Pe, 4 ae Roe eee alti Smithsonian Institution Libraries Purchased with a Gift from DR. STORRS L. OLSON and the CULLMAN ENDOWMENT THE NATURAL HISTORY OF Peel ist BIRDS; OR, A SELECTION or THE MOST RARE, BEAUTIFUL, ano INTERESTING BIR DS WHICH INHABIT THIS COUNTRY : THE DESCRIPTIONS FROM THE Sow HOM INA TUR Ze OF LINN 2£.U S; wiITH GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, EITHER ORIGINAL, OR COLLECTED FROM THE LATEST AND MOST ESTEEMED ENGLISH ORNITHOLOGISTS ; AND EMBELLISHSD WITH Poole. Ri. BS, DRAWN, ENGRAVED, AND COLOURED FROM THE ORIGINAL SPECIMENS. By FE. DOMOVAN. NOOME SS) Melo or LOND ON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR; AND FOR F. €. AND J. RIVINGTON, No. 62, ST. PAUL’S CHURCH-YARD. 1836, Law aud Gilbert, Printers, St. John’s, Square, Renacn PEAT B UOxXY. ~COLUMBA TURTUR. TURTLE DOVE. PASSERES. GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill ftraight, defcending towards the tip : noftrils oblong, and halt covered with a foft tumid membrane. SPECIFIC CHARACTER AND SYNONYMS. Tail feathers tipped with white: back grey : breaft flefh colour: each fide the neck a fpot of black feathers with white tips. Cotumsa Turtur: reétricibus apice albis, dorfo grifeo, pe€tore incarnato, macula laterali colli nigra lineolis albis. Scop. Aine lin, 1St. Turtur. Olin. uce. 834.—Briff av. 1. p. 92. n. 1—Norzem. nederl, | Vogel. t. 6. Tourterelle. Buff. Hift. Oif. 2. p. 545.4. 25.—P]. Enl. n. 394. Turtle, or Turtle-dove. Brit. Zool. 1. n. 10? t. 45.——Albin. av. 2.8, 47. A 2 The | cam tas Wand Wee) sea 69. Ce Turtle Doves inhabit Europe, and fome parts of Afia, being met with in China, and India. In Britain they are not uncommon during the fummer feafon, arriving however later in the fpring, and leaving the country earlier in autumn than any other of the pigeon tribe. The conftancy of the Turtle-dove to its mate is proverbial. They build in general in the thickeft woods, forming their nefts on the branches of the loftieft trees: like the reft of the pigeons, they lay only two eggs; and, it is concluded, breed only once in a feafon. Thefe birds are of a fhy and timid difpofition, and feldom venture from their woody retreats in the day-time, unlefs in flocks of about twenty together. They fubfift on berries, fruits, and various kinds of vegetables, and are efpecially partial to peas, the fields of which they vifit as foon as the crop begins to ripen, and oftentimes commit vaft depredations, There are feveral fuppofed varieties of this fpe- cies, {ome of which may prove hereafter to be diftin@ kinds. This is a bird of extremely beautiful plumage, and meafures in length about twelve inches. Pid, Ac To. CX Xvi, HIRUNDO RIPARIA. SAND MARTIN. PASSERES. GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill fmall, weak, incurvated, fubulate, and depreffed at the bafe : gape larger than the head: tongue fhort, broad, and cleft: wings long: tail generally furcated. SPECIFIC CHARACTER AND SYNONYMS. Cinereous, throat and abdomen white. © HiIRUNDO RIPARIA: Cinerea, gula abdomineque albis. Linn. Fn. Suec. 273. Kram. el. p. 381.1. 40 Mill. Zool. p. 34. n. 2896 HIRUNDO RIPARIA. Gen. av. 656. Aldr. orn. 2. p. 694. te 695. Ray av. p. 71.0. 3. Hirondelle de rivage. Buff. Hift. Nat. 6. 0. 632.——Pl, enl. nm. 643, f. 2 Uferfchwalbe. PLAT & Sexxy. Uferfchwalbe. Frifch. av. t. 18. Georg. it. p. 175. Sand-Martin, or Shore-bird. Arf. Zool. 2. p. 430. %. 332. Willer, Ps 21S 0h So: A {mall bird of very delicate appearance, meafuring rather lefs than five inches in length, and having the upper part of the plumage brown, the lower white. This little fpecies inhabits various parts of Europe and America: in Britain, it may be confidered, if not a rare, at leaft a very local fpecies. The Sand-Martin, as its name implies, is in a great meafure - peculiar to fandy places. Their ufual haunts are the fides of fand- banks contiguous to lakes and rivers, where they live in deep openings, dug in an horizontal courfe, and at the furtheft end of which receiles the neft is depofited. Sometimes the neft of the Sand- Martin is built in cavities of rocks, fand-pits, or hollow trees; almoft invariably, however, on the banks of lakes or rivers, the old birds fubfifting, for the moft part, on the infeéts which it takes on the wing when fkimming the furface of the water. The neft confifts of fibres of grafs, intermixed with ftraw, and a few feathers: the eggs, about fix in number, are of a beautiful white colour, and tran{parent. It cannot be abfolutely afferted whether the Sand=Martin has two, or only a fingle brood in the year. PLATE PLA E* CRXVIT. MEROPS APIASTER. COMMON BEE-EATER. PIcé, GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill curved, quadrangular, compreffed, carinate, pointed: noftrils fmall, at the bafe of the bill; tongue flender, the tip moftly jagged : feet grefforial. SPECIFIC CHARACTER AND SYNONYMS. Back ferruginous : abdomen and tail green-blue : two tail feathers longeft ; throat yellow. MEROpsS APIASTER : dorfo ferrugineo, abdomine caudaque viridi- ceerulefcente, reétricibus duabus longioribus, gula lutea. Gmel. Syft. 1. p. 460.—Linn. Sy/t. 1. p. 182. 1. i Merops galileus. Hajffelg. it. 247.—Fn. Arab. p. 1. Bienenfraas. Wairfing. Vog. t. 27. La Merope. Cet. uc. Sard. t. p. 93. I{pida cauda molli, Kram. El. p. 387. | BEE- PLATE CXXVII. BEE-EATER. Will. p, 147. Albina. 2. te 44. Linn. Tranf. v. 8. p. 338. The Common Bee-eater is a bird of very fplendid plumage, the male in particular, the colours in that fex being of a more vivid caft than in the female. It has been denominated the European Bee- eater; aterm not, perhaps, fufficiently difcriminate, fince another fpecies of the fame genus, the Merops Congenor, is alfo found in Europe. Neither is the Merops Apiafter peculiar to Europe: it ex- tends both to Africa and Afia: in Europe it is confined to fouthern countries, and in Afia to more temperate regions. Till within the laft few years, this fpecies was altogether unknown as a native of Britain. The firft account we have of its being met with in this country, is recorded in the third volume of the Linnzan Tranfa&tions, from which it appears, that a folitary example of the {pecies was fhot in the year 1794, and communicated to Dr. Smith. This bird meafures about ten inches, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail. Its food confifts of infeéts of various kinds, more efpecially thofe of the bee tribe, in reference to which it bears the name of Bee-eater. Their nefts are faid to be compofed of mofs, and to be depofited, like that of the fand-martin, in deep holes in the banks of rivers. The eggs are fmaller than thofe of a blackbird, of a white colour, and from five to feven in number. PLA 128 = PLATE CXXVIIL. PERDIX COTURNIX. COMMON QUAIL. GALLINA. GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill convex and ftrong: noftrils with a prominent margin : orbits . papillous: legs naked, and moftly armed with a fpur. SPECIFIC CHARACTER | AND SYNONYMS. Legs unarmed : body grey, {potted : eye-brows white: tail feather with ferruginous edge and crefcent. PERDIX Corurnix: mutica, corpore grifeo maculato, fuperciliis albis, re&tricibus margine Junulaque ferruginea. Lath. Ind. Orn. t. 2. p. 651. n. 28. | Tetrao Coturnix. Linn. Syft. 1. p. 278. 20-~—Fu. Suec. No. 206.—Gmel. Syft. 1. p. 765. Quaglia. Zinnan. Uov. p. 36. t. 5. f. 19. Wachtel. Gunth. Neff. u. Ey. i. 35. LaCaille. Buff. 2. p. 449. 2. 16.—PI, eni, 170. Quail. Ard. Zool, 2. p. 320. B. . Albin, 1. t. 80. We | Bre Zool. 1. No. 97 VoL. VI. B The PLATE CXXVIIL | The Quail is a {mall bird, about feven inches and a half in length; the female differs from the male, in being deftitute of the black fpots on the fore part of the neck, breaft, and lateral feathers, and in the rufous fpace being paler. This bird occurs in the greateft plenty throughout Rufha, Tartary, China, and other parts of India, changing its fituation in immenfe flocks according to the feafons, in the {pring proceeding northward, and returning fouthward in autumn. In the iflands of the Archipe- lago, and the fouth of Europe, they appear at certain times in immenfe myriads. Twice in the year, it is faid, they come in fuch vaft abund- ance into the ifland of Capri, that the bifhop derives the chief part of his revenue from them; and on the weft coaft of the kingdom of Naples, within the {pace of four or five miles, an hundred thoufand have been taken ina day. The Quail is not a common bird in this country, although it breeds with us: during the fummer it is found in the northern counties, and migrates fouthin autumn. Thefe birds feed on corn, and other grain. PLATE — fides ae 7 rat ety Sal ait: 5. sic a “ piel Say” ee eae - 1 ¥ ly d ; f ie . om oy r f 4 a, D b " | r yo . \ i f y ht i — ; i Waa ; *. . * se { Ona ¥ \ ‘ ween ; i A i a ' \ : ’ * j t i Lae ay * i J F ite < ty j Ry j ‘ iy F { } \ ef r ‘ is o air if | | | Vay | | | ee : | ; ee oH ‘i | ae ey ' hy 5 y é Y ha ayes ” , i 5 * ‘ : i) " a a 7 ae 4 3 1 oy : aoe ; ie ti ‘ ay a “ * | | if Ay ; i ; ; ; i | H 3 | ne L i | | | 7 rp . a ¢ Laat : can a , 4 i #° : | ) | ‘ | ) | | : ) ra d , : | a é | ; . i ‘ | X ; | ; » i, 4 a - “ ; ) i iy Py ie, 7 aha f \ | ) \ J * : ; ; “ 4 i “b Hi ‘ : he \ iS M 4 > ce r ; . Y \ e : \ 7 (em .! | | | - | : ; | ; ' . y i an Vit j 7 Mi ; rc \ i } my 1 : ) 2%, " ' | : we ’ | i i\ix j \ . ‘ y } ‘ Pc 4 3 ah Bal | J — i . 4 fi . 4 7 | 3 iran ; ‘ " t i! My ra 2 ) ‘ A : . 4 ! # ' | | ) ’ ¥ k y 4 F J Ti | 4 Rat | ‘ \ ae i \ ’ Waa " We ae LES 1 y aot f Me bh ¢ iy 4 Lint va i al : ¥ 129 Ei AY FE GCRXIX. ANAS ACUTA. PIN-TAIL DUCK. ANSERES. GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill convex, obtufe, the edges divided into lamellate teeta : tongue fringed and obtufe: three fore toes folitary. SPECIFIC CHARACTER AND SYNONYMS. ' Tail pointed, elongated, and black ee hind head on each fide yer a white line ; back waved cinereous. — ANAS AcuTA: cauda acuminata elongata fubtus nigra, occipite utrinque linea alba, dorfo cinereo undulato. . Linn. Fn, Suec. 126. Anas cauda forcipata pedibus longiore, macula alarum cupreo-fufca. Kram, el. p. 340. Anas longicauda. Bri. av. 6. p. 369. n. 16. #. 34. f. 1.2, Anas Seevogel. Aldr. Orn. 3. p. 229. Canard 4 longue queue. Buff. Hi. Nai. 9. p. 199. t, 13.-~Pi, Enl, N. 954. B2 SEA PLAT E) 4CXXIXx, SEA PHEASANT, or CRAKER. Ray, av. p. 147. A. 3. PINCTAYD. «Ardts Zool: 2. p. 566: 2. 500; Brit. Zool. on 232. A native of Europe, Afia, and America. Sometimes thefe birds appear in {mall flocks on the Englith coafts during the winter feafon, but depart again to the northward early in the {pring. ‘They are feen at this feafon in Sweden and Denmark, and are fuppofed to breed in the north of thofe kingdoms. They abound throughout the Ruffian territories as far as Kamtfchatka, at which latter place they breed and live till the approach of winter. According to Decouver, the {fpecies appears at particular feafons, in troops of feveral hundred together,’ on the borders of the river Don. It is likewife faid to breed at Hudfon’s Bay, in America. The male of the Pintail Duck is an interefting bird, poffeffing, in addition to a beautifully varied plumage, a peculiar degree of elegance in its manners and general afpeét. Its length is twenty-eight inches, and weight twenty-four ounces. The female, as ufual in the duck tribe, fmaller, and more dufky, and is in particular diftinguifhed by having a {pot of flraw-colour on the wing initead of violet. The young males remain of a greyifh brown, not very unlike the plumage of the females, till the {pring after they are hatched, when they affume their proper plumage. The flefh is excellent, PLATE PiU ATR’ (CORRS: CORVUS MONEDULA, JACKDAW. PiIcz. ' GENERIC CHARACTER. Bill convex, acutely edged: noftrils covered with fetaceous re- cumbent feathers: tongue cartilaginous and bifid: feet formed for walking. SPECIFIC CHARACTER AND SYNONYMS, Blackifh brown; hind head hoary : front, wings, and tail black. CoRVUS MONEDULA : fufco nigricans, occipite incano, fronte alis caudaque nigris. Gmel. Syft. Nat. 1. p. 367— : Linn, Sy. 1. p. 156. 6.—Fn. Suec. No. 89. Cornix garrula. Kein, av. p. 59. 4. Dohle. Gunth. Neft. und Eyer. p. 51. #4. 11. Taccola. Cit. uc. Sard. p. 72. Mulacchia hera. Zznnan. Uov. p. 71. t. 10. fi 62. dJackdaw. = 140 Duck, pin-tail; Anas acuta - = = 129 Guillemot, black ; Uria Grylle - - ~ 144 Jackdaw ; Corvus monedula : ~ f 130 Tark, wood; Alauda arborea = 2 ~ 136 Lark, field ; Alauda minor = ~ ° - 148 Martin, fand; Hurundo riparia i as a 126 - Partridge, red-legged ; Perdix rufa - ~ - 131 Petrel, ftormy ; Procellaria pelagica ~ ~ 139 Quail, common; Perdix coturnix se - _ 128 Sanderling Pisver ; Charadrius calidris a i 146 Starling ; Sturnus vulgaris us o oaks 145 Sifkin ; Fringilla fpinus e, ie La. cs 138 Turnitone ; Tringa interpres | - = - 141 Turtle-dove ; Columba Turtur “ . - 125 Woodpecker, middle {potted ; Picus medius_ = e 137 Woodpecker, northern three-toed ; Picus tridaétylus —- 143 - Wren ; Motacilla ee - > = 144 FINIS, Law and Gilbert, Printers, St. John’s, Square, Loudon, hed il | on io waa ci sia rl re Wy y » e s . ¥ i \ ‘ uae iy