruginous Woodpecker : all the three are alike llender, and fimilarly crefted. The natives of Guiana give them the com- mon name of toiicoutnari.^ It appears that the Black- breaded Woodpeckers lead a life as laborious as the others, and that they inhabit St. Domingo alfo 3 for Father D 2 Charlevoix: i ^ ■M i ;* I'f ■< , J' j"^ 36 RUFOUS WOODPECKER: Charlevoix aflures us, that the wood em'- ployed for building in that ifland is often: found bored fo much by thcfe wild ca.-pen- ters, as to be unfit for ufc *. The RUFOUS WOODPECKER. Eighth Spedes. Pitus Rufut, Gmel. 'Tp H E plumage of this little Woodpecker •^ haf a fingular property, viz. the un- der fide of its body is of a deeper hue than the upper, contrary to what is obfcrved in all other birds. The ground colour is rufous, of various intenfity j deep on the wings ; more dilute on the rump and back, more charged on the breaft and belly, and mingled, on all the body, with black waves, which are very crowded, and which have the efFe6l of the mod beautiful enamel : the head is rufous, embellilhed and crofTed by fmall black waves. This Woodpecker, which is found in Cayenne, is fcarcely larger than the Wryneck, but it is rather thicker : its plumage, though it confifts of • Hifloire de Tifle de Saint Dominique, par le P. Char- Ifvoix. Paris, 1730, t. i. p. 29. only YELLOW-THROATED WOODPECKER. 37 only two dull tints, is one of the moft beautiful and moft agreeably variegated [A]. {A] Specific charaftcr ot the Picus Ru/us: " It is rufouf* waved wall black." The LITTLE YELLOW-THROATED WOODPECKER. Picus CUorotephalus, Qmt\. Picus ISicrocepbaidt, Lath, 'Tpnis Woodpecker is not larger than the Wryneck. The ground colour of is plumage is brown tinged with olive, and having white fpots or fcales on the fore- part of the body, and under the neck, which is fpread with a fine yellow that ftretche* under the eye, and on the top of the neck ; a red hood covers the crown of the head, and a muftachoe of that colour diluted rifes from the corners of the bill. This Wood- pecker is, as well as the preceding, found }ti Cayenne [A]. [AJ Specific charuder of the Picus Cblorocepbahs : " it \i> olive, below fpotted with white : its neck and its half ^celled head bright yellow ; its top red." J> 3 ■ ■■M :.:m \ # : i >^ ■■:f I' ^k\i t si;:,;' ■ /'•i t ■ ■■ '.; ': t -J: ■'J :-j. f !j IK ■ III >m li II C 38 J The LEAST WOODPECKER of Cayenne. 7'enth Species, Tunx MinutiJJimus. Gmel. Picus Cayanenjis Minor. BrifT* Picus Minutus. Lath. Ind. The Minute Woodpecker, Lath. Syn. np HIS bird, as fmall as the gold crefted •*■ wren, is the dwarf of the large family of Woodpeckers. It is not a creeper, and its flraight fquare bill (hews it to be a real Woodpecker. Its neck and breaft are waved diftindlly with black and white zones j its back is brown, fpotted with white drops, and fliaded with black ; the fame fpots, only clofer and finer marked, appear on the beautiful black that covers the arch of the neck; and laftly, a little gold head makes it look as handfome, as it is delicate. This little bird, at leaft if we judge from the fluffed fpecimen, muft be more fprightly and agile than any of the other Woodpeck- ers 5 and nature would feem to have thus compcnfated for its fmallnefs. It is often found in company with the creepers, and like l>l''M GOLD-WINGED WOODPECKER. 39 like them it clambers on the trunks of treeSj and hangs by the branches [A], [A] Gmelin makes this bird a fecond fpeciesof wryneck under the nanrae of yunx Minutijpfnus ; its fpecific charaflcr : «* Above, it is black cinerous, below dirty white,'*. The GOLD- WINGED WOODPECKER, Eleventh Hfecies. Picus Juratus. Linn. Gmel and Borowfk. Ficus Cafiadenjts Striatus. Briff. Cuculus alls deauratis, Klein, np HOUGH I place this beautiful bird iiT ^ the clofe of the family of the Green Woodpecker, I muft remark, that it feems to emerge from even the genus of the Woodpeckers, both by its habits and fome of its features. Catefby, who obferved it in Carolina, tells us, that it is ofteneft on the ground, and does not creep upon the mks of trees, but perches oi> their branches like other Iwrds. Yet its toes are difpofed two before, and two behind, like the Woodpeckers i and, like them too, the feathers of its tail are fliff and hard ; and, what is peculiar to itfelf, the fide of each is terminated by two fmall filaments. Its \ P 4 ^i^l P- li 40 GOLD-WINGED WOODPECKER. bill is, however, diffimilar to that of the Woodpeckers -, it is not fquared, but round- ed, and fomewhat curved, pointed, and not formed into an edge. If this bird refembles then the Woodpeckers in the ftructure of its feet and tail, it differs in the Ihape of the bill, and in its habitudes, which necef- farily refult from the conformation of that principal organ in birds. It feems to form an intermediate fpecies between the Wood- peckers and the Cuckoosi with which fome iiaturalifts have ranged it -, and it furniflies another example of thofe (hades by which nature connedls her various produ6lions. it is about the fize of the Green Wood- pecker, and is remarkable for its beautiful form, and the elegant difpofition of its rich colours 5 black fpots, like crefcents and hearts, are fcattered on the (lomach and belly on a white ground of a dingy caft ; the forepart of the neck is vinous cinereous or lilack, and, on the middle of the breafV, there is a broad black zone, fliaped like a crefcent; the rump is white; the tail black above, and lined below with a fine yellow refembling dead leaves $ the upper fide of the head, and the top of the neck, are of a lead- gray, and the back of the head is marked with a fine fcarlet fpot j from the CQrners of the bill two large black mufta- chocs 'ilii'^i;: J\r^j63 •HI 'J 'II Ufflj i rl|[ THE GKK.AT BLACK WOOD PECKRR. GOLD.WINGED WOODPECKER. 4^ choes take their origin, and defcend on the iides of the neck, and they are wanting in the female ; the back is of a brown ground, with black ftreaks j the great quills of the wing are of the fame call: ; but what deco- rates it, and fuffices alone to difcriminate the bird, the ihafts of all thele quills are of a gold colour. It is tound in Canada and Virginia, as well as in Carolina [A], [A] Specific charafter of the Picus Auratus : *' It is ftreaked tranfvcrfely with gray and black, its throat >nd ^leaft are black, its nape red, its rump white." The BLACK WOODPECKER.* Picut Martius. Linn, and Gmel. Picus Niger. Briff. Klein and Frif. Picus Maximus. Ray and Will. The Great Black Woodpecker. Alb. and Lath. np^iirs fccond fpecies of European Wood- pecker appears to be confined to fome particular countries, and efpecially to Ger- many. However, the Greeks, as well as • In ftalian Picchioy Sgiaia: In German, Holtz Krclhet or Woodcrow, and KrdbeSpechty Gro/s-Specht, Sc/jivartz- Specht, or the crow, the large, the black fpight or wood- pecker: In Swedifli, Spill-Kracka: In Norwegian, Sort «?/', or our Green Woodpecker:}:; and the third, he repre- fents as equal in fize to a hen, which muft be underftood of its length, and not of it$ thicknefs ; and it is therefore our Black Woodpecker, the largeft of all the Wood- peckers of the antient continent. It U lixteen inches long, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail ^ the bill mea- fures two inches and a half, and is of a horn colour ; a bright red hood covers the crown of the head ; the plumage of the whole body is deep black. The German names Krabefpecht and Holtz-krahe, crow fpight and woodcrow, mark both its colour and its fize. It is found in the tall forefts on the mountains of Germany, in Switzerland, and in the Vofges : it is unknown in mod of the provinces of France II , and feldom de- scends into the low country. Willughby ■i.'ii- f IfiJI. AuliH. Lib. Ix. 9. :|; Id, Lib. viii. 3. II •' The Black Woodpcclcer is not found in Normandy» aor \\\ the vicinity of Paris, ugr in. the Orleanois. Saki-ne, alTures BLACK WOODPECKER. 43 aflures us, that it never occurs in England ; and indeed that country is too open for a bird of fuch a nature, and for the fame reafon, it hasdeferted Holland* : And this is evidently not on account of the cold of thofe regions, fmce it inhabits the forefts of Sweden -f*. But it is difficult to imagine why it is not found in Italy, as Aldro- yar'^us afferts. i -^n in the fan < ..ountry, thefe birds prefer particular diftridls that are folitary and wild j Frifch mentions a foreft in Fran- conia J, noted for the multitude of Black Woodpeckers which it contains. In eene- ral, the fpecies is not numerous ; and, in the extent of half a league, we can fel- dom find more than a fingle pair. They fettle in a certain fpot, which the) fcarft% ^ver leave. This bird ftrikes the trees with fuch force, that according to Frifch, it may be heard as far as a hatchet. It bores to the heart of the trunk, and forms a very capacious cavity j as much as a bufhel of wood-duft and chips is often feen on the ground below its hole ; and fometimes it hollows out the fubftance of the trees to fuch a degree that they are foon borne • Aldrovandus, •f Fauna Suecica. No. 79, X The foreft of Speffcru down ■U •■1 4 m ,.l .\ J. ■U 'I'll il V' m 4'' **ilii r|: : ft- 44 BLACK WOODPECKER, down by the wind ||. They prefer the de- cayed trees, but, as they alfo attack thofe which are found, the careful proprietors of woods are at pains to deftroy them. M. Deflandes, in his EHay on the Ship- Build- ing of the Ancients, regrets, that there are fevy trees fit for making oars forty feet long, which are not bored by the Woodpeckers §. The Black Woodpecker lays, in the bot- tom of its hole *, two or three eggs, which are white; as in all birds of the genu^, according to Willughby ; It feldom alights on the ground ; the ancients affirmed even, that no Woodpecker ever dcfcends from its tree-f* : When they clamber, the long hind toe is fometimes placed (idewife, and fome- times forwards, and is moveable in its joint .^ith the foot, fo as accommodate itfelf to every pofition : This power is common to all the Woodpeckers. After the Black Woodpecker has perfo- rated into the cavity of the tree, it give^ II Ariilotle, Ilijf. At/im, Lib. Ix. 9. ^ But M. Deflandes is much mirtaken in the fame place, when he fays that this Woodpecker employs its tongue like an angre to bore the largeft trees. * Pliny has afierted with too great latitude that the Woodpeckers are t!ic only birds which breed in hollow frees ^Lib. X. 18) ; many other fmall birds, ^fuch as the Titmice, ^o tlie fame. f Arilloile. ////?• J/jtw. Lib, ix. 9, a loud \r i J. i t 't B LA C K WOODPECKER. 45 a loud fhrill and lengthened fcreani, which is audible at a great diftancc. It alfo makes at times a cracking, or rather afcraping, by rubbing its bill rapidly againft the (nks of its hole. The female differs from the male in its colour, being of a lighte black, and hav- ing no red but on the back of the head, and fometimes none at all. It is obferved that the red defcends lower on the nape of the neck in fome individuals^ and thefe are old males. The Black Woodpecker difappears dur- ing winter. Agricola fuppofcd that it re- mained concealed in hollow trees * : but Frifch affirms, that it retires before the rigour of the feafon, when its provifions fail J for, continues he, the worms then fnik deep into the wood, and the ant-hills are covered with ice and fnow. We know not of any bird of the ancient continent, whether in Afia or Africa, that is analogous to the European Woodpecker ; and it would feem to have migrated hither from the New World, where many fpecies occur that clofely refemble it. I proceed to enumerate thefe [AJ :— • jfpud Ge/neruttit p. 677. [A] Specific charafter of th» Plan Mariius, Linn, *• It is black with a crimfon cap." -VM '^!^ II m J. II '!«■ 'J: •w. t 40 1 BIRDS of the New Continent^ Which are related to the BLACK WOODPECKER. rJ-.j The WHITE BILLED WOODPECKER. Ze Grand Pic Neir a Btc Blanc. B ufF. • Firji Specits* Picus Principalis. Linn, arid Gmel. Picas Carolinenjis Crijlatus, Briff. f 'T^ H I s Woodpecker is found in Carolina, and is the largeft of the genus, be- . ing equal or even fuperior in bulk, to the crow. Its bill is white like ivory, and three inches long, channeled through its whole length, and fo (liarp and ftrong, fays Catelby, that, in an hour or two, the bird often makes a bufhel of chips : Hence the Spaniards term it carpenteros^ or carpenter. • The Great Black Woodpecker with a white bill. f Briflbn prcbably meafured a very fmall fpecimen, when he ftated the length of this Woodpecker at fixtecn inches ; that in the Royal Cabinet, iigurcd in t\^Q Illumined PlattSt was eighteen inches. Its WHITE BILLED WOODPECKER. 47 Its head is decorated behind by a great fcarlet tuft, parted into two tufts, one of which falls on the neck, and the other is raifed, and covered by long black threads, which rife from the crown and invcd the whole head, for the fcarlet feathers lie be- hind : a white ftripe, defcending on the fide of the neck, and making an angle on the flioulder, runs into the white that co« vers the lower part of the back and the middle quills of the wing; all the reft of the plumage is a jet deep black. It hollows its neft in the largeft trees, and breeds during the rainy feafon. It is found, too, in hotter climates than that of Carolina ; for we recognife it in the picus imbrtfatus of NieremKerg J, and the qiiatotomomi of Fernandez §, though there are fomc differences which would leem to indicate a variety || ; its white bill, three X p. 223. § Htjl. Nov. Hi/p, p. 50. cap. 186. II The Quatotomonii a kind of Woodpecker of the bulk of a hoopoe; it is variegated with black and fulvous, its bill with which it hollows and bores trees, is three inches long, flout, and bright white ... Its head is deco- rated by a red creft three inches long, but its upper pan black on either fide of the neck, a bright white bar dcfcends to near the breaft. It inhabits Tototepeco, in higlier Mijfim not far from the South Sea, It neftles in lofty trees : feeds on the graflioppers, tlaolU, and on fmall worms. It breeds in the rainy feafon, that is, between May and September ;" Fernandez, Hiji, Nov. Hi/p. p. 50. cap. 186. inches •!i: r. '.iv-v- /VA : 4S P T L E A T E D \V "O O I) P E C K E R. inches in length, fufficcs to clifcriminate it. This Woodpecker, fays Fernandez, inhabit!) the regions bordering on the South Sea : The North Americans work the bills into coronets for their warriors, and as they can* not procure thefc in their own country, they buy them of the more fouthern In- dians, al the rate of three deer-lkins for each bill [A]. [A] Specific charafter of the Pieus Principalis: It is black, its crell fcarlet, a line on cither fide of the neck ; the fe- condary feathers of its tail, white." It is a fcarce bird in North America, and never penetrates beyond the Jerfeys. It breeds in a winding hole, the better to fcrcen the young from the infinuating rains. ThePILEATED WOODPECKER Le Pic Noir a Huppe Rouge. Buff. * Second Species, Picus Pileatus. Linn, and Gmel. Picus Niger Firginianus Crijiatui. ErlfT. Picus Niger, toto capite rubra. Klein. The Larger red-creJiedWcodpicker. Catcfby. np H I s Woood pecker, which is common in Louifiana, occurs equally in Caro- lina and in Virginia : It refembles much the preceding, but its bill is not white, and it • The Red-crefted black Woodpecker. 18 P 1 L E A T E D W 6 O D P E C R E R. J 49 •j 'i h rnthcr fmallerj though it fomewhat ex- ceeds the Black Woodpecker of Europe. The crown of the head, as far as the eyes, is decorated by a large fcarlet crcft, col- le6ted into a fingle tuft, and thrown back- wards in the (hape of flame ; above there is a black bar, in which the eye is placed; a red muftachoe is traced from the root of the bill on the black fides of the head j the throat is white ; a fillet of the famo colour pall'cs between the eye ar d the muftrchoe, and extends on the neck as fai as the (lioulder j all the reft of the bodv is black, with feme flight marks of white on the wing, and a larger fpot of that cok ar on the middle of the backj under ihe body, the black is lighter, and mixed with gray waves ; in the female, the forepart of the head is brown, and there are no red fea- thers, but on the hind part of the head. Catefby fays that thefe birds, not con- tent with rotten trees which fupply their ufual food, attack alio the plants of maize ; and do much injury, vj- the wet infinuates into the holes which they make in the hufk, and fpoils the fee Is. But is their motive not to get fon-e kind of worms that lurk in the ear, fince no bird of this genus feed*? on grain Vol. ? vir, B With mm » 5« PILEATED WOODPECJCER. With this bird, we muft alfo join a Woodpecker which Commerfon brought frcm the country contiguous to the Straits of Magellan : Its bulk is the fame, and its other characters pretty iimilar ; only it has no red, except'^on the cheeks and the fore- part of the head, and the back of its head bears a tuft of black feathers. Thus, the fame fpecies occurs, in the correfponding latitudes at the two extremities of the great continent of America. Commerfon re- marks that this bird has a very (Irong voice, and leads a very laborious life} a character that belongs to all the W^ood- peckers, which are enured to toil and liardfhip [A], [A] Specific charafter of the Pieus Pileatus : ** ft is black, its creft red, its tempics and wings marked \rith white fpots." It is half the weight of the preceding fpecies : It fpreads over the whole extent of North America : lays fix eggs, and hatches in June. The Indians decorate their calumets with its fcarlec tuft. b:1 I !1 [ si 1 tHe L I N E A T E D WOODPECKER. * VOHMttUf eu Pic Noir Huppe dt CayenrK, Buff, Third Specitt. Picus Lineattts, Linn, and Gmel* Picus Varius BraJiUen/is, Ray. Picus Niger Cayansn/is Crijiatus* Brifl*. 'T^ H 1 8 bird is the ooantoo of the Ame- ricans, which Barrere has inaccu- rately pronounced ventooy and the hipecop of Marcgrave. It is as long as the Green Woodpecker ; but not fo thick ; its upper furface is entirely black, except a white line which, rifing from the upper man- dible, defcends like a cin6bure on the neck, and ftrews fome white feathers on the coverts of the wings ; the ftomach and belly are waved with black and white bars, and the throat is fpeckled with the fame ;* from the lower mandible, proceeds a red muftachoe ; a beautiful creft of the fame colour covers the head and falls backwards i laflly, under the long threads of this creft, * The Qantoo, or Crefted Bl^ck Woodpecker of Cayenne. £ 2 we fc' Ci m 'it? ■'*!: ■.i 'f^t M "■Irm p Mi 52 LINE ATE D Woodpecker.^ '''«p ' / we perceive fmall feathers of the fame red which clothe the top of the neck. Barrere is right in referring this Wood- pecker to the hipecoo of Marcgrave, as much as Briirori is wron^ in referrins: it to the great Carolina Vv'oodpccker of Carefby : the latter is larger than a crow, and the hipecoo exceeds not a pigeon. And the reft of Maregrave's defcription agrees with the ouantoo as much as with the great Carolina Woodpecker, which has not the underfide of its body variegated with black and white, as the ooantoo and the hipecoo ; and its bill is three lines, not fix. But thefe characlers belong as little to the Black Woodpecker of Louifiana j and BrilTon was mlftaken too in placing with it the ooan- too, which as we have juft feen, is nothing but the hipecoo^ and would have been bet- ter ranged with his eleventh fpecies. The ooanto of Cayenne is alfo the tlauh-. quechultototl of New Spain, defcribed by Fernandez. It. bores trees, its head and the upper part of its neck are covered with red feathers. Bat there is a circumftance accidentally introduced in his account which feems to difcriminate it from the other Woodpeckers : ** The red feathers on the top of the neck, if applied or ra- ther glued to the head, relieve a head-ach ; whether « 'k' RED NECKED WOODPECKER. 53 whether this was learnt from experience, or was fuggefted by feeing them glued near the head of the bird [A]. [A] Specific charadler of the Picus Lineatus : ** Tt is black, its cieft crimfon ; a white line on either fide of the neck from the bill to the middle of the back." The RED NECKED WOODPECKER. Fourt/j Sfecu's, ' . s Picus JRulrlcol/is Gmel. ,,. . ..''■ npHis bird has not only its head red, but its neck as far as the breaft of the fame beautiful colour. It is rather longer than the Green Woodpecker, its neck and tail being elongated, which makes its body appear lefs thick, all the head and neck is covered \yith feathers to the breaft, where the tints of that colour melt into the fine fulvous that povers the breaft, the belly and the fides j the reft of the belly is deep brown, almoft black where the fulvous mixes with the quills of E 3 ■ • the '■i^ I ^1 lli i\ ■'• •! 'ii 1M •i m n il', .-i. 54 LESSER BLACfc WOOpPECKElR. the wing.— This bird is found in Guiana, as well as the preceding and the following ones I A]. [A] Specific charaaer of the Picus RulricoIUst «' It is brown, below fulvous ; its crefted head, aud its neck, fer- ruginous.'* The LESSER BLACjK. WOODPECKER. { Fifih Specter , Picus Flavipes Gmel. Pieus Hirundinaceus, Linn, and Gmel* picus Niger Ntmee Anglia. Brifl*. Picus Ni^er Minimus, Klein. The Tellow legged IVoodpetker* Penn. 'T^His is the fmalleft of all the Black Woodpeckers, being only of the (ize of the Wryneck. A deep black with blue lefleflions, covers the throat, the breaft, the back and the head, except a red fpot found on the head of the male ; it has alfo a flight trace of white on the eye, and fome fmall yellow feathers near the back of the head ; below the body and along the fternum, there extends a bar of a Hne poppy-red 3 it terminates at the belly, which • like '.11 ■»■' :.■ LESSER BLACK WOODPECKER. 55 like the (ides is well enameled with black and light gray ; the tail is blacl. There is a variety of this Woodpecker, which, inftead of the red fpot on the crown of the head ; has a ycllowifh crown com- pleatly encircling it ; and this is the open- ing of thofe fmall yellow feathers feen in the former, and probably refults from age. —The female has neither a red fpot nor a yellow circle on the head. To this fpecies, we (hall refer the UJfer black creeper of Albin, which BrilTon makes his feventh fpecies, under the name of tb^ Plack Woodpecker of New England *. * Mr. Pennant reckons the authority of Albin very fu/jpiip clous. 'M \ The R E D - H E A D ED WOODPECKER. te Pic Noir a Domino Rouge. BufF. Sixth Species. Pictts Erythroeephalus. Linn. Gmel. zfkA ^rifT. Picus capite colloque ruhrif, J^lein. ^T^ H I s bird defcribed by Catefby, is found in Virginia : It is nearly as large as the variegated yV^ood pecker of Europe. Its £ 4 whole m m 56 RED HEADED WOODPECKERS. whole head is enveloped in a beautiful red domi?iOt which is filky and glofly, and falls on the neck ; all the under furface of the body and the rump are white, and fo are the fmall quills of the wing, of which the black joins that of the tail, to form, on the lower part of the back, a great white fpace ; the reft is black, and alio the great quills of the wings, and all thofe of the tail. Very few of thefe birds are feen in Vir- ginia during winter ; there are more of them in that feafon in Carolina, though fewer than in fummer ; it would feem that they retire to the South to efcape the cold. Thofe which remain approach the villages, and even rap on the windows of the houfes. Catefby adds that this Woodpecker con- fumes much fruit and grain j but it pro- bably never recurs to thefe, unlefs in cafe of want of other fuftenance, elfe it would differ from all the reft of the genus. lf\ t J7 1 The GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. V Epeiche ou Le Pic Varie, BufF. Firji Species, Picus Major. Linn. Gmel. Bor. Kram. Scopo. Picus Varius Major. Ray. Will, and Brifs. Picus Di/color. Frif. • np H I s is the third fpecies of the Euro- pean Woodpeckers. Its plumage is agreeably variegated with white and black, ei bellifhed with red on the head and belly. 1 le crown of the head h black, with a red bar on the occiput, and the hood terminates in a black point on the neck j thence rife two branches of black, one of which ftretches on each fide to the root of the bill and marks a muftachoe, and the other defcend- ing to the lower part of the neck, decorates it with a collar j this black ftreak unites near the fhoulder with the black piece that • In Greek Um^t. In Italian Culrojfo : In German Bunt- Specht, yeiJ's-Specht , and Eljlerfpcchy from which the French name Epeiche 'm derived. In Swifs JEgerjl -Specht : In Daniih FLig-Spaet : In SvjcAi^Gyllenrenna : In Norwegian Kraak-. Spittle : aijd in Poliih Dxieciol PJiry Wiskjly. occupies m m !i 58 GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER^ occupies the middle of the back j two great white fpaces cover the fhoulders j in each wing the great quills are brown, the others black, and all mixed with white ; the whole of the black is deep, and the whole of the white is pure and unmixed ; the red on the head is bright, and that of the belly is a fine fcarlet. Thus the plumage of this bird is charmingly diverfified, and furpalFes that of all the other Woodpeckers in beauty. This defcription anfwers only to the male exactly; the female figured in the Plan^ ches Enluminees has no red on the back of the head. Some fpotted Woodpeckers are clothed with a lefs beautiful plumage, and fome even are entirely white. There is alfo a variety whofe colours appear more obfcure, and though all the upper fide of the nead and the belly are red, the tint is pale and dull. Of this variety, Briffbn makes his fecond Variegated Woodpecker ^ though he had be- fore produced it under the name of the Great Variegated Woodpecker ; yet thefe two birds are both nearly of the fame fize, and have ever been referred to the fame fpecies. Belon, who lived in an age when the rules of nomenclature and the errors of fyfleni had not multiplied the divifions in the ar- rangement 'M % GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. ^9 rangemcnt of natural obje6ls, clafTcs all thefe varieties with his epeiche or Varie- gated Woodpecker. But Aldrovandus juftly blames both him and Turner for applying to that bird the name Ficm Martins^ which belongs only to the Green Woodpecker. The Variegated Woodpecker ftrikes a- gainft the trees with brifker and harder blows than the Green Woodpecker; it creeps with great eafe upwards, or down- wards, and horizontally under the branches; the ftifF quills of its tail ferve to fupport it, when it hangs in an inverted pofturc, and knocks keenly with its bill. It is a ihy bird ; for when it perceives a perfon, it bides itfelf behind a branch and remains Hill. Like the other Woodpeckers, it breeds in a hollow tree. In our provinces, it ap- proaches the habitations during winter, and feeks to fettle on the bark of fruit trees, where the cryfalids and eggs of infefls arc depofited in greater quantity than on the trees of the foreft. In fummer during droughts, the Varie- gated Woodpeckers are often killed at the wood meres, whither thefe birds repair to drink : it approaches the fpot in filence, fiuttering from tree to tree ; and each time it halts it feems anxioufly to examine if any danger m. ■■.I \i-M II, ri\ f:' Co (GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. danger threatens : it has an air of inquie- tude i it lirtens, and turns its head on all fides, and even loo'cs through the foliage to the ground below j and the lead noife is fufficient to drive it back. When it reaches the tree next the mere, it defcends from branch to branch, until it gets to the loweft on the margin of the water j it then dips its bill, and at each fip, it hearkens, and cafls a look round it. After its thirft is quenched, it retires quickly, without ma- king a paufe as on its arrival. When it is ihot on a tree, it feldom drops j but as long as a fpark of life remains, it clings firmly with its nails, fo that one is often obliged to fire a fecond time. This bird has a very large fternum ; its inteftinal canal is (ixteen inches long, but there is no ccecum ; its ftomach is membra- nous i the point of its bill is bony, and five lines in length. An adult male v^'hich had been taken from a nefl of five young, weighed two ounces and an half j thefe weighed three gros each, and their toes were difpofcd as in the father ; their bill wanted the two lateral ridges, which, in the adult, took their origin beyond the noftrils, went below them, and extended two thirds of the length of the bill j the nails, thougfi yet vt. 'I'V,: LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKF.R. Ci yet white, were already much hooked. The nell was in an old hollow afpin, thirty fwct above the ground. [A] Specific charafler of the Pictis Major, •« It is vniis- gated with black and white, its vent and the batic ct itJ head, red." It is found even in the moll northern parts of Europe. Its length nine inches, its weight 2 ' ounces. a The LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. V"A] t Le Petit Epeicbe. BufF. Second Species. Picus Minor. Linn. Gmel Bor Kram. Sec, Picus Farius Minor. Aldrov. Brifs. and Gerini. Picus Di/cokr Minor, Frifch and Klein.* ^T^ HIS fpecies refembles the former (o clofely, that it might be regarded as the lame formed on a fmaller fcale, only the fore part of its body is dirty white or rather gray j and it wants the red under the tail, and the white on the fhoulders. As in the large fpecies too, it is the male only that has its head marked with red. • In Italian Pipra or Pipe. In German Spechtle, Grafs Specht. In Norwegian Lillet Trcc-pikke : and in Polifli D%i- ' tciol Pfiry Mnieyszy, This I i 'A 'I 62 LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER. This little fpotted Woodpecker is fcarcely fo large as a fparroA' ^nd weighs only an ounce. In winter it reibr^s near houfes and vineyards. It does not creep very high on large trees, and feems to prefer the circum- ference of the trunk.* It neflles in fome hole of a tree, and often difputcs the pof- feflion with the Colemoufe, which is com- monly worded in the ftruggle and compel- led to furrender its lodging . It is found in England, where it has received the name of hickwnlL It alio inhabits Sweden : and this fpecies, like that of the greater fpotted Woodpecker, would appear to be difFufed even to North- America; for in Louifiana a fmall fpotted Woodpecker is feen which refembles it almoll entirely, except that the upper fide of the head, as in the Variegated Woodpecker of Canada, is covered with a black cap, edged with white. Salerne fays that this bird is unknown in France, yet it occurs in moft of our provin- ces. The miftake originated from his con- founding the lefler fpotted Woodpecker with the Wall Creeper, with which he owns that he was unacquainted. He was equally deceived in aflerting that Frifch makes no mention of this Woodpecker, from which he 1;'l Gefner. infers I f, tlTTLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 63 infers that it cxifts not in Germany : for that naturalift fays only that it is rare, but gives two excellent figures of it. M. Sonnerat faw, in the ifland of Anti- gua, a fmall Variegated Woodpecker, which we fhall refer to this, fmce the chara<5ters which he gives are infufficient to difcrimi- nate two fpecies. It is of the fame bulk j black, ftriped and ftreaked with white, co- vers all the upper furface of the body ; the under furface is fpotted with blackiOi, on a pale yellow, or rather yellowifli white ground ; a white line marks the fides of the neck. M. Sonnerat did not perceive red on the head, but he remarks that it was perhaps a female. [A] Specific charadler of the Picus Minor : It is variegated with white and black, its top red, its vent brick«coloured. filRDS / •■Z' ,t ^ :> I m iri^ f 64 ] BIRDS of the Ancient Continent, Which are related to the SPOTTED WOODPECKER. The N U B I A N W O O D- PECKER. Lath. • VEpekhe de Nubie Onde et Tachete, BufF. First Species, Picus Nubicus, Gmel. np H I s bird is a third fmaller than tlie fpotted Woodpecker of Europe : all its plumage is agreeably variegated with drops and waves broken and, as it wei*e, vermiculated with white and rufty on a gray brown ground,' and blackifh on the back, and tears of blackifh on the whitifh complexion of the breaft and belly ; a half crcft of fine red covers, like a cowl, the back of the head ; the crown and the fore- part con fill of ddicate black feathers, each tip'd with a fmall white drop -, the tail is divided horizontally by brown and rufty waves. The bird is very handfome, and the fpecies is new. * The waved and Spotted Woodpecker of Nubia. The l! I ',■■'♦ t 65 1 The GREAT VARIEGATED WOODPECKER, Of the Ifle of Lu9on. Second Species, • Pictts Cardinalist Gmel. The Carainal Woodpecken Lath, np HIS bird, which is defcribed by Soa- nerat, is as large as the Green Wood- pecker : the feathers of the back and the coverts of the wing are black, but their fhafts are yellow, and there are alfo yel- lowifti fpots on the latter ; the fmall coverts of the wing are ftriped tranfverfely with white ; the bread and the belly are varie- gated with longitudinal black fpots on a white ground ; there is a white bar on the fide of the neck, extending below the eye j the crown and back of the head, are of a bright red, and for this reafon, Sonnerat would apply to it the epithet oi Cardinal % but the red hood is rather a generie than a fpecific charader, and therefore the name VOL. vix. F which ■ mm km '■■t'Vr'.''! 4m :.< ;•'■<« ■■i':\ 1 ■ '^^ '■ ■' If lii mm 66 BROWN SPOTTED WOODPECKER. which that traveller would impofe, is not fufficiently defcriptive. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the Picus-Cardinalis. ** It ia black ; below, white, fpotted with black, its top and the back of its head red." The LITTLE BROWN SPOTTED WOODPECKER, Of the Moluccas. Third Species* Pictis Moluccenjis. Gmel. The Brown Woodpecker, Latli* T^ ri I s little Woodpecker has only two dull and faint (hades ; its plumage is blackifh-browni waved with white on the upper fide of the body, whitifh fpotted with brown fpeckles below ; the head and tail, and alfo the quills of the wings, are all brown. It is hardly io large as the lefler fpotted Woodpecker. BIRDS C 67 J .^ I R D S of the New Continent, Which are related to the SPOTTED WOODPECKER. TheSPOTTED WOODPECKER, Of Canada. Tirft Sp eues. Piius Canadenjts. Gmel. Fkus Farius Catzadcnjis. Brifl", 'np tt I s bird is of the fame (ize with the European Spotted Woodpecker, and differs only in the diftribution of its colours. It has no red ; and the fpace which encircles the eye is not white, but black : there is more white on the fide of tl; ^ neck, and white or faint yellow on the bac k of the head. Thefe differences however are Ihght, and the two contiguouii fpecH..^ are perhaps the fame» only altered by the change of climate. The ^uaiihtotctotli alter of Fernandez, which is a Woodpecker vai legated '.vith black and white, appears to be the lame with this Canadian Woodj)ecker j efpeuially as that author never mentions its having any red, F 2 and 1 f 4f2'l ■ikm «' m '■ Mi im 1 :■'.•.■ J .'■^ It m V ■''' * ■■'■' 1,.. • r y^yJ t^^ 1 I, is hM £ M' 68 VARIED WOODPECKER. and feems to inlinuate that it comes to New Spain from the North. And there muft be Spotted Woodpeckers in thofe tra6ts, fmce travellers have foimd them in the ifthmus of Darien [A]. [A] Specific cbarafler of the Pieus Canadenjis : " It is white ; its top, its back, its fhoulders, and the two middle quills of its tail, black; the reft, and the wings, varie- gated with white and black." The VARIED WOODPECKER. At- V Epeiche du Mexique, BufF. Second Species. Picus Tricolor. Gmel. Jam much inclined to think that t\\t great Variegated Mexican JFoodpecker of Briifon, and his Little Variegated Mexican Woodpecker, are the fame bird, lie borrov^^s the firft from Seba, on v/hafe authority Klein and Moeh- ring have inferted it in their fyilems : but it is well known how inaccurate are moll of the defcriptions of that compiler. Klein mentions the fame bird twice, and it is one of thofe which we have rejcdled from the family of Woodpeckers. On the other hand, Eriiibn, for a rcitfon which we cannot guefs, applies VARIED WOODPECKER. 69 applies to his fecpnd Mexican Woodpecker the epithet little, though Fernandez, the only original author, fays that it is large^ which he repeats twice in four lines. According to him, it is equal in hulk to the Mexican crow J its plumage is varried with white tranfverfc lines on a black and brown ground ; the belly and bread are yermillion. This Woodpecker inhabits the cooleft parts of Mexico, and bores the trees like the reft of the kind. The VARIEGATED JAMAICA WOODPECKER. Third Species. Picus CaraJinus. Linn, and Gmel. Picas Fart us Jamaicetijts. Briff. Picus Varius Medius. Sloane. Picus Vurius Medius 'Jamaicetifis. Ray. The "Jamaica Woodpecker. Edw. The Red bellied Woodpecker. Catefby. The Carolina Woodpecker, Penn. and Lath. rp H I s Woodpecker is of a middle fizc between the Green Woodpecker ind the Spotted Woodpecker of Europe : Catef- by makes it too fmall, when he compares F 3 it mm tell mm i li'Vti','' ,^ 1; '■■iTli ii.;-'- m:^ W 'Nf.ll: !; k 70 VARIEGATED JAMAICA WOODPECKER. it to the Spotted Woodpecker ; and Edwards reprefents it too large, in aflerting it to be equal in bulk to the Green Woodpecker. The fame author reckons only eight quills in the tail, but probably the two others were want- ing in the fubjed which he defcribes ; for all the Woodpeckers have ten quills in the tail. It has a red hood which falls on the arch of the neck ; the throat and ftomach are rufty gray, which runs by degrees into a dull red on the belly j the back is black, flriped tranfverfely with gray waves in {e(» toons, which are lighter on the wings, broader and entirely white on the rump. The figure which Sir Hans Sloane has given of it is very defe6live, and it is the only one that this naturalift and Brown found in the ifland of Jamaica, though there are great many others on the continent of America. The prefent occurs alfo in Ca- rolina, and notwithftanding feme differ- ences, it maybe recognized in the red bellied Woodpecker of Catefby. The front is a rufty white, and in the male, red. [A" Specific charafler of the Picus CaroUnus : " Its cap Ciid its nape are red ; its back marked with black ftripes; its middle tail quils, white, dotted with black." [ 71 3 The STRIPED WOODPECKER, of Louifiana. Fourth Sptcies, Picus Carolinus var, Gmel. and Lath: T T is rather larger than the Spotted Wood- pecker i all the ijipper furface is agree- ably flriped with white and black, difpofed in crofs bands i of the quills of the tail, the two exterior and the two middle ones, are mixed with white and black, the reft are black -, all the under furface and the fore part of the body are uniform wJhite 5 gray, and a little dilute red tinges the lower belly. Of two fpecimens lodged in the royal cabi- net, the one has the upperfide of the head wholly red, with feme ftreaks of the fame colour on the throat and under the eyes ; the other has its front gray, and no red but on the back of the head, and is probably the female, this being the ufual difference between the fexes : in both of them, this red is of a feebler and lighter caft than in the oth^r Variegated Woodpeckers, .If ; ■■,!!;,,-" f-m '>■.;'.(■ '■. -> '^•"•'^ r > '^V^l] ■■ ^Vti ■'■■ -1' The LITTLE VARIEGATED >VOODPECKER, of Virginia. Buf. Seven tb Species, Picas Puhe/cens. Linn and Gmel. Picus Farius Firginianus Minor. Briff. and Klein. ^he Smallefl Woodpecker. Catefljy. 7he Donvny Woodpecker. Lawfon and Penn. The Little Woodpecker, Lath. \K7 E owe to Catefby the account alfo of ^ this fmall Woodpecker : it weighs rather more than an ounce and half, and refembles the Hairy Woodpecker fo much, it is faid, in its fpots and colours, that, but •! ,!'Hi 74 The VARIEGATED WOODPECKER. but for the difference of fize, they might be regarded as of the fame fpecies : Itj breaft and belly are light gray, the four middle quilh of its tail are black, and the reft barred with black and v;hite. The female is diftinguiflied from tlie male, as in all the Woodpeckers, by having no red on the head. ' I The VARIEGATED WOODPECKER, of Carolina. i ?i Eighth Species* Pitus Varius. Linn, and Gmel. Picus Carol'iHenJis, Brifs. and Klein. The yellow-bellied Woodpecker. Catelby, Penn, and Lath. 'Tp HOUGH this Woodpecker has a yel- low tinge on the belly, we fliall not exclude it from thofe which are variegated with white and black, fince thefe colours appear on the upper furface, which really charac1:erizes the plumage. It is fcarcely fo la»*ge as the lefler Woodpecker 5 alfthe up- per fide of its head is red ; four ftripes, al- ternately black and white, cover the fpace betweet^ ^i, 3"* The VARIEGATED WOODPECKER. 75 fpacc between the temple and the cheek, and the laft of thefe ftripes bounds the throat, which is of the fame red with the head ; the black and white intermingle and interfed: each other agreeably on the back, the wings, and the tail j the fore part of the body is a light yellow, fprinkled with fome black fpeckles. The female wants the red. This Woodpecker inhabit'^, according to Briflbn, Virginia, Carolina, and Cayenne. TheVARIEGATED UNDATED WOODPECKER, Ninth Spec'tet, Picus TridaSiylus var. Linn. Gmel. &c. The Southern three-toed Woodpecker, Lath. ^T^H E plumage refembles that of the Spot- ted Woodpecker ; the back is black, with white difpofed in waves or rather fcales on the great quills of the wing, and thefe two colours form, when it is clofed, a check- ed bar: the under furface of the body is white, variegated on the fides with black fcates 5 two white ftreaks ftretch backwards^ one from the eye, the other from the bill, s,: ' -he top of the head is red. The •*. . i. ' V, f-.t. . J. Vr ,'f mil IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I |5o "^^ IIMB ■^ Uii |2.2 £? 144 ■" 1^ IM »& 11:25 11 U. ||.6 III- 11^^ iilii^s ^ 6" ^ ^^ y Hiotographic Sciences Corporalion 23 WKT MAIN STMIT WnSTfl.N.Y. I4SM (716)173^303 4!* ^ I n 76 The VARIEGATED WOODPECKER; The figure of this bird agrees perfe<5i|y with Brilibn's defcription of the Variegated CayejtJie Woodpecker, except that the former has four toes as ufual, and the latter only three. We cannot therefore doubt the exiftence of three-toed Woodpeckers : Lin- naeus defcribes one found in Dalecarliaj Schmidt, one in Siberia $ and we are informed by Lottinger* that it occurs alfo in Switzerland. The three-toed Wood- pecker appears therefore to inhabit the north of both continents. Ought the want of the toe to be regarded as a fpecific character, or confidered as only an accidental de- fedi ? It would require a great many obfer- vations to anfw'er that quedion j but it may be denied that the fame bird inhabits alfo the equatorial regions, though after Brif- fon it is termed the Spotted Cayenne Wood'" pecker in the Planches Enluminees, After this long enumeration of the birds of both continents that are akin to the W^ood peckers, we muft obferve that we have been obliged to rejeft fome fpecies no- ticed by our nomenclators, Thefe are the third, eighth, and twentieth, which Brif- fon ranges with the Woodpeckers, Seba with the herons, and Moehring with the • Extrait of a letter from M. Lottinger, to M. de Mont- beillard, dated Stralburg, 22d September, 1774. crows. The WOODPECyER CREEPERS. 77 crows* Klein calls thefe birds harpooneers ; bccaufe, according to Seba, they dart from the air upon fifli artd transfix them. But this habitude belongs not to the Wood- peckers ; and the difpofition of the toes, which in Seba's figure are difpofed three and 0776^ befides demonftrate that they are quite a diftindt kind. The WOODPECKER-CREEPERS. ■ ' Les Pic-Grimpereaux. Buff. 'T^ H E genus of thefe birds, of which we know only two fpecies, appears ihanifeftly difcriminatcd, and conftitutes the intermediate link between the Wood- peckers and the Creepers. The firft and largeft fpecies refembles mofl the creepers, by its curved bill ; and the fecond, on the contrary, is more analogous to the Wood- .peckers fince it has a flraight bill. Both of them have three toes before and one be- hind, like the Creepers ; and at the fame time the quills of their tail are lliif and pointed, like the Woodpeckers. The firfl: was ten inches long ; its head and throat fpotted with rufous and white ; the upper fide of the body, rufous, and the underfide. ii :!Pt3 1 1 ^ ^8 The WOODPECKEk-CREEPERS. underfide, yellow, ftriped tranfverfely with blackifh ; the bill and feet black. The fecond was only feven inches long ; its head, neck, and bread, fpotted with rufous and white; the underfide of the body is rufous, and the belly rufty brown i the bill gray, and the feet blackifh. Both thefe birds have very nearly the fame natural habits; they creep againft trees like Woodpeckers, fupporting themfelves by the tail 5 they bore the bark and the wood with much noife, and they feed upon the infedts thus dete}!..( A? &P]\' , ■i'l \ I -a to The WRYNECK. have the fame vermicular wreathing, and many a timorous neft-finder has fancied them to be young ferpents ||. The Wryneck has alfo another fingular habit. One which had been fhut twenty- four hours in a cage, turned towards a perfon who approached it, and, eyeing him (leadily, it rofe upon its fpurs, (Iretch- ed flowly forwards, railing the feathers on the top of its head and fpreading its tail $ then it fuddenly drew back, ftriking the bottom of the cage with its bill, and re- tra(5ling its creft. It repeated this gefture, which was alfo obferved by Schwencfeld, to the number of an hundred times, and as long as the fpedlaitor remained befide it. Thefe ftrange attitudes and natural con- tortions feem antiently to have prompted fuperitition to adopt this bird in enchant- ments, and to prefcribe its flefh as the moft powerful incentive to love ; infomuch, that the name Jynx denoted all fort of enchant- ments, violent paflions, and whatever we call the charm of beauty j that blind power which irrefiftibly commands our affedtions. Such is the fenfe in which Heliodorus, Lycophron, Pindar, iEfchylus, and Sopho- II Beloa. des WRYNECK. 9t cles employ it. The enchantrcfs in Theo- critus makes this charm, to recall her lover. It was Venus herfelf that, from Mount Olympus, brought the Jynx to Ja- fon, and taught him its virtue, to win the heart of Medea, (Pindar). The bird was once a nymph, the daughter of Echo : by her enchantments, Jupiter became enamour- ed of Aurora; and Juno, in wrath, per- formed the metamorphofis. See Suidas» and the Scholiaft of Lycophron, iEfchylus, Sophocles, Heliodorus, Pindar, and Eraf- mus. The fpecies of the Wryneck is no where numerous : each individual leads a fequefl- ered life, and even migrates folitarily. They arrive fingly in the month of May-f. They never enter into any fociety but that of the female, and it is only tranfitory, for the domeftic union is diflblved, and they retire in September. The Wryneck prefers, for the fake of foUtude, a draggling tree in the midft of fome broad hedge-row. Towards the end of fummer, it is found alone among the fields of corn, particularly oats, and in the fmall paths that run through patches of buck- wheat. It feeds on the ground. f Gefner fays that he has feen them ia the month of April. VOL. VII, G and Ill V §0. WRYNECK. and does not clamber on the trees like the Woodpeckers, though it is clofely related to thefe birds, and has the fame conforma- mation in its bill and feet. Yet it never intermixes with them, and Teems to form a fmall feparate family. The Wryneck is as large as the Lark, being feven inches long, and ten inches acrofs the wings ; all its plumage is a mixture of gray, of black, and of tawny, dispofed in waves and bars, contrafted fo as to produce the richeft enamel with thefe dufky (hades ||; the underfide of the body is of a white gray ground, tinged with ruf- ty on the neck, and painted with fmall black zones, which feparate on the bread, and ftretch into a lance-ihape, and are fcat- tered and diluted on the ftomach j the tail confifts of ten flexible quills, which the bird fpreads when it flies, and which are variegated below with black points on a dulky-gray ground, and interfedted by two or three broad waved bars like ^hofe on the wings of night flies ; the fame mixture of beautiful undulations of black, of brown, and of gray, among which are perceived zones, lozenges, and zigzag lines, paints all the upper furface on a deeper and more rufty il Pindar calls the Jynx, variegated. Ge/ner. ground. W R Y N E C-K. 83 ground. Some defcribers have compared the plumage of the Wryneck to that of the Woodcock 5 but it is more agreeably vari- ed, its tints are clearer and diftincter, of a fofter feeland, have a finer effe■ -^.mm:^''- m m^ The :♦. ■^am I. . .'u r ■:ffl ill ■.ill ' 'if J^' • t m m I 88 J The T A M A T I A. Fir/f Specits* Buceo-Tamatia. Gmel. Tamatia Brafilienjts, Marcg. Tamatia Guacu, Pifon. The Spotted'bellied Barbet, Lath. TXT* E have already remarked that Briflbn was miflaken in ranging this bird with the little thrufh of Catcfby ; for it is entirely different in the difpofition of its toes, and the fhape of its bill, as well as in its beard, and the largenefs of its head, a property common to the whole genus. Marcgrave is inaccurate too, in alTerting that it wants the tail ; this is indeed (horr, but his fpecimen was probably incom^ kte. All the other charadters correfpond j and as the bird occurs not only in Brazil, but alfo in Cayenne, whence ic has been lent to us» we can eafily compare the defcription. Its total length is fix inches and a half, of which the tail occupies two inches ; the bill IS fifteen lines, its upper extremity hooked, and as it were, divided into two points 5 the beard which covers it, extends more than half its length s the upper fide of the head JCies i ''.KM. nn \^":fy THE SPO T TKD -BELLIED BARBETT. '■t.'»J 'f>lKi T A M A T I A. • i^ head and the front, are rufty ; on the neck, there is an half-collar variegated vith black and rufous } all the reft of the plumage above is brown, (haded with rufous ; on each iide of the head behind the eyes, there IS a pretty large fpot ; the throat is orange, and the reft of the lower furface of the body is fpotted with black on a rufty white ground; the bill and feet are black. The habitudes of this Tamatia are the fame with thofe of all the birds of the fame genus found in the New Continent : they refide in the moft fequeftered parts of the forefts, and conftantly remote from dwell- ings and even cleared grounds : they never appear in flocks, or in pairs : they fly labo- rioudy, and to fhort diftances. and never alight but on low branches, preferring fuch as are thickeft clothed with fprays and leaves : they have little vivacity, and when once feated, they remain a long time : they have even a dull, melancholy afpedl, and they might be faid to afFe6t giving them- felves an air of gravity, by finking their large head between their fhoulders j and it then feems to cover all the forepart of the body. Their difpofition correfponds exactly to their maffy figure and their feri* ous deportment. They are fo unwieldly that they have much difficulty to move} and •'If t^M' ml i 90 T A M ^ T I A. and a peiTon may advance as near as he pleafes and fire feveral times, without driv- ing them to flight. Their flefh is not bad, though they live on caterpillars and other large infe6ts. In Ihort, they are exceedingly filent and folitary, homely and remarkably ill fliaped [A], r * '. ' ' ' :\:'. ■: I • ■ ' '■■.*• 5 'VI :■ [A] Specific charafler of the Bucco-Tamatia : ** It is ru- fous brown; below rufous white, fpotted with black; its throat orange ; it is half-collared." vr.'i' 11 -.^ The T A M A T I A with the Head and Throat Red. ;vfv'; Second Species, • - * * ! » ", . ^ Buc co-Cay anenjis* Gmel. and Brifl*. . * I'he Cayenne Barbet, Lath. np H I s bird, which we have delineated in the fame plate under two different denominations, appears however not to form two fpecies, but only to include a va- riety ; for in both, the head and throat are red ; the cheeks mid all the under furface of the body black j the bill blackifh, and the feet cinereous. The only difference is, that in the fiifl figure the breaft is yellow- ifli white, but in the fecond it is brown COLLARED TAMATIA. 91 diluted with yellow ; the former has black fpots on the top of the breaft ; it has alfo a fmall white fpot above the eyes and white fpots on the wings, which are wanting in the fecond. But as, in other refpeds, they are (imilar, and are of the fame (ize, wc do not regard the differences of colour fuf« ficient to conftitute two diftinft fpecies, as our nomenclators have prefumed. Thefe birds are found not only in Guiana, but in St. Domingo, and probably in other hot climates of America [A]. [A] Specific charafter of the Bucco Cayantnfis : ** It is. hV&k, below ochry-white, its front and throat red." The COLLARED TAMATIA J third Species, Buec» Cafenps, Linn, and GmeU ' Bucco. BriiT. The Collared Barhet, Lath. np H E plumage is agreeably variegated ; the underlide of the body deep orange, ftriped tranfverfely with black lines ; about the neck there is a collar, which is very narrow above and fo broad below as to pver all the top of the breaft -, and this V .. .: .._ ,., . black ' ^>' iff l» 'Mm mm ■ -.-ir ■ S.^ Mm ['Mm ,->.r'iHi .'w*! ry^ MM ^ BEAUTIFUL TAMATIA. black collar is accompanied with a half foliar of a tawny colour ; the throat is whitiih} the lower part of the bread is rufly white, which conftantly inclines more to rufous as it defcends under the belly ^ the tail is two inches and three lines in length, and the whole bird meafures fevea inches and a quarter, its bill an inch and five lines, and the legs which are gray, feven and a half lines in height. It is found in Guiana, but is rare [AJ. [A] Specific charadler of the Bueeo Cafenjis: ** It it rufous with a fulvous flripe on its ihoulder, a black At'ife on its bread.'* The BEAUTIFUL TAMATIA; Fourth Species* Buceo Elegant, Gmel. Bucco Majnanenjis. BritT. The Beautiful Barhet, Lath. 'Tp H 1 8 bird is the moft beautiful, or ra- ther the leaft ugly of the genus : it is better made, fmaller and more (lender than the red, and its plumage is fo variegated that it would be difficult to give a full def*- fcription. It is five inches eight lines in length, including the tail which is near two inches i \ i ^iLACIt AWD WHITE TAMATIA8. 93 inches ; the bill meafures ten lines and the legs the fame. ]t is found on the banks of the river Amazons, in the country of the Maynas : but we are informed that it inhabits equally the other parts of South America. ' The BLACK and WHITE T A M A T I A S. Fi/ib and Sixth Species, TX7 E can fcarce feparate thefe two birds, for they differ only in fize 5 and befides their general refemblance in the colours, they have both an appropriated charafler j viz. their bill is ftronger, thicker and longer than the other Tamatias in proportion to their body 5 in both alfo the upper mandi- ble is very hooked, and terminates in two points as in the firft fpecies. The largeft * of thefe Black and White Tamatias is very thick compared with its length, which is hardly feven inches : it is a new fpecies fent from Cayenne by M. Du- val, and alfo the other fpecies v^hich i^ • Bucco Macreryncbos. Gmel. Tk( Greater Pied Barhet, Lath. ■fel m •4. ■ ■t.> ,T,"3. « fmaller u 94 BLACK AND WHITE TAMATIAS. fmaller and exceeds not five inches m length. It would be tedious to enter into a minute defcription Their iimilarity is fo ftriking that but for their difference of fize, we might regard them as the fame fpecies. [A] [A] Specific chara£ler : It is black; its front, the tips of its tail-quills, and the under-fide of its body, are white; it has • black llripe on its breaft.'*. •;}ri V.1 C 95 ] .^ M'-'>; The B A R B E T S. Les Bar bus. BuiF. IIT" E applied the name Tamatia to the bearded birds of America/' and re- ferved Barbet for thofe of the ancient con- tinent. As both thefe fly with great dif- ficulty, on account of the thicknefs and unwieldinefs of their body, it is improbable that they could migrate from one continent into another, (ince they inhabit the hotted climates. Accordingly, they are different, and we have therefore difcriminated them. But ftill they referable in many charafters ; for, befides the long flender briftles that cover the bill either wholly or partly and form the beard, and the pofition of the feet, which is the fame in both ; they have equally a fquat body, a very large head, and a bill exceedingly thick, fomewhat curved below, convex above, and comprcf- fed on the fides. In the Barbets however, the bill is fenfibly fhorter, thicker, and ra- ther lefs convex below than in the Tama- tias. Their difpofitions alfo differ ; the former are fedate and almofl: flupid, while , the latter, which inhabit the Eafl Indies, attack '4*, '•'•'I'll *' r mm '■it,' v^-' 1. 1' T «l av 1 mm •^■A " v,-!;^ 96 YELLOW THROATED BARBET. attack the fmall birds, and, in their oeco-' nomy, refemble nearly the Shrikes. TheYELLOW THROATED B A R B E T. Tirft Species, Bmco Ph'tlippenfts, Gmel. and Brifl; T T s length is feven inches 5 the tail only eighteen lines ; the bill twelve or thir- teen lines, and the legs eight lines : the head is red, and alfo the breatl$ the eyes are encircled by a large yellow fpot ; the throat is pure yellow, the red of the underdde of the body yellowifti; variegated with longi- tudinal fpots of dull green. The female is fmaller than the male; and has no red on the head or breail. They are found in the Philippines [AJ, [A] Specific chara£ler of the Bueeo Philipptnfis : " It is green, the top of the head (of the male) ; the fpace about the eyes, the throat, and the underfide of the body, yel- low." I. m lit W I •.•If '>'•'' H-A I .M»- ^li'if^ ^"t ."♦..f 'rti -!'5l '•r,.» THE BARBET '■f.t- ■ V'lP '^' m' t 97 1 The BLACK THROATED B A R B E T. Second Species, > Butco Niger, Gmcl. np H 1 s fpecies, which, as well as the pre- ceding, is found in the Philipinnes, is yet very different. It is thus defcribed by Sonnerat, ** This bird is rather larger and particu- larly longer than the Grofbeak of Europe ; the front or fore part of the head is of a beautiful red -, the crown, the back of the head, the throat, and the neck, are black ; there is alfo, above the eye, a femi-circular black (Iripe which is continued by another one, ftraight and white, that defcends to the lower part of the neck on the fide j be- low the yellow ftripe and the white one, which continues it, there is a black vertical ftripe, and between this and the throat, there is a white longitudinal flripe, that is loft at its bafe in the breaft, which, as well as the belly, the fides, and the upper furface of the tail, is white j the middle of the back is black, but the feathers on the fide, be- tween the neck and the back, are black, VOL. VIZ. H fpeckled m'0m ■A- 'A < -.^'.1»^ .V '{"V^? i III ! II • ' ffl II IS 98 bLack throated barbet. fpeckled each with a flreak of yellow $ the four firft> inckiding the flump, are tipt with white, and the fifth with yellow, which forms a crofs ftripe on the top of the wing -, below this ftripe, are black feathers, fpeckled each a yellow point : the laft featheis finally, which cover the great quills of the wing, are likewife entirely black i but the others have over their whole length, on the fide where the webs are longeft, a yellow fringe; the tail is black in the middle, tinged with yel- low on the fides i the bill and feet are blackifh." [A] • .: . - [A] Specific charafler of the Bucco Niger : " It is black, below white, a yellow flreak above the eye produced on cither fide to the neck, a white collar." The BLACK-BREASTED BARBET. Le Bavhu a Plajiron Noir, BufF. I'hird Species. Bucco Niger. Var, Gmcl. 'T^ H 1 8 is a new fpecies fent to us from the Cape of Good Hope, but without any account of the natural habits of the bird. It is fix inches and a half long ; its tail eighteen BLACK BREASTED BARBET. 99 eighteen lines ; its feet eight or nine lines. It is of a middle fize, fmaller than the Grof- beak of Europe ; its plumage is agreeably mingled and contrafted with black and white ; its front is red j there is a yellow line on the eye, and drops of a bright fhining yellow fcattered on the wings and the back j the fame yellow tinge extends in daflies to the rump ; and the quilisof the tail, and the middle ones of the bill, arc llightly fringed with the fame colour j a black plate covers the breaft as far as the neck j the back of the head is alfo enveloped in black, and a black bar betv/cen two white ones defcends on the fide of the neck. The LITTLE BARBET. Fourth Species, BuccQ Parvus. Gmel. << • 'T^ H I s is a new fpecies, and the fmalleft in the genus. It was given to us as brought from Senegal, but without men- tion of any other circumftance. It is only four inches long : its large head and thick bill fhaded with long bridles, fufficiently chara6terize it. Its tail is fliort, and its wings, when dofed, rcvich almoft to its H 2 extremity J >«■ ■•■r;..i T|H|i il J' ■'-«■«■ too 5REAT BARBET. extremity : all the upperfide of the body is of a blackifli brown, (haded with fulvous, and tinged with green on the quills of the wing and of the tail j fome fmall white waves form fringes on the former: the underflde of the body is whitifli, with fome traces of brown » the throat is yellow, and from the corners of the bill a fmall white bar pafles under the eyes. [A] [A] Specific charafler of the Bucco Parvus: ** It is blackifh brown, below, white, fpotted with brown; in throat yellow." The GREAT BARBET. I Fifth Species. Bueeo Grandit. Gmel. ' I '' HIS bird is near eleven inches long. The principal colour in its plumage is a fine green, which mingles with other colours oil different parts of the body, and efpecially on the head and neck: the head entirely, and the forepart of the neck, are green mixed with blue ; fo that they appear green or blue, according to their expofure to the light j the origin of the neck, and that of the back, are of a chefnut brown, which varies alfo in difFer- ' * ent GREEN BARBET. lOt cnt afpedts, being intermingled with green ; alt the upperfide of the body is of a very fine green, except the great quills of the wings, which are partly black s all the un* derfide of the body is of a much lighter green ; there are fome feathers below the tail, which are of a very fine red : the bill is ten lines in length, and an inch broad at the bafe, where there are black hard briftlcsi it is whitifli, but black at the point : the wings are fhort, and fcarcely reach the mid- dle of the tail. This bird was fent to us from China. [A] [A] Specific charafter of the Bucca Grandit : " It ii green, the lower coverts of its tail red." The G R E E N BARBET. Sixtk Specie/. Bucco Firidis Gmel. Tt is fix inches and a half long ; the back, ■*■ the coverts of the wings, and of the tail are of a very fine green j the great quills of the wing are brown» but that colour is not feen, being hid by the coverts of the wings; the head is brown gray ; the neck is the fame colour, but each feather is edged with yellowidi, and above and behind the eye, H 3 there ^H 'm m-^^ ■'■ J'. *?# L. ^ ■: ':' r iM 1- .-l.' .« t! Mi I 1 9 ¥■' ■'■i i\:m^ .11 ': xoz GREEN BARBET. there is a white fpot; the belly is of a much paler green than the back ; the bill is whit^fh, and the bafe of the upper man- dible is furrounded with long black and hard hairs ; the bill -is an inch and two lines in length, and {cwtn lines broad at its bafe, the wings are fhort, and reach only the middle of the tail. We received it from the Eaft Indies. [A] [A] Specific charader of the BuccoViridis : " It is green, its head and neck gray- brown, the fpace about its eyes white." m 'V .■ I ■' '•«.rJ 111 m v:\ .; :.:i^U-. • I 103 ] The TOUCANS, "117 H A T may be termed the phyfiog- nomy of animated beings refults from the afpedl of their head in different pofi- tions. Their form, their figure, their (hape, &c. refer to the appearance of their body and of its members. In birds, it is eafy to perceiVe, that fuch as have a fmall head and a (hort flender bill, exhibit a deli- cate, pleafing, and fprightly phyfiognomy, Thofe, on the contrary, with an over-pro- portioned head, fuch as the Barbets, or with a bill as large as the head, fuch as the Toucans, have an air of ftupidity, which feldom belies their natural talents. A perlbii who faw a Toucan for the firft time might take the head and bill, in the front view, as one of thofe long-nofed m;..ks that frighten children; but when he ferioufly examined this enormous production, he would be furprized that riature had given fo huge a bill to a bird of fuch moderate fize, and his aftonidiment would increafe on reflect- ing, that it was ufelefs and even burthen- fome to its owner, which it obliged to fwallow its food whole without dividing or , ' H 4 cru(hing. U'U -. . . M mi Hit' t ,* :■'; IC4 TOUCANS. crufhing. And fo far is this bill from ferv- ing the bird as an inftrument of defence, or even as a counterpoife, that it a6ls like ia weight on a lever which tends conftantly to deftroy the balance, and occafion a fort of hobbling motion. The true chara6ler of nature's errors is difproportion joined to inutility. All thofe parts of animals which are overgrown or mifplaced, and which are ufelefs or incon- venient, ought not to be ranged in the great plan of the univerfe ; they (hould be imputed to her caprice or overfight, which however tend equally to their obje6V, fmce thefe extraordinary produ6lions evince, that whatever can be, a6tually exifts ; and that though a regular fymmetry commonly ob- tains, the diforders, the excelTes, and the defe'^s which are permitted, demonftrate the extent of that power which is con- fined not to thofe ideas of proportion and fyftem that we are apt to regard as the ftandards. And as nature has beflowed on mod ani- mals all the qualities thatconfpire to beau- ty and perfcdlion of form, fhe has alfo admitted more than one defe<^ in her care- lefs produftions. The enormous and ufe- lefs bill of the Toucan includes a tongue, Aili more ufelefs, and whofe flru6ture is very TOUCANS. t05 very uncommon j it is not flefliy or cartila- ginous as in other birds, but a real feather mifplaced. The word Toucan means feather in the language of Brazil, and Toucan tabouracit which (ignifies feathers for dancings is ap- plied by the natives to that bird which furnifhes them with the decorations worn on feftival days. Indeed thefe birds, io Ihapelefs and monftrous in their bill and tongue, have a brilliant plumage ; their throat is orange of the moft vivid hue j and though fuch beautiful feathers are found only iii fome fpecies of Toucans, yet have they given name to the whole genus. Thefe feathers are even in Europe in requeft for making muffs. The huge bill of the Toucan has acquired it other honours, and tranflated it among their fouthern conftel- htions, where nothing is admitted but what is ftriking or wonderful *. Befides the ex- cefllve length of this bill, it is through its whole length wider than the head of the bird; Lery has termed it, the bill of bilk "^ ^ other voyagers have named the Toucan the bird all-bill Xi and the Creoles of Cayenne • Journal des Obfervations Phyfiques da P. Feuillee, p. 428. f Voyage du Brafil. p. 174. J Dampier's Voyage round the World. apply '»•; ;?).: ,4- ■ ■.' ,.•• 'J ■;■■■• j-'ll :»;'V ■ ■'■■ '''\W/'f ■ [ ■ •>■ -'UL 4 ¥$m :H': '^ •i 106 TOUCANS. apply to it the epithet of Grosbeak. The mag- nitude of the bill would exceedingly fatigue the head and neck, were it not very thin, infomjch that it may eafily be crulhcd be- tween the fingers. Authors || were there- fore miflaken in aflferting, that the Tou- cans bored trees, like the Woodpeckers j or they were at lead miflead by the Spaniards, who have confounded thcfe birds under the fame name carpejtteros (carpenter), or tiicir.acas in the language of Peru. But it is certain that the I'oucans are very differ- ent from the Woodpeckers, and could not imitate them in that habit ; and indeed Scaliger has before us remarked that as their bill was hooked downwards, it feenied im- poflible for them to make a perforation. The form of this huge uiiwicidiy bill is very different in each mandible : the upper one is bent into the fliape of a fickle, rounded above, and hooked at the extre- mity ; the under one is (horter, narrower and lefs curved below. Both of them have indentings on the edges, but which are much more perceptible on the upper than on the under j and what appears ftill more fmgular, ihefe indentings do not fit into each other, nor even correfpond in their relative pofition, thofe on the right fide not [j Hernandez. being f' TOUCAN S. 107 being oppofite to thofe on the left, for they begin more or lefs behind, and end alfo more or lefs forward. The tongue of the Toucans is, if poffi- ble, more wonderful than the bill : they are the only birds which may be faid to have a feather inilead of a tongue, and a feather it certainly is, though the Hiaft is a cartilaginous fub(lance two lines broad ; for on both fides there are very clofe barbs, entirely like thofe of ordinary feathers, and which are longer the nearer they are inferted to the extremity. With an organ fo fingular and fo different from the ordinary fubftance and organization of the tongue, we might fuppofe that thefe birds were mutej yet they have a voice as well as the reft, and often utter a fort of whiftling, which is reiterated fo quickly, and with fuch continuance that they have been denominated the preaching birds. The favages afcribe great virtues to this feathery tongue *, and ule it as a cure in many diforders. Some authors -f* have fuppofed that the Toucans had no noftrils ; * M. de la Condamine fpeaks of a Toucan which he fawr on the banks of the Maragnon, whofe monftrous bill is red and yellow ; its tongue, he fays, which refembles a delicate feather, is elleemed to have great virtues. Voyage a la riviere des Amazonest Paris t 1745. ^w alfo Gemelli Carreri, Paris, 1 7 19. torn, vj, p. 24, &c. I Wiliughby and Barrere. but 1: i| '■■ ■ "f !J' ''I If m :J ■M "■ M fih^ 111 J . a^vil'vil ! n n Hi 1 1, i'.n TOUCANS. 1)ut \vc m ly fee them by ftroking afidc the leathers at the bafe of the bill, which in mod fpecics conceal them ; in others, they aie bare, atid confcqucntly very apparent. The Toucans have nothing in common ^vith the WooclpccI■ .-rJ}! I '•• '•151 M m '. '-■•'iil no TOUCANS. faid that they will propagate in the domef- tic ftate. They are not diliicult to rear, for they fwallow whatever is thrown to them, bread, flefli, or filli; they alfo with the point of their bill, lay hold of the bits that are held near them ; they tofs thefe up, and receive them in their wide throat. But when they are obliged to provide for themfelves, and to gather their food from the ground, they feem to grope, and feize the crumb fidewife, that it may leap up, and be caught in' its fall. They are fo de- licate to imprellions of cold, as to be affect- ed by the coolnefs of evening in the hotted climates, even of the new continent j they have been obferved in the houfe to make a bed of herbs, of draw, and of whatever they could gather. Their fkin is in gene- ral blue under the feathers, and their flefli, though black and hard, is yet palatable. The genus of thefe birds fubdivides itfelf into the Toucans and Aracaris : thefe differ from each other j i. in fize, the Toucans being much larger than the Aracaris , 2. by ♦lie dimenfions and the fubftance of their bill, which in the Aracaris is much longer, harder, and folider; 3. by their tail, which is longer in the Aracaris, and very fenfibly tapered, whereas it is rounded in the TOUCANS. Ill in the Toucans -f . The Toucans properly fo called, contain five fpecies. t The Brafilians were the firil who diftinguilhed thefe two varieties, calli ig the large ones touc ms, and the fmall ones Aracaris'. The natives of Guiana have made the fame difcrimination, giving the former the name of kararouima, and the latter that oi grigri. * : ■•V.-i:' •■;>■, n MM . 1 t'; ' ■ ■'• "f I -'11 'i'J'U m rM'M i-i3 i.vr. ^'^' :I iii H-fii' .■•'l .1^ •V i * ■ ■\ Hr:-"h. f 'I'H •^1 m M Km x-n 1 tigs the 'his the ack- n it! IV n !#? H^ii %■ >tv a ■th> I- it '■ j:!?^;r THE TO IT CAN. T t "3 ] The YELLOW-THROATED TOUCAN. Second Species, {Ramphajlos Dicohrus, Linn, and Gmel. Ramphajlos Tucanus. Linn, and Gmcl. ^"'■'^"^ ( ^BfaJlUnfts. } i"'"*'' ^"'''' 2"^- Opw o birds of this kind have been figu- • red in the Planches Enluminees y the firft under the denomination of the Tellow throated Toucan, of Cayenne [A], and the fecond under that of i\iQ yellow-throated tou" can of Brazil, [B] But they inhabit equal- ly both countries, and appear to us to form the fame fpecies. The difFerenc? in the colour of their bill, in the extent of the yellow plate on the throat, as, well as in the vivacity of their colours, may be owing to the age of the bird : It is certain, that the fuperior coverts of the tail are yellow in fome individuals, and red in others. In [A] Specific charafter of the i2<7w//&tf/or Z)/W(?raj. " It isblackifh; its breaft, its belly, its vent, and its rump red* its throat yellow." [B] Specific charafter of the Ratnphafios-Tucanus. *• It is blackiih ; a bar on its. bell^, its vent and ramp yellow." VOL. VII, I both, , *> -I if {» ~:'.'\. !>• ■'\ n 'Xky-'^i w I »ii)>j % Vi ■It.' 1 1 PI ' ll'Iti •ill I ! t.. , !• ^ ■■J'i ii I i f '-U> ,:••• It ri'f " m ■ jM wM., Off I^: '»' H , '/r 'j =! ' V IN w M ' ill; k 'is '■-W 5 !:. ■:■ .'iv' •I,, is ' \^ i m * -.''}! :il.-i.^ Ii6 RED-BELLIED TOUCAR, we have not adopted, it being common alfo to the Toco. Specific charafler of the Ramphajlos Pi/civorus. ** It is blackilh} the bar on its belly, and its vent, are red; it» rump is white." Specific charafter of the Ramphajios Erythrorynchos : •• Ic is blackifh ; its cheeks, and its throat, white ; the upper coverts of its tail, brimftone-coloured; the lower, and a crefccnt on its bread, red." The RED-BELLIED TOUCAN, Third Species, Ramphajfos Picatus, Linn, and Gmcf- Tucana, Briff. Na/utus Simpliciter. Klein. The BraJjUan Pye, or Toucan. Alb. and Will. The Preacher Toucan. Lath. npHis Toucan has a yellow neck, like the preceding ; but its breaft is a fine red, which in the other is black. Thevtt, who firft mentioned this bird, lays that its bill is as long as its body. Aldrovandus admits the bill to be two palms in length, and one palm in breadth 5 and Briflbn reck- ons the palm three inches. As we have never feen the bird, we can only fpeak from the accounts given by the two former writers. V/e may obferve however, that Aldrovandus was miftaken in afiigning it three toes before, and one b&hind; Thevet exprefsly fer. RED-BELLIED TOUCAN. 117 exprefsly mentions, that it has two before and two behind, which is conformable to nature. The head, neck, back, ..ad wings, are black, with whitifli reflections -, the bread is of a fine gold colour, with red above it, that is, under the throat j the belly, too, and the legs, are of a very bright red, and likewife the extremity of the tail, the reft of which is black j the iris is black, fur- rounded by a white circle, which itfelf is inclofed within another yellow circle 5 the lower mandible is only half as large near the extremity than the correfponding part of the upper mandible i both are indented on the edges. Thevet alTures us, that this bird lives on pepper, of which it fwallows fuch quan- tities as to be obliged to vomit it. This flory has been copied by ail the naturalifts ; and yet there is no pepper in America. It would be difficult to imagine what fpice Thevet meant, unlefs it was pimento, which fome authors have termed Jamaica fep» fer. [A] f A] Specific charaaer of the J?«»/i&tf;?o/PiV«^«<. ?' It Is l^lackifh; its breaft, yellow; its vent, and the tipi ofttf $ail-quiUs, red; itirump black." »3 \ ■ IS 1 *i*^'v:,^f' I I mm .^.«;^! ;■((!,;? «! 1 J '•;. t Ii8 ] The C O C H I C A T. Fourth Species, P/Ittacuj Torquaius. Gmel. ' ; ♦ Ramphajlos Torquatus, Lath. Ind, Tucana Mexicana Torquata. Brifl*. The Collared Toucan. Lath. Syn. "^17 E have fhorteaed the Mexican name Cochitenacatl into Cochicat, Fernandez is the only author who fays he has feen it, and I fhall here borrow his account. " It is nearly of the fame bulk with the other Toucans » its bill is feven inches long, the upper man- dible white and indented, and the lower black 5 the eyes are black, and the iris red- di(h yellow ; the head and neck, black, as far as a crofs red line which encircles it like a collar, after which the upperfide of the neck continues black, and the underfide whitifh, fprinkled with red fpots and fmall black lines ; the tail and wings are alfo black ; the belly is green ; the legs, red 5 the feet, of a greenifhafh colour, and the nails black. It frequents the fca-(hore, and lives onfifh [A]." [A] Specific charafter of i\e Pfittacus Torquatus : <* Above it is black, below, whiiifh, its belly green, its hin4 part fed, its collar red." [ "9 1 The H O T C H I C A T. Fifth Spicitt. Ramphafios Po'voninus, Gtnel. Tu:ana Mexicana Firii/is, Briff. 7 he Pavonine Toucan. Lath. .. HP H I s name is contrafled alfo for the Mexican Xochitenacatl * j and Fernan- dez is the only author who has defcribed it from the life, " It is, he fays, of the lize and fhape of a parrot ; its plumage is almod entirely green, only fprinkled with fome red fpots J the legs and feet are black and (hortj the bill is four inches long ; it is variegated with yellow and black." This bird alfo inhabits the fea-coalc in the hottefl parts of Mexico. [A] ♦ The Xo is pronounced Ho. » [A] Specific charadler of the Ramphaftos Pavoninus. ** It is green, fprinkled with red and ifis feathers.' J 4 ft] ..I .;.'-■!' ni» '■C:-:l: '•ill ' ti t" ' \y* '"\ ; .1 ■ ■ 1*- fl ^ f f'lri, I' ! i^ t~' If i» 'M .1 : / V W -''fill I' ■ 'm \)4 w ■ >'''I5 . f I 220 ] The A R A C A R I S. np H E Aracaris, as we have already faid, are fmaller than the Toucans 5 we are acquainted with four fpecies of them, all natives of America. fir'* if The G R I G R I. Firjf Sfecitt of Aracari, {IBiampbafios Araeari, Linn, and Gmel, Ramphajios Viridis, Linn, and Gmel. f Tucana Brajilitnjis ffriMt, BrlflT. and Gerini. ^ * Tucana Cayanenfis Viridis. BriiT* {The Jracari Toucan. Lath. The Green Toucan, Lath. 'This bird is found in Brafil, and is very common in Guiana, where it is f:alled Gri-gri, becaufe that word exprefles its fhrill fhort cry. It has the fame natural habits as the Toucans j it alfo inhabits the fwamps, and lodges among the palms [A]. This fpecies contains a variety which our [A] Specific charafler of the Ramphaftos- Araeari : *' It is green ; the bar on its belly, the vent, and the rump, are red J its belly, bright yellow. pomenclators I » A R A C A R I S. lit nomenclators have regarded as a feparate Ipccics [B]. Yet the difference is fo flight that it may be imputed to age or climate : it confifts in a crofs bar of fine red on the breafl. There is likewife fome difference in the colours of the bill ; but that chara6ter is quite dubious, fuice thefe vary in the fame individual according to the age, with- out following any regular order : fo that Linnasus was wrong in drawing the ipc- cific charaflcrs of birds from the colours of the bill. ' The head, the throat, and the neck are black i the back, the wings and the tail are dull green i the rump» red ; the breafl and belly, yellow i the inferior coverts of the tail, and the feathers of the legs, olive yellow, variegated with red and fulvous; the eyes large, and the iris yellow ; the bill is four inches and a quarter long, fixteen lines high, and of a more folid and harder texture than the bill of the Toucans 5 the tongue is of the fame feathery nature ; the feet, blackifh- green, very fhort, and the toes very long : the whole length of the bird, including the bill and the tail, is fixteen inches and eight lines. [B] Specific chara£l«r of the Ramphajfot Firidis : " Tt is grcei), its belly bright yellow* its ri^inp red." The I \j ,^T ,<•,. t«1l 11 'ii t4' • ' •■(''•'I !■! '' . ' ■.. A>'' (.;, »V .'... . i ''.fl J If n !*!! I] •V-.. iL' "'iJSB I2t K O U L I K. ' The female differs from the male only in the colour of the throat and of the underfide oi the neck, whicli is brown, but black in the male, which ufually has its bill black and white, whereas in the female the lower mandible is black, and the upper one yel- low, with a longitudinal black bar rcfem- bling a long narrow feather. The K O U L I K. ^ ' , Second Species of AracarL Hamphaftos Piperivorus. Linn, and Gmel, tucana Cayanenfis Torquata, BriiT. "^ •' ■• 1 he Green Toucan. Edw. ■ •.«■-. The f'iperine Toucan. L^th, in H E word kouliky pronounced fafl:, re- fern bles the cry of this bird, which is the reafon why the Creoles of Cayenne have impofed that name. It is rather fmaller than the preceding, and its bill fhorter in proportion j the head, the throat, the neck, and the bread, are black j on the upper fide of the neck, there is a yel- low narrow half- collar ; there is a fpot of the fame colour on each fide of the head, behind the eyes $ the back> the rump, an4 thQ If, K O U L I K. 123 the wings, are of a fine green, and the belly, which is alfo green, is variegaied with blackifti ; the inferior coverts of the tail are reddifh, but the tail itfelf is green, terminated with red j the feet are blackidi ; the bill is red at the bafe, and black through the reft ; the eyes are encircled by a naked bluiOi membrane. The female is diftinguifhed from the male by the colour of the top of the neck, where the plumage is brown, but black in the male ; the underfide of the body, from the throat to the lower part of the belly, is gray in the female, and the half-collar is of a very pale yellow, whereas it is of a fine yellow in the male, and the underfide variegated with different colours. [A] [A] Specific charafler of the Ramphajlos Piperiiforus : *f It is green, its forefide black, its vent and thighs red." -,1 ■111! I'iii ■'I .^ <• '.."1' i-T,-, I r ji i of the bread and belly ; and it is red oa the reH: of the under furface, nearlv as iji that of the Toucans. It is nine inches long j the tail three inches and a half; the bill eighteen lines long and ten thick, and the legs are only an inch high j fo that the bird can hardly walk [AJ. [A] Specific charafler of the Bucco Dul'ms : ** It is black, below red ; the bar oa its breath, and its vent, black." 'iH; V i ill'* .-.-'" ;'i ■■|!l H ^,-^.;- '13! jb.'^si'-ix';-' "'»' ■ ' ' ■■-Al ,ii!' •^ ■ i ' ■:"'H^ It' ^ •, I i n i> ''*■ ■.■■., •■Jin ■' •■ '. ■■■■''■I'^-t-jsi H ■■■■;■•, 'i% ■'- 'll-vt l^frl^!, It'll vWfl t "8 ] The C A S S I C A N. Coraeias Varia. GtneU The Pied Roller. Lath. np HIS bird partakes of the properties of the Cafiques and Toucans, and there- fore I have termed it Cajjican, It is a new fpecies fent by Sonnerat. We are uncertain what climate it inhabits, only we prefume that it comes from the fouthern parts of America j it certainly refembles the Ameri- can Cafliques in the fhape of its body ^nd the bald fpot on the forefide of the head, at the fame time that it is analogous to the Toucan in the bulk, and fhape of its bill, which is round and broad at the bafe, and hooked at the extremity. So that if its bill were larger, and the toes difpofed two and two, it might be regarded as a proximate fpecies of the Toucans. It will be fuperfluous to defcribe the co- lours of this bird ; its body is flender and long, being about thirteen inches j the bill is two inches and a half; the tail five inches, and the legs fourteen lines* We are unacquainted with its natural habits \ but if we were to judge from the fhape of its ''i; THR CASSICAIir. ^;ci i i i ■ i i'' ■■Wv':'''*inii 1 1 V-i r ;,4 lab H if '' \. ■ym' >k-. r: ' .* li - painful exiftence, continually opprefled by the exuberance, or cramped by the deficit ency of organization. The life of fuch fee- ble imperfc(5l fpecies is protected by folitude alone, and could never be fupportcd and maintained, but in defert recefles, untrod by man or the powerful animals. The bill of the Calao, though large, is weak and ill compared, and fo far from be- ing ufeful, it proves burthenfome : it is like a long lever where the force is applied near the fulcrum^ and confequently the extremity a6ls feebly : its fubftance is fo tender, that it (hivers by the leaft attrition, and thefe accidental cracks have been mida- ken by naturalifVs for a regular and natural indenting. Thefe produce a remarkable efFe6l on the bill of the Rhinoceros Calao ; for the mandibles meet only at the point and the reft remains wide open, as if they were not formed for each other. The in- terval is worn and broken in fuch a man- ner, that this part would feem intended to be ufed only at fir ft, and afterwards neg- leaed. We follow our nomenclators in applying the name calao to the whole genus of thefe birds, though the people of India have be- ftawed it only on one or two fpecies. Many naturalifts have given them the appellariori K 2 RhinocercSf '1 I^M 'Mi . • ' t ^h till'' H J; '^U •» i 1 V I 1 : .- !" •:,m - r n,' 1 ,' '!«■; 132 C A L A O S. ,VJ im^ II '» Rhinoceros^ i on account of the fort of horn which rifeson the|)ill ; butalmoft all of them have feenonly the bills of thofe extraordinary birds -f. We will range the calaos accord- ing to the moft ftriking character, the fin- gular fhape of the bill. We fhall find that even in her aberrations, nature proceeds by infenfible gradations, and that of the ten fpecies which compofe the genus, there is only one perhaps that merits the defigna- tion of Rhinoceros bird* Thefe ten fpecies arc j 1. The Calao-rhinoceros. 2. The round-helmeted Calao. 3. The concave helmeted Calao of the Philippines. 4. The Abyffinian Calao. 5. The African Calao, which we fhall term Brae. 6. The Malabar Calao, which we have feen alive. 7. The Molucca Calao, of which we have a fluffed preparation. 8. The Calao of the ifland of Panay, of which we have fluffed fpecimens of both the male and female. m • Edwards.— Gre^.^Clufius.— Willughby, &c f £dward$4 Belon, &c. 9. The C A L A O S. »33 9. The Manilla Calao, of which we have a (luffed fpecimen. 10. Laltly, the Tock, or red-billed Calao of Senegal, of which we have a (luffed fpe- cimen. Il we invert the order of thefe ten fpe- cies, we (hall be able to trace all the (leps by which nature arrives at this mondrous conformation of bill. The Tock has a broad bill fafhioned as the reft like a fickle j but it is fimple, and without any protuberanwC. In the Manilla Calao, a fwcU may be per- ceived on the top of the bill : this is mor^ diftin6l in the Molucca Calao : ftili more confiderable in the Abyffinian Calao : the excrefcence is prodigious in thofe of the Philippines and Malabar, and quite mon- drous in the Rhinoceros-Calao. But though thefe birds admit of fuch varieties in the bill, they have one general refemblancc in the conformation of the feet, the lateral toes being very long, and almoft equal to the middle one. "% •\l\ %% iu ".III' ,:'';Bt, ! I, ¥^ i, "^m. ■.\ I'l? 'ill fe y.:.'m .•i.'r. ■' -'■'• '\ lis K3 ■'*Jii ■ ■'■.■■ * '.'.''r 'I* ■' ^t ' '■ '' ll" 4? ■4k ■■A:;:.'m m m. ; »:i'::,i^ i^:' •I' [ 134. 3 Iff The T O C K. Fir^ Species, Buceros Nn/utus, Linn, and Gmel. {Hydrocorax Senegalenjif Erythrorynchos. Hydrocorax Senegalenjis Melamrynchos. The Black- billed Hornbill. Lath. } Briff. 'np HIS bird has a very large bill, but this is fimple, and without any excrefcence; yet ftill fafhioned as in the other Calaos, like a fickle. It refembles them for the moft part alfo in its natural habits, and occurs too in the hotted climates of the ancient continent. The negroes of Senegal give it the name of Tock, which we fhall retain. The young bird differs very much from the adult ; for its bill is black, and its plumage afh-gray, and, \yith age, the bill becomes red, and the plumage blackifti on the up- per fide of the body, on the wings, and on the tail, and whitifh quite round the head, on the neck, and on all the lower parts of the body : it is alfo faid, that the legs are originally black, and grow afterwards red- difli. It is not therefore furprizing that Priflbn has made iwo fpecies -, his firft de- fi.enation T O C K. "35 fignation feems appIicabJe to the adult 7ock, and his fecond to the young Tock. This bird has three toes before and only one behind : the middle one is clofely con- nected to the outer toe as far as the third joint, and much more loofely to the inner toe, and at the firft joint only. The bill is very thick, bent downwards, and llightly indented on the fides. The fubjed which we defcribe was twenty inches long ; its tail fix inches, ten lines : its bill three inches five lines, and twelve lines 3nd a half thick at the bafe ; its horny fubftance of the bill is thin and light : the legs are eighteen lines high. Thefe birds which are pretty common ir^ Senegal, are very fupple when young j they fiiffer a perfon to approach and catch them; and they may be Ihot at without being feared, or even without their ftirring. But age inftructs them by experience ; their dif- pofition quite alters j they grow extremely Ihy, and efcape to the fummits of the trees ; while the young ones remain on the loweft branches and the bufhes, and continue per- fectly ftill, their head funk between the flioulders, io that the bill only is feen. Tlie young birds fcarce ever fly, whereas the old ones foar in a lofty and rapid courfe. K4 The \M iij* ilk' ^1^ '\u- { M r' ;.'rf ■ f i I ill!. „'v^f H ■'■'• '^'ii '•■) *■'('■' f, •mm •ill ,il. '■k „ ■;■'■.'■. •if'.jfri - mm ■mm ■-■ ■•;;'"'l;at'v r4 lil § m i •I i. I. ;■:..- f 'ill Vi 'i ''h'M m m km u 138 C A £ A O. bar, two fingers broad. We are unacquaint^ cd with the ceconomy of this bird. [A] [A] SpeciRc ch&raS:tr of the Buceros Manillieft^s : *' Above it isblackiih brown, below dirty white, its bill not ferraced ; a fmall prominence." The CAL AO, of the Ifland of Panay, T^irJ Species, Buceros Panay enjis, Gmel. ^fhe Panayan HornlilL Lath* ^Tp H I s bird was' brought by M. Sonnerat, Correfpondent of the Cabinet. I fliall tranfcribe the account which he gives of it in his voyage to New Guinea : he calls it the cbifeled bill Calao ; but that epithet is equally applicable to other Calaos. '* The male and female are of the fame fize, and nearly as large as the great Euro- pean Raven, rather longer and narrower ihapcd ; their bill is very long and arched into the form of a fickle, indented along its edges above and below, terminated by a (harp point, and deprefled at its fides ; it is furrowed up and down, or acrofs two thirds, of its length ; the convex part of thefe fur- rows is brown, and the concave fpaces are of the colour of orpiment y the reft of the l?iU l1 C A L A O. "139 bill near the point, is thin and brown j at the root of the bill, there rifes upwards an excrefcence of the fame horny fubftance, flat at the fides, (harp above, and cut at right angles before; this excrefcence extends v along the bill to its middle, where it termi- nates, and its uniform height is equal to half the breadth of the bill ; the eye is en- circled by a brown membrane devoid of feathers i the eyelid bears a ring of hard, fhort, ftifF bridles, which form real eye- lafhes ; the iris is whitifh : in the male, the head, the neck, the back, and the wings are greenifh black, changing into bluifh, according to the pofition. In the female, the head and the neck are white, except a broad triangular fpot, which ex- tends from the bafe of the bill, below and behind the eye, as far as the middle of the neck acrofs the fides ; this fpot is dark green, fludluating like the neck and back in the male : the female has alfo the neck and wings of the fame colour as in the male ; the top of the breaft in both fexes is of alight brown red ; the belly, the thighs, and the rump are equally of a deep brown red J they both have ten quills in the tail, of which the upper two thirds are of a rufty yellow, and the lower third is a black tranf- verfe bars the feet are lead colour, and compofed !j|: .;■'.■■'■;,■ 1 ? 111.; ■I t'nx fAi^i • ...... - .' ' • ■■'*! ■•■■;■ : <'i? 'Ml' lili 111 !) ^:l: m ■m "•■.v.', . ■ ,1'; Si' 140 MOLUCCA CALAO. compofed of four toes, one of which is directed behind and three before j the mid- dle one is connetfled to the outer toe as far as the third joint, and to the inner toe as far as the firft only." [A] [A] Specific charadler of the Buceros Panayenjis. ** It is greeniih black, below red brown, the prominence of the upper mandible (harp above> and fiat at the fides." ■'? Hi[ -r- ml IH ■ >i ■■ i Hi m M 1 1 m '!i*fi i:- The MOLUCCA CALAO. Fourth Species, Buceros-HyJrocorax. Linn, and Gmel. Hydrocorax firifT. Corvus Inditui Bontii* Will, Cowus Torquatus. Klein. CariocataSles . Mcerh. ^he Indian Hornbill, Lath* ^T^ H E name Mcatraz has improperly been applied to this bird ; and Clufius is the author of the miftake. He has inac- curately tranflated the paflage of Oviedoj for the Spanifti word alcatraz^ according to Fernandez, Hernandez, and Nieremberg, denotes the Pelican of Mexico. This mif- take has occafioned another, which our nomenclators have transferred to the whole gepus of the Calaos j they fuppofe that thefe MOLUCCA CALAO. lA^i * birds haunt the margin of water, and hence they beftow the appellation of hydrocorax (Water-raven.) But this opinion is refuted by all the obfervers who have viewed them in their native abodes : Bontius, Camel, and, what carries ftill more weight, the Calao itfeif, by its ftru6ture, the (hape of its feet and bill, demondrate that it is neither a Raven nor an aquatic bird. The Molucca Calao is two feet four inches long ; the bill eight inches ; but the legs are only two inches two lines v this charafter of the fhortnefs of the legs be- longs not only to it, but to all the other Calaos, which wnlk with the utmoft diffi- culty J the bill is ve inches long, and two inches and a halt thick at its origin j it is blackifh cinereous, and fupports an excref- cence, whofe fubftance is folid and like horn ; this excrefcence is flat before, and extends rounded to the upperfide of the head ; it has large black eyes, and its afpe^t is difagreeable ; the fides of the head, the wings, and the throat, are black, and that part of the throat is furrounded with a white bar ; the quills of the tail are whitifh gray ; all the reft of the plumage is variegated with brown, with gray, with blackifli, and with fulvous i the feet are brown gray, and the bill blackiHi. Thefe I 111 !i: ;* ■■;£ "'SV--^ tl ■ ,.1. '.'? 'I '■■■'■IS III ;'* <': /'•,;■.' i m if •*■■ . !* The MALABAR CALAO. r1(S m /.■■ .■4 't f'i/ih Species. j^uceros Malaharicus. Gmel. / The Pied Hornbill, Lath. 'np HIS bird was brought from Pondi- chery ; it lived the whole of the fum- mer 1777, in the court-yard of the Mar- chionefs de Pons, who was fo kind as tO' prefent it to me, for which I take this op- portunity of exprefling the warmeft grati- tude. It was as large as a Raven, or twice as large as the common crow ; it was two feet and a half long, from the point of the bill to the extremity of the tail, which had dropt off in its palFage home, and the feathers were begun to grow again, but had it^l 3 ■ i f ); '!fl r^' ■ '^ i !.>-.*■ -'»'. ' '.V-.i ■1: s;.'.)^ Rl«'l l*M ?l> :^;!;i '■Mi THE HO-RN - B IIX. . W Malabar calao. 143 liad not nearly attained their full fize : fo that we may prefume that the entire length of the bird was about three feet $ its bill was eight inches long and two broad, and bent fifteen lines from the ftraight pofition ; a fecond bill, if it may be fo called, fat like a horn clofe on the firft, and followed its curvature, and extended from the bafe to within two inches of the point of the bill, it rofe two inches three lines 5 fo that, meafuring in the middle, the bill together with its horn formed a height of four inches; near the head, they were both of them fifteen lines thick acrofs ; the horn was fix inches long, and its extremity ap- peared to have been fliortened and fplit by accident, fo that we may reckon it to be half an inch longer: on the whole, this horn has the (hape of a true bill, truncated and clofcd at the extremity, but tlie junc- tion is marked by a very perceptible fur- row, dravvn near the middle and following all the curvature of this falfe bill, which does not adhere to the fkull ; but its pof- tcrior portion, which rifes on the head, is ftill more extraordinary, it is naked and fiefliy, and covered with quick flcin, through which this parafite member receives the nutritious juices. The i.li'l ^ ■vi : ! mi'-^ \ 'I If- y 'Hi !i!S-' ■ '\l ' * • ill • ,, ' , ' ; A.i 'i - '■■'■■■ ■'■ •I" :•'■. ^:^v.'ti!^ ' "• » li '■:\ " ■ '■■■■ '.,i« • ■'.'•li x-i:i'# . :-■■ ■■■!•■;'•* I; ■.• ' i:(,>(l««'lu M 'I U4. MALABAR CALAO. The true bill terminates in a blunt pc' /; it is ftrong, and confiding of a horny, l 1 almoft bony, fubftance, extended in lamina ^ and we may perceive the layers and undula- tions : the falfe bill is much thinner^ and may be bent even by the fingers j it is of a light fubllance difpofed internally in little cells, which Edwards compares to thofe of a honey comb: Wormius fays that this falfe bill confids of a matter like crabs lliclls. The falfe bill is black, from the point to three inches behind, and there is a line of the fame black at its origin, and alfo at the root of the true bill ; all the reft is yeU lowiQi-white. Wormius remarks precifely the fame colours ; only he adds that the infide of the bill and of the palate, is black. A white folded (kin meets the root of the true bill above on both fides, and is inferted near the corners of the bill in the black fl1 'i J ■ .'■hi.' «»' 146 MALABAR C A L A O. recline on its ftioulders j when difturbed by furprize and inquietude, it fwellcd and railed itfelF* and Teemed to afTume an air of boid- nefs and importance. Yet its ufual gait was mean and ftu, id -, its movements iudden and c.lfagreeable ; and its. refemblance in features to the Magpie and the Raven, gave it an ignoble alpecl *, fuited to its difpo- f.tions. Thougi\ there are fpecies of Calaos that appear to be frugivorus, and we have feen this bird eat lettuces, which it firft bruifed in its bill ; it fwallowcd raw flefh : it caught rats, and devoured even a fmall bird, which was thrown to it ahve. It often repeated the hoarfe cry 00k , 00k 3 it uttered alfo from time to time another found, which was feebler, and not fo rau* cous, and exadly like the clucking of a Turkey-hen when fhe leads her brood. Wc have feen it fpread and open its wings to the fun, and (hudder at a pafling cloud, or a flight breeze. It dd not live more than three months at Paris, and died before the end of fummer. Our climate is therefore too cold for it. , We cannot forbear remarking, that Brif- fon is miftaken in referring the figure d of the bill in PL 281 of Edwards Glean- ings to his Philippine Calao : for that ♦ Boniius. figure BR AC OR AFRICAN CALAO. 147 figure reprefents our Malabar Calao, which bears a fimple excrcfcence, and not a con* cave double horned-helmet, like the Phi- lippine Calao. [A] [A] Specific charaftcr of the Bucco Malaharicus : " It is black, below white ; the prominence of its front rounded above, fharp towards the front, extended behind the eyes." The BRAC or AFRICAN CALAO. Sixth Species* Buceros Africanus, Gmel. Hydrocorax Africanus. Brifl*. The African Hornhill. Lath. • » . - ■ • "IXT" E (hall retain the name Brae given to ^ this Calao by father Labat, efpecially as that traveller is the only perfon that has feen and obferved it. It is very large, its head alone and its bill making together eighteen inches in length ; this bill is partly yellow, and partly red j the two mandibles are edged with black : at the upper part of the bill, there is an excrefcence of a horny fubdance, which is of the fame colour, and of a confiderable fize ; the fore part of this excrefcence projects forward like a horn, it is almofl Araight, and does not bend L a upwards ; ■■•,-. !1! if It! m Mil -mi '■. ■!, ^■^m •J ^■^■. V I. ;,f 1: I! i '.it' 1 • \' ■- 4' ; ■ ^,-,) ■ic: "" # ''! '.'■ ■ " '' . '''it'll 4^ '.ii? 'i;«i-w'-':i ; i ¥-\ »t^- I' yl,':. in;-'' |*\ A < • !^-«;- : tei, tilt « ft tl- ■ ■^■• ■^! M^:H'S '>■ ••i'^!^ p 148 ABYSSINIAN C A L A O. upwards ; the hind part is on the contrary rounded and covers the top of the head ; the noHrih are placed below this excrcf- cence, near the origin of the biH : the plumage of this Calao is entirely black. TheABYSSINIAN CALAO. iV. mi Seventh Species, Buce^ s AhyJJinicus. Gmel. ^he AhyJJiniau HornhilU Lath. 'T^ HIS Calao appears to be one of the "■• largeft of the genus ; yet, if we were to judge from the length and thicknefs of the bii^s, we (hould reckon the Rhinoceros Calao ftill larger. The bill of the Abyf. finian Calao feems fafliioned after that of the Raven, only it is more bulky ; the total length of the bird is three feet two inches ; it is entirely black, except the great quills of the wings, which are white, the middle ones and a part of the coverts, which are of a deep tawny brown j the bill has an eafy, equal arch through its whole length, and it is flat and comprefTed at the fides ; the two mandibles are hallowed internally with furrows, and terminate in a blunt point. The bill is nine inches long; it bears a femi- circular ABYSSINIAN CALAO. 149 circular prominence that reaches from its root to near the front, two inches and a halF in diameter, and fifteen lines broad at its bafe over the eyes -, this excrefcence h of the fame fubftance with the bill, but thinner and yields under the fingers; the height of the bill taken vertically and joined to that of its horn, is three inches eight lines ; the feet meafure five inches and a ha]f; the great toe, including the nail, is twenty- eight lines j the three fore toes are almoft equal ; the hind one is alfo very long, being two inches ; all of them are thick, and covered, as well as the legs, with blackiih Icales, and furniftic.^ with ftrong nails, but which are neither hooked nor fharp : on each fule of the upper mandible near its origin, is a reddifh fpot j the eye- lids are provided with long la(hes : a naked fkin of violet brown encircles the eyes, and coveis the throat and part of the fprefide of the neck. '■ ,n ";• II I ;^: ■ I!' [ ISO 3 l.r I' ) Hi 1^ ?• ■/ 1 H ^p',:* 1 r. ;•'>. JC The PHILIPPINE CALAO. Eighth Species, Buceros Bicornis. Linn« and Gmel. Hydrocorax PhilippeHjis, Briff. The Philippine Hornbill. Lath; np HIS bird is, according to Briflbn, of the fize of the Turkey-hen ; but its head is proporrionally much larger, which is indeed requifite to fupport a bill nine inches long, and two inches eight lines thick, and which carries, above the upper mandible, a horny excrefcence fix inches long, and three inches broad ; this excref- cence is a little concave on the upper part, and the two anterior angles are produced before into the fhape of a double horn ; it extends rounding on the upper part of the bead \ the nollrils are placed near the origin of the bill, below this excrefcence. Ail the bill, as well as this excrefcence, is of a reddifli colour. The head, the throat, the neck, the up- perfidc of the body, and the fuperior coverts of the wings and tail, are black ; all the underlide of the body is white; the quills of the wings are black, and marked with a white I- < "■ ■ mI; j|v i J^.r^^ PHILIPPINE C A L A O. 151 a white fpot j all the quills of the tail are entirely black, except the two exterior ones, which are while ; t) e legs are greenifh. George Camel has, along with the other birds of the Philippines, defcribed a fpecies of Calao, which items to be much like the prefent, but not exactly the fame. His ac- count was communicated to the Royal So- ciety of London, by Dr. Petiver, and printed in the PhilofophicalTranfadVions, No, 285. j4rt. III. It there appears, that this bird termed Oilcio or Cagao by the people of India, does not haunt ftreams, but inhabits the uplands, and even the mountains, living on the fruits of the baliti, which is a fort of wild fig-tree, and alfo on almonds, pif- tachio nuts, &c. vvhich it fwallows entire. Vv^e ftiall here infert a tranflation : ** The bill is black ; the rump and back dufky afli colour j the head fmrdl, and black about the eyes ; the eye lafhts black and long; the eyes blue ; the bill is a fpan in length, fomewhat turved, fcnated, diaphanous, and of the colour of cinnabar ; the lower man- dible is about an iitch and a hal< 'nu'a-t .it the middle ; the upper mandible ^ pal d in height, more than a fpan in le • li, t'le top flat and about a fpan in mec .?e, ind bearing a helmet of a palm in brea f'i 1 he tongue is fmall for fuch a bill, being hardly an m*\ -- JWl ill ,.H .l-iT-fe-l \ 'V I. 'I f 111 * - 'f . "■;fi li I '.fj S ' ', - - a, „. ..w \i h '. ;; h » 151 PHILIPPINE GALA O. an inch. Its voice refembles more the grunting of a fow, or the bellowing of an ox, than the cry of a bird. Its legs with the thighs are a fpan in length : the feet have three toes before, and only one be- hind, which arc fcaly, reddifh, and armed with folid black talons : the tail confiils of eight great white quills, of a cubit in length; the quills of the wings are yellow. 1 he Gentiles revere this bird, and relate ftories of its fighting with the Crane which they call ^i'j>ul or Tiboli they fay, that atter this battle, the Cranes were obliged to remain in the wet grounds, and that the Calaos would not fufFer ihcm to approach the mountains *." •We are forry to ren.ark that the 'tranflation which the Count de Bjffon here gives is exceedingly inaccurate. Se/- quiuncia is rendered half an incby Sec. We have therefore altered it in fome places ; but. as the lall fentence is that from which our ingenious author draws his conclufion, we have preferved it as it flood in the text We fhall now compare ic with the original : *< Calaoy (fays Camel,) Gen- tiles ruj/erftitiofe colunt et obfervant, fabulantur cum Grue Tipul lou i'khol pndlaiTe, ut hxc palullribus, Calao fylvofi}, contenta viverent (hinc Tipol ii ligno quocunquc inl'ederit, in pxnam tranfgre ;'r ioed.sis fefe loco movere non valere, e contra Calao fi aqii< iis et humilibus.'' That is, the idola- trous Indians have s .'uperllitious veneration for the Calao. and relate that it haa entered into a compa£l with the Crane that it iliould live contented with its marihes, and the Calao with the woods, thence the Crane, if it perch on a tree, cannot llir from the fpot, as apunifhment for infring- ing the treaty ; and on the other hand, the Calao incurs the fame punifhment, if it alights in the low fens. This ; i'^^'ii PHILIPPINE CALAO. 153 This fort of defcription feems to prove clearly that the Calaos are not aquatic birds; and as the colours and fome other charac- ters are different from thofe of the Philip- pine Calao, defcribed by Briflbn, we con- ceive that this ihould be reckoned a variety of the other. The ROUND HELMETED CALAO. Ninth Species. Bueeros GaUatus, The Helmet Hornbill, Lath. "W/" E have only the bill of this bird, and it is like that given by Edwards. If we judge of the fize of the bird from the bulk of the head, which remains attached to the bill, this Calao is one of the largeft and ftrongeft of the genus j the bill is fix inches long, from the corners to the point ; it is almoft flraight, and not indented : from the middle of the upper mandible there rifes and extends as far as the occiput, a wen Ihaped like a helmet, two inches high, almofl rouRd, but a little comprelTed on the ^l':^k\ ■'. I i*:-^^ i!" 154 ROUND HELMETED CALAO. the fides ; this protuberance where it joins the bill, has an altitude of four inches and a circumference of eight. The faded and embrowned colours of this bill, which is depofited in the Cabinet^ no longer exhibit that vermillion tinge which appears in Edwards* figure. Aldrovandus gives a diftin^t figure of the bill of this round helmeted Calao under the nam© of Semenda, a bird of India^ nvbofe biflory is fiill almoft entirely fabulous. This bill, which belonged to the Cabinet of the Grand Duke of Tufcany, had been brought from Damafcus, The helmet was of an oval 111 ape j it was white before and red behind 5 the bill was a palm in length, pointed, and channeled. When we com- pare this defcription wit'i the figure, we find that this is the bill of the round heU meted Calao. [ »SJ ] The RHINOCEROS CALAO. Tenth Species, Suciros Rhingeeros, Einn. and GmeU " -^ Na/utMs Rhinoceros, Klein. , Hydrocorax Indicus, Brifl*. . > Topau. Borouflc. Rhinoceros Jvis. Johnlt. Cervus Indicus Carnutus, Bontius. Tragopan. Moehrlng. The Horned Pie of Ethiopia, Charlton. The Horned Indian Ravettt or Rhinoceros Bird. > pj The Rhinoceros Hornhill. Lath. Come Authors hare confounded this bird with the T^ragopanda of Pliny, which is the caflbwary, known to the Greeks and Romans, and which was found in Barbary and the Levant, very remote from the native feat of this Calao. The Rhinoceros bird feen by Bontius in the ifland of Java, is much larger than the European Raven j it has an offenfive fmell^ and is very ugly. Bontius thus proceeds ; " Its plumage is all black, and its bill oddly falbrioned j for on its upper part, there rifes an excrefcence of a horny fubftance which extends forward, and then bends back towards the top like a horn, and which is Iji; y * • & I /.■•fa ■ ■ \ i 1 -' '/ ) ^ .■rifi! I '';> .Tw: ■ '•' . '.(Ill ,r '^ 1 Wk ■1 ii I! IL-!.'*i 156 RHINOCEROS CALAO. is of a prodigious fize, for it is eight inches long, and four broad at the bafc : this horn is variegated with red and yellow, and as if divided into two parts by a black line that extends on each of the fides lengthwu'e ; the noflrils are placed below this excref- cence near the root of the bill. It is found in Sumatra, in the Philippines, and in other hot parts of India." " . Bontius relates fome particulars with re- gard to the ceconomy of thefe birds; he lays that they live on carrion, and com- monly follow the hunters of wild cows, boars, and flags, who to leflen the trouble of conveying their game, are obliged to divide carcafes. and fend them to the boats on the river, led the Calaos fiiould devour the IK Yet thefe birds attack no animals but rats and mice, and for that reafon the Indians rear fome of them. Bontius tells us that the Calao firfl: flattens the moufe in its bill to foften it 5 and then tolfes it in the air, receives it in its wide throat, and fwallows it entire : indeed this is the only mode of eating compatible with the flru61ure of its bill, and the fmallnefs of its tongue, which is conce;fled almofl in the throat f. t Philorpphical Tranfaaions, No. 285. Such PHINOCEROS CALAO. ,57 Such is the manner or life to which nature has reduced it, by beltowing a bill ftrong enough for prey, but too weak for fight- ing; cumbrous for ufe, a mere fliapelefs exuberance. The external fuperfluities and defefls feein to have afFefled the mental faculties of the animal : it is melancholy and ravage ; its afpe^S is coarfe, its attitude heavy,— Bontius* figure is inaccurau. .,' II i 1 m f. i/>tlj|Bn ^ ' '^ .^vsKiikI l.-t!,,TjlI!iW . ■ .'■■'* ^■■•".lairB li .■i'i:' ''ffi ft 1 ■ '• It' 'ij *' I ' 'win i' 'fit' IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■^1^ lii£ 1 5 0 ^^^ RMI^^ ■^ Ui2 12.2 2.0 1^ IIIU 111.6 1. ^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 4^ V ^. 4C^ o lis. 23 WIST MAIN ST«IIT WIISTIR,N.Y. I45M (716)17^-4503 \ t IS8 1 ? The KING -FISHER. Le Martin Ptchtur, ouVMcym. Boff. * Alcedo'lfpida, Linn. Gmel. Jffida, Briff. AldrOv. Will. Klein, &c. . ' Alcedo Fhtviatilis. Schyvenckf. V J — « 'Tp H E French name Martiri'fijher is be- ftowed on this bird, becaufe, like the Martin, it fkims along the furface. Its ancient appellation Alcyon or Halcyon is nobler. It was celebrated among the Greeks : the epithet Alcyonian was appli- ed by them to the four days before and after the winter folftice -(-, when the Iky is ferene, and the Tea fmooth and tranquil %* Then, * In Greek AXxv«r, Yiw% and K^^vXo; ; in modern Greek ^auri^ont'. in Latin AUedo and Alcyon % in modern Latin lfpiia\ ill Italian Piombinot Picupiolo & Uccello Pe/catore, Uccello del Paradifot Uccello delta Madonna^ Pe/catore del Re ; (i. e. Fifher>bird, Bird of Paradife, Bird of our Lady, King-fi(her) ; in Lombard/ Merlo Acquarolo^ (i. e. water Black-bird); in German, Ei/s-vogely Wajfer heunlein, and See Schvaalme (Ice^bird, Water-pullet, Sea-fwallow) ; in Polifli Zimorodek Rxeezny, f Seven according to Ariftotle. X We fhall quote Ovid's defcription : Perque dies placidos hiberno tempore feptem Incubat halcyone pendentibus aquore nidis : Turn via tuta maris : ventes cnjlodit, et arcet JEolut tgrejfu. Met. lih» xi« Thus ]!/!,J70 14 i' :ji>r M-'*m I ,v i£i:; '^.^^ ,.* ?■ (ill K« %■ .Ml W'^' i^$ THE, IQNa B-ISHEl*.. .K,Si^ f.*--'. J I! . ' (;-•. I Then, ventur( (hape t the m horrors of cala her yo iimpie of the was ms ocean || cyone, called c Ccyx, V Thts is, like of its n that A] difcuilit the bin of Aril it, and . *■ . ■■•- ■ : fi.- -'oi'.'? ■ V Seven < '* A wini «( Calms - t Arid. • li MWa 4 «« D •• Eur K I N G . F I S H E R. «5f Then, the timorous navigators of axitiquiry ventured to lofe (ight of the fliore, and lo (hape their courfe on the glaffy furfacc of the main. This kind fufpenfion of the horrors of the feafon, this happy interval of calm viras granted the Alcyon, to breed her young:}:. Imagination amplified the iimpie beauties of nature by the addition of the marvellous ; the nefl of that bird was made to float on the placid face of the ocean || ; ^olus bound up his v^inds ; AU cyone, his plaintive folitary daughter §, ilill called on the billow^s to reOore her haplefs Ceyx, whom Neptune had drowned, &c. *• ; This mythological tale of the bird Alcyon is, like every other fable, only the emblem of its natural hiftory ; and it is adonifhing that Aldrovandus ihould clo(e his long difcudioii on the fubjed by concluding that the bird is now unknown. The defcription of Ariftotle alone fuitioiently difcrlmina^ it, and ihews that it is the fame with the /,. U *rhus tranilated by Mr. Prydea. ^^^^ v^ ,; ^ •* Aicyone comprefs'd V Seven days fits brooding on her watery neft ** A wintry qaeen ; her fire at length is kind* '< Calms evtry ftorm, and hu(hes every wind. t Ariftotip, Hifi.^nim. lib. v. 8. tl ^lian and Plutarch. ' " ■ . *. % ** Defertbs alloqoor alc70Tias." Profertius, ** Euripides, Ovid, ArIoA(^. ,1a ■ ' King-fi(her ^^x^ ^^^: T. \,A^''I I II f (.'. ill trJ h ' ■ lt!ii 1 i6o K I N G.F I S HE R. I- King fifher. The Alcyon^ fays that philofo* pher, is not much larger than a ff arrow - its plumage is fainted with blue and green ^ and lightly ting'd with purple^ tbefe colours are not difiin^y hut melted together ^ andjhining vari^ oujly over the whole body^ the wings, and the neck ; its bill is yellowijh *', long andjlender -f*. It is equally charadlerized by the com pa- rifon of its natural habits. The Alcyon was folitary and penfive; the King-fiiher is feen almofl always alone, and the pairing feafon is of (hort duration ||. Ariflotle, while he reprefeuts the Alcyon as an inha- bitant of the fea-fhore, relates that it alfo afcends high up the rivers, and haunts their banks: and there is no reafon to doubt, but that the river King-fiiher is equally fond of the fea-fliore, where it can obtain every convenience fuited to its mode of life. The faft is proved by eye-witnefles -f- 1 yet Klein denies it, though he fpeaks only ' * The epithet wiro^(Ku^$ fs tranflated greenijh by Gasa ; Scaliger more properly renders it jtUowiJh, The primitive ;(XoD is applied not only to the verdant mekd, but to the ydlow harveft. T f Lib. ix. 14. '^'^- ^54. »♦■» . ■ <^ ■'** ^'■r^'i*:'**^'^, " II Aldrovandus. T^r»i ;s vi« ^4 t^ra^op x?^Br% A »; t The King-fi(her is fond of the brink of the fei ind of the little rivulets which flow into it ; it feeds on the fmalieft fliell-fifh, takes them in its bill, and crufhes them by dafti- ing againft the pebbles. It feeks alfo the large worms which abound on the fea-fliore. its flefu fmelh of mulk. Hotf tutomfarying a f achate from M* Gmt^ of »'r. '.i:m:,-A K IK G-PI S HEft. i5f ef the Bahic Sea, and was little acquainted, as we (hall find, With the King-fifher. The Alcyon was not common in Greece or Italy 5 Choerephon, in Lucian's Dialogues §> admires its fong as a novelty. Ariftotle and Pliny fay, that the appearance of the Alcyon was rare and fugitive, that it wheeled rapidly round the fhips, and in- ftantly retired into its little grot on the fhorej. This chara6ler agrees perfeftly with the King-fi(her, which is feldom fcen. The King-fifher maybe recognized a! fo from the mode in which the Alcyon caught Its prey : Lycophron calls it the diver *, and Oppian fays that it drops perpendicularly% and plunges into the Sea, This peculiarity of diving vertically has given occafion to thd Italian appellation piombino, or plummet. Thus all the external chara6ters, and all the natural habits of our King-fifher, are applicable . to the Alcyon defcribed by Ari- ftotle. The poets reprefented the neft of the Alcyon as floating on the furface of the Tea : the naturalifts have difcovered (hat it has no neft, but drops its eggs in horizon- tal holes in the brinks of rivers or in the fea-beach,.,^ ,.,,,, J*-:-^ ;'f.*ij^'-' % DiaL Aleyon, X Ariftotle, lib. v. 9. Fllny, lib. v* 9* • Aufflt) ;} VOL. VII, M Tht iUX Ml'- ■'«',■ "■." Ii' M i . I tm',' .■'I-;* !|r'r .i'Ml..." " ''ii. •si :i 'i^rH/ 1 1 is /•: !i! (i,, r 'I . H\n :^'! ,'\"1* mmlM fnwm 1> j*f' %fA •-l«M ., l62 KING-FISHER. .\ The love feafon of the Alcyon, which wad placed about the time of the foKticc, is the only ciicumftance that does not coincide with the hiftory of the King filhcr, which however breeds earJy and before the vernal equinox. But, be(ides that this fab'e may. have been added for embelliihment, it is poflible that, in a hotter climate, the amours of the King- fiflier commenced ear- lier. There are different opinions too with regard to the time of the Alcyonian days : Ariftotle fays that in the Grecian Archi- pelago, they were not always contiguous to the folflice, but more conflantly fo in the fea of Sicily -f. Nor did the ancients agree in refpeft to the number of thefe days |[.. And Columella refers them to the Kalends of March, J which is the time when our King-fifiier begins to hatch. Ariftotle fpeaks diftinflly of one kind only of Alcyon ; and it is from a doubtful and probably corrupted pafiage, where accord- ing to the corredion of Gefner, he treats of two fpecies of Swallows *, that natura- e/; if II Hi/e Goel. Rhodig, /e^i. antij. lib. xiv. if. dOO iiii X Ibidem, . ■' * Lib. VI ii. 3> To TA/y K.-nl^iiavut, or •* the tribe o//waIloxvs -,*' e^pecia.Uy as in the fol- lowing line, Ariftotle begins to fpeak diflin£ily of the Alcy- on as of a diiTerent bird. lifts KING-FISHER. . 163 lifts have inferred the exigence of two AU cyons, the one fmall and endowed with voice, the other large and dumb. Belon makes the need thrufh the vocal jilcyon^ and the King fi (her the mute Alcyone though its character is quite the reverfe. Thefe critical difcuffions feemed neceflary in a fubjeft which mod of the naturalifts have left in the greateft obfcurity. Klein, who makes the fame remark, only increa- fes the confufion, by afcribing to the King- filher two toes before and two behind. He appeals to Schwenckfield, who has fallen into the fame error -f*, and to a bad figure of Belon, which however that naturalift has himfelf correded, by defcribing accurately the foot of this bird, which is Angular. Of the three fore toes, the outer one is clofely connedled to that of the middle as far as the third joint, fo as apparently to make only one toe, which forms below a broad flat fole ; the inner toe is very (hort, more fo than the hind one ; the legs are alfo very ftiort j the head is large j the bill long, thick at the bafe, tapered ftraight to a point ; the tail is commonly (liort in this genus. It is the handfomed bird in our climates; ifone in Europe can compare with the King- f This error was firft propagated by Albertus, as Aldro- vandtts remarks, while he reAifies it. ' M 2 filher AW U\\>^\ ■■■':ii :.*-* \m r64 KING- FISHER. fifher in the elegance, the richnefs, and the luxuriance of colours } it has all the (hades t)f the rainbow, the brilliancy of enamel, and the glofl'y foftnfcfs of filk : all the mid- dle of the back, with the upper furface of the tail, is light blue and brilliant, which, in the fun has the play of fapphire, and the ludre of turqnois (lone ; green is mixed on the wings with blue, and niofl of , the feathers are terminated and dotted with the tints of beryl} the head and the upper fide of the neck are dotted in the fame manner, with lighter fpecks on an azure ground. Gefner compares the glowing yellow- red. Which colours the bread, to the red glare of a burning coal. It would feem that the King-fi(her has ftrayed from thofe climates where the fun pours incefiant torrents of the pureft light, and (beds all the treafures of the richeft colours *. And though our fpecies belongs not precifely to the countries of the Eaft and South j yet the whole genus of thefe charming birds inhabits thofe genial regions. • ** There is ' a fpecies of King-fifher common in all the iflands of the South Sea : we have remarked that its plumage is much more brilliant between the tropics, than in the regi- ons fituated beyond the temperate zone, as in New Zealand.'* Forfter, Obfervations made in Captain Cook*s /ectnd Foyagth The King-fi(her is called woortt in the language of the So- ciety Iflands.. , , .^'■: ,.A • ■/ '^ .*.... ' There IM^, KING-FISHER. 165 There arc twenty fpecies in Afiica and in Afia, and wc are acquainted with eight n[iore, tliat are fettled in the warm parts of America. Even the European King-fiflier h fcattered through Afia and Africa ; for many King 6(hers fent from China and Egyp^ are found to be the fame with ours, and Belon fays that he met with theni in Greece-j-, and in Thrace J. - ,. • ^v Th^s bird, though itderives its origin fron^ th^ hotted climates, is reconciled to, the ri- gours of our feafons. It is feen in the winter along the brooks, diving under the ice and emejfging \yith its fifliy-prey ||. flencc the Gernnans have called it Eifvog^i, or Ice- bird §; and Belon is midaken in a^^erting that it h only migratory In our climates. It fpiiis with a rapid flight ; it ufually traces the windings of Uie rivulets, razing the furface of the water. It fcreams while on the w\ng kt\ ki, ki, kty vviih a (brill voice, which makes the bank.' to refound. t Nat. des Oifeaux, p. 220,. \ The banks cf the river Htbrus, (now MtHflit) are in fome places pretty high, where the river-alcypns, vulgarly called the martitun j-echiuri (King-filhers), make their nelh.'* Id. Ob/trvatiotUt p. 63. The K>ng fift^'r " probably not found ia Swedes, fince Linnaeus does not mention it: but we ai^e more furprized that he places in that northern cli- mate the Btt-tattTt which is little known in France, and even rare in Italy. }| Schweockfjld, Gc(n^r, Qlm., .; ' \ G^fnct. ^j'-Hi' f}r\^..-,^\v\ In U,,'|l«. i i ■V ■1 * h.. ni* 1 ■ iJ . ,f!l i66 KING- FISHER. if ,1 In fpring, it has another fong which may be heard through the murmur of the ftream^ or the nbify dalhing of the cafcadc J. Jt is very fhy, and efcapcs to a diftance j it fits on a branch projc<5ling over the current 5 there it remains motionlefs, and often watches whole hours to catch the moment when a little fifli fprings under its (lation $ it dives perpendicularly into the water, where it continues feveral feconds, and then brings up the fi(h $ which it carries to land, beats to death, and then fwal- lows it. ' " ■''''■'' ''-*' •■= ' ■'■ "^^ '' '•''' '^'■'^* • When the King-fifher cannot find a projefting bough, it fits on fome (lone near the brink, or even on the gravel ; but the moment it perceives the little fi(h, it takes a fpring of twelve or fifteen feet and drops perpendicularly from that height. Often it is obferved to flop (hort in its rapid courfe and remain ftill, hovering in the fame fpot for feveral feconds : fuch is its manner in winter when the muddy fwell of the flream, or the thicknefs of the ice, conftrains it to leave the rivers, and to ply along the fides of the unfrozen brooks: at each paufe, it continues as it were fufpended at the height of fifteen or twenty feetj X The name I/pida is^ according to the author de natura rerum, in Gefner, formed from the cty of the bird ; probably f(0|n fhe liril, ; v ' ■ ■' -^ -^^ ' Hn4 \\ KING-FISHER. 167 and when it would change its place, it finks and ikims along within a foot of the furface of the water } then rifes and halts again. This repeated and almod conti- nual exercife (hows that the bird dives for many fmail objc6)s, fifhes or infects, and often in vain -, for, in this way, it travels many a league. ;: 7 - ,,;j ;-r vi' It neflles in the brinks of rivers and brooks, in holes made by the water-rats, or by crabs, which it deepens and fafhions ; and contra6ts the aperture. Small fifh- bones and fcales are found in it among fand, but without any arrangement, and here its eggs are depofited : though we cannot find thofe little pellets with which Bclon fays it plafters its neft, or trace the form imputed to it by Ariflotle, who compares this neft to a gourd, and its fubftance and texture to thofe fea-balls or lumps of interwoven filaments which cut with difficulty, but when dried become friable.* The hakvonia, of which Pliny reckons four kinds -j-, and which ■ fome have fuppofed to be the neth of the King-fifhers, are only clutters of Sea-weeds : and with regard to the famous nefls of Ton- quin and China, which are efteem^d fuch delicacies, and have alfo been afcnbed to the Alcyon, we demonftrated that they * AXO'«;(rt), or Sea-fpome. Hijl. Anim, Lib. ix. 14^ ' f Lib. xxxii. 8* M 4 were m - ::