to ot tbe University of Toronto Major H*W. Tate \ y - L4?t#4 -,,, „,,-,• •> " THE NATURALIST'S CABINET: Containing INTERESTING SKETCHES OF ANIMAL HISTORY; Illustrative of the NATURES, DISPOSITIONS, MANNERS, AND HABITS, OF ALL THE MOST REMARKABLE Quadrupeds, Birds, Fishes, Amphibia, Reptiles, fyc. IN THE KNOWN WORLD. IlEGULARLY ARRANGED, AND ENRICHED WITH NUMEROUS BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTIVE ENGRAVINGS. " Who can this field of miracles survey, Anrl not with Galen all in rapture say, Behold a God, adore him, and obey ?" BLACKMORE. LV SIX VOLUMES. VOL. IV. BY THE REF. THOMAS SMITH, Editor of a New and Improved Edition of Whiston's Joseplms, &c. &c. ALBION PRESS PRINTED : PUBLISHED BY JAMES CUNDEE, ane, Paternoster-Row. CONTENTS. VOL. IV. Page THE COCK 3 .... WOOD GROUS, OR COCK OF THE WOOD . . . . . .19 .... RUFFED GROUS 22 BLACK GROUS 24 .... RED GROUS . . . . . .27 .... PARTRIDGE 28 .... TURKEY .35 .... SWALLOW . . . . . .43 .... MARTIN, OR WINDOW SWALLOW 55 .... SAND MARTIN, OR SAND-SWALLOW 61 .... SWIFT, OR BLACK-MARTIN . . 63 .... ESCULENT SWALLOW ... 60 .... CROWN BIRD . 71 .... CARASOW 73 .... MANAKIN 75 RED-LEGGED HORSEMAN . . 77 .... BRASILI AN NIGHT-BIRD . . . ibid .... BEE-EATER . . . ... 78 .... WRY-NECK 80 HORN-BILL .82 WAXEN CHATTERERS, ... 88 GRACKLE 84 DRONTE, OR DODO .... 85 .... TANGARAS, INCLUDING THE OR- GANIST 87 .... SPOTTTED AND FANTAILED FLY- CATCHERS 90 OTIS, OR TARDA ibid .... BENGAL QUAIL 92 .... LAND RAIL 95 .... ATTAGEN g* AQUATIC BIRDS 97 .... STORK 107 .... HERON 114 .... CRANE .... . ist ii CONTENTS. Page THE GIGANTIC CRANE . . . . 12S .... BITTERN 126 AVOSETTA . . .4 . . .131 WATER OUZEL . '. . . .132 WATER-HEN, OR GALLINULE . . 136 OYSTER-CATCHER . . . .130 .... PHALAROPE 140 GREBE 1*1 .... WOODCOCK ..*.... 143 .... GODWIT 148 GREEN-SHANK 14Q .... RED-SHANK 150 SNIPE ibid .... SANDPIPER 152 RUFF AND REEVE . . . .153 .... LAPWING, OR PEE-WIT . . .156 .... DOTTEREL 160 .... LONG-LEGGED PLOVER . . , l6'<2 .... GREEN PLOVER 16* .... GREY PLOVER 165 RINGED PLOVER 166 .... KNOT . . . . . . . ibid .... PURRO ibid .... TURNSTONE 15T .... DUNLIN ibid .... BALEARIC CRANE .... ibid JABIRU AND JABIRU GUACU . 169 .... ANHIMA ibid NUMIDIAN CRANE . . . .170 .... SPOONBILL 171 .... FLAMINGO 173 .... SWAN 183 .... WILD, OR WHISTLING SWAN . . 187 .... DUCK 190 .... EIDER DUCK 1Q2 .... WILD DUCK 195 .... COMMON WILD DUCK . . .203 .... SCAUP DUCK, OR MACULA . . 204 .... SHELDRAKE ibid KING DUCK, OR GREY-HEADED DUCK. 205 .... SCOTER, OR NIGRA .... ibid HOOK-BILLED DRAKE . 206 .... MALLARD 20T .... TUFTED, OR BLACK-CRESTED DUCK 208 .... UPRIGHT DUCK 209 .... MUSCOVY DRAKE . . . .210 .... MADAGASCAR DUCK . . . .211 SHOVELLER . . . 212 CONTENTS. i» Page THE GOLDEN FYE 214 PINTAIL ibid WIDGEON . . . . . . 216 .... GREAT-HEADED WIDGEON . . 217 TEAL 218 .... FRENCH TEAL 219 .... WILD GOOSE 221 .... DOMESTIC GOOSE .... 223 BEAN GOOSE 22t the hen. disputed points, and it' they cannot agree there is no appeal but to the sword. Some of them have a notion that their cocks are invulnerable; under^this persuasion a father has been known> on his death-bed, to direct his son to lay his whole property on a certain bird, as if confident of success. The fecundity of the ben is great; sbe gene- rally lays two eggs in three days, and continues to lay through the greatest part of the year, ex- cepting the time of moulting, which lasts about two months. After laying about twenty-five or thirty eggs, she prepares for the painful task of incubation, in which her patience and perseve- rance are truly extraordinary. A sitting hen is a lively emblem of the most affectionate solici- tude and attention ; she covers her eggs writh her wings, fosters them with a genial warmth, changing them gently that all the parts may re- ceive an equal degree of heat. She seems per- fectly sensible of the importance of her employ- ment, and is so intent on her occupation as to neglect in some measure the necessary supplies of food and drink . In about three weeks the young brood burst from their confinement, and the hen, from the most cowardly and voracious, becomes, in the protection of her young, the most daring and abstemious of animals. As the chickens reared by the hen bear no proportion to the number of eggs she produces/ many artificial schemes of rearing have been at- B 2 NATURALISTS CABINET. Artificial means of hatching «ggs. tempted. The most successful, though by no means the most humane, is said to be where a bapon is made to supply the place of a hen. He is rendered very tame ; the feathers are jacked from his breast, and the bare parts are rubbed with nettles. The chickens are then put to him; and by their running under his breast with their soft and downy bodies, his pain is so much allayed, and he feels so much comfort to his fea- therless part, that he soon adopts them, feeding them like a hen, and assiduously performing all the functions of the tenderest parent. Chickens have long been hatched in Egypt by means of artificial heat. This is now principally practised by the inhabitants of a village called Berme, and by those who live at a little distance from it. Towards the beginning of autumn, these persons spread themselves all over the country; and each of them is ready to undertake the management of an oven. These ovens are of different sizes, each capable of containing from forty to eighty thousand eggs; and the number of ovens in different parts is about three hundred and eighty-six. They are usually kept in exercise for about six months; and as each brood takes up twenty-one days in hatching, it is easy in every one of them to produce eight different broods of chickens in the year. The ovens where these eggs are placed, are of the most simple construction; consisting only of a low arched apartment of clay. Two rows of shelves THE COCK. IS Eg3'ptian ovens for hatching eggs. are formed, and the eggs are placed on these jn such a manner as not to touch each other. They are slightly moved five or six times in every twenty-four hours. All possible care is taken to diffuse the heat equally throughout ; and there is but one aperture, just large enough to admit a man stooping. During the first eight days the heat is rendered great ; but during the last eight it is gradually diminished, till at length, when. the young brood are ready to come forth, it is reduced almost to the state of the natural atmos- phere. At the end of the first eight days it is known which of the eggs will be productive. Every person who undertakes the care of an oven, is under the obligation only of delivering to his employer two-thirds of as many chickens as there have been eggs given to him ; and he is a gainer by this bargain, as it always happens, ex- cept from some unlucky accident, that manv more than that proportion of the eggs produce chickens. It is calculated that the ovens in Egypt annually give life to almost a hundred mil- lions of these animals. The ingenious M. de Reaumur introduced this useful and advantageous mode of hatching eggs into France. By a number of experiments, he reduced the art to certain principles. He found that the degree of heat necessary for producing all kinds of domestic fowls was the same ; the ©nly difference consisted in the time during which it ought to be communicated to the eggs : it will 14 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Mode of treating chicks produced by stoves. bring the canary-bird to perfection in eleven or twelve days, while the turkey-poult requires twenty, or twenty-eight. He also found that stoves, heated by means of pipes from a baker's oven, or the furnaces of glass-houses, succeeded better than those made hot by the layers of dung> the mode preferred in Egypt. These should have their heat kept as nearly equal as possible ; and the eggs should be frequently removed from the sides into the middle, in order that each may re- ceive* an equal portion. After his eggs were hatched, he had the offspring put into a kind of low boxes, without bottoms, and fined with fur; whose warmth supplied the place of a hen, and in which the chickens could at any time take shelter. These were kept in a warm room till the chickens acquired some strength ; they then could be placed, with safety, exposed to the open air, in a court-yard. The young brood are ge- nerally a whole day, after being hatched, before they take any food at all ; and then a few crumbs of bread are given for a day or two, after which time they begin to pick up insects and grains for themselves. But, in order to save the trouble of attending them, capons are taught to watch them, the same as hens. M. de Reaumur says, that he has seen above two hundred chickens at once, all led about and defended by only three or four capons. It is asserted, that even cocks may be taught to perform this office ; which they will continue to do all their lives afterward. a THE COCK. 15 Eggs hatched by the heat ot the human body. The heat communicated by the human body has been also found capable of hatching eggs Livia, a Roman lady of distinction, being preg- nant, took a fancy to hatch an egis: in her bosom, with a view to augur the sex of her child from that of the chicken it produced. fhe chicken was a male, and so was the child. What Livia executed, to gratify her curiosity, was under-* taken, in the year 1706, by a young lady of Barre, in order to procure a treat for her tutor. This young lady, whose good sense, virtue, and piety, are highly extolled in the Clef du Cabi- net, in which this fact is related, pretended to be so ill as to be obliged to ke^p her bed. During this time she endeavoured, by the heat of her body, to hatch a turkey's egg ; she was success- ful, and took particular care of the bird, which owed both its life and death to her, till it attain- ed the weight of seven pounds, when she dressed it ; and, (continues the above-mentioned journal), the man, whom she was desirous to please, ac- knowledged that he had never tasted any thing so exquisitely delicate. The following experiment, of which we find an account in Buffon's history, is of a nature too singular to be omitted. It consists in cutting off the crests of a pullet, and' inserting in the place one of the spurs, which are then just beginning to spring forth. The spurs, grafted in this mari- ner, by degrees take root in the flesh, derive nourishment from iv, and frequently grow to a 16 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Progress of incubation i?i the natural way. greater length than they would have done in their proper place. They have been seen two inches and a half long, and three lines and a h#if in diameter at the base; sometimes they grow curved like ram's horns, and at others like tnose of goios. The progress of the incubation of the chicken, in the natural way, is a subject too curious and too interesting to be passed over without notice. The hen has scarcely sat on the eggs twelve hours, when some .lineaments of the head and body of the chicken appear. The heart may be seen to beat at the end of the second day : it has at that time somewhat the form of a horse-shoe, but no blood yet appears. At the end of two days two vesicles or blood are to be distinguish- ed, the pulsation of which is very visible : one of these is the left ventricle, and the other the root of the great artery. At the fiftieth hour, one auricle of the heart appears, resembling a noose folded down upon itself. The beating of the heart is first observed in the auricle, and afterwards in the ventricle. At the end of se- venty hours, the wings Me distinguishable; and on the head two bubbles are seen for the brain, one for the bill, and two others for the fore and hind part of the head. Towards the end of the fourth day, the two auricles, already visible, draw nearer to the heart than before. The liver appears towards the fifth day. At the end of a hundred and thirty-one hours, the first voluntary THE COCK. I/* Progress of the incubation. motion is observed. At the end of seven hours more, the lungs and stomach become visible; and, four hours after this, the intestines, the loins, and the upper jaw. At the hundred and forty-fourth hour, two ventricles are visible, and two drops of blood, instead of the single one which was seen before. The seventh day, the brain begins to have some consistence. At the hundred and ninetieth hour of incubation, the bill opens, and the flesh appears in the breast; in four hours more, the breast-bone is seen ; and in six hours after this, the ribs appear forming from the back, and the bill is very visible, as well as the gall-bladder. The bill becomes green at the end of two hundred and thirty-six hours ; and if the chicken is taken out of its coverings, it evidently moves itself. The feathers begin to shootout towards the two hundred and fortieth hour, and the skull becomes gristly. At the two hundred and sixty-fourth hour, the eyes appear, At the two hundred and eighty-eighth, the ribs are perfect. At the three hundred and thirty- first, the spleen draws near the stomach, and the lungs to the chest. Aybe end of three hundred and fifty-five hours, the bill frequently opens and shuts; and at the end of the eighteenth day, the first cry of the chicken is heard. It afterwards gets more strength, and grows continually, till at length it is enabled to set itself free from its con- finement. VOL iv. — NO. 24. C 18 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Wonderful regularity in the formation of the chick. During this whole process, every part appears exactly at its proper time ; if, for example, the liver is formed on the fifth day> it is founded on the preceding situation of the chicken, and on the changes that were to follow. No part of the body could possibly appear either sooner or later, without the whole embryo suffering; and each of the limbs becomes visible at the fit moment. This ordination, so wise, and so invariable, is manifestly the work of a Supreme Being: but we must still more sensibly acknowledge his creative powers, when we consider the manner in which the chicken is formed out of the parts which compose the egg. How astonishing must it appear, to an observing mind, that in this sub- stance there should be, at all, the vital principle, of an animated being. That all the parts of an animal's body should be concealed in it, and re- quire nothing but heat to unfold and quicken them. That the whole formation of the chicken should be so constant and regular. That, ex* actly at the same time, the same changes wife take place in the^geaerality of eggs. That the chicken, the moment i^Js hatched, is heavier than the egg was before r THE WOOD GROUS. 19 Description — Habitations. THE WOOD GROUS, OR COCK OF THE WOOD IS almost the size of a turkey, and often weighs near fourteen pounds; but the female is much smaller. The head and neck are ash-colour, crossed with black lines ; the body and wings chesiiut brown, and the breast of a very glossy blackish green. The legs are strong, and cover- ed with brown feathers. The plumage of the fe- male differs from this description, in being red about the throat, and having the head, neck, and back, crossed with red and black bars; the belly barred with orange and black, with the tips of the feathers white, as are also the tips of the shoulders; indeed, she is altogether so very dif- ferent, that she might be supposed to belong to another species. The wood grous is chiefly fond of a mountain- ous, or woody situation. In winter he resides in the deepest recesses of the woods, and in sum- mer he ventures down from his seclusion, to make short depredatio^B on the farmer's corn : but in these excursions he seems to be perfectly aware of his danger, and is constantly upon his guard ; so much so, indeed, that it is then very difficult to come near him by surprise, and very few are taken but by those who in autumn pur- sue him into his natural retreats, and which is NATURALISTS CABINET. Singular crv of the male. often done from his flesh being considered as very delicate food. When in the forest, the wood grows attache* himself principally to the oak and the pine-tree; the cones of the latter serving for his food, and the thick boughs for an habitation ; and he some- times will strip one tree bare before he attempts the cones of another. He feeds also upon ants' eggs, which seem a high delicacy to all birds of the poultry kind; cranberries are likewise found in his cropj and his gizzard, like that of domestic fowls, contains a quantity of gravel, for the pur- pose of assisting his poweis of digestion. This bird begins to feel the genial influence of the spring at its first approach, and his season of love may be said to continue from that time un- til the trees have all their leaves, and the forest is in full bloom. During this whole season he may be seen at sun-rise and setting, extremely active upon one of the largest branches of the pine-tree. With his tail raised and expanded like a fan, and the wings drooping, he walks back- ward and forward, his neck stretched out, hii head swollen and red, ^d making a thousand ri- diculous postures: his^ry upon that occasion, js a kind of loud explosion, which is instantly followed by a noise like the whetting of a scythe, which ceases and commences alternately for about an hour, and is then terminated by the same explosion. During the time he continues thU THE WOODG ROUS. Attention of the f-males to the cry. •singular cry he seems entirely deaf, and insensible of every danger: whatever noise may be made near him, or even though fired at, he still uncon- cernedly continues his call. Upon all other oc- casions he is the most timid and watchful bird in nature: but then he seems entirely absorbed by his instincts, and seldom leaves the place where lie first begins to express the excesses of desire. This extraordinary cry, which lie accompanies l)y a clapping or' the wings, is no sooner finished than the females who hear it, reply, approach, and place themselves under the tree, from whence the male descends to them. The number that, on this occasion, resort to his call, is uncertain ; but one male generally suffices for all the females in one part of the forest The female seldom lays more than six or seven eggs, which are white, and marked with yellow, of the size of a common hen's egg : she generally lays them in a dry place, and a mossy ground, and hatches them without the company of the male. When she is obliged, during the time of incubation, to leave her eggs in quest of food, she covers them up so artfully with moss, or dry leave^ that it is extremely dif- ficult to discover them ; and when sitting, though wild and timorous at other times, she will suffer the sportsmen to approach and drag her off her nest. She often keeps to her nest though •strangers attempt to drag her away. As soon as the young ones are hatched thev run with extreme agility after th.q raotber, some- NATURALIST'S CABINET. Manners of the young — Description. times even before they are entirely disengaged from the shell. The hen leads them forward to procure ants' eggs, and the wild mountain-berries, which while young are their only food. As they grow older, they feed upon the tops of heath ; and the cones of the pine-tree. In this manner they soon come to perfection ; they are an hardy bird, their food lies every where before them, and it would seem that they should increase in great abundance ; but this is not the case ; their numbers are thinned by rapacious birds and beast* of* every kind, and still more by their own salas- cious contests. The whole brood follows the mother for about two months, at the end of which the young males entirely forsake her, and keep in great harmony together till the beginning of spring, when they bid adieu to all their former amity. They then consider each other as rivals, fight like game- cocks, and are so inattentive to their own safety that it often happens that two or three of them are killed at a shot. THE RVF1&DGROUS IS in size between that of a pheasant and a partridge. The bill is brownish. The head is crested; and, as well as all the upper parts, is variegated with different tints of brown mixed with black. The feathers on the neck are long and loose ; and may be erected at pleasure, like THE RUFFED GROUS. 2,3 Extraordinary noise. those of the cock. The throat and the fore part of the neck are orange brown; and the rest of the. under parts yellowish white, having a few curved marks on the breast and sides. The tail consists of eighteen feathers; all of which are crossed with narrow bars of black, and one broad band of the same near the end. The legs are covered to the toes (which are flesh-coloured, and pectinated on the sides) with whitish hairs. The Ruffed Grous which has hitherto been found only on the new continent, is a fine bird when he displays his gaiety, spreading his tail like that of a turkey-cock, and erecting the circle of feathers round his neck like a ruff; walking very stately with an even pace, and making a noise somewhat like a turkey. This is the moment that the hunter seizes to fire at him; for if the bird sees that it is discovered, it immediately flies off to the distance of some hundred yards before it again settles. The thumping, as it is called, of these birds i$ very remarkable. This they do, by clapping their wings against their sides. They stand upon an, old fallen tree, that has, lain many years on the ground; in which station they begin their stroke* gradually, at about two seconds of time from one another, and repeat them quicker and quicker un^ til they make a noise not unlike distant thunder. This continues from the beginning about a mi- nute ; the bird ceases for six or eight minutes, and thea begins again. The sound is often heard 3 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Cunning of the old ones — Remarkable characteristic. at the distance of nearly half a mile ; and sports- men take advantage of this note, to discover the birds, and shoot them. The Grous commonly practise their thumping during the spring and fall of the year; at about nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and four or five in the afternoon. The females lay their eggs, from twelve to six- teen in number, in nests which they make either by the side of fallen trees, or the roots of standing ones* -$dr. Brook of Maryland, in Islorth Ame- rica, speaking of this bird, says ff I have found their nests when a boy; and have endeavoured to take the old bird, but never could succeed : she would let me pat my hand almost upon her be- fore she would quit her nest ; then by artifice she would draw me off from her eggs, by fluttering just before me for a hundred paces or more, so that I have been in constant hopes of taking her When the nestlings are hatched, and a few days old, they hide themselves so artfully among the, leaves, that it is difficult to find them." THE BLA9K GROUS. THE name of this bird almost furnishes a de-^ fcription, the whole body being black, but h has another remarkable characteristic, which is that its tail is forked . The weight of the male is about four pounds, and that of the female about two^ birds were formerly to be found in great THE RUFFED GROUS. When found— Food — Nest. abundance in the north of England, but they have now become very scarce. This is owing to va- rious causes; but principally to the great im- provement in the art of shooting-flying, and to the inclosure of waste lands. Some few are yet found in Wales ; and in particular parts of the New Forest in Hampshire they are in tolerable plenty, being preserved as ro}ral game, and al- ways excepted in the warrants to kill game there. They are partial to mountainous and woody situ- ations, far removed from the habitations of men. Their food is various ; but principally consists of the mountain fruits and berries, and in winter the tops of heath. It is somewhat remarkable that cherries and pease are fatal to these birds. They perch and roost in tlie same manner as the pheasant. They never pair; but in the spring the males assemble at their accustomed resorts on the tops of heathy mountains when they crow and clap their wings, like the wood grous. The female forms an artless nest on the ground; and lays six or eight eggs of a dull yellowish white colour, marked with numerous very small ferrugi- nous specks, and towards the smaller end with some blotches of the same. These are hatched very late in the summer. The young males quit their parent in the beginning of winter, and keep together in flocks of seven or eight till the spring. These birds will live and thrive in menageries, but they have not been known to breed in a state of confinement. In Sweden, however, a spurious VOL. IV. — NO. '24, C 26 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Modes of shooting and taking them. breed has sometimes been produced with the do- mestic hen. In Russia, Norway, and other extreme north- ern countries, the black grous are said to retire under the snow during winter. The shooting of .them in Russia is thus conducted. Huts full of loop-holes, like little forts, are built for this pur- pose, in woods frequented by these birds. Upon the trees within shot of the huts, are placed arti- ficial decoy birds. As the grous assemble, the company fire through the openings; and so long as the sportsmen are concealed, the report of the guns does not frighten the birds away. Several of tltem may therefore be killed from the same tree, when three or four happen to be perched on branches one above another. The sportsman has only to shoot the undermost bird first, and the others upward in succession. The upper- most bird is earnestly employed in looking down after his fallen companions, and keeps chattering "to them till he becomes the next victim. The inhabitants of Siberia, during winter, take these birds in the following manner. A number of poles are laid horizontally on forked sticks, in the open birch forests. Small bundles of corn are tied on these, by way of allurement ; and at a iltle distance some tall baskets of a conical shape are placed., having their broad part uppermost. Just within the mouth of each basket, is placed a small wheel ; through which passes an axis so cel'y fixed, as to admit it to play very readily, THE RUFFED GEOUS. 27 Description — Habits. undxm the least touch either on one side or the other to drop down and again recover its situa- tion. The black grous are soon attracted by the corn on the horizontal poles. The first comers alight upon them,, and alter a short repast, fly to the baskets, and attempt to settle on their tops,; when the wheel drops sideways, and they fall headlong into the trap. These baskets are some- time* found half-full of birds thus caught. THE RED GROUS. THIS species is rather smaller than the pre- ceding,, the weight of the male being about nine- teen, and that of the female fifteen ounces. These birds abound in the healthy and mountainous parts of the northern counties of England. They are likewise very common in Wales, and the Highlands of Scotland ; but they have not yet been observed in any of the countries of the con- tinent. In winter they are usually found in flocks of sometimes forty or fifty, which are termed by sportsmen,, ' packs' ; and become remarkably shy and wild. They keep near the summits of the heathy hills, seldom descending to the lower grounds. Here they feed on the mountain ber- ries, and on the tender tops of the heath. They pair in spring; and the females lay from «ii to ten eggs, in a rude nest formed on the c <1 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Hazle grous — Pintailed grcms. ground. The young brood (which during the first year are called poults) follow the hen till the approach of winter; when they unite with several others into packs. Red Grous have been known to breed in con- finement, in the menagerie of the late Duchess Dowager of Portiand. This was in some mea- sure effected by her Grace causing fresh pots of heath to be placed in the menagerie almost every day. The flesh, of the red grous, as well as of all the other species, is an excellent food, but very soon corrupts. To prevent this, Mr. Daniel and other sporting writers say the birds should be drawn immediately after they are shot. Among the varieties of this species are the hazle grous (a native of Germany) and the pin-tailed grous, so called from its narrow forked tail. THE PARTRIDGE. THE length of this bird is about thirteen inches ; on the breast it has a crescent of a deep chesnut colour, and under each eye there is a small coloured spot, which has a granulated ap- pearance, and extends behind the eye. The sides of the head are yellowish, and the general colour of the plumage is brown and ash, elegantly mixed with black. The wings are brown with dark bars; the tail is short, and consists of eighteen THE PARTRIDGE. 29 Description — Manners. feathers, of which the seven nearest the sides are red, with an ash-coloured border. Sportsmen as Well as naturalists have believed that the female has no crescent on the breast, like the male. This, however, on dissection has proved to be a mistake ; for Mr. Montague happening to kill nine birds in one day, with very little variation as to the mark on the breast, was led to open them all, and discovered that five of them were females. On carefully examining the plumage, he found that the males could only be known by the superior brightness of colour about the head which alone after the first or second year seems to be the mark of distinction. Partridges are found principally in temperate climates: they are no where in greater abun- dance than in this island, and form a part of the most elegant entertainments. They pair early in the spring; the female makes a nest of grass and dry leaves on the ground, and lays from fifteen to twenty and sometimes five and twenty eggs. Mr. Daniel says thirty-three eggs have been found in one nest and of these twenty-three pro- duced young ones. They run the moment they are hatched, frequently carrying along with them part of their shell. The male shares with his mate the trouble of rearing their young. They immediately lead them to ant-hills, on the grubs of which insects they at first principally feed: for, at this season the various species of' ants loosen the earth about NATURALISTS CABINET. Proper food for the young. their habitations. The young birds therefore feave onl}r to scrape away the earth, and they can satisfy their hunger without difficulty. A covey that some years ago invited the attention of the Rev. Mr. Gould, gave him an opportunity of re- marking the great delight they take in this kind of food. On his turning up a colony of ants, and withdrawing to some distance, the parent birds conducted their young to the hill, and fed vejy heartily. After a few days, they grew more bold, «,nd ventured to eat within twelve or fourteen yards of him. The surrounding grass was high ; by which means they could, on the least disturbance, immediately run out of sight, and conceal them- fcelves. The excellence of this food for partridges may be ascertained from those that are bred up under a domestic hen, if constantly supplied with ants' grubs and fresh water, seldom failing to ar- rive at maturity. Along with the grubs it is re- commended to give them, at intervals, a mixture of millepedes, or wood-lice, and earwigs to pre- vent their surfeiting on one luxurious diet; fresh curds mixed with lettuce, ehiekweed, or groundsel should also be given them. The parents frequently sit close by each other, covering their young brood with their whigs. In this situation they are not easily flushed ; and a ^ attentive to the preservation of his , wil'l avoid disturbing them in a perform- ance of a duty so truly interesting. If, however, tt dq.g .should approach ttw? near,, the male always THE PARTRIDGE. 31 Affection and sagacity of the parents. runs off first with a peculiar cry of distress; he stops at the distance of thirty or forty paces, and frequently returns several times towards the dog, clapping his wings; with such courage does pa- ternal affection inspire even the most timid of animals. He then flies, or rather runs, heavily along the ground, dragging his wings, as if to al- lure the enemy by the hope of an easy prey, mak- ing off fast enough to avoid being taken, and yet so slow as not to discourage his pursuer till he has at length decoyed him to a considerable dis- tance from the cove}^. The female flies away to a greater distance, and in a different direction, but immediately returns, running along the ground and finds her brood squatted among the grasa and leaves. Calling them hastily together, she leads them, unperceived by the sportsman, to a great distance, before the dog lias time to return from the pursuit of the male. This bird flourishes best in cultivated coun- tries, living principally on the labors of the hus- bandman : the extremes of heat and cold, are un- favourable to its propagation. Mr. White, who gives an instance of its instinctive sagacity, in- forms us that " a partridge came out of a ditch, and ran along shivering witrrher wings and crying out as if wounded and unable to get from us. While the dam feigned this distress, a boy who attended me, saw the brood, which was small and unable to fly, run for shelter into an old fox's bole, under the bank," — Mr. Markwick also re- NATURALISTS CABINET. Instinctive sagacity. lates that " as he was once hunting with a young pointer, the dog ran on a brood of very small partridges. The old bird cried, fluttered, and ran tumbling along just before the dog's nose, till she had drawn him to a considerable distance ; when she took wing and flew farther off, but not out of the field. On this the dog returned nearly to the place where the young ones lay concealed in the grass j which the old bird no sooner perceived, than she flew back again, settled just before the dog's nose, and a second time acted the same part, rolling and tumbling about till she drew off his attention from her brood, and thus succeeded in preserving them." — This gentleman says also, that when a kite was once hovering over a covey of young partridges, he saw the old birds fly up at the ferocious enemy, screaming and fighting with all their might to preserve their brood. The eggs of the partridge are frequently de- stroyed by weesels, stoats, crows, magpies, and other animals. When this has been the case, the fern ale frequently makes another nest and lays afresh. The produce of these second hatchings are those small birds that are not perfectly feathered in the tail till the beginning of October. This is always a puny, sickly race; and the indi- viduals seldom outlive the rigours of the winter. Those partridges which are hatched under a domestic hen, are said to retain through life the habit of calling whenever they hear the clucking of hens. THE PARTRIDGE. 33 Instance of one remaining tame. This bird, even when reared by the hand, soon neglects those who have the care of it; and shortly after its full growth, altogether estranges itself from the house where it was bred. This will invariably be its conduct, however intimately it may have connected itself with the place and inhabitants in the early part of its existence. Among the very few instances of the partridge's remaining tame, was that of one reared by the Rev. Mr. Bird, as recorded by Mr. Daniel. This, long after its full growth, attended the. par- lour at breakfast and other times, received food from any hand that gave it, and stretched itself before the fire and seemed much to enjoy the warmth. At length, it fell a victim to the decided foe of all favourite birds, a cat. The same author also informs us that on the farm of Lion Hall, in Essex, belonging to Co- lonel Hawker, a partridge, in the year 1788, formed her nest, and hatched sixteen eggs, on the top of a pollard oak tree. What renders this circumstance the more remarkable is, that the tree had, fastened to it, the bars of a stile, where there was a footpath ; and the passengers in going over, discovered and disturbed her before she sat close. When the brood was hatched they scrambled down the short and rough boughs, which grew out all around from the trunk of the tree, and reached the ground in safety. The following occurrence took place at East Dean in Sussex in 1798 ; which will tend to prove VOL. IV. — NO. 24. E 34 NATURALISTS CABINET. Incapable of migration — Singular fact. that partridges have no powers of migration. A covey of sixteen partridges being routed by some men at plough, directed their flight across the cliff to the sea, over which they continued their course about three hundred yards. Either inti- midated or otherwise affected by that element, the whole were then observed to drop into the water. Twelve of them were soon afterwards floated to shore by the tide; where they were picked up by a boy, who carried them to East- bourne and sold them. Willoughby, as a proof of the docility of par- tridges, informs us_, that a certain Sussex man had, by his industry, made a covey of these birds so tame that he drove them before him, upon a wager, out of the above mentioned county to fcondon, though they were absolutely free, and had their wings grown. An engraved repre- sentation of this singular fact is herewith pre- sented to our readers. In Sweden, these birds burrow beneath the snow, and the whole covey crouds together under shelter to guard against the intense cold. In Greenland, the partridge is brown during summer, but as soon as the winter sets in, it becomes clothed with a thick and .warm down, and its ex- terior assumes the colour of the snows. Near the mouth of the river Oi in Russia, the partridges are in such quantities, that the adjacent moun- tains are crouded with them. These birds have been seen variegated with white, and sometimes THE TURKEY. 35 Description. entirely white, where the climate could not be supposed to have any influence in this variation, and even among those whose plumage was of the usual colour. THE TURKEY. IT is generally believed that this bird is a na- tive of North America, and was introduced from thence into England in the reign of Henry the Eighth. According to Tusser's, " Five Hundred Pointes of good Husbandrie," it began about the year 1 o&5 to form an article in our rural Christ- mas feasts. It is a large, but unweildy bird ; the anterior part of the head is strangely covered and ornamented with a pendulous, soft, fleshy substance; as are all the sides of the head and throat : the eyes are small, but bright and pierc- ing; the bill convex, short, and strong; a long tuft of coarse black hairs on. the breast; the wings moderately long, but not at all formed for supporting so large a bulk in long flights; the legs moderately long, and very robust. The plumage is dark, glossed with variable copper and green; the coverts of the wings and the quill-feathers barred with black and white. The tail consists of two orders ; the upper, or shorter, very elegant; the ground colour a bright bav, the middle feathers marked with numerous bars of shining black and green. The longer, or E 2 NATURALISTS CABINET. Hunted in Canada. lower order, is of a rusty white colour, mottled with black, and crossed with numerous narrow- waved lines of the same colour, and near the end with a broad band. The turkey is one of the most difficult birds to rear of any that we have ; and yet, in its wild state, it is found in great plenty, in the forests of Canada, that are covered with snow above three- fourths of the year. They are particularly fond of the seeds of nettles ; but the seeds of the fox glove are a deadly poison to them. The hunting of these birds forms one of the principal diversions of the natives of Canada. When they have discovered the retreat of the turkies, which in gen-eral is near fields of nettles, or where there is plenty of any kind of grain, they send a well-trained dog into the midst of the flock. The birds no sooner perceive their enemy, than they run off at full speed, and with ?uch swiftness, that they leave the dog far be- hind. He, however, follows ; and, as they can- not go at this rate for any length of time, at last forces them to take shelter in a tree : where they sit, perfectly spent and fatigued, till the hunters come up, and with long poles knock them down, one after another. Turkies are among themselves extremely furi- ous, and yet against other animals they are ge- nerally weak and cowardly. The domestic cock often makes them keep at a distance ; and the latter seldom venture to attack him but with THE TURKEY. 3? Gallantry of the turkey-cock. united force, when the cock is rather oppressed by their weight, than annoyed by their weapons. There have, however, occurred instances in which the turkey-cock has not been found wanting in prowess : — A gentleman of New York received from a distance a turkey-cock and hen, and a pair of bantams, which he put into his yard, with other poultry. Some time after, as he was feed- ing them from the barn-door, a large hawk sud- denly turned the corner x>f the barn, and made a pitch at the bantam hen : she immediately gave the alarm, by a noise which is natural to her on such occasions ; when the turkey-cock, who was at the distance of about two yards, and, no doubt, understood the hawk's intentions, and the immi- nent danger of his old acquaintance, flew at the tyrant with such violence, and gave him so se- vere a stroke with his spurs, when about to seize his prey, as to knock him from the hen to a con- siderable distance ; and the timely aid of this faithful auxiliary completely saved the bantam from being devoured. Another anecdote (though very different in its nature) is recorded of the gallantry of the turkey- cock ; which also affords a singular example of deviation from instinct. In May, 1798, a fe- male turkey, belonging to a gentleman in Swe- den, was sitting upon eggs ; and as the cock, in her absence, began to appear uneasy and deject- ed, he was put into the place with her. He im- mediately sat down by her side ; and it was soon 38 NATURALIST'S CABINET Curious anecdote. found that he had taken some eggs from under her, which he covered very carefully. The eggs were put back, but he soon afterwards took them again. This induced the owner, by way of ex- periment, to have a nest made, and as many eggs put in as it was thought the cock could con- veniently cover. The bird seemed highly pleased with this mark of confidence ; he sat with great patience on the eggs, and was so attentive to the care of hatching them, as scarcely to afford him- self time to take the food necessary for his sup- port. At the usual period, twenty-eight young ones wrere produced ; and the cock, who was, in some measure, the parent of this numerous off- spring, appeared perplexed on seeing so many little creatures picking around him, and requir- ing his care. It was, however, thought proper not to entrust him with the rearing of the brood, lest he should neglect them ; they were, there- fore, taken away arid reared by other means. The female is, in general, much more mild and gentle than the male. When leading out her young family to collect their food, though so large, and apparently so powerful a bird, she gives them very little protection against the at- tacks of any rapacious animal that comes in her way. She rather warns them to shift for them- selves, than prepares to defend them. " I have heard a turkey-hen, when at the head of her brood, (says the Abbe de la Pluche) send forth the most hideous scream, without my being able 1 THE TUEKEY. 39 Timidity of the turkey-hen. to perceive the cause : her young, however, im- mediately when the warning was given, skulked under the bushes, the grass, or whatever else seemed to offer shelter or protection. They even stretched themselves at their full length on the ground, and continued lying motionless, as if dead. In the mean time the mother, with her eyes directed upwards, continued her cries and screaming, as before. On looking up, in the direction in which she seemed to gaze, I disco- vered a black spot just under the clouds, but was unable, at first, to determine what it was: how- ever, it soon appeared to be a bird of prey, though at first at too great a distance to be dis- tinguished. I have seen one of these animals continue in this agitated state, and her whole brood pinned down as it were to the ground, for four hours together ; whilst their formidable foe has taken his circuits, has mounted, and hovered directly over their heads : at last, upon his dis- appearing, the parent changed her note, and sent forth another cry, which, in an instant, gave life to the whole trembling tribe, and they all flocked round her with expressions of pleasure, as if conscious of their happy escape from danger." As language can give but a faint description of this maternal agitation, our artist's pencil has been employed, to express it more fully. In the wilds of America the turkey grows to a much larger size than with us. Josselyn says, 40 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Maternal affection. that he has eaten part of a turkey-cock, which, after it was plucked, and the entrails were taken out, weighed thirty pounds. Lawson saw half a turkey serve eight hungry men for two meals, and says that he has seen others which he be- lieved would each weigh forty pounds. Some writers even assert, that instances have occurred of Turkies weighing no less than sixty pounds. The females lay their eggs in spring, generally in some retired and obscure place ; for the cock, enraged at the loss of his mate, while she is em- ployed in hatching, is apt otherwise to break them. They sit on their eggs with so much per- severance, that, if not taken away, they will al- most perish with hunger before they will entirely leave the nest. They are exceedingly affection- ate to their young. *. These birds are bred in great numbers in Nor- folk, Suffolk, and some other counties, from whence they are driven to the London markets, in flocks of several hundreds. The drivers ma- nage them with great facility, by means of a bit of red rag tied to the end of a long stick ; which, from the antipathy these birds bear to that colour, effectually answers the purpose of a scourge. - Notwithstanding the difficulty of rearing these birds, yet the famous Bisset (as mentioned in the " Eccentric Mirror,") taught six turkey-cocks to go through a regular country-dance; but, in do- THE TUHKEY. - 41 Manners of those in a wild state. ing this, he confessed he adopted the eastern method of heating the floor, by which camels are taught to dance. Turkies, in a wild state, are gregarious; and associate in flocks, sometimes of five hundred. They frequent the great swamps of America to roost ; but leave these situations at sun-rise, to repair to the dry woods, in search of acorns and berries. They perch on trees, and gain the height they wish by rising from bough to bough : they generally mount to the summits of even the loftiest, so as to be often beyond musket-shot. They are very swift runners, but fly awkwardly ; and, about the month of March, they become so fat that they cannot fly beyond three or four hun- dred yards, and are then easily run down by a horseman. Wild turkies are now very seldom seen in the inhabited parts of America: they are only found, in any great numbers, in the distant and most unfrequented parts. If the eggs of wild turkies be hatched under tame ones, the young are said still to retain a certain degree of wildness, and to perch separate from the others : yet they will mix and breed together in the season. The In- dians sometimes use the breed produced from the wild birds, to decoy within their reach those still in a state of nature. They also make an elegant clothing of the feathers. They twist the inner webs into a strong double string, with hemp, or VOL. iv.— NO, -24. v NATURALISTS CABINET. Utility. the inner bark of the mulberry-tree, and work it like matting. This appears very rich and glossy, and as fine as silk shag. The natives of Louisi- ana make fans of the tail; and, of four tails joined together, the French used formerly to con- struct a parasol. ; .jittii 'y-V;.»i ,1! >/;i tr'f'»i; i"i /it ,•'.'•*. /T>'" :>'l>: '/'-)C.t '.•/'• 'ii(:. rj j'-l "/-.'{Ir.ii j'l.'.l^-'io iij:i'o?u -VM: .i.icjs^ ,i>;;,. . _ ^, . ^ >,!j h.i!t4»ii .->-£!l.,,-i! THE SWALLOW. 43 Description. CHAP. II. The Swallow oft beneath my thatch Shall twitter from her clay-built nest, Oft shall the pilgrim lift the latch, And share ray meal, a welcome guest. ROGERS. THE SWALLOW. THERE are said to be upwards of six and thir^ ty distinct species of this tribe, but only seven ox eight are known in these climates. The com- mon house or chimney swallow in general mea- sures about six inches from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, and from the tip of the one wing to the tip of the other, when extended, seldom less than eleven or twelve; and commonly weigh from fourteen to fifteen drachms. They have a short black bill, but very broad at the base, so that they are enabled to open their mouths very wide ; they have large eyes of an hazel colour; the head, neck, and upper parts of the body, are of a fine shining purplish blue, with an orange-coloured spot above the bill, and another of the same colour underneath; the breast 44 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Rapid flight — Manner* of feeding. and belly are of a dusky white, with a slight red- dish shade : the covert feathers are of the same colour of the back and head, but the quill-fea- thers are of a perfect black ; they have a pretty long tail, made up of twelve feathers, which' is forked, the outermost feathers being pointed and near an inch longer than the others; they are all black, except the two middlemost, with a white spot upon each, which spot makes a beautiful line which crosses the tail, interrupted only by the two middle feathers. Swallows are easily distinguished from all other birds, not only by their structure, but by their twittering voices and their manner of life. They fly with great rapidity, seldom walk, and perform all their functions either on the wing or sitting. They feed chiefly upon flies, gnats, and beetles, which they catch mostly, if not entirely, while flying; ami it is for this purpose that they are continually hovering over pools and standing waters, where insects frequent without number. They often settle on dug ground or paths for gravel, which assists in grinding and digesting their food. They have an exceeding sharp eye, and are so fleet and uncertain in their course, that it is >n© uncommon thing for a sportsman to declare war against, and seek tfoe constant de- struction of these harmless animals, merely for the purpose of rendering himself a; good shot. AH t he tribe drink as they fly akxng, sipping the surface of the water, but the hotrse swallovr THE SWALLOW. 45 Instances of its torpidity during winter. alone, in general, washes on the wing, by drop- ping into a pool several times successively. It was a long time a matter of doubt, among the most eminent naturalists, whether these birds went into a state of torpor in the winter, or emi- grated into other countries ; in support of the former opinion were the Hon. l>aines Barring ton, and other celebrated writers. Dr. Fry as- serted, that he was told by a fisherman, who was accounted a man of veracity, that being near some rocks on the coast of Cornwall, he saw, at a very low ebb, a black list of something adher- ing to the rock, which, when he came to exa- mine, he found it was a great number of swal- lows and swifts, hanging by each other in the same manner as is frequently observed of bees, which were commonly covered by the sea-wa* ters : they appeared perfectly lifeless, but reco- vered on being held in his hand, or put to the fire. This account of the fisherman met with some kind of confirmation by that given by Dr. Colas, to the Royal Society, on the 12th of February, 1712-13, who, speaking of their mode of fishing in the northern parts, by breaking holes, and drawing their nets under the ice, said, that he saw sixteen swallows so drawn out of the lake of Samrodt, and about thirty out of the king's great pond in Rosineiien ; and that, at Salebitten, he saw two swallows just come out of the water, that 46 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Arguments in favour of its migration. could scarcely stand, from being both very wet and very weak : with their wings hanging on the ground,, and that he had often observed the swal- lows to be very weak for some days after their ap- pearance. Dr. Owen, speaking of woodcocks and field- fares visiting us in the winter, and then return- ing northward, says, " But as to cuckoos and swallows, it is generally allowed that they sleep in winter ; having, as it is said, been found in hollow trees and caverns ; nor is this at all un- likely, though, on the other hand, I can see no absurdity in supposing that these should go upon a summer, as the others do upon a winter pilgri- mage ; that these pursue a lesser heat, as well as the others fly from a greater cold." , Willoughby, however, is of a firm opinion, that the swallows emigrate from these climates in the winter, and that they take their route into Egypt and Ethiopia, in which he is confirmed by most modern travellers ; we have it, indeed, cor- roborated in a very particular manner by a very respectable author, in speaking of the towns of Southwould, Ipswich, and others in the eastern parts of Great Britain, in the following words : " In these towns, Southwould and Ipswich, in particular, and so at all the towns on this coast, from OrforcT Ness to Yarmouth, is the ordinary place where our summer friends, the swallows, first land when they come to visit us; and here THE SWALLOW. 47 Arguments in favour of its migration. they may be said to begin their voyage when they go back into warmer climates. I was some years since at this place, about the beginning of Oc- tober, and lodging at a house that looked into the church-yard, I observed, in the evening, an un- usual number of swallows sitting on the leads of the church, and covering the tops of several houses round about. This led me to enquire, of a gentleman of the place, what could be the meaning of such a multitude of swallows having collected together, and sitting in that manner r" — ' O, sir, (replied he,) you may easily perceive the reason; the wind is off the sea; for this is the season of the year, when the swallows, their food failing here, begin to leave us, and return to the country, wherever it be, from whence 1 suppose they came ; and this being the nearest land to the opposite coast, and the wind being contrary, they are waiting for a gale, and may be said to be wind-bound.' And of the justness of this remark, I was convinced in the morning, when t found the wind had come about to the north-west in the night, and there was not a sin- gle swallow to be seen. 17^6, exhibited them to the society for pro- moting natural history. They died from neglect in the following summer. The swallows are generally supposed to retire in the winter to Senegal, and some other parts of Africa. Dr. Russel says, that they visit the country about Aleppo, towards the end of Fe- bruary, where like those in England they breed. Having hatched their young, they> disappear about the end of July, and returning in the be- ginning of October, continue somewhat more than a fortnight, and then disappear till the spring. They are found in almost all parts of the old continent, and are by no means uncom- mon in North America. This bird's uest is composed of mud mixed with straw and hair, and lined with feathers. It lays four or five eggs, and has two broods in the year. The progressive method by which the young are introduced to their proper habits, is very curious. They first, but not without some difficulty, emerge from the shaft: for a day or two they are fed on the chimney-top ; and then are conducted to the dead leafless bough of some VOL. iv. — N<*. 25. G 5ti NATURALIST'S CABINET. Manners of the dam and her brood. neighbouring tree, where sitting in a row, they are attended by the parents with great assiduity. In a day or two after this, they are strong enough to fly, but continue still unable to take their own food ; they therefore play about near the place, where the dams are watching for flies ; and, when a mouthful is collected, at a certain signal the dam and the nestling advance, rising towards each other and meeting at an angle; the young all the while uttering such a short quick note of gratitude and complacency, that a person rpust have paidrvery little regard to the wonders of na- ture who has not remarked this scene. As soon as the dam has disengaged herself from the first brood, she immediately commences her preparations for a second, which is introduced into the world about the middle or latter end of August. Professor Kalm, in his travels into America, says, that a very reputable lady and her children related to him the following story respecting these birds, assuring him at the same time that they were all eye-witnesses to the fact: — "A couple of swallows built their nest in the stable belonging to the lady ; and the female laid eggs in the nest, and was about to brood them. Some days after, the people saw the female still sitting on the eggs; but the male, flying about the nest, and sometimes settling on a nail, was heard to utter a very plaintive note, which betrayed his uneasiness. On a nearer examination, the fe- THE SWALLOW. Interesting anecdotes. male was found dead in the nest ; and the people flung her body away. The male then went to sit upon the eggs; but after being about two hours on them, and perhaps finding the business too troublesome, he went out, and returned iu the afternoon with another female, which sat upon the nest, and afterwards fed the young ones till they were able to provide for themselves." At Camerton Hall, near Bath, a pair of swal- lows built their nest on the upper part of the frame of an old picture, over the chimney-piece ; entering through a broken pane in the window of the room. They came three years successively ; and in all probability would have continued to do so, had not the room been put in repair, which prevented their access to it. Another pair was known to build for two years together, on the handles of a pair of garden shears, that were stuck up against the boards in an out-house ; and therefore must have had their nest spoiled whenever the implement was wanted : and what is still more strange, a bird of the same species built its nest on the wings and body of .an owl, that happened by accident to hang dead and dry from the rafter of a barn, and so loose as to ]>e moved by every gust of wind. This owl, with, the nest on its wings, and with eggs in the nest, was brought as a curiosity to the museum of Sir Ashton Lever. That gentleman, struck with the oddity of the sight, furnished the bringer with a. large shell, desiring him to fix it just w here the G 2 52 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Unwearied Industry and affection. "owl had hung. The person did so ; and the foU lowing year a pair, probably the same, built their nest in the shell, and laid eggs. The owl and the shell made a strange and grotesque appearance ; and are now not the least singular specimens in that wonderful collection of the curiosities of art and nature, the Leverian Museum. The swallow during every part of the summer is a most instructive pattern of unwearied industry and affection ; for, from morning to night, while there is a family to be supported,, she spends the whole time in skimming along, and exerting the most sudden turns, and quick evolutions; ave» nues, and long walks under hedges, pasture fields, and mown meadows where cattle graze, 3,re their delight, especially if there be trees in- terspersed, because in such parts insects most abound. When a fly is taken, a smart snap from, their bill is to be heard, not unlike the noise of the shutting of a watch-case ; but the motion of the mandibles is too quick for the eye. The house-swallow is the excubitor to the houseTmartins and other little birds, announcing the approach of birds of prey: for as soon as a hawk or an owl appears, the swallow calls, with a shrill alarming note, all his own fellows and the martins about him ; who pursue in a body, and buffet and strike their enemy till they have driven him from the place, darting down upon his back and rising in a perpendicular line in perfect se- curity. This bird will also sound the alarm, and THE SWALLOW. 53 Wonderful adroitness. strike at cats, when they climb on the roofs of houses, or otherwise approach the nests. Wonderful, observes Mr. White, is the ad- dress which this adroit bird exhibits in ascending and descending with security through the nar- row passage of a chimney. When hovering over the mouth of the funnel, the vibrations of its wings acting on the confined air, occasion a rumbling like distant thunder. It is not impro- bable that the dam submits to the inconvenience of having her nest low down in the shaft, in or- der to have her brood secure from rapacious birds ; and particularly from owls, which are fre- quently found to fall down chimneys, probably jn their attempts to get at the nestlings. A writer in the gentleman's magazine observes, that " by the myriads of insects which every single brood of swallows destroy, in the course of a summer, these birds defend us in a great mea- sure from the personal and domestic annoyance of flies and gnats; and what is of infinitely more consequence, they keep down the numbers of our minute enemies, which, either in the grub or winged state, would otherwise prey on the labours of the husbandman. Since then swallows are guardians of our corn, they should every where be protected by the same popular veneration which in Egypt defends the ibis, and the stork in Holland. We more frequently hear of unpro- ductive harvests on the continent than in this country ; and it is well known that swallows are 54 NATURALISES CABINET. Utility — Should not be destroyed. caught, and sold as food, in the markets of Spain, France, and Italy. When this practice has been very general and successful, I have little doubt that it has at times contributed to the scarcity of corn. In England, we are not driven to such resources to furnish our tables. But what apo- logy can be made for those, and many there are, whose education and rank should have taught them more innocent amusements, but who wan- tonly murder swallows under the idle pretence of improving their skill in shooting game ? Besides the cruelty of starving whole nests by killing the dam, they who follow this barbarous diversion would do well to reflect, that by every swallow they kill, they assist the effects of blasts, mildews, and vermin, in causing a scarcity of bread. Every lord of a manor should restrain his game-keeper from this execrable practice; nor should he per- mit any person to sport on his lands who does not refrain from it. For my part, I am not ashamed to own, that I have tempted martins to build round my house, by fixing scallop shells in places convenient for their ' pendent beds and procreant cradles' ; and have been much pleased in observing with what caution the little architect raises a buttress under each shell, before he ven- tures to form his nest on it." We are informed by M. de Buffon that a shoe- maker in Brasil put a collar on a swallow, con- taining an inscription to this purpose : " Pretty swallow, tell me, whither goest thou in winter ?" THE MARTIN. 5.5 Curious inscriptions — Observations. And in the ensuing spring received, by the same courier, the following answer : <' To Antony at Athens ; — Why dost thou enquire ?*' The most probable conjecture on this story is, that the answer was written by some one who had caught the bird in Switzerland ; for both Belon and Aristotle assure us, that though the swallows live half the year in Greece, yet they always pass the winter in Africa. Mr. White informs us, that for some weeks be- fore the swallows depart, they (without excep- tion) forsake houses and chimneys, and roost in trees ; and they usually withdraw about the be- ginning of October, though some few stragglers may be seen at times till the first week in No- vember. Mr. Pennant says, that for a few days previous to their departure, they assemble in vast flocks on house-tops, churches, and trees, from whence they take their flight. MARTIN, OR WINDOW SWALLOW, IS inferior in size to the common swallow, and its tail less forked. The head and upper parts of the body, are of a glossy blue black : the breast and belly are white, as, is also, the rump which may be considered, as its distinctive character. NATURALISTS CABINET* Habits — Ineniousness. These birds begin to appear about the 16th of April : and generally for some time pay no atten- tion to the business of nidi h* cation ; but play and sport about, either to recruit from the fatigue of their journey,, or else that their blood may recover its true tone and texture, after having been so long benumbed by the severities of winter. About the middle of May, if the weather be fine, they then begin to think of providing a mansion for their family. As the martin often builds against the eave of a house, the side of a cliff over the sea, or a per-> pendicular wall, without any projecting ledge un- der, its utmost efforts are necessary to get the first foundation firmly fixed, so as to carry safely the superstructure. On this occasion the bird not only clings with its claws, but partly supports itself by strongly inclining its tail against the wall, making that a fulcrum; and thus fixed, it plasters the materials into the face of the brick or stone. But that this work may not, while soft, incline down by its o\vn weight, the pro- vident architect has the prudence and forbear- ance not to proceed tofr fast ; but by building only in the morning and dedicating the rest of the day to food and amusement, gives it sufficient time to dry and harden. About half an inch seems to be a sufficient layer for a day. By this method, in about ten or twelve days, a hemisphe- rical nest is formed, with a small aperture to- THE MARTlfr. 57 Fabrication of its nest. Wards the top ; strong, compact, and warm, and perfectly fitted for all the purposes for which it was intended. "But nothing is more common than for the house-sparrow, as soon as the shell is finished, to seize on it, eject the owner, and to line it according to its own peculiar manner. After so much labour is bestowed in erecting a inansion> as nature seldom works in vain, martins will breed for several years successively in the same nest, where it happens to be well sheltered and secured from the injuries of the weather. The shell or crust of the nest is a soil of rustic work, formed of such dirt or loam as is most readily met with, and tempered and wrought to- gether with little pieces of broken straws to ren- der it tough and tenacious ; it is full of knobs and protuberances on the outsides ; nor is the inside smoothed with any great exactness, but is rendered soft and warm, and fit for incubation, by a lining of small straws, grasses, and feathers, and sometimes by a bed of moss interwoven with wool. Herein the female produces four or five young ; which, when arrived at full growth, be- come impatient of confinement, and sit all day with their heads out at the orifice, where the dams, by clinging to the nest, supply them with food from morning to night. After this they are fed by the parents on the wing ; but this feat is performed by so quick and almost imper* VOL. IV. — NO. 25, H 58 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Manners of the young and old. ceptible a flight, thai a person must attend very exactly to the motions of the birds, before he is 5|ble to perceive it. As soon as the young are able to provide for themselves, the dams repair their nests for a second brood. The first flight then associate in large flocks ; and may be seen on sunny morn- ings and evenings, clustering and hovering ground towers and steeples, and on the roofs of churches and houses. These assemblies usually begin to take place about the first week in Au- gust. From observing the birds approaching and playing about the eaves of buildings, many persons have been led to suppose that more than two old birds attend on each nest. The martins are often very capricious in fixing on a nesting-place, beginning many edifices and leaving them unfinished ; but (as before ob- served) when a nest has been once completed in a sheltered situation, it is made to serve for se- veral seasons. In forming their nests these in* dustrious creatures are at their labour, in the long days, before four o'clock in the morning : in fixing their materials, they plaster them on with their chins, moving the head with a quick vibratory motion. They breed the latest of all our swallows, never being without unfledged young even so late as Michaelmas. Sometimes in very hot weather they dip and wash as they fly, but not so frequently as the THE MARTIN. 59 Peculiar habits — Observations. swallows. They are the least agile of all the British hirundines ; their wings and tails are short, and therefore they are not capable of those surprising turns, and quick and glancing evo- lutions, that are so observable in the house swal- lows. Their motion is placid and easy : generally ia the middle region of the air ; for they seldom mount to any great height, and never sweep long together over the surface of the ground or water. They do not wander far in quest of food ; but are fond of sheltered places near some lake, or un- der some hanging wood or hollow vale^ especially jn windy weather. As the summer declines, the flocks increase in number every day from the accession of the se- cond broods ; till at length, round the villages on the Thames, they swarm in myriads, darkening even the face of the sky as they frequent the aits of that river, where they roost. The bulk of them retire, in vast companies, about the begin- ning of October ; but some have been known to remain so late as till the sixth of November : they are the latest of all the species in withdraw- ing. It would seem that either these are very short-lived birds, or that they undergo vast de- struction in itheir absence, or do not return to the districts where they were bred ; for the num- bers that appear in the spring, bear no propor- tion to those that retired in the preceding year. H 2 60 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Contest between two martins and a wren. Mr. Simpson, during his residence at Welton, in North America, one morning heard a noise from a couple of martins that were flying from tree to tree near his dwelling. They made seve- ral attempts to get into a box or cage fixed against the house, which they had before occupied ; but they always appeared to fly from it again with the utmost dread ; at the same time repeating those loud cries which first drew his attention. Curiosity led this gentleman to watch their mo- tions. After some time a small wren came from the box, and perched on a tree near it ; when her shrill notes appeared to amaze her antagonists. Having remained a short time, she flew away. The martins took this opportunity of returning to the cage ; but their stay was short. Their diminutive adversary returned, and made them yetire with the greatest precipitation. They con- tinued maneuvering in this way the whole day ; but the following morning, on the wren's quit- ting the cage, the martins immediately returned, took possession of their mansion, broke up their own nest, went to work afresh with extreme in- dustry and ingenuity, and soon barricaded their doors. The wren returned, but could not now re-enter. She made attempts to storm the nest, but did not succeed. The martins, abstaining from food nearly two days, persevered during the whole of that time in defending the entrance ; the wren, finding she could not force the THE SAND-MARTIN. Description — Curious cavities. works, raised the siege, quitted her intentions, and left the martins in quiet possession of their nest. SAND-MARTIN, OR SAND-SWALLOW, WHICH is less than the preceding species, is sibout four inches and three quarters in length. The upper parts of the body are mouse-colored, and the breast and belly white, with a mouse- colored ring as a collar. This bird is common about the banks of rivers and sand-pits, where it digs itself a round and regular hole in the sand or earth : this is hori- zontal, serpentine, and generally about two feet deep. At the farther end of this burrow, the bird constructs her rude nest of grass and fea- thers. " Though one would at first be disin- clined to believe (says Mr. White) that this weak i)ird, with her soft tender bill and claws, should ever be able to bore the stubborn sand-bank without entirely disabling herself ; yet with these feeble instruments have I seen a pair of them make great dispatch; and could remark how much they had scooped in a day, by the fresh sand which ran down the bank, and which was of a different colour from what lay loose and had been bleached in the sun. In what space of time these little artists are able to mine and tinish 62 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Remarks — Eggs — Disposition, &c. these cavities, I have never been able to discover, but it would be a matter worthy of observation, where it falls in the way of any naturalist to make such remarks. This I have often taken notice of, that several holes of different depths are left unfinished at the end of the summer. To imagine that these beginnings were intentionally made in order to be in the greater forwardness for next spring,, is allowing, perhaps, too much foresight to a simple bird. May not the cause of these being left unfinished arise from the birds meeting in those places with strata too harsh, hard, and solid, for their purpose ; which they relinquish, and go to a fresh spot that works more freely t Or may they not in other places fall in with a soil as much too loose and moulder- ing, liable to flounder, and threatening to over- whelm them and their labours ? One thing is remarkable : that, after some years, the old holes are forsaken, and new ones bored ; perhaps because the former habitations were become foul and fetid from long use, or because they so abounded with fleas as to become untenable.'* The sand-martin appears in this country about the same time as the swallow, and lays from four to six white and transparent eggs. These birds seem not to be of a very sociable disposition, never (at least in England) congregating in the autumn. They have a peculiar manner of fly- ing : flitting about with odd jerks and vacilla- tions not unlike the motions of a butterfl. THE SWIFT. 63 Description — Habits. These birds are, as already intimated in the above extract from Mr. White, so strangely an- noyed with fleas, that these vermin have been sometimes seen swarming at the mouths of their holes, like bees on the stools of their hives. THE SWIFT, OR BLACK MARTIN, IS the largest of the kind known in these cli- mates, being often near eight inches long, with an extent of wing near eighteen inches, though the entire weight of the bird is not more than an ounce. The whole plumage is a sooty black, except the throat, which is white. The feet, which are so small, that the actions of walking and rising from the ground seem very difficult, are of a particular structure, all the toes standing- forward. The least toes consist of only one bone : the others of two each ; in which they differ from the toes of all other birds : this is, however, a construction nicely adapted to the purposes in which the feet of these birds are employed. Nature has also made it ample com- pensation for its difficulty in walking and rising, by furnishing it with abundant means for an easy and continual flight. It spends more of its time on the wing than any other swallow, and its flight is more rapid, ft breeds under the eaves of houses, in steeples, and other lofty buildings j and makes its nest of grass and feathers, 64 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Alacrity — Serenading ot' the males. This bird visits us the latest, and leaves us the soonest, of any of the tribe : it does not often arrive before the beginning of May, and seldom remains later than the middle of August. It is the most active of all birds : being on the wing, in the height of summer, at least sixteen hours in the day ; withdrawing to rest, in the longest days, about a quarter before nine in the evening, some time after all the other day-birds are gone. Just before they retire, large groups of them assemble high in the air, screaming, and shoot- ing about with wonderful rapidity. This bird is, however, never so alert as in sultry louring wea- ther ; when it expresses great alacrity, and calls forth all its powers. The swifts, in hot mornings, collect together in little parties, and dash round the steeples and churches, squeaking at the same time in a very elamorous manner. These are supposed to be the males, serenading the sitting hens ; as they seldom make this noise till they come close to the walls or eaves, and those within always utter a faint note of complacency. When the hen has been occupied all day in sitting, she rushes forth, just before it is dark, to relieve her weary limbs ; she snatches a scanty meal for a few mi- nutes, and then returns to the task of incubation. These birds differ from all the other British hi- rundines, in breeding but once in the summer, andjn producing no more than two young one* ?t a time. THE SWIFT. 65 Manner of feeding — Peculiar voice. These birds, when shot while they have young, are found to have a little cluster of insects in their mouths, which they pouch and hold under their tongue. In general, they fly and feed higher in the air than the other species. They also range < to vast distances; for motion is but a slight la- bour to them, endowed as they are with such wonderful powers of wing. Sometimes in the summer, they may, however, be observed hawk- ing very low, for hours together, over pools and streams, in search of the cadew-flies, may-flies, and dragon-flies, that frequent the banks and surface of waters, and which afford them a plen- tiful and succulent nourishment. Sometimes they pursue and strike at birds of prey when they are sailing about in the air; but they do not express so much vehemence and fury on these occasions as the swallows. The voice of the swift is a harsh scream ; yet there are few ears to which it is not pleasing, from an agreeable association of ideas, since it is never heard but in the most lovely summer wea- ther. These birds never settle on the ground unless by accident, from the difficulty they have in walking, or rather (as it may be called) in crawling ; but they have a strong grasp with their feet, by which they readily cling to walls and other places they frequent. Their bodies being flat, they can enter a very narrow crevice ; and where they cannot pass on their bellies, they will turn up edgewise to push themselves through. TOL. iv. — NO. 25. i 66 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Discovery of a pair in a torpid state. The main body of these birds retire from this country before the middle of August, generally by the tenth, (which is but a short time after the flight of their young,) and not a single straggler is to be seen on the twentieth. This early re- treat is totally unaccountable, as that time is often the most delightful in the year. But what is yet more extraordinary, they begin to retire still earlier in the most southerly parts of Anda- lusia ; where they can by no means be influenced by any defect of heat, or even (as one would suppose) of food. This is one of those incidents in natural history, which not only baffle our re- searches, but elude all our conjectures. A pair of swifts were, in the month of Fe- bruary i?66, found adhering by their claws, and in a torpid state under the roof of Longnor Chapel, in Shropshire : on being brought to the fire, they revived, and moved about the room. THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. THIS is said to be less in size than the. wren. The bill is thick. The upper parts of the body are brown, and the under parts whitish. The tail is forked ; and each feather is tipped with white. The legs are brown. This bird's nest is exceedingly curious ; and is composed of such materials that it is not only edible, but is accounted among the greatest THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. 67 Curious and edible nests. dainties by the Asiatic epicures. It generally weighs about half an ounce ; and is in shape like a half-moon, or, as some say, like a saucer, with one side flatted, which adheres to the rock. The texture somewhat resembles isinglass, or fine gum-dragon : and the several layers of the com- ponent matter are very apparent ; it being fabri- cated from repeated parcels of a soft slimy sub- stance, in the same manner as the martins form their nests of mud. Authors differ much as to the materials of which this nest is composed : some suppose it to consist of sea-worms of the Mullusea class ; others, of the sea-qualm (a kind of cuttle fish), or a glutinous sea-plant called Agal-agal. It has also been supposed that the swallows rob other birds of their eggs ; and after breaking the shells, apply the white of them in the composition of these structures. The best sort of nests, which are perfectly free from dirt, are dissolved in broth, in order to thicken it ; and are said to give it an exquisite flavour. Or they are soaked in water to soften them ; then pulled to pieces ; and, after being mixed with ginseng, are put into the body of a fowl. The whole is then stewed in a pot, \\\. '; a, sufficient quantity of water, and left on the coals all night. On the following morning it is ready to be eaten. These nests are found in vast numbers in cer- tain caverns of various islands in the Soolo Ar- chipelago. The best kind sell in China at from i 2 NATURALISTS CABINET. Description of the nest. one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars the picle, (about 25 pounds) ; the black and dirty ones for only twenty dollars. It is said that the Dutch •alone export from Batavia one thousand picles of these nests every year ; which are brought from the islands of Cochin-China, and those lying east of them. Notwithstanding the many lux- uries imported by us from the East, these nests are yet so scarce in England, that they have not found their way to our tables. Sir George Staunton, in his " Account of the Embassy to China/' gives the following descrip- tion of this bird's nest :•>-# In the Cass (a small island near Sumatra) were found two caverns, running horizontally into the side of the rock ; and in these were a number of those birds'-nests so much prized by the Chinese epicures. They seem to be composed of fine filaments ; cemented together by a transparent viscous matter, not unlike what is left, by the foam of the sea, upon stones alternately covered by the tide, or those gelatinous animal substances found floating on every coast. The nests adhere to each other, and to the sides of the cavern ; mostly in rows, without any break or interruption. The birds that build these nests are small grey swallows, with bellies of a dirty white. They were flying about in considerable numbers ; but were so small, and their flight was so quick, that they escaped the shot fired at them. The same sort of nests are said to be also found in deep caverns THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. G{) Sir George Staunton's account. at the foot of the highest mountains in the mid- dle of Java, at a distance from the sea : from which source it is thought that the birds derive no materials, either for their food, or the con- struction of their nests ; as it does not appear probable they should fly, in search of either, over the intermediate mountains, which are very high, or against the boisterous winds prevailing thereabout. They feed on insects, which they find hovering over stagnated pools between the mountains, and for the catching of which their wide-opening beaks are particularly adapted. They prepare their nests from the best remnants of their food . Their greatest enemy is the kite; who often intercepts them in their passage to and from the caverns, which are generally sur- rounded with rocks of grey limestone, or white marble. The nests are placed in horizontal rows, at different depths, from fifty to five hundred feet. The colour and value of the nests depend on the quantity and quality of the insects caught ; and, perhaps, also on the situation where they are built. Their value is chiefly ascertained by the uniform fineness and delicacy of their tex- ture ; those that are white and transparent being most esteemed, and fetching often in China their weight in silver. " These nests are a considerable object of traf- fic among the Javanese, many of whom are em- ployed in it from their infancy. The birds, after having spent nearly two months in preparing NATURALISTS CABINET. Ceremonies observed for seizing the nests. their nests, lay each two eggs, which are hatch- ed in about fifteen days. When the young birds become fledged, it is thought the proper time to seize upon their nests ; which is done regularly three times a year, and is effected by means of ladders of bamboo and reeds, by which the peo- ple descend into the caverns : but when these are very deep, rope ladders are preferred. This operation is attended with much danger, and several perish in the attempt. The inhabitants of the mountains generally employed in this bu- siness, begin always by sacrificing a buffalo ; which custom is observed by the Javanese on the eve of every extraordinary enterprize. They also pronounce some prayers, anoint themselves with sweet-scented oil, and smoke the entrance of the cavern with gum-benjamin. Near some of the caverns a tutelar goddess is worshipped ; whose priest burns incense, and lays his protect- ing hands on every person preparing to descend. A flambeau is carefully prepared at the same time, with a gum which exudes from a tree growing in the vicinity, and which is not easily extinguished by fixed air or subterraneous va- pours." THE CROWN BIRD, Description. CHAP. III. tv These, far dispersed, on tim'rous pinions fly To sport and flutter in a kinder sky." GOLDSMITH. THE CROWN BIRD. THERE being several of the feathered tribes in different parts of the world with whose figures or manners, naturalists confess themselves almost unacquainted, we shall devote this chapter to a few particulars of them. The crown-bird (with which we shall first be- gin) is a fine stately East India fowl, about the size of an English turkey ; the body is covered with long slender feathers resembling hair, of a dark green colour, with a purplish cast on the sides and back, with a few broad stripes of red upon the wings, tending downwards; the thighs are a sort of buff colour, the claws black. It has a large bluish, or gold-coloured tuft on the top of the head, which grows up in shafts or stalks, with little balls upon the tops, that bear a trifling resem- NATURALISTS CABINET. Mexican crown bird. blmice to an earl's coronet, according to some ; others say it is more like the tuft on the head of a Virginian nightingale. A little above the bill upon the forepart of the head, is a small red comb, and two red marks, resembling ears, on each side of the head ; the bill is short and thick, bending downward, of a yellow colour. This seems to be the bird described by Mr. Tavernier in his travels into India ; great num- bers of which are found in the territories of Cam- baya, Broudra, &c. which in the day-time walk about the fields, but in the night roost upon the trees. The flesh of the young ones, he says, is white and well tasted. In those parts where the Mahometans govern, they may be caught without danger; but in those territories where idolatrous rajahs are masters, it is very dangerous to kill them, or any other bird or animal ; for the ba- nians count it sacrilege, and will severely punish any they can seize. They whipped a Persian merchant to death, and took all his money, to the value of three hundred thousand rupees, for shooting a peacock. The Mexican crown bird has a thick short bill, of a sort of flesh colour, or tawny, with a large crest of green feathers upon the head, which it raises and falls at pleasure. The head, neck, back, breast, and part of the belly and thighs, are of a brownish dusky colour. The four first quill-feathers of the wings are a fine scarlet, the THE CARASOW. 73 Description. last having fine long white marks upon the out- ward web : the rest of the quill-feathers and the tail are purple, as are also the covert and scapular feathers of the wings, with a fine mixture of green, interspersed through the whole. The legs and feet are bluish, or lead colour. It is in size pretty near to that of a fieldfare. Barbot, in his (e Description of his voyage to South Guinea," describes this as a fine bird, of va- rious colours, as white, black, brown, red, sky co- lour, blue, &c. having a long tail, the feathers whereof, he says, the blacks wear on their heads. He describes some of them which are of a gold colour, and others with charming blue tufts on their heads, much in the form of a Virginian nightingale's. THE CARASOW, SO called from a part of the West Indies, from whence it is brought ; the Indians give it the name of the mountain bird, and some travellers call it a wild turkey; it is a bird which is easily made tame and sociable, so as to accompany with other fowls. This beautiful bird is black upon the head and neck, resembling velvet, and has a iiigh crest of curious ruffled black feathers like a half circle, which rises spirally from the top of its head, with a white circle running across them ; these it can erect, or let fall at pleasure. The rest VOL. iv. — NO. 2o. K 74 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Remarks by various authors. of the body, excepting the lower part of it, of the cock/are black; that of the hen rather of a dusky brown ; the tail is black, with four bars of white running across it near the extremity, at equal dis- tances* The bill is thick on the upper mandible, of which there is a round excrescence as big as a hazle nut; the eyes are black, and the legs- pretty long, and the size of its body not a great deal less than a common turkey. M. W.in his " Description of the kingdom of Mosqueto", calls it a small Indian turkey, and fa- tigue. Their dispositions are also in general more harmless, and their habits more pacific. Each species congregates, through mutual attach- ment. They never attack their companions, nor. destroy other birds; and in this great and ami- cable nation, the strong seldom oppress the weak. These birds, in general, have a keen appetite, and are furnished with corresponding weapons. Many species have the inner edges of the bill serrated with sharp in dealings, the better to se- cure their prey : almost all of them are more vo- racious than the land birds; and there are some, as the ducks and gulls, which devour indiscrimi- nately carrion and entrails. Those birds which swim, have palmated and webbed feet ; and such as haunt the shores, have divided feet. The latter are differently shaped f their body being slender and tall : and as their feet are not webbed, they cannot dive nor rest on the water ; they therefore keep near the brink, and, wading with their tall legs among the shallows, they search, by means of their long- neck and bill, for their subsistence among the smaller fish, or in the mud. The amphibious animals occupy the limits between the land and the water, and connect the gradations iii the scale of existence. Mr. Pennant also divides aquatic birds into three orders, those with cloven feet, as the crane N a 100* NATURALIST'S CABINET*. Cloven, finned, and webbed feet. kind ; those with finned feet, as the snipe kind : and those with webbed feet, as the duck kind ; this division, indeed, has some claims to be ob- served as correct, since those belonging to each part have general and distinct properties; far instance, the waders, or cloven-footed water fowls, are in general tall, light and though with long tails and necks, yet well proportioned ; while the web-footed are of a squat make, with a waddling gait ; their legs placed far behind, and the length of their necks out of all proportion. Those with finned feet constitute, as it were, a middle race, being calculated both for swimming and wading, and partake of the nature of both. The cloven-footed lay their eggs on the ground, and make no nests. Those with pinnated feet form large nests in the water or near it ; and the web-footed fowl deposit their eggs sometimes on lofty cliffs, or inaccessible promontories, or else concealed in the rushes, bushes, &c. near the wa- ter. Of the general characteristics of this species a celebrated author has thus ably observed: " The progressions of Nature from one class of beings to another are always by slow and almost imperceptible degrees. She has peopled the woods and the fields with a variety of the most beautiful birds; and to leave no part fof her ex- tensive territories untenanted, she has stocked the •waters with its feathered inhabitants also; she has taken the same care in providing for the wants of her animals in this element, as she ha* AOUATIC BIRDS. 101 General characteristics. done with respect to those of the other : she has used as much precaution to render water-fowl fit for swimming, as she did in forming land-fowl for flight; she has defended their feathers with a natural oil, and united their toes by a vvehhed membrane; by which contrivances they have at once security and motion. But between the classes of land-birds that shun the water, and of water-fowl that aie made for swimming and Jiving on it, she has formed a very numerous tribe of birds, that seem to partake of a middle nature; that, with divided toes, seemingly fitted to live upon land, are at the same time furnished with appetites that chiefly attach them to the waters. These can properly be called neither land-birds ncr water-fowl, as they provide all their sustenance from watery places, and yet are unqualified to seek it in those depths where it is often found in greatest plenty. " The crane kind are to be distinguished from others rather by their appetites than their confor- mation. Yet even in this respect they seem to be sufficiently discriminated by nature : as they are to live among the waters, yet are incapable of swimming in them, most of them have long legs, fitted for wading in shallow waters, or long bills proper for groping in them. " Every bird of this kind, habituated to marshy places, may be known, if not by the length of its legs, at least by the scaly surface of them. Those 102 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Characteristics of the crane kind. who have observed the legs of a snipe or a wood- eock, will easily perceive my meaning; and how different the surface of the skin that covers them is from that of the pigeon or the partridge. Most birds of this kind also, are bare of feathers half way up the thigh ; at least, in all of them, above the knee. Their long habits of wading in the waters, and having their legs continually in moisture, prevent the growth of feathers on those parts ; so that there is a surprising differ- ence between the leg of a crane, naked of feather* almost up to the body, and the falcon, booted al- most to the very toes. " The bill also is very distinguishable in most of this class. It is, in general, longer than that of other birds, and in some finely fluted on every side; while at the point it is possessed of extreme sensibility, and furnished with nerves, for the better feeling their food at the bottom of marshes, where it cannot be seen. Some birds of this class are thus fitted with every conve- nience: they have long legs, for wading; long necks for stooping; long bills, for searching ; and nervous claws, for feeling. Others ape not so amply provided for ; as some have long bills, but legs of no great length ; and others have long necks but very short legs. It is a rule which universally holds, that where the bird's legs are long the neck is also long in proportion. It would indeed be an incurable defect in the bird's AOTJATIC BIRDS. 103 Progress of the incubation. -conformation, to be lifted upon stilts above itt food, without being furnished with an instru* ment to reach it. If we consider the natural power of this class, in a comparative view, they will seem rather in- *ferior to those of every other tribe. Their nests are more simple than those of the sparrow ; and their methods of obtaining food less ingenious than those of the falcon; the pie exceeds them in cunning; and though they have the vora- ciousness of the poultry tribe, they want their fecundity.— None of this kind, therefore have been taken into man's society, or under his pro- tection; they are neither caged, like the night- ingale ; nor kept tame, like the turkey ; but lead a life of precarious liberty, in fens and marshes at the edges of lakes, and along the sea shore. They all live upon fish or insects, one or two only excepted ; even those that are called mud- suckers, such as the snipe and woodcock, it is more than probable, grope the bottom of marshy places only for such insects as are deposited there by their kind, and live in a vermicular state, in pools and plashes, till they take wing, and be- come flying insects. " All this class, therefore, that are fed upon in- sects, their food being easily digestible, are good to be eaten; while those who live entirely upon fish, abounding in oil, acquire in their flesh the rancidity of their diet, and are, in general, unfit for our tables. To savages indeed, and sailors 104 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Conformation of the web- footed. on a long voyage, every thing that has life seems good to be eaten ; and we often find them re- commending those animals, as dainties, which they themselves would spurn at, after a course of good living. Nothing is more common in their journals than such accounts as these. ' This day we shot a fox — pretty good eating : this day we shot a heron — pretty good eating : and thi* day we killed a turtle' — which they rank with the heron and the fox — s as pretty good eating/ Their accounts, therefore, of the flesh of these birds, are not to be depended upon; and when they cry up the heron or the stork of other coun- tries as luxurious food, we must always attend to the state of their appetites, who give the cha- racter." Those who have remarked the feet or toes of a duck, will easily conceive how admirably the- web-footed fowl are formed for making way in the water. When men swim they do not open the fingers, so as to let the fluid pass through them; but closing them together present one broad surface to beat back the water, and thus push their bodies along. What man performs by art, nature has supplied to water-fowl ; and> by broad skins, has webbed their toes together/ so that they expand two broad oars to the water; and thus, moving them alternately with the greatest ease paddle along. We must, observe also, that the toes are so contrived, that as they strike backward, their broadest hollow surface AQUATIC BIRDS. 105 General observations. beats the water ; but as they gather them in again, for a second blow, their front surface con- tracts, and does not impede the bird's progres- sive motion. As their toes are webbed in the most conve- nient manner, so are their legs also made most fitly for swift progression in the water. The legs of all are short, except three, namely, the fla- mingo, the avosetta, and the corrira. Except these, all web-footed birds have very short legs ; and these strike, while they swim, with great facility. Were the leg long, it would act like a lever whose prop is placed to a disadvantage ; its motions would be slow, and the labour of moving considerable. For this reason, the very few birds whose webbed feet are long, never make use of them in swimming ; the web at the bottom seems only of service as a broad base, to prevent them from sinking while they walk in the mud ; but it otherwise rather retards than advances their motion. The shortness of the legs in the web-footed kind, renders them as unfit for walking on land, as it qualifies them for swimming in their natural element. Their stay, therefore, upon land, is but short and transitory ; and they seldom ven- ture to breed far from the sides of those waters where they usually remain. In their breeding seasons, their young are brought up by the water-side ; and they are covered with a warm down, to fit them for the coldness of their situa- VOL. iv. — NO. a/j. o 106 NATURALIST'S CABINET. General observations. tion. The old ones have a closer, warmer plu- mage, than birds of any other class. It is of their feathers that our beds are composed ; as they neither mat nor imbibe humidity, but arc furnished with an animal-oil, that glazes their surface, and keeps each separate. In some, however, this animal-oil is in too great abun- dance; and is as offensive from its smell as it is serviceable for the purposes of household econo- my. The feathers, therefore, of all the penguin kind, are totally useless for domestic purposes ; as neither boiling nor bleaching can divest them of their oily rancidity. Indeed, the rancidity of all new feathers, of whatever water fowl they be, is so disgusting, that our upholsterers give near double the price for old feathers that they afford for new : to be free from smell, they must all be lain upon for some time ; and their usual method is to mix the new and the old together. The quantity of oil, with which most water fowl are supplied, contributes also to their warmth in the moist element where they reside. Their skin is* generally lined with fat ; so that, with the warmth of the feathers externally, and this natu- ral lining more internally, they are better de- fended against the changes or the inclemencies of the water, than any other class whatever. THE STORK. 107 Description. CHAP. V. " It was a female Stork whose mind Show'd all the mother, bravely kind, In trial's fiercest hour : This bird had bless'd Batavia's lot, High-nested on a fisher's cot, As stedfast as a tow'r." MAYLEY. i THE STORK. OF this bird we shall confine ourselves to the most remarkable species which is the white stork, the length of which is about three feet. The bill is nearly eight inches long, and of a fine red co- lour. The plumage is wholly white ; except the orbits of the eyes, which are bare and blackish : some of the feathers on the side of the back and on the wings are black. The skin, the legs, and the bare part of the thighs, are red. The white stork is semi-domestic : haunting towns and cities; and in many places stalking unconcernedly about the streets, in search of offal and other food. They remove the noxious o «' 108- NATURALIST'S CABINET. Utility — Mildness — Gaiety of one. filth, and clear the fields of serpents and reptiles. On this account they are protected in Holland, and held in high veneration by the Mahomedans; and so greatly respected were they in times of old by the Thessalonians, that to kill one of these birds was a crime expiable only by death. Bellonius tells us that " the storks visit Egypt in such abundance, that the fields and meadows are white with them. Yet the Egyptians are not displeased with this sight; as frogs are generated in such numbers there, that did not the storks de- vour them, they would overrun every thing. Besides, they also catch and eat serpents. Be- tween Belba and Gaza, the fields of Palestine are often desert on account of the abundance of mice and rats : and, were they not destroyed, the in- habitants could have no harvest/' The disposition of this bird is mild, neither shyA nor savage : it is an animal easily tamed ; and may be trained to reside in gardens, which it will clear of insects and reptiles. It has a grave air, and a mournful visage: yet, when roused by example, it shews a certain degree of gaiety ; for it joins the frolics of children, hopping and play- ing with them : " I saw in a garden (says Dr. Hermann) where the children were playing at hide-and seek, a tam,e stork join the party ; run in its turn when touched; and distinguish the child whose turn it was to pursue the rest, so well, as along with the others, to be on its guard." See the annexed engraving. THE STORK. 109 Remarkable affection — Sagacity. The ancients ascribed many moral virtues to the stork ; as temperance, conjugal fidelity, and filial and paternal piety: its manners are such as were likely to attract peculiar attention from them. It bestows much time and care on the education of its young, and does not leave them till they have strength sufficient for defence and support. When they begin to flutter out of the nest, the mother bears them on her wings ; she protects them from danger, and will sometimes perish rather than forsake them. A celebrated story is current in Holland : that when the city of Delft was on fire, a female stork in vain at- tempted several times to carry off her young ones ; and finding that she was unable to effect their escape, remained herself in order to share their fate. This extraordinary circumstance fur- nished Mr. Hayley with the subject of that bal- lad, from which the motto to the present chapter is extracted. In " Letters on Italy" is the following anecdote which affords a singular instance of sagacity ia this bird. A wild stork was brought by a farmer, in the neighbourhood of Hamburgh, into his poultry-yard, to be the companion of a tame one he had long kept there; but the tame stork dis- liking a rival, fell upon the poor stranger, and beat him so unmercifully, that he was compelled to take wing, and with some difficulty escaped. About four months afterwards, however, he re- turned to the poultry-yard, recovered of his 110 NATURALISTS CABINET. Peculiar habits. wounds, attended by three other storks who no sooner alighted than they all together fell upon the tame stork and killed him. Storks are birds of passage, and observe great exactness in the time of their autumnal departure from Europe to more favourite climates. They pass a second summer in Egypt and the marshes of Barbary : in the former country they pair; and lay again, and educate a second brood. Before each of their migrations, they rendezvous in amazing numbers. They are for a while much in motion among themselves; and after making several short excursions, as if to try their wings, all on a sudden take flight with great silence, and with such speed, as in a moment to be invisible. During their migrations, they are seen in yast flocks. Shaw saw three flights of them leaving Egypt, and passing over Mount Carmel, each half a mile in breadth ; and he says they were three hours in passing over. Storks are seldom seen farther north than Swe- den : and though they have scarcely ever been met within England, they are so common in Hol- land as to build every where on the tops of the houses, where the good-natured inhabitants pro- vide boxes for them to make their nests in ; and are careful that the birds suffer no injury, always resenting this as an offence committed against themselves. Storks are also common at Aleppo and in plenty at Seville, in Spain. At Bagdad, hundreds of their nests are said to be seen about 5 • THE HERON. Ill Description. the houses, walls, and trees ; and at Persepolis, or Chilmanar, in Persia, the remains of the pil- lars serve them to build on, " every pillar having ai nest on it/' as we read in Fryer's travels. THE HERON. THE common heron, which is very frequent in these kingdoms, is about three feet three inches in length. The bill is six inches long, and of a dusky colour. The feathers of the head are long, and form an elegant crest. The neck is white ; the fore part marked with a double row of black spots. The general colour of the plumage is a blue grey ; with the bastard wing, and greater quills, black. The middle of the back is almost bare, and covered by the loose feathers of the scapulars; the feathers of the neck also hang loose over the breast. On each side, under the wing they are black. The legs are of a dirty green, and the inner edge of the middle claw is serrated. The female has no crest, and the fea- thers on the breast are short. The different parts in the structure of the he- ron are admirably adapted to its mode of life. It has long legs for the purpose of wading : a long neck, answerable to these, to reach its prey in the water ; and a wide throat to swallow it. Its toes are long, and armed with strong hooked talons ; one of which is serated on the edge, the 112 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Admirable structure for taking its prey. better to retain the fish. The bill is long and sharp ; having serratures towards the point, which stand backwards ; these, after the prey is struck, act like the barbs of a fish-hook, in de- taining it till the bird has time to seize it with the claws. Its broad, large, concave, and ap- parently heavy wings for so small a body, are of great use in enabling it to carry its load to the nest, which is sometimes at a great distance. Dr. Derham tells us, that he has seen lying scattered under the trees of a large heronry, fishes of several inches in length, which must have been conveyed by the birds from the dis- tance of several miles : and D'Acre Barret, Esq. the owner of this heronry, saw a large eel that had been conveyed thither by one of them, not^ withstanding the inconvenience that it must have experienced from the fish writhing and twisting about. The body of the heron is very small, and always lean ; and the skin is said to be scarcely thicker than what is called goldbeaters'- This, of all the birds that are known, is one of the most formidable enemies to the scaly tribe. There is, in fresh waters, scarcely a fish, however large, that he will not strike at and wound, though unable to carry it oflf : but the smaller fry are his chief subsistence : these, pur- sued by their larger fellows of the deep, are obliged to take refuge in shallow waters, where they find the heron a still more formidable ene- •THE HERON. 115 Method of seizing a fish. iny. His method is to wade as far as he can go into the water, and there patiently wait the ap- proach of his prey ; into which, when it comes within his sight, he darts his bill with inevitable aim. Willoughby says he has seen a heron that had no fewer than seventeen carp in his belly at once; these he would digest in six or seven hours, and then go to fishing again. " I have seen a carp (adds that writer) taken out of a he- ron's belly, nine inches and a half long. Some gentlemen who kept tame herons, to try what quantity one of them would eat in a day, have put several smaller roach and dace in a tub ; and they have found him eat fifty in a day, one day with another. In this manner a single heron will destroy fifteen hundred store carp in a single half year." This bird, though he usually takes his prey by wading into the water, frequently also catches it while on wing : but this is only in shallow waters, where he is able to dart with more certainty than in the deeps ; for in this case, though the fish does, at the first sight of its enemy, descend, yet the heron, with his long bill and legs, instantly pins it to the bottom, and thus'seizes it securely. In this manner, after having been seen with its long neck for a minute under water, he will rise upon the wing with a trout or an eel struggling in his bill. The greedy bird, however, flies to the shore, scarcely gives it time to expire^ bui VOL. iv.— NO. 2,5. P 114 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Patience in cold and stormy seasons. swallows it whole, and then returns again to hi§ fishing. Heron-hawking was formerly a favourite di- version in this kingdom ; and a penalty of twenty shillings was incurred by any person taking the eggs of this bird. Its flesh was also in former times much esteemed, being valued at an equal rate with that of the peacock. In seasons of fine weather, the heron can al- ways find a plentiful supply, bul in cold and stormy seasons, his prey is no longer within reach ; the fish that in the first case come into the shallow water, then keep in the deep, as they find it to be the warmest situation. Frogs and lizards also seldom venture *from their lurking places ; and the heron is obliged to support him- self upon his long habits of patience, and even to take up with the weeds that grow upon the water. At those times he contracts a consump- tive disposition, which succeeding plenty is not able to remove ; so that the meagre glutton spends his time between want and riot, and feels alternately the extremes of famine and excess. Hence, notwithstanding the care'with which he takes his prey, and the amazing quantity he de- vours, the heron is always lean and emaciated ; and though his crop be usually found full, yet hU flesh is scarce sufficient to cover the bones. As- this bird does incredible mischief to ponds »«wly stocked, Wi Hough by has suggested a THE HERON. 115 IV)"i-*.-d plan tor taking him. method for taking him. f( Having found his haunt, get three or four small roach or dace, and having provided a strong hook with a wire to it, this is drawn just within side the shin of the fish, beginning without side the gills, and running it to the tail, by which the fish will not be killed, but continue for five or six days alive. Then having a strong line made or silk and wire, about two yards and a half long, it is tied to a stone at one end., the fish with the hook being suffered to swim about at the other. This being properly disposed in shallow water, the heron will seize upon the fish to its own destruction. From this method we may learn that the fish must be alive, otherwise the heron will not touch them, and that this bird, as well as all those that feed upon fish, must he its own caterer; for they will not prey upon such as die naturally, or are killed by others before them." Though this bird live chiefly among pools and marshes, yet its nest is built on the tops of the highest trees, and sometimes on cliffs hanging over the sea. Sometimes as many as eighty have been in one tree. They are never in flocks when they fish, committing their depredations in solitude and silence; but in making their nests they love each other's society ; and they are seen, like rooks, building in company with flocks of their kind. Their nests are made of sticks, and lined with wool ; and the female lays four or five eggs of a pale green colour. The observable p 2 Jl(5 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Esteemed by the French as a delicacy. indolence of their nature, however, is not less seen in their nestling than in their habits of de- predation. Nothing is more, certain than that they will not be at the trouble of building a nest when they can get one made by the rook, or deserted by the owl, already provided for them. This they usually enlarge and line within, driving off the original possessors should they happen to re- new their claims. These birds, if taken young, may be tamed ; but when the old ones are captured, they soon pine away, refusing every kind of nourish- ment. The French avail themselves of the indolence of this bird, and provide a place with materials fitted for their nestlings, which they call heron- ries. The heron, though considered by the English as unfit for the table, is sought for in France, where the flesh of the young ones is in particular estimation. It is therefore for the purpose of procuring them with more ease, that they raise up high sheds along some fishy stream; and furnishing them with materials, the herons nestle, build, and breed there in great abun- dance. As soon as the young ones are supposed lo be fit, the owner of the heronry takes, and carries off such as are proper for eating ; and these are sold for a very good price to the neigh- bouring gentry. " These are a delicacy which, (M. Buffo n says) the French are very fond of, but which strangers have not yet been taught to THE HERON. 117 Assiduity in providing tor their young. relish as they ought." Nevertheless it was for- merly esteemed as a food in England, and made a favourite dish at great tables. It was then said that the flesh of a heron was a dish for a king ; at present nothing about the house will touch it but a cat. The herons, therefore, not being considered as worth the trouble of pursuing upon any ac- count whatever, are seldom sought after or dis- turbed in their retreats, which, excepting when in search after prey, are commonly in almost inaccessible heights. Their nests are often found in great numbers in the middle of large forests, and in some groves nearer home, where the own- ers have a predilection for the bird, and do not chuse to drive it from their accustomed habi- tations. It is certain that by their cries, their expansive wings, their hulk, and wavy motion, they add no small variety to the forest, and so- lemnity to the scene. When the young are excluded, as they are numerous, voracious, and importunate, the old ones are for ever upon the wing to provide them with sustenance. The quantity of fish they take upon this occasion is amazing, and their size is not less to be wondered at. Of their assiduity in providing for their young, an instance is given of a heron's nest that was built near a school- house, to which some of the boys climbed up, took down the young ones, sewed up the vent, and laid them in the nest as before. The pain. NATURALIST'S CABINET. Longevity — Brown heron. the poor little animals felt from the operation in- creased their cries ; and this but served to in- crease the diligence of the old ones in enlarging their supply. Thus they heaped the nest with various sorts of fish and the best of their kind ; and as their young^ screamed they flew off for more. The boys gathered up the fish, which the young ones were incapable of eating, till the old ones at last quitted their nest, and gave up their brood, whose cravings they found it impos- sible to satisfy. The heron is said to be a very long-lived bird ; .by Mr. Kepsler's account it may exceed sixty years; and by a recent instance of one that was taken in Holland, by an hawk belonging to the stadtboldev, its longevity is again confirmed, the bird having a silver plate fastened to one leg, with an inscription, importing, that it had been struck by the elector of Cologne's hawks thirty- five years before. The brown heron has the upper part of the - head, neck, and back, and also the sides of the wings, of a dark ash-colour; the scapular feathers have generally white tips with a sort of black stroke on each side of the wings, the quill-fea- thers of a more dark colour, very much inclining to black, except the extreme edges, which are white; the breast, neck, and upper part of the belly, are of a pale white, sprinkled with black ; the lower part of the belly darkish ash, and the thighs of a yellowish cast ; the tail is a dark ash, THE HETION. 119 Blue heron — Bird mentioned by Leo. and the extreme feathers six or seven inchet long. The blue heron is about the size of the com- mon one, is supposed to weigh upwards of three pounds, and is about a yard from the tip of the bill to the end of the toes ; the bill is in size and colour, much the same as the former, only the upper part is a little hooked at the point. It has a fine crest of feathers on the top of the head, which appears of a bluish sky colour; the side of the head from the bill and under part of the eyes are white, the covert and scapular feathers of the wings are of a pale blue, the quill-feathers black, with their outmost edges blue; the rest of the body is of a bluish sort of lead colour, it has yellowish feet, with very long toes, the middle claw cerated. This is a curious and very uncom- mon bird. John Leo. in his African history, gives an ac- count of a fowl which, by his description, very much resembles the heron', only its bill, neck, and legs are somewhat shorter ; in flying up, he says, it mounts out of sight, but descends with a jirk when it spies a dead carcase; it lives very long: nay, many of this kind live till age be- reaves them of all their feathers, upon which they return to their nest, and are nourished by the, younger birds. They nestle upon high rocks, and the tops of unfrequented mountains, espe- cially upon mount Atlas, where those who arc acquainted with such places come and take thciu. 120 NATURALIST'S Description — Nests — Food. The Italians have taken it for a bird of prey, but this author seems of another mind. A Brasiliart bird called the soco seems also, in every respect^ to resemble the lesser heron. THE CRANE. THIS large bird, measures upwards of five feet in length. The bill is above four inched long. The plumage is, in general, ash-coloured J but the forehead is black; and the sides of the head, behind the eyes, and the hind part of the neck, are white ; on the upper part of the neck there is a bare ash-coloured space of two inches; and above this the skin is bare and red, with a few scattered hairs. Some parts about the wings are blackish: from the pinion of each wing springs an elegant tuft of loose feathers, curled at the ends; which may be erected at will, but which, in a quiescent state, hangs over and co- vers the tail. The legs are black. This species is met with in numerous flocks in all the northern parts of Europe. It is said that they make their nests in marshes, and lay twa blueish eggs. They feed on reptiles of all kinds, and on some kinds of vegetables; while the corn is green, they are said to make such havock a* to ruin the farmers, wherever the flocks alight. The cranes are migratory; returning north- ward to breed in the spring, (where they gene- 3 THE CRANE. Nocturnal expeditions — Presages. rally make choice of the places which they oc- cupied the preceding season,) and in the winter inhabiting the warmer regions of Egypt and India. They fly very high ; and arrange them- selves in the form of a triangle, the better to cleave the air. When the wind freshens, and threatens to break their ranks, they collect their force into a circle; and they adopt the same dis- position .when the eagle attacks them. Their migratory voyages are chiefly performed in the night ; but their loud screams betray their course. During these nocturnal expeditions the leader frequently calls to rally his forces, and point out the track ; and the cry is repeated by the flock, each answering, to give notice that it follows and keeps its rank. The flight of the crane is always supported uniformly, though it is marked by different in- flections: and these variations have even been observed to indicate the change of weather ; a sagacity that may well be allowed to a bird,, which, by the vast height to which it soars, is enabled to perceive the distant alterations and motions in the atmosphere. Its cry, during the day, forebodes rain; and its noisy tumultuous screams announces a storm. If, in a morning or evening it rise upwards, and fly peacefully in a body, it is a sign of fine weather ; but if it keep low, or alight on the ground, this menaces a tempest. When the cranes are assembled on the ground, they are said to set guards during VOL. iv. — NO. '25. o NATURALIST'S CABINET. Sentinels to denote danger. the night ; and the circumspection of these birds has been consecrated in the ancient hierogly- phics as the symbol of vigilance. According to Kolben, they are often observed in large flocks on the marshes about the Cape of Good Hope. He says, he never saw a flock of them on the ground that had not some placed, apparently, as sentinels, to keep a look out, while the others were feeding ; arid these, on the ap- proach of danger, immediately gave notice to the rest. These sentinels stand on one leg; and, at intervals, stretch out their necks, as if to observe that all is safe. On notice being given of dan- ger, the whole flock are in an instant on the wing. Kolben also adds, that in the night-time each of the watching cranes, which rest on thei$ left legs, " hold in the right claw a stone of con* siderable weight ; in order that, if overcome by sleep, the falling of the stone may awake them!" The crane, like all other large birds (except the rapacious tribe), has much difficulty in com- mencing its flight. It runs a few steps ; opens its wings ; and then, having a clear space, dis- plays its vigorous and rapid pinions. Cranes are seen in France in the spring and autumn ; but are, for the most part, merely pas- sengers. It is said that they formerly visited the marshes of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire IIL vast flocks, but none have of late been met witb. Their flesh is black, tough, and bad. THE GIGANTIC CRANE. 123 Description — Utility. THE GIGANTIC CRANE. THIS is a very large species ; measuring, from tip to tip of the wings, nearly fifteen feet. The bill is of a vast size, nearly triangular, and six- teen inches round at the base. The head and neck are naked, except a few straggling curled hairs. The feathers of the back and wings are of a bluish ash-colour, and very stout; those of the breast are long. The craw hangs down the fore part of the neck like a pouch. The belly is covered with a dirty-white down ; and the upper part of the back and shoulders aa*e surrounded with the same. The legs and half the thighs are naked ; and the naked parts are full three feet in length. This bird is an inhabitant of Bengal and Cal- cutta, and is sometimes found on the coast of Guinea. It arrives in the internal parts of Ben- gal before the period of the rains, and retires as soon as the dry season commences. Its aspect is filthy and disgusting, yet it is one of the most useful birds of these countries, in clearing them of snakes and noxious reptiles and insects. It seems to finish the work begun by the jackal and vulture: they clearing away the flesh of animals, ^ind these birds removing the bones by swallow- ing them entire. They sometimes feed on fish : and one of them will generally devour as much as would serve four men. On opening the body " 124 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Supposed to be invulnerable. of a gigantic crane, a land tortoise ten inches long, and a large bhick male cat, were found en- tire within it ; the former in the craw, and the latter in its stomach. Being altogether un- daunted at the sight of mankind, they are soon rendered familiar; and when fish or other food are thrown to them, they catch them very nim- bly, and immediately swallow them whole. The gigantic cranes are believed by the Indi- ans to be animated by the souls of the Brah- mins, and consequently to be invulnerable. They are held in the highest veneration both by the Indians and Africans. Mr. Ives, in attempting to kill some of them with his gun, missed his shot several times ; which the by-standers ob- served with the greatest satisfaction, telling him triumphantly that he might shoot at them as long as he pleased, but he would never be able to kill them. This very probably is the species mentioned by Mr. Smeathman, as being seen by him in Africa. He describes it as full seven feet high, and appearing at a distance not unlike a " grey- headed man :" on the middle of the neck before was a long conic membrane, like a bladder, co- vered very sparingly with short down, and rising or falling as the animal moved its beak, but always appearing inflated. Gigantic cranes are found in companies; and when seen at a distance, near the mouths of rivers, coming towards an observer (which they THE BITTERN. 127 Habits — Precautions — Intrepidity. The bittern is a very retired bird ; dwelling chiefly among the reeds and rushes of exten- sive marshes, where it leads a solitary life, hid equally from the hunter whom it dreads, and the prey that it watches. It frequently conti- nues for whole days about the same spot, and seems to look for safety only in privacy and in- action. In the autumn it changes its abode; always commencing its journey or change of place at sunset. Its precautions for concealment and security seem indeed altogether directed by care and circumspection. It usually sits in the reeds with its head erect ; by which means, from the great length of the neck, it sees over their tops, without being itself perceived by the. sportsman. Its principal food during summer consists of fish and frogs ; but in the autumn in resorts to to the woods in pursuit of mice, which it seizes with great dexterity, and always swallows whole. About this season it usually becomes very fat. The bittern, in its general disposition, is not so stupid as the heron, but it is much more fero- cious. When caught, it exhibits much rancor, and strikes chiefly at the eyes of its antagonist. Pew birds make so cool a defence; it is never itself the aggressor ; but, if once attacked, it fights with the greatest intrepidity. If darted on by a bird of prey, it does not attempt to escape ; but, with its sharp beak erected, receives the shock on the point, and thus compels its enemy NATURALIST'S CABINET. Modes of defence — Extraordinary noise. to retreat, sometimes with a fatal wound. Old buzzards never attempt to attack the bittern ; and the common falcons always endeavour to rush upon it behind, while it is on the wing. When wounded by the sportsman, this bird often makes a severe resistance. It does not re- tire ; but waits his onset, and gives such vigorous pushes with his bill, as to wound the leg even through the boot. Sometimes it turns on its back, like the rapacious birds, and fights with both its bill and claws. When surprised by a dog, it is said always to throw itself in this pos- ture. Mr. Markwick once shot a bittern in frosty weather : it fell on the ice, which was just strong enough to support the dogs, and they im- mediately rushed forward to attack it ; but being only wounded, it defended itself so vigorously that the dogs were compelled to leave it, till it was fired at a second time and killed. During the months of February and March, the males make a kind of deep lowing noise in the mornings and evenings. It is impossible for words to give those who have not heard this evening call an adequate idea of its solemnity. It is like the interrupted bellowing of a bull, but more hollow and louder, and is heard at a mile's distance, as if issued from some formidable being that resided at the bottom of the waters. This extraordinary noise, is produced by a loose mem- brane, situated at the divarication of the trachaea, capable of great extension, which can be filled THE BITTERN 129 Suppositions — Nests — Eggs. with air and exploded at pleasure. The noise was formerly believed to be made while the bird plunged its bill into the mud ; hence the poet so that scarce The bittern knows his time with bill ingulph'd To shake the sounding marsh. But it has been since discovered, that however, awful and dismal these bellowing explosions may seem to us, they are among themselves, the de- lightful calls to courtship and connubial felicity. (s I remember," says a modern author, " in the place where I was a boy with what terror this bird's note affected the whole village; they con- sidered it as the presage of some bad event ; and generally found or made one to succeed it. I do not speak ludicrously: but if any person in the neighbourhood died, they supposed it could not be otherwise, for the night-raven had foretold it; but if nobody happened to die, the death of a cow, or a sheep, gave completion to the pro- phecy." The nests are formed in April, among rushes; and almost close to the water, though out of its reach: they are simple habitations, chiefly com- posed of the leaves of water-plants and dry rushes. The female lays four or five greenish brown eggs, and sits on them for about twenty- five days. The young, when hatched, are naked and ugly, appearing almost all leirs and neck ; VOL. iv. — NO. 2/5. R 130 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Anecdote — Flavour of its flesh. they do not venture abroad till about twenty days after extrusion. During this time the parents feed them with snails, small fish or frogs. It is said that the hawks, which plunder the nests of most of the marsh-birds, seldom dare to attack those of the bittern, on account of the old ones being always on their guard to defend their offspring. We are informed by Latham, that a female bittern, that was killed during the frost in winter, was found to have in her stomach several warty lizards, quite perfect, and the remains of some toads and frogs. These were supposed to have been taken out of the mud, under shallow water, in the swamp where the bird was shot. In the reign of Henry the Eighth, the bittern was held in great esteem at the tables of the great. Its flesh has much the flavour of hare, and is far from being unpleasant : even now the poulterers value this bird at about half-a-gui- nea. It is consequently much sought for by the fowler, and being a heavy slow-winged bird. does not often escape him. Indeed it seldom rises but when almost trod upon, and seems to seek protection rather from concealment, than flight. At the latter end of autumn, however, in the evening, its wonted indolence appears to for- sake it: It is then seen rising in a spiral ascent till it is quite lost from the view, and makes, at the same time a singular noise, very different from its former boomings. The hind-claw, which 5 THE AVOSETTA. Description. is /remarkably long, was once supposed a grand preservative for the teeth ; and was often set in silver, and used as a tooth-pick. THE AVOSETTA. THIS bird is principally fpund near Milan in Italy ; frequently at Rome, and sometimes on the eastern coasts of Suffolk and Norfolk, in the winter. The body is about the size of .a pigeon, but very slender made, and tall, being from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, fourteen inches long, and weighs about nine ounces ; its beak is black, flat, and sharp at the end, hooking upwards, which is peculiar to this bird only, about four inches long ; the tongue short and not cloven. It has a fine stately pace, or way of walking; its head is not large, but round, and black on the top, and a little way down the back part of the neck ; the body en- tirely white on the under side, the back and co- vert feathers white, spotted with dusky brown spots; the legs long, of .a lovely bright azure co- lour, bare of feathers above the knees, the claws black, and very small ; it has a back toe, which is also small. From its being bare of feathers above the knee, we may naturally conclude, that it lives by wading in the waters, and that it has also sonre affinity R & 1 32 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Chief characteristics — Corrira. to the crane kind, by its slender figure ; yet, from them it differs in one most essential characteris- tic, namely, that of being web-footed like the duck. Johnson says, that it has a chirping, pert note ; but of its other habits, he gives us not the smallest account, and whi«h, indeed, still remain unknown. From all the circumstances that have hitherto been collected, the Corrira of Aldrovandus seems to be related to the above ; but of this, yet less is known than of the former, and all the informa- tion we have is from that author, who says, it has the longest legs of all web-footed fowls, ex- cept the flamingo and avosetta; that the bill is straight,, yellow, and black at the ends ; that the pupils of the eyes are surrounded with two circles, one of which is bay, and the other white : below, near the belly, it is whitish ; the tail, with two white feathers, black at the extremities; and that the upper part of the body is of the colout of rusty iron. THE WATER OUZEL, CALLED also the water rail, is in size some- what less than the blackbird. Its bill is black, and almost straight. The eye-lids are white. The upper parts of the head and neck are of a deep brown ; and the rest of the upper parts, the THE WATER OUZEL. 133 Singular habits — Herbert's account. belly, vent, and tail, are black. The chin, the fore-part of the neck, and breast, are white or yellowish. The legs are black. The water-ouzel frequents the banks of springs and brooks, which it never leaves ; preferring the limpid streams whose fall is rapid, and whose bed is broken with stones and fragments of rocks. The habits of the water-ouzel are very singu- lar. Aquatic birds, with palmated feet, swim or dive; those which inhabit the shores, without wetting their body, wade with their tall legs ; but the water-ouzel walks quite into the flood, fol- lowing the declivity of the ground. It is ob- served to enter by degrees, till the water reaches its neck; and it still advances, holding its head not higher than usual, through completely im- mersed. It continues to walk under the water ; and even descends to the bottom, where it saun- ters as on dry land. M. Herbert communi- cated to the Comte de Buffon the following ac- count of this extraordinary habit. " I lay concealed on the verge of the lake Nan- tua, in a hut formed of pine-branches and snow ; where I was waiting till a boat, which was rowing on the lake, should drive some wild ducks to the water's edge. Before me was a small inlet, the bottom of which gently shelved, that might be about two or three feet deep in the middle. A water-ouzel stopped here more than an hour, and I had full leisure to view its manoeuvres. It en- tered into the water, disappeared, and again 134 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Where found — Nest — Eggs. emerged on the other side of the inlet, which it thus repeatedly forded. It traversed the whole of the bottom/ seemed not to have changed its element, and discovered no hesitation or re- luctance in the immersion. However, I per- ceived several times, that as often as it waded deeper than the knee, it displayed its wings, and allowed them to hang to the ground. I remarked too, that when I could discern it at the bottom of the water, it appeared enveloped with air, which gave it a brilliant surface; like some sort of bee- tles, which in water are always inclosed in a bub- ble of air. Its view in dropping its wings on en- tering the water, might be to confine this air ; it was certainly never without some, and it seemed to quiver. These singular habits were unknown to all the sportsmen with whom I talked on the subject; and, perhaps, without the accident of the snow-hut in which I was concealed, I should also have for ever remained ignorant of them ; but the above facts 1 can aver, as the bird came quite to my feet, and that I might observe it I refrained from killing it. See the annexed engraving. Water-ouzels are found in many parts of Eu- rope. The female makes her nest on the ground, in some mossy bank near the water, of hay and -dried fibres, lining it with dry oak-leaves, and forming to it a portico or entrance of moss. The eggs are five in number ; white, tinged with a fine blush of red. A pair of these birds, which bad for many years built under a small wooden THE WATER OU2EL. 135 Interesting remarks. bridge in Caermarthenshire, were found to have a nest early in May : this was taken, but it con- tained no eggs, although the bird flew out of it at the time. In a fortnight after, they had com- pleted another nest in the same place, inclosing five eggs, which was taken : and in a month af- ter this, a third nest, under the same bridge, was taken, that had in it four eggs ; undoubtedly the work of the same birds, as no others were seen about that part. At the time the last nest was taken, the female was sitting ; and the instant he quitted it she plunged into the water, and disap- peared for a considerable time, till at last she emerged at a great distance down the stream. At another time, a nest of the water-ouzel was* found in a steep projecting bank (over a rivulet) clothed with moss. The nest was so well adapted to the surrounding materials, that nothing but one of the old birds flying in with a fish in its bill could have led to the discovery. The young were nearly feathered, but incapable of flight ; and the moment the nest was disturbed, they flut- tered out and dropped into the water, and, to the astonishment of the persons present, instantly vanished, but in a little time re-appeared at some distance down the stream ; and it was with diffi- culty that two out of the five were taken. This bird will sometimes pick up insects at the edge of the water. When disturbed, it usuallr flirts up its tail, and makes a chirping noise. Its £36 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description. song in spring is said to be very pretty. In some places it is supposed to be migratory. THE WATER HEN, OR GJLLINULE, THE COOT. THIS race is considered by naturalists as the tribe wbich unites the web-footed kind with those of the crane species ; for although they have long legs and necks like the latter; yet by being fur- nished with a slight membrane between their toes,, they are enabled, to swim like the former ; the principal of them are the water-hen, or gallinule, and the coots; these, though placed in different classes by those who are fond of nice distinctions, may be said, perfectly to resemble each other in -figure, feathers, and habits ; they both have long legs, with thighs almost bare of hair or fea- thers ; their necks are rather long in proportion ; their wings short, as are their bills which are very weak ; their general colour black, and their fore- head bald and without feathers. Such are their similarities; and their slight differences are first in size, the water-hen weighing but fifteen ounces and the coot twenty-four. The bald part of the forehead in the coot is black, in the water-hen it in of a pink colour. The toes of the water-hen THE WATER HEN. 13? Similar tp the coot. are edged with a straight membrane ; those of the coot have it scolloped and broader. In shape and figure their differences are very trifling, and, if possible, in their manner of living, still less ; therefore the history of one will serve for both. As birds of the crane kind are furnished with long wings, and easily change place, the water-hen, whose wings are short, is obliged to reside entirely near those places where her food lies: she cannot take those journies that most of the crane kind are seen to perform ; compelled by her natural imperfections, as well perhaps as by inclination, she never leaves the side of the pond or the river in which she seeks for provision. Where the stream is selvaged with edges, or the pond edged with shrubby trees, the water-hen is generally a resident: she seeks her food along the grassy banks; and often alon£ the surface of the water. And it has been judiciously remarked by Goldsmith, that " with Shakespear's Edgar, she drinks the green mantle of the standing pool ; or, at least, seems to prefer these places where it is seen. Whether she makes pond- weed her food, or hunts among it for water-insects which are found there in great abundance, is not certain ; but I have seen them when pond-weed was taken out of their stomach." She builds her nest upon low trees and shrubs, of sticks and fibres, by the water side. Her eggs are sharp at one end, white, with a tincture of green spotted with red. She lays twice or thrice in a summer; her young V-OI,. IV. — NO. 25. S 158 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Habits of the water-hen and coot. Ones swim the moment they leave the egg, pursue their parent, and imitate all her manners. She rears, in this manner, two or three broods in a season; and when the young are grown up, sh« drives them off to shift for themselves. As the coot is a large bird, it is always seen in larger streams, and more remote from mankind. The water-hen seems to prefer inhabited situa- tions : she keeps near ponds, motes, and pools of water near gentlemen's houses; but the coot "keeps in rivers, and among rushy margined lakes. It there makes a nest of such weeds as the stream supplies, and lays them among the reeds, floating on the surface, and rising and sailing with the Water. The reeds among which it is built keep it fast, so that it is seldom washed in the middle of the stream. But if this happens, which is sometimes the case, the bird sits in her nest, like a manner in his boat, and steers with her legs her cargo into the nearest harbour; there, having attained her port, she continues to sit in great tranquillity, regardless of the force of the cur rent ; and though the water penetrates her nest, she hatches her eggs in that wet condition. The water-hen never wanders; but the coot sometimes swims down the current, till it even reaches the sea. In this voyage these birds en- counter a thousand dangers; as they cannot fly far, they are hunted by dogs and men ; as they never leave the stream, they are attacked and de- stroyed by otters ; they are preyed upon by kites THE OYSTER-CATCHER. 139 Description, and falcons; and they are taken in still greater numbers, in weirs made for catching fish ; for these birds are led into the nets, while pursuing small fish and insects, which are their principal food ; and in this instance it has been observed, that " animated nature affords a picture of uni- versal invasion ! Man destroys the otter, the otter destroys the coot, the coot feeds upon fish, and fish are universally the tyrants of each other J* THE OYSTER-CJTCHER IS a bird very common on the western shores and sea coasts of South Wales ; it generally weighs about half a pound ; its bill is of an orange colour, and about two inches and a half long, ending in a sharp point, the upper part being a little longer than the under; the eyes and the edges of their lids are of a fine red ; the quill- feathers, head, and all the upper parts of the body down to the middle of the breast are black ; except a crescent of white which runs along the throat; the belly, rump, and most of the covert feathers are white; the lower part of the tail is white; but the tips of the tail feathers are all en- tirely black ; the legs and the feet are of a ye\- .lovvish red, and the middle and outermost toes are united by a slight kind of membrane. This bird has been called sea-pie, entirely from living on the sea-shores, and its colours being so s 2 f40 NATURALISTS CABINET Food — Rankness — Varieties. suddenly contrasted from black to white ; and it has been also named oyster-catcher, from the fa- cility with which it takes that fish: for this pur- pose, whenever it comes near a parcel of them, it patiently watches round until one opens its shells, which is instantly perceived by the bird, who with amazing quickness thrusts in its beak, and almost instantaneously separates the oyster therefrom ; besides oysters it feeds upon limpets, and almost all kinds of shell fish ; but notwithstanding they make these the principal part of their food,its flesh is rank, and very ill-flavoured. THE PHALAROPE. THERE are three varieties. The common one perfectly resembles the sand-piper, except the scolloped membranes on the toes; they are small birds, scarcely ever weighing above an ounce. The grey phalarope has the upper parts of the plumage ash-coloured, varied a little with brown and white, and the breast and belly white. The red phalarope only differs from the former, in having the upper parts of the plumage of a deep lead colour, striped with a dusky yellow, and the under parts of a dusky red. They are not very common birds but are sometimes found in the marshy parts of the country. THE GREBE. ' 141 Description — Maternal affection. THE GREBE. THIS is larger than either the oyster-catcher or phalarope-j and its plumage is white andhlack; it differs also in the shortness of its legs, which are inade for swimming, and not walking; iri fact, they are from the knee upward hid in the 'belly of the bird, and have consequently very little mo- tion. By this mark, and by the scolloped fringe of the toes, may this bird be easily distinguished from all others. As they are thus, from the shortness of their wings, ill formed for flying, and from the uncom- mon shortness of their legs, utterly unfitted for walking, they seldom leave the water, but usually frequent those broad shallow pools where the fa- culty of swimming can be turned to the greatest advantage, in fishing and seeking their prey. They are chiefly, in this countiy, seen to fre- quent the meres of Shropshire and Cheshire; where they breed among reeds and flags, in a floating nest, kept steady by the weeds of the mar- gin. The female is said to be a careful nurse of its young, being observed to feed them most as- siduously with small eels; and when the little brood is tired, the mother will carry them, either on her back or under her wings. This bird preys upon fish, and is almost perpe- tually diving. It does not shew much more than the head above water; it is very difficult to be shot, as it darts down on the appearance of the 142 NATURALISTS CABINET Remarkable habits. least danger. It is never seen on land ; and though disturbed ever so often, will not leave that lake where alone by diving and swimming, it can find food and security. It is chiefly sought for the skin of the breast, the plumage of which is of a most beautiful silvery white, and as glossy as satin. This part is made into tippets; but the skins are out of season about February, losing their bright colour; and in breeding time their breasts are entirely bare. There are a great number of varieties of the grebe enumerated, but the most beautiful is the cared grebe, which is a native of Siberia ; it is about the size of a teal, and is distinguished by a tuft of orange-coloured feathers,, which shoot out from the side of each eye. THE WOODCOCK. 143 Description. CHAP. VI. -The gun Glanc'd just and sudden, from the fowler's eye, O'ertakes their sounding pinions ; and again Immediate, brings them from the tow'ring wing, Dead to the ground ; or drives them wide dispers'd, Wounded, and wheeling various, down the wind," THOMSON. THE WOODCOCK. , commonly termed the snipe genus, is reckoned to include thirty species, of which the woodcock is considered the head. It is not quite so large as the partridge, being from the point of each wing, when extended, about two feet, and weighs about eleven, but sometimes twelve ounces ; the bill is straight, and about three inches long, the upper part falling a little over the under at the tip end ; the back, and all the under parts of the body partake of a great variety of colours ; the back part of the head inclining to black, with little cross bars that appear like a sort of shell work ; and between the eye and the bill, |44 NATURALISTS CABINET. Delightful appearance — Remarkable nerves. a black line on each side ; nearer to the bill, it is more reddish, the whole beautifully variegated with red, black, grey, and ash-colour, which viewed to- gether makes a very delightful appearance ; the breast and belly are mc*e grey, with a variety of transverse pal« and brown lines. The sides of the wings are crossed with various red bars, like those on the head, with a few pale or whiter fea- thers, interspersed upon each ; the under parts of the wings are a mixture of grey and brown, with a variety of crossed or waved lines. The tail is about three inches long, the upper part of the tips cinereous or brown, the under white, which when it raises its tail, as it frequently does while feeding, is often discovered by those feathers. The legs and feet are of a dusky pale colour; and the claws, which are very small, black. Woodcocks, according to their name, fre- quent woods, and woody places, where there are rivulets ; they are very often found also on the sides of banks, near watry ditches, and in small brambles and coverts, where they feed amongst slime and earth ; from whence Mr. Willoughby says they draw small shell fish, worms, and other insects ; but Mr. Durham is of opinion that they feed chiefly on the fatty unctuous humour they suck out of the earth, for which purpose he says they have remarkable nerves reaching to the end of their bills, peculiarly appropriated to the pur- poses of insertion and suction. They go out in the evening, feeding, and flying, principally in 5 THE WOODCOCK. 145 Arrival and Departure. the night, and generally return in the same direc- tion, or through the same glades, to their day re- treat. These birds of passage during summer, inhabit Norway, Sweden, Lapland and other northern countries, where they breed. As soon, however, as the frosts commence they retire southward to milder climates. They arrive in Great Britain in flocks, some of them in October, but not in great numbers till November and December. They generally take advantage of the night, being sel- dom seen to come before sun-set. The time of their arrival depends considerably on the prevail^ ing winds ; for adverse gales always detain them ; not being able to struggle with the boisterous squalls of the northern ocean. After their arri- val in bad weather, they have often been seen so much exhausted as to allow themselves to be seized by the hand when they alighted near the coast. The greater part of the woodcocks leave this country about the latter end of February or the beginning of March, always pairing before they set out. They retire to the coast, and if the wind be fair, set out immediately ; but if contrary, they are often detained in the neighbouring woods and thickets for some time. In this crisis the sportsmen are alert, and the whole surrounding country echoes the discharge of guns : seventeen brace have been killed by one person in a day* But if they are detained long on the dry heaths, VOL. iv. — NO. 26. T 146 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Sporting remarks. they become so lean as to be scarcely eatable. The instant a fair wind springs up, they seize the opportunity; and where the sportsman has seen hundreds in one day, he will not find even a sin- gle bird the next. This bird, being a very clumsy waddling walker, (as is the case with every kind of fowl having short legs and long wings) when flushed, rises heavily from the ground, and makes a consider- able noise before he can gather wind sufficient for flight. If found in a rushy spot, a ditch, or a hedge-row, from whence he is obliged to present an open mark, he frequently slowly skims over the ground, and is very easily shot, as, indeed, is the case elsewhere, provided only obstruction do not arise from intervening branches of trees and boughs of underwood, which in cock and covert shooting, must always be expected. Woodcocks may be found as well with pointers as with spaniels, (the pointers being hunted in the covert with bells) but cock-shooting with spaniels is almost universally preferred as it is more enlivening to hear the spaniels occasionally in quest, than to pur- sue so pleasing a scene with the solemnity of si- lence. Very few woodcocks breed in England ; and perhaps in those that do, it may be owing to their having been so wounded by the sportsmen in the winter, as to be disabled from taking their long journey in spring. They build their nests on the ground, generally at the root of some tree ; and THE WOODCOCK. 14? Observations. lay four or five eggs, about the size of those of a pigeon, of a rusty colour, and marked with brown spots. They are remarkably tame during incu- bation : a person who discovered a woodcock on its nest, often stood over, and even stroked it ; notwithstanding which, it hatched the young, and in due time disappeared with them. A single bird was observed to remain in a cop- pice belonging to a gentleman in Dorsetshire through the summer. The place, from its shady .and moist situation, was well calculated to main- tain it; yet by degrees it lost almost all its feathers, so that for some time it was not able to fly, and was often caught; but in the autumn it reco- vered its feathers and strength, arid flew away. It has been remarked in England, that for se- veral years past, woodcocks have become very scarce. This seems to be easily accounted for. Sweden, like other countries, is making a gradual progress in the arts of luxury; among which the indulgence of the palate fills no undistinguished place. The eggs of wild-fowl have of late become a great delicacy among the inhabitants of that country, who encourage the boors to find out their nests. The eggs of the woodcock they are particularly fond of; and the boors offer them in large quantities for sale, in the market of Stock- holm. From this practice it is not improbable that the breed, not only of this bird, but of several of the species of grous,will be greatly diminished, if not at last totally extirpated, T 2 148 NATURALIST'S CABINET. How taken — Description. The inhabitants o£, the North of Europe, to whose forests the woodcocks retire in the sum- mer, never eat them ; esteeming their flesh un- wholesome, from the circumstance of their having no crops. In Lancashire, great numbers of woodcocks are taken in traps in moonlight nights. Long parallel rows of stones and slicks, about four or five inches, are made on the commons which they frequent. In these rows several intervals or gateways are left, in which the traps are placed. When the bird, running about in search of food, comes to one of these rows, he will not cross it, but runs along the side tiil he comes to a gateway ; which he enters, and is then taken. THE GOD WIT IS about sixteen inches in length, and weighs from ten to twelve ounces; its bill is near as long as that of the woodcock, of a palish red towards the base, and black at the point, the upper man- dible something longer than the lower, the tongue is sharp, the ears open, and large. The feathers upon the head are of a light brown or reddish colour, with their middle parts black, but about the eyes of a more pale or yel- lowish tincture; the neck and breast are pretty much of the same colour with the head, only in- terspersed with transversed black lines, edged with a pale yellow. THE GREEN-SHANK. 149 Description. The large wing feathers are black, the shafts white, with a broad bar of white running along the middle of the three first feathers ; the rest of the row, and those also of the next have reddish ash- coloured edges and tipt; the lesser covert fea* thers are of the same colour as the body. The tail feathers are alternately crossed with black and white lines. The legs of a dusky greenish colour, and the claws black. They feed by the sea-side upon sandy shores ; down like the gull. The throat and neck of the hen are grey, and the rump white, speckled or powdered with blackish spots. They are in some places called the stone plover. THE GREEN-SHANK. THIS is not so common as the godwit ; it is about fourteen inches in length ; the bill two inches and a half long. The plumage on the upper parts is a brown ash colour ; on the lower parts white ; and it has a broad white stroke ex- tending from the bill to the eye: the legs are green, whence it takes its name. It has the same manners and character as the godwit, and has also a white line over the eye: but does not weigh more than half as much. 150 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description. THE RED-SHANK WEIGHS about five ounces and an half, and is twelve inches long. The bill is two inches, red at the base, and black towards the point. The head, neck, and scapulars are dusky ash-colour, obscurely spotted with black : the back is white, spotted with black : the breast is white, streaked with dusky lines. When its nest is in danger, it makes a noise somewhat similar to that of the lapwing. THE SNIPE, FROM the point of the bill to the end of the tail, is about twelve inches, and from the point of each wing when extended about fifteen or six- teen, the head is divided by a pale and red line, which runs longways, parallel to which on each side is a black line, and over the eyes there runs another line pretty much of the same colour of that on the middle of the head; it has a white place under the bill. The feathers that spring from the shoulders are so long that they reach almost as far as the end of the tail, the outward half from the shaft being of a pale red. The colours thus succeeding each other, make two THE SNIPE. 151 Whole snipe — Jack — Winter-shooting. lines down the back, the covert feathers of which are dusky with white transverse lines, and white tips on some of the large wing feathers, the lesser feathers being of a mixed colour of red, black, and grey, beautifully variegated with white and brown lines : the tail feathers are more red, with black lines running across them. The bill is black at the tip, and near three inches long, the tongue is sharp, the eyes of a hazel colour. The legs are of a pale greenish colour, the toes pretty long and the talons black. There are two sorts, but they frequent the same places, subsist on the same food and are frequently found near to each other. The larger is called the whole snipe, and the smaller the jack. The flesh is exceedingly good, sweet, and ten- der; it feeds in drains of water springs, and other fenny places, on worms and other insects, and upon the fat unctious humour that it sucks out of the earth. Snipes are well known to the sporting world in winter shooting; a jack snipe is not very easily killed, at least by an indifferent shot, of which some proof was recently given by a gen- tleman of Easthampstead, in Windsor Forest, who very warmly entertained his friend with a description of a jack snipe he had found upon the heath, which had afforded him sport for six weeks; and he did not at all doubt but he would NATURALISTS CABINET. Birds of passage— Varieties. serve him for sport during the season, if he were not taken off by frost ; and what was still more convenient, he always knew where to find him within a hundred yards of the place. Snipes are birds of passage, supposed to breed principally in the lower lands of Switzerland and Germany; though some (particularly the jacks) remain and breed in the fens, and marshy swamps of this country, where their nests and eggs are frequently found. They lay four or five eggs. They arrive here sooner or later in the autumn, regulated in respect to time, by the wind and weather; but never appear till after the first rains, and leave this country in the spring, as soon as the warmer sun begins to absorb or ex- hale the moisture from the earth, and denote the approach of summer. THE SANDPIPER. THERE are at least forty varieties of this genus; among which, besides the two following articles, are the knot, the puno, the turnstone> and the dunlin. The sandpiper is a small bird, seldom exceed- ing the size of a thrush, at least in England, and some of them are^not bigger than a sparrow. In the milder climates there are larger species, such as the green, the spotted, the red, and the gam- THE RUFF AND REEVE Description. bol sandpipers, many of which have been seen as large as pigeons. The sandpiper of England weighs about two ounces ; it has a brown head, streaked with black, the back and coverts, brown, mixed with a glossy green, and the breast and belly quite white. The bill is straight and slender, about an inch and a half long; the nostrils small, and the tongue slender. The toes are divided or slightly connected at the base by a membrane; the hinder toe is short and weak. The whole of this tribe have a shrill pipe, or whistle, from which they derive their name, and which they constantly make use of. THE RUFF AND REEVE. THE ruff, which is of the sandpiper tribe, is about a foot in length, with a bill of about an inch. The face is covered with yellow pimples; and the back part of the head and neck are fur- nished with long feathers, standing out some- what like the ruff worn by our ancestors ; a few of these feathers stand up over each eye, and appear not unlike ears. The colours of the ruffs are in no two birds alike : in general they are brownish, and barred with black ; though some have been seen that were altogether white. The lower parts of the belly an^ the tail coverts are VOL. iv. — NO. 26. u 154 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Birds of passage — Easily taken. white. The tail is tolerably long, having the four middle feathers barred with black ; trie others are pale brown. The legs are of a dull yellow, and the claws black. The female, which is called the reeve, is smaller than the male, of a brown colour, and destitute of the ruff on the neck* The male bird does not acquire his ruff till the second season, being till that time in this respect like the female : as he is also from the end of June till the. pairing season, when nature clothes him with the ruff, and the red pimples break out on his face ; but after the time of incubation the long feathers fall off, and the caruncles shrink in under the skin so as not to be discerned. These are birds of passage ; and arrive in the fens of Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely, and the East Hiding of Yorkshire, in the spring, in great num- bers. It is not known with certainty in what countries they pass their winter. Mr. Pennant tells us, that in the course of a single morning there have been above six dozen caught in one net : and that a fowler has been known to catch between forty and jifty dozen in a season. The ruffs are much more numerous than the reeves, and they have many severe contentions for their mates. The male chuses a stand on some dry bank, near a splash of water, round which he runs so often as to make a bare circular path t the moment a female comes in sight, all the THE RUFF AND REEVE. 1.5.5 Contentious spirit. males within a certain distance commence a ge- neral battle; placing their bills to the ground, spreading their ruff, and using the same action as a cock : and this opportunity is seized by the fowlers, who, in the confusion, catch them, by means of nets, in great numbers ; yet even in captivity, their animosity still continues. This bird is so noted for its contentious spirit, that it has obtained the epithet of the fighter. In the beginning of spring, when these birds ar- rive among our marshes, they are also observed to engage with desperate fury against each other. An erroneous opinion prevails very generally, that ruffs, when in confinement, must be fed in the dark, lest the admission of light should set them to righting. The fact is, that every bird, even when kept in a room, takes its stand, as it would in the open air ; and if another invade its circle, a battle ensues. A. whole roomful of them may be set into fierce contest by compel- ling them to shift their stations ; but after the disturber has quitted the place, they have beeli observed to resume their circles, and become again pacific. In confinement their, quarrels originate in the circumstance of the pan contain- ing their food not being sufficiently large to admit the whole party to feed without touching each other. When the food has been divided into several pans, the birds have continued per- fectly quiet. U 2 156 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Manners. The reeves lay four eggs, in a tuft of grass, about the beginning of May; and the young are hatched in about a month. THE LAPWING, OR PEE-WIT. THIS bird is about the size of a common pi- geon, and is covered very thick with plumes, which are black at the roots, but of a different colour on the outward part. The feathers on the belly, thighs, and under the wings, are most of them white as snow; and the under part on the outside of the wings white, but black lower. It has a great liver, divided into two parts, and, as some authors affirm, no gall. Lapwings are found in most parts of Europe, as far northward as Iceland. In the winter they are met with in Persia and Egypt. Their chief food is worms; and sometimes they may be seen in flocks nearly covering the low marshy grounds in search of these, which they draw with great dexterity from their holes. When the bird meets with one of these little clusters of pellets, or rolls of earth, that are thrown out by the worm's perforations ; it first gently removes the mould from the mouth of the hole, then strikes the ground at the side with its foot, and steadily and attentively waits the issue: the reptile, alarmed by the shock, emerges from its retreat, THE LAPWING. 157 Mode of obtaining worms. and is instantly seized. " To ascertain this cir- cumstance/' says M. Baillon, " I emploj-ed the same stratagem: in a field of green corn, and in the garden,, I beat the earth for a short time, and [ saw the worms coming out. I pressed down a stake, which I then turned in all directions to shake the soil; this method succeeded still quicker; the worms crawled out in crowds,, even at the distance of a fathom from the stake." In the evening the lapwings pursue a different plan : they run along the grass, and feel under their feet the worms, which now come forth invited by the coolness of the air. Thus they obtain a plentiful meal; and afterwards wash their bill and feet in the small pools or rivulets. " I have seen this bird," says Dr. Latham, f( approach a worm-cast, turn it aside, and, after making two or three turns about, by way of giv- ing motion to the ground, the worm came out, and the watchful bird, seizing hold of it, drew it forth." These birds make a great noise with their wings in fl} ing, and are called pce-wits in the North of England, from their particular cry. They remain here the whole year. The female lays two eggs on the dry ground, near some marsh; upon a little bed which she prepares of dry grass. These are olive-coloured, and spotted with black. She sits about three weeks; and the young, who are covered with a thick down, 158 Amusing stratagems. are able to run within two- or three days after they are hatched. The parent exhibits the greatest attachment to them ; and the arts used by this bird to allure boys and dogs from the place where they are running, are extremely amusing. She does not wait the arrival of her enemies at the nest, but boklly pushes out to meet them. When as near as she dare venture, she rises from the ground with a loud screaming voice, as if just flushed from hatching, though probably at the same time not within a hundred yards of her nest. She now flies with great clamour and apparent anxiety; whining and screaming round the invaders, striking at them with her wings, and sometimes fluttering as if she was wounded. To complete the deception, she becomes still more clamorous as she retires from the nest. If very near, she appears altogether unconcerned ; and her cries cease in proportion as her fears are augmented. When approached by dogs, she flies heavily, at a little distance before them, as if maimed; still vociferous, and still bold, but never offering to move towards the quarter where her young are stationed. The dogs pursue in expectation every moment of seizing the parent, and by this means actually lose the young; for the cunning bird, having thus drawn them off to a proper distance, exerts her powers, and leaves her astonished pur- suers to gaze at the rapidity of her flight. THE LAPWING. 159 Curious anecdote. The following anecdote, which was communi- cated to Mr. Bewick by the Rev. J. Carlyle, and is here illustrated by an engraving, exhibits the domestic nature of the lapwing; as well as the art with which it conciliates the regard of animals materially differing from itself, and ge- nerally considered as hostile to every species of the feathered tribe. Two lapwings were given to a clergyman, who put them into his garden ; one soon died, but the other continued to pick up such food as the place afforded, till winter de- prived it of its usual supply. Necessity soon compelled it to draw nearer the house; by which it gradually became familiarized to occasional interruptions from the family. At length one of the servants, when she had occasion to go into the back-kitchen with a light, observed that the lapwing always uttered his cry of " pee-zoit" to obtain admittance. He soon grew more fami- liar: as the winter advanced, he approached as far as the kitchen ; but with much caution, as that part of the house was generally occupied by a dog and a cat, whose friendship, however, the lapwing at length conciliated so entirely, that it was his regular custom to resort to the fireside as soon as it grew dark, and spend the evening and night with his two associates, sitting close by them, and partaking of the ' comforts of the warmth. As soon as spring appeared, he discon- tinued his visits to the house, and betook himself to the garden ; but on the approach of winter he 160 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Familiarity — Description. had recourse to his old shelter and friends, who received him very cordially. Security was pro- ductive of insolence; what was at first obtained with caution, was afterwards taken without re- serve : he frequently amused himself with washing in the bowl which was set for the dog to drink out of; and while he was thus employed, he shewed marks of the greatest indignation if either of his companions presumed to interrupt him. He died in the asylum he had thus chosen, being ehoaked with something that he picked up from the floor. These birds are accounted very delicate eating, the flesh being tender and well tasted. THE DOTTEREL. The dotterel is about ten inches in length, and weighs about four ounces. The bill is not quite an inch long, and is black. The forehead is mottled with brown and grey: the top of the head is black ; and over each eye there is an arched line of white, which passes to the hirrd part of the neck. The cheeks and throat are white ; the back and wings are of a light brown inclining to olive, each feather margined with pale rust colour. The fore part of the neck is surrounded by a broad band of a light olive co- lour, bordered below with white. The breast is ef a pale dull orange ; the middle of the belly THE DOTTEREL. 16l Singular in manners — Simplicity. black ; and the rest of the belly and the thighs are of a reddish white. The tail is olive brown, black near the end, and tipped with white ; and the outer feathers are margined with white. The legs are of a dark olive* The colours of the female are less vividi These are migratory birds: appearing in flocks of eight or ten, about the end of April; and staying all May and June, when they become very fat, and are much esteemed for the table. They are found in tolerable plenty in Cam- bridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire; but in other parts of the kingdom they are scarcely known. They are supposed to breed among the mountains of Westmoreland and Cumberland. The dotterel is not only a very singular bird in its manner, but also very foolish, as it may be taken by the most simple artifice. The country people are said sometimes to go in quest of it, in the night, with a lighted torch or candle: and the bird, on these occasions, will mimic the ac- tions of the fowler with great archness. When he stretches out an arm, it stretches out its wing; if he move a foot, it moves one also ; and every other motion it endeavours to imitate. This is the opportunity that the fowler takes of entang- ling it in his net. Willoughby, however, cites the following case : " Six or seven persons usually went in company to catch dotterels. When they found the bird, they set their nets in VOL. iv. — NO. '26. x 162 NATURALIST'S CABINET. , /"•'-' ' : "5 White's description. ah advantageous place: and each of them hold- ing a stone in either hand., they got behind it, and striking the stones often one against the other, roused it from its natural sluggishness, and by degrees drove it into the net." The more certain method of the gun has of late nearly su- perseded both these artifices. THE LONG-LEGGED PLOffiR. THE following very pleasing description of this bird is given by Mr. White. " In the last week of April 1779* five of these most rare birds (which are too uncommon to have ail English name, but are known to natu- ralists by the terms himantopus, or loripes, or eharadrius hiinantopus) were shot upon the verge of Frensham-pond ; a large lake belonging to the bishop of Winchester, and lying between Woolmer-forest and the town of Farnham, in the county of Surrey. The pond- keeper says there were three brace in the flock ; but that after he had satisfied his curiosity, lie suffered the sixth bird to remain unmolested. " One of these specimens I procured ; and fomid the length of the leers to be so extraordi- O O nary> that at first sight one might have supposed the shanks had been fastened on, to impose on the beholder: they were legs in caracatwa ; and THfi LONG-LEGGED PLOVER. 16$ Uncommon length of its legs. had we seen such proportions on a Chinese or Japan screen, we should have made large allow- ance for ihefayicy of the draughtsman. " These birds are of the plover family* and might with propriety be called the stilt: plovers; \ My specimen, when drawn and stuffed with pep- per, Weighed only four ounces and a quarter, though the naked part of the thigh measured three inches and a half. Hence we may safely assert, that these birds exhibit weight for inches, and have incomparably the greatest length of legs of any known bird. The Flamingo, for instance, is one of the most long-legged birds, and yet it bears no manner of proportion to the himanto~ pus: for acock flamingo weighs,, at an average, about four hundred pounds avoirdupois; and his legs and thighs measure usually about twenty laches. But four pounds are fifteen times and a fraction more than four ounces and a quarter; and if four ounces and a quarter have eight inches of legs, four pounds must have one hundred and twenty inches and a fraction of legs, or some- what more than ten feet; such a monstrous pro- portion as the world never saw !" Here the Rev. Mr. BingLey remarks, that Mr. White appears to have calculated the weights of these birds un- fairly ; the plover after it was stuffed, and the flamingo from a perfect bird ; which, in the com- parison of weights, will make a difference ex- tremely material. " I|7' continues Mr. White, " w* try the ex* x 3 164 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Remarks — Description. periment in still larger birds, the disparity would increase. It must be matter of great curiosity to see the stilt plover move; to observe how it can wield such a length of lever with such feeble muscles as the thighs seem to be furnished with. At best, one should expect it to be but a bad walker : but what adds to the wonder is, that it has no back toe. Now, without that steady prop to support its steps, it must, theoretically, "be liable to perpetual vacillations, and seldom able to preserve the true centre of gravity. " These long-legged plovers are birds of South Europe, and rarely visit our island; and when they do, are wanderers and stragglers, and im- pelled to make so distant and northern an excur- sion from motives or accidents for which we are not able to account." This bird is common in Egypt and the warmer parts of America, where it feeds on flies and other insects; but it is very rare in England, THE GREEN PLOVER IS much ajbout the same size as the lapwing, and has a short round black bill, sharp at the end, and a little hooked. The tongue, which fills all the lower chap of- the bill, is triangular at the tip, horny underneath, and turns a little up. The feathers of the back and wings are , thick set with transverse spots of a yellowish THE GREY PLOVER. 1-65 Where found — Food — Description. green colour; the breast is brown, spotted with yellowish green ; and the belly white. It has no hind claw or spur. These birds are found in France, Switzerland, Italy, and in most countries of England in all which places they are esteemed a choice dish, their flesh being very tender, and of an exceeding agreeable flavour. They feed chiefly upon worms ; though some authors have affirmed they live, like the grasshopper, upon nothing but dew. This bird was called paradalis 03' the ancients, from its beautiful spots, which somewhat resemble those of the leopard. THE GREY PLOFER IS about the bigness of the former ; but the bill is somewhat longer and thicker, and it has a very small hind claw or spur. The head, back, and lesser feathers of the wings, are black, with tips of a greenish grey. The breast, belly, and thighs are white, as are also the feathers under the bill ; and the throat is spotted with brown or dusky spots. The tail is very short, insomuch that the wings exceed it in length. The flesh of this bird is very tender and deli- cate, and no less esteemed than that of the for- mer. 166 NATUBALIST'S CABINET. Description*. r • THE RINGED PLOVER ^t: -.;": • .^ >-!''< '•''"* f flp!*'t£ ft*19 Descriptions. THE. JABIRU AND JABIRU GUACU. THESE are both birds of the crane kjiid, and natives of Brasil. The bill of the latter is red, and thirteen inches long; the bill of the former is black* and is found to be eleven. Neither of them, however, are of a size proportioned to their immoderate length of bill. The jabiru guacu is not above the size of a common stork, while the jabiru with the smallest bill exceeds the size of a swan. They are both covered with white fea- thers, except the head and neck, which are naked: and their principal difference is in the size of the body and the make of the bill; the lower chap of the jabiru guacu being broad, and bending upwards. THE ANHIMA. THIS is a water-fowl of the rapacious kind, and bigger than a swan. The head, which is small for the size of the body, bears a black bill, which is not above two inches long; but what distinguishes it in particular is a horn growing from the forehead as long as the bill ; and bend- ing forward like that of the fabulous unicorn of the ancients. This horn is not much thicker than a crow-quill, as round as if it were turned hi a lathe, and of an ivory colour. But this is VOL. iv. — NO. 26. Y 170 NATURALISTS CABINET. Triangular spurs — Cry- — Fidelity. nqt the only instrument of battle this formidable bird carries; it seems to be armed at all points; for at the forepart of each wing, and the second joint, spring two straight triangular spurs, about as thick as one's little finger : the foremost of these goads or spurs is above an inch long; the hinder is shorter, and both of a dusky colour. The claws are also long and sharp; the colour is black and white; and they cry terribly loud, sounding something like " vyhoo, vyhoo." They are never found alone, but always in pairs ; the cock and hen prowl together; and their fidelity is said to be such, that when one dies, the other never departs from the carcase, but dies with its companion. It makes its nest of clay, near the bodies of trees, upon the ground, of the shape of an oven. This bird is also a native of Brasil. THE NUMIDI4N WHICH from the peculiarity of its manners, is vulgarly called by our sailors the buffoon bird* and by the French, the mademoiselle, or lady. The same qualities have procured it these differ- ent appellations from two nations, who, on more occasions than this, look upon the same objects in very different lights. The peculiar gestures and contortions of this bird, are extremely sin- gular; and the French, who are skilled in the arts of elegant gesticulation, consider all its motions fHE SPOONBILL. 1?1 Peculiar gestures — Description. as ladylike and graceful. Our English sailors, however, who have not entered so deeply into the dancing art, think, that while thus in motion, the bird cuts but a very ridiculous figure. It stoops, rises, lifts one wing, then another, turns round, sails forward, then back again ; all which highly diverts our seamen ; not imagining, per- haps, that all these contortions are but the auk- ward expressions, not of the poor animal's plea- sures, but its fears. It is a very scarce bird ; the plumage is of a leaden grey; but it is distinguished by fine white feathers, consisting of long fibres, which fall from the back of the head, about four inches long ; while the fore part of the neck is adorned with black feathers, composed of very fine, soft, and long fibres, that hang down upon the stomach, and give the bird a very graceful appearance. It comes from that country from whence it has taken its name. The ancients have described a buffoon bird, but there are many reasons to believe that theirs is not the Numidian crane. THE SPOONBILL. THE European spoonbill is about the bulk of a crane; but the latter is above four feet high, while the former is seldom more than three. The common colour of those of Europe is a dirty white; but those of America are of a beautiful Y 2 17'2 NATURALIST'S CABINET*. Splendid plumage — Deformed figure. rose-colour, or a delightful crimsons Beauty of plumage seems, to be the prerogative of all the birds of that continent; and we here see the most splendid tints bestowed on a bird, whose figure is sufficient to destroy the effects of its co- louring; for its bill is so oddly fashioned, and its eyes so stupidly staring, that its fine feathers only tend to add splendor to deformity. The bill, which in this bird is so very particular, is about seven inches long, running out broad at the end, as its name justly serves to denote; it is of a red colour, like the rest of the body. All round the upper chap there runs a kind of rim, with which it covers that beneath ; and as for the rest, its cheeks and its throat, are without feathers, and covered with a black skin. This bird seems to lead a life entirely like that of the crane kind ; its toes are divided, and it feeds among waters upon frogs, toads, and ser- pents ; of which, particularly at the Cape of Good Hope, they destroy great numbers. The inhabitants of that country hold them in as much esteem as the ancient Egyptians did their bird ibis : it runs tamely about their houses; and they are content with its society, as an useful though an homely companion. They are never killed; and indeed they are good for nothing when they are dead, for the flesh is unfit to be eaten. These birds breed in Europe, in company with the heron, in high trees ; and in a nest formed of the same materials. They lay from three to THE FLAMINGO. 173 Observations. five eggs, white, and sprinkled with a few san- guine or pale spots. Willoughby tells us, that in a certain grove, at a village called Seven Huys, near Leyden, they build and breed yearly in great numbers. In this grove also, the heron, the bittern, the cormorant, and the shag, have taken up their residence, and annually bring forth their young together. Here the crane kind seems to have formed their general rendezvous ; and, as the inhabitants say, every sort of bird has its several quarter, where none but their own tribe are permitted to reside. Of this grove the peasants of the country make good profit. When the young ones are ripe, those that farm the grove, with a hook at the end of a long pole, catch hold of the bough on which the nest is built, and shake out the young ones ; but some- times the nest and all tumble down together. THE FLAMINGO. NOTWITHSTANDING the flamingo is web-footed like birds of the goose kind, its height, figure, and appetites render it more of the crane species. With a longer neck and leg» than any other of the crane kind, it seeks its food by wading among waters, and only differs from all of this tribe in the manner of seizins; its O prey ; the heron makes use of its claws, but the flamingo uses only its bill, which is strong and ]?4 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Delicacy of its flesh. -- 1 — i thick for the purpose, the claws being useless, as they are feeble, and webbed* This bird is the most remarkable of all the crane kind, being not only the tallest, but the most bulky and handsome. The body, which is of a beautiful scarlet, is not bigger than that of a swan ; but its legs and neck are of such an ex*- traordinary length, that when it stands erect, it is upwards of six feet high. Its wings, extended, are five feet six inches from tip to tip, and it is four feet eight inches from beak to tail. The head is round and small, with a large bill, seven inches long; partly red, partly 'black, and crooked like a bow. The legs and thighs, which are not much thicker than a man's finger, are about two feet eight inches high ; and its rieek near three feet long. The feet (as before observed) are not furnished with sharp claws, as in others of the crane kind, but feeble, and united by membranes, as in those of the goose. Of what use these membranes are does not appear, as the bird is never seen swimming, its legs and thighs being of sufficient length for wading into those depths where it seeks for prey. This bird was formerly found in great plenty on all the coasts of Europe, but it is now seen only in the retired parts of America. Its beauty, size, and the peculiar delicacy of its flesh, have been such temptations to take or destroy it, that it has long since deserted the shores frequented by man, and taken refuge in countries that are THE FLAMINGO. 175 Orderly retreats — Albiu's remarks. as yet but tliinly peopled. In these solitary re- gions, the flamingo lives in a state of society, and seemingly under a better polity than any other of the feathered creation, as has frequently been observed by those who have traversed that ex- tensive continent; and who, in those extensive journies have taken repeated notice of the good order preserved in their retreats at the approach of man, whom they then consider as an enemy, by invading their territories, and in which they Jive in peace and security. Mr. Albin tells us, that when the Europeans who first went to America, coasted down along the African coasts, they found the flamingos on se- veral shores on both continents, gentle, and no ways distrustful of mankind. They had long been used to security, in the extensive solitudes they had chosen ; and knew no enemies but those they could very well evade or oppose. The ne- groes and the native Americans, were possessed but of few destructive arts for killing them at a distance ; and when the bird perceived the arrow, it well knew how to avoid it. But it was other- wise when the Europeans first came among them ; the sailors, not considering that the dread of fire- arms was totally unknown in that part of the world, gave the flamingo the character of a fool- ish bird, that suffered itself to be approached and shot at. When the fowler had killed one, the rest of the flock, far from attempting to fly, (only regarded the fall of their ppinpanion in a NATURALIST'S CABINET Peculiar manners — Vigilance. kind of fixed astonishment : another and another shot was discharged ; and thus the fowler often. levelled almost the whole flock, before one of them began to think of escaping. Experience, however, taught them better ; at present it is very different, for the flamingo is not only one of the scarcest, but of the shyest birds in the world, and the most difficult of approach. See the engraving. They chiefly keep near the most deserted and inhospitable shores; near salt-water lakes, and swampy islands. They come down to the banks of rivers by day ; and often retire to the inland, mountainous parts of the country at the approach of night. When seen by mariners in the day, they always appear drawn up in a long close line of two or three hundred together, like a regiment of soldiers ; or, as Dampier says, they present, at the distance of half a mile, the exact repre- sentation of a long brick wall. Their rank, how- ever, is broken when they seek for food; but they always appoint one of the number as a •watch, whose only employment is to observe and give notice of danger, while the rest are feeding. As soon as this trusty sentinel perceives the re- motest appearance of danger, he gives a loud scream, with a voice as shrill as a trumpet, and instantly the whole cohort are upon the wing. They feed in silence; but, upon this occasion, all the flock are in one chorus, and fill the air with intolerable screams. Their food consists THE FLAMINGO. 177 Remarks by Daiupier, Labat, and Buffon. principally of small fish, and water insects. These they take by plunging the bill and part of the head into water, and from time to time tram- pling the bottom with their feet to disturb the mud, in order to raise up their prey. In feed- ing, they twist their neck in such a manner, that the upper part of the bill is applied to the ground ; but of this we shall treat, hereafter. Notwithstanding Dam pier, and others, assert, that the flamingo at present avoids the human race with the most cautious timidity, it is cer- tainly not from any antipathy to man that they shun his society, for in some villages, as Labat declares, along the coast of Africa, the flamingos come in great numbers to make their residence among the natives. There they assemble by thousands, perched on the trees, within and about the villages; and are so very clamorous, that the sound is heard at near a mile distance. The ne- groes are fond of their company; and consider their society as a gift of heaven, and a protection from accidental evils. They feed, protect, and endeavour to render them every possible assist- ance. " But my countrymen," says M. de Buf- fon, " who are admitted to this part of the coast, cannot, without some degree of discontent, see such quantities of game, and that of the most delicate kind, remain untouched, and rendered useless by the superstition of the. natives; they therefore take every opportunity of killing them, when they find themselves unobserved, and at a VOL. iv. — NO. 26. z I?S NATURALIST'S CABINET Manners when ensnared. convenient distance from the villages; but they find it very necessary to hide them in the long grass, if they perceive any of the negroes ap- proaching; for they would probably stand a chance of being ill treated, if the blacks disco- vered their sacred birds were thus unmercifully treated, and destroyed for the purpose of indulg- ing the appetites of their visitors." Before they became so exceedingly shy, and even now in some part of Africa, they are fre- quently shot by the mariners on the coasts, who also not unoften are enabled to catch their young, although they run exceedingly fast. Labat says, that he has frequently taken them with nets, pro- perly extended round the places they breed in. When their long legs are entangled in the meshes, they are then unqualified to make their escape: but they still continue to combat with their de-< stroyer, and the old ones, though seized by the head, will scratch with their claws; and with which, though to every appearance, inoffensive weapons, they very often wound their enemies; and even when they are fairly disengaged from the net, they preserve a natural obstinacy and ferocity; they refuse all nourishment; and peck and combat with their claws at every opportunity at those who come near them ; " therefore/7 con- tinues this author, " there is an absolute necessity for destroying them, when taken, as they would only pine and die, if an attempt was made to keep them in captivity." The flesh of the old THE FLAMINGO. 179 Esteemed by son>e as delicate food. ones is black and hard; though Dampier says, well tasted ; but that of the young ones is much better, and esteemed as excellent by many. But of all oilier delicacies, the flamingo's tongue is the most celebrated. "A dish of flamingos' tongues/' says M. de Buffon, " is a feast for an emperor." In fact, the Roman emperors consi- dered them as the highest luxury; and we have an account of one of them, who procured fifteen hundred flamingos' tongues to be served up in a single dish. The tongue of the flamingo, which is so much sought after, is a good deal larger than that of any other bird whatever. Its bill is like a large black box, of an irregular figure, and filled with a tongue which is black and gristly, and which has long been reckoned among the epicures, as a most rare delicacy, from possessing a very pleasing and peculiar fla- vour. Be this as it may, a respectable author says, " It is probable that the beauty and scar- city of the bird, might be the first inducements to studious gluttony to fix upon its tongue as meat for the table." What Dampier asserts of the goodness of its flesh, cannot so well be relied on ; for Dampier was often in want of provisions, and then naturally thought any thing good that could be eaten, and possibly might estimate the delicacy of any fresh food in proportion to the wants it happened to supply; but even he, how- ever, agrees with Labat, that the flesh is black, tough, and fishy ; so that we can hardly give him z 2 180 NATURALIST'S CABINET, Singular manner of feeding. credit, when he asserts, that the flesh of the fla- mingo is so rare, that it can be formed into a luxurious entertainment. The flamingos, as already observed, always go in flocks together; and when they change their situations, they do it in nanks in the same man- ner as the cranes. They are sDinetimes seen, at the break of day, flying down in great numbers from the mountains; and conducting each other with a kind of trumpet cry, that sounds like the word " tococo," from whence the savages of Ca- nada gave them that name. In their flight they appear to great advantage; for they then seem to be of as bright a red as a burning coal. When they dispose themselves to feed, they cease their cry; and then they disperse over a whole marsh, in silence and assiduity, Their manner of feed- ing is very singular, the bird thrusts down its head, so that the upper convex side of the bill shall only touch the ground ; and in this position the animal appears, as it were, standing upon its head. In this manner it paddles and moves the bill about, and seizes whatever fish or insect happens to offer. For this purpose the upper chap is notched at the edges, so as to hold its prey with the greater security. Catesby, however, gives a different account of their feeding; he says that they thus place the upper chap undermost, and so work about, in order to pick up a seed, from the bottom of the watei^ that resembles millet: THE FLAMINGO. 181 Curious nest. but as- in picking up this, they necessarily also suck in a great quantity of mud ; their bill is toothed at the edges, in such a manner as to let out the mud, while they swallow the grain. Their time of breeding is according to the cli- mate in which they reside; in North America they breed in our summer; on the other side the line they take the most favourable season of the year. They build their nests in extensive marshes, and where they are in no danger of a surprise. The nest is not less curious than the animal that .builds it : it is raised from the surface of the pool about a foot and a half, formed of mud, scraped up together, and hardened by the sun, or the heat of the bird's body ; it resembles a truncated cone, or that of a hillock, with a cavity at the top ; the hillock being of such a height as to admit of the bird's sitting on it, or rather stand- ing, as her legs are placed one on each side at full length : on the top it is hollowed out to the shape of the bird, and in that cavity the female lays eggs, without any lining but the well ce- mented mud that forms the sides of the building. She always lays two eggs, and no more, which are white. Linnseus says, that she will some- times lay her eggs on a projecting part of a low rock, if it happen to be sufficiently convenient to admit of the legs being placed in this manner on each side. The young ones' are a long while before ihey are able to fly; but they very soon run with 182 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Manners of the young. amazing swiftness. They are sometimes caught; and, very different from the old ones, suffer themselves to be carried home, and are tamed very easily. In five or six days they become so familiar as to eat out of the hand; they drink a surprising quantity of sea-water, and of which it is necessary to give them plenty* But though they are easily rendered domestic they are not reared without the greatest diffi- culty ; for they generally pine away, for want of their natural supplies, and mostly die in a short time. While they are yet young, their colours are very different from those lively tints they acquire with age. In their first year they are covered with plumage of a white colour, mixed with grey; in the second year the whole body is white, with here and there a. slight tint of scarlet ; and the great covert feathers of the wings are black; the third year the bird ac- quires all its beauty; the plumage of the whole body is scarlet, except some of the feathers in the wings, that still retain their sable hue. Of these beautiful plumes, the savages make va- rious ornaments ; and they were formerly trans- ported into Europe for the purpose of making muffs, but are at present almost in disuse, and preserved only as ornaments by the curious. These beautiful birds were much esteemed, by the Romans, who often used them in their grand sacrifices, and sumptuous entertainments. THE SWAN. 183 Graceful attitudes in the water. CHAP. VII. the swan must exceed in length of years every other, for it is the longest in the shell of any bird hitherto known, and indeed has been long remarkable for its longevity. A goose, Mr. Willoughby ob- serves, has been known to live an hundred years; and the swan, from its superior size, and from its harder, and firmer flesh, may naturally be sup- posed to live still longer. It is a very strong bird, and at times extremely fierce: it has not unfrequently been known to throw down and trample upon youths of fifteen or sixteen years of age ; and an old swan, we are told, is able to break the leg of a man with a single stroke of its wing. A female, while in the act of sitting, ob- VOL. iv. — NO. 26. £ A 186 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Triumph over a fox. served a fox swimming towards her from the op- posite shor£: she instantly darted into the water, and, having kept him at bay for a considerable time with her wings, at last succeeded in drown- ing him; after which, in the sight of several per- sons, she returned in triumph. This circum- stance took place atPensy,in Buckinghamshire; and is illustrated by an engraving, which accom- panies this article. Swans were formerly held in such great esteem in England, that, by an act of Edward the .Fourth, none, except the son of the king, was permitted to keep a swan, unless possessed of five marks a year. By a subsequent act, the punish- ment for taking their eggs was imprisonment for. a year and a day, and a fine at the king's wilL At present they are but little valued for the deli- cacy of their flesh ; but many are still preserved for their beauty. Multitudes may be seen on the Thames, where they are esteemed royal pro- perty, and it is accounted felony to- steal their eggs. The flesh of the old bird is hard, and ill tasted ; but those of the young, or cygnets, are still fattened near Norwich, chiefly for the tables of the corporation of that place. Persons who have property on the river there, take the young birds, and send them to some one who is em- ployed by the corporation, to be fed; and for his trouble he is paid about half a guinea per bird. They were, a few years ago, valued at a. THE WHISTLING SWAN. Irv, Description. guinea a piece ; but when sold, they now bring much more. At Abbotsbury, in Dorsetshire, there was for- merly a noble swannery, the property of the earl of llchester, where six or seven hundred birds were kept ; but, from the mansion being almost deserted by the family, this collection has of late years been much diminished. The royally be- longed anciently to the abbot, and previous to the dissolution of the monasteries, there were fre- quently above double this number. WILD, OR WHISTLING SWAN. THIS is somewhat smaller than the tame swan, and in weight seldom exceeds sixteen pounds. The bill is three inches long; yellowish white to the middle, but biack at the end. The whole plumage is white, but along the back, and the tips^ of the wings, are ash-colour; and the legs are black. The windpipe, after a strange and wonderful contortion, enters through a hole, formed in the breast- bone ; and being reflected therein, returns by the same aperture; and being contracted into a narrow compass by a broad and bony cartilage, it is divided into two branches, which, before they enter the lungs, are dilated, and as it were, swollen out into two cavities. By this curious 2 A fc2 188 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Object of chase in Iceland. construction., this bird is enabled to utter a loud and shrill note. This species is an inhabitant of the northern regions; never appearing in England except in hard winters, when flocks of five or six are now and then seen. Martin says, that in the month of October, Swans come in great numbers to Lingey, one of the Western Isles, and continue there till March, when they return northward to breed. A few continue in Mainland, one of the Orkneys, and breed in the little islands of the fresh water lochs; but the principal part of them retire at the approach of spring;. They are called the countryman's almanack ; for their quitting the isle is said to presage good weather, and their arrival the reverse. In Iceland, these birds are an object of chase. In the month of August they lose their feathers to such a degree as not to be able to fly. The natives, at that season, resort in great numbers to the places wjjere they most abound ; and are accompanied with dogs, and active strong horses, trained to the sport, and capable of passing nim- bly over the boggy soil and marshes. The swans will run as fast as a tolerable fleet horse* The greater number are taken by the dogs; which are taught to seize them by the neck ; a mode of attack that causes them to lose their balance, and become an easy prey. Notwithstanding their size, these birds arc so THE WHISTLING SWAN. 18Q Distinctions from the tame species. extremely swift on the wing, when in full feather, as to make them more difficult to be shot than almost any other ; it. being frequently necessary to aim ten or twelve feet before their bills. This, however, is only when they are flying before the wind in a brisk gale ; at which time they seldom proceed at the rate of less than a hundred miles an hour; but when flying across the wind or against it, they are not able to make any great progress. This species has several distinctions from that of the tame swan. " Such/' says BuflTon, " is the extraordinary difference between these two animals, which seem to be of one species. Whe- ther it is in the power of long continued capti- vity and domestication to produce this strange variety between birds,, otherwise the same, I will not take upon me to determine. But certain it is, that our tame swan is no where to be found, at least in Europe, in a state of nature." The whistling swan emits its loud notes only when flying, or calling: its sound is, " whoogh, whoogh," very loud and shrill, but not disagree- able when heard high in the air and modulated by the winds. The Icelanders compare it to the notes of the violin : they hear it at the end of their long and gloomy winter, when the return of the swans announces alsc the return of sum- mer; every note therefore must be melodious which presages a speedy thaw, and a release from their tedious confinement, 190 Observations. It was from this species alone that the ancient* derived their fable of the swan's being endued with the powers of melody. Embracing the Py- thagorean doctrine, they made the body of this bird the mansion of the souls of departed poets; and then attributed to the birds the same faculty of harmony which they had thus possessed in a pre-existent state. And the vulgar, not distin- guishing between sweetness of numbers and me- lody of voice, thought thaj real which was only intended figuratively. The mute or tame swan never frequents the Padus; " and I am almost equally certain/* says Mr. Pennant, " that it never was seen on the Cayster, in Lydia ; each of them, streams celebrated by the poets for the great resort of swans. The Padus was styled oloriferous, from the numbers of these birds which frequent its waters ; and there are few of the poets, either Greek or Latin, who do not make them its inhabitants." THE DUCK. THE common duck, of which there are about ten different sorts, is so universally known as to require no description. It is the most easily reared of all our domestic animals. The very instinct of the young ones direct them to their favourite element, and though they are con- ducted by a hen, they despise the admonition of THE DUCK. Inattentive to their offspring. their leader. The feet of the tame duck are black. It is usual to lay duck eggs under a hen, be- cause she hatches them better than the original parent would have done. The duck seems to be a heedless, inattentive mother; she frequently leaves her eggs till they spoil, and even seems to forget that she is entrusted with the charge: she is equally regardless of them when excluded; she leads them to the pond, and thinks she has sufficiently provided for her offspring when she has shown them the water. Whatever advan- tages may be procured by coming near the house, or attending in the yard, she declines them all ; and often lets the vermin, who haunt the waters destroy them, rather than take shelter nearer home. The hen is a nurse of a very op- posite character ; she broods with the utmost as- siduity, and generally brings forth a young one from every egg committed to her charge; she does not lead them to the water indeed, but she carefully guards them when there by standing at the brink. Should the rat or the weazel attempt to seize them, the hen instantly gives them pro- tection ; she leads them to the house when tired with paddling, and rears up the suppositions brood, without ever suspecting that they bejpng to another. NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Nest — Eggs. THE EIDER DUCK. THIS species is atotrt twice the size of the common duck. Its bill is black and cylindrical ; the feathers of the forehead and cheeks advance far into the base. In the male, the feathers of part of the head, of the lower part of the breast, the belly, and the tail, are black, as are also the quill-feathers of the wings; and nearly all the rest of the body is white. The legs are green. The female is of a reddish brown, variously marked with black and dusky streaks. It is principally found in the western isles of Scotland, on the coasts of Norway, Iceland, and Green- land, and in many parts of North America, par- ticularly in the Esquimaux Islands. In Iceland, the eider ducks generally build their nests on small islands not far from the shore ; and sometimes even near the dwellings of the natives, who treat them with so much attention and kindness, as to render them nearly tame. Sometimes two females will lay their eggs in the same nest, in which case they always agree re- markably well. The female lays from three to five eggs (sometimes so many as eight) which are large, smooth, glossy, and of a pale olive colour. They generally lay among stones, or plants, near the sea, but in a soft bed of dx>wn, which they pluck from their own breasts. As long as the female is sitting, the male con-- THE EIDER DUCK. Mode of procuring the down. tinues on watch near the shore; but as soon as the young are hatched, he leaves them. The mother, however, remains with them a consider- able time afterwards. It is curious to observe her manner of leading them out of the nest, al- most as soon as they creep from the eggs. Going before them to the shore, they trip after her : and, when she comes to the water-side, she takes them on her back, and swims a few yards with them, when she dives; and the young ones are left floating on the surface, obliged to take care of themselves. They are seldom seen after- wards on land. From these birds is produced the soft down so well known by the name of eider, or edder down, with which (as before observed) they line the in- side of their nests, which renders them particularly warm. When the natives come to the nest, they carefully remove the female, and take away the su- perfluous down and eggs ; after this they replace ;the female: she then begins to lay afresh, and covers her eggs with new down, which she also plucks from her body ; when this is scarce, or she has no more left, the male comes to her as- sistance, and covers the eggs with his down, which is white, and easily distinguished from that of the female. When the young ones leave the nest, which is about an hour after they are hatched, it is once more plundered. The most eggs, and the best down, are got during the first three weeks of their laying; and VOL. IV.— NO. 27. 2 B 194 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Value of the duwn — Utility of the vskin. it lias generally been observed, that they lay the greatest number of eggs in rainy weather. One female, during the time of laying; generally gives half a pound of down ; which, however, is reduced one-half after it is cleansed. The eider- down is of such value, when in its purity, that it is sold in Lapland for two rix-dol- lars a pound. It is extremely soft and warm; and so light and expansive, that a couple of handfuls squeezed together are sufficient to fill a down quilt, which is a covering like a feather- bed, used in those cold countries instead of a common quilt or blanket. Fifteen hundred, or two thousand pounds weight of down, cleansed and uncleansed, are generally exported from Iceland, every year, by the Iceland company at Copenhagen, exclusive of what is privately exported by foreigners. -In the year 1750, this company sold so much in quantity of this article, as produced 3747 rix- dollars, besides what was sent directly to Gluck- stadt. The Greenlanders kill these birds with darts; pursuing them in their little boats, watching their course by the air bubbles when they dive, and always striking at them when they rise to the surface wearied. The flesh is valued as food, and their skins are made into warm and com- fortable under-garments. THE WILD DUCK, Ararieties — Similar manners. THE WILD DUCK. THERE are about twenty different sorts of the wild duck, according to Buffon, and they differ from the tame by hairy yellow feet. Wild ducks frequent the marshy places in many parts of this kingdom; but no where in greater plenty than in Lincoln-shire. JSTumerous as the varieties of wild ducks may be, they ,ui pursue the same mode, and live in. the sanu: ^nanner, keeping together in flocks in the winter, and flying in pairs in summer, bring- ing up their young by the water-side, and lead- ing them io their food as soon as out of die shell. The nest, whether high or low, is generally com- pose < of sin^'.ilar materials. The iongest grass, mixed with heath, and lined within with the bird's own leathers, usually go to the composi- tion ; however, in proportion as the climate is colder, the nest is more artificially made, and more warmly lined. In the Arctic regions, no- thing can exceed the great care all of this kind take to protect their eggs from the intenseness of the weather. While the gull and the penguin kind seem to disregard the severest cold, the duck,, in those regions, forms itself a hole to lay in, shelters the approach, lines it with a layer of long grass and clay, within that another of moss, and lastly, a warm coat of feathers or down. As the whole of this tribe possess the faculties 2 B 2 196 NATURALISES CABINET. Cursory observations. of flying and swimming, so they are in general birds of passage, and it is most probable, perform their journies across the ocean as well on the water as in the air. Those that migrate to this country, on the approach of winter, are seldom found so well tasted, or so fat, as the fowls that continue with us the year round : their flesh is often lean, and still oftener fishy; which flavour it has probably contracted in the journey, as their food in the lakes of Lapland, from whence they descend, is generally of the insect kind. As soon as they arrive in this country, they are generally seen flying in flocks to make a sur- vey of those lakes where they intend to take up their residence for the winter. In the choice, of these they have two objects in view; to be near their food, and yet remote from interruption. Their chief aim is to choose some lake in the neighbourhood of a marsh, where there is at the same time a cover of woods, and where insects are found in great abundance. Lakes, therefore, with a marsh on one side, and a wood on the other, are seldom without vast quantities of wild fowl ; and when a couple are seen at any time, that is a sufficient inducement to bring hundreds of others. The ducks, flying in the air, are often lured down from their heights by the loud voice of the mallard below. Nature seems to have furnished this bird with very particular faculties for calling. The windpipe, where it begins to enter the lungs, opens in a kind of bony cavity, THE WILD DUCK. 1Q7 Remarks by a celebrated author. where the sound is reflected as in a musical in- strument, and is heard a great way off. To this call all the stragglers resort ; and in a week or a fortnight's time, a lake that was before quite naked, is black with water- fowl, that have left their Lapland retreats to keep company with our ducks who never stirred from home. " They generally," observes a celebrated au- thor, " choose that part of the lake where they are inaccessible to the approach of the fowler, in which they all appear huddled together, ex- tremely busy and very loud. What it is can employ them all the clay is not easy to guess. There is no food for them at the place where they sit and cabal thus, as they choose the mid- dle of the lake; and as for courtship, the season for that is not yet come ; so that it is wonderful what can so busily keep them occupied. Not one of them seems a moment at rest. Now pur- suing one another, now screaming, then all up at once, then down again; the whole seems one strange scene of bustle with nothing to do. " They frequently go off in a more private manner by night to feed in the adjacent mea- dows and ditches, which they dare not venture to approach by day. In these nocturnal adven- tures they are often taken; for though a timor- ous bird, yet they are easily deceived, and every spring seems to succeed in taking them. But the greatest quantities are taken in decoys; which, though well known near London arp yet 198 NATURALISTS CABINET. How taken in decors*. untried in the remoter parts of the country." In only ten decoys in the neighbourhood of Wain- fleet, as many as thirty-one thousand two hun- dred have been caught in one season. Numbers are annually taken thus in Lincolnshire. A decoy is a pond generally situated in a marsh, so as to be surrounded with wood or reeds, and if possible with both, to prevent the birds which frequent it from being disturbed. In this pond the birds sleep during the day; and as soon as the evening sets in, the decoy rises (as it is termed), and the wild fowl feed during the night. If the evening be still, the noise of their wings during flight is heard at a great distance, and is a pleasing though somewhat melancholy sound. The decoy-ducks (which are either bred in the pond-yard, or in the marshes adjacent ; and which, although they fly abroad, regularly return for food to the pond, and mix with the tame ones that never quit the pond) are fed with hemp-seed, oats, and buck-wheat. In catching the wild birds, hemp-seed is thrown over the skreens to allure them forward into the pipes; of which there are several,, leading up a narrow ditch, that closes at last with a funnel-net. Over these pipes, which grow narrower from the first entrance, there is a continued arch of netting, suspended on hoops. It is necessary to have a pipe for almost every wind that can blow, as on that circumstance it depends which pipe the fowl will take to. The decoy-man likewise always THE WILD DUCK. 199 Description of a decoy. keeps to the leeward of the wild fowl: and burns in his mouth, or hand, a piece of Dutch turf, that his effluvia may not reach them ; for if they once discover hy the smell that a man is near, they all instantly take flight. Along each pipe are placed red skreens, at certain intervals, to prevent him from being seen till he thinks proper to show himself, or the birds are passed up the pipe, to which they are led by the trained ducks (who know the decoy-man's whistle), or are en- ticed by the hemp-seed. A dog is sometimes/ used ; who is taught to play backwards and for- wards between the skreens, at the direction of his master. The fowl, roused by this new object, advance towards it, while the dog is playing still nearer to the entrance of the pipes; till at last the decoy-man appears from behind the skreens, and the wild-fowl, not daring to pass by him, and unable to fly off on account of the net cover- ing the hoops, press forward to the end of the funnel-net which terminates upon the land, where a person is stationed ready to take them. The trained birds return back past the decoy-man, into the pond again, till a repetition of their aieir- vices is required. The general season for catch- ing, is from the latter end of October till Fe- bruary. There is a prohibition, by act of par- liament, against taking them between the first of June and the first of October. It was formerly customary to have, in the fens, an annual driving of the young ducks, before 2 &00 NATUR A LIST'S CABINET. Oilier methods of taking ducks. they took wing. Numbers of people assembled, who beat a vast tract, and forced the birds into a net, placed at the spot where the sport was to ter- minate. By this practice (which, however,, ha* been abolished by parliament,) as many as a hun- dred and seventy-four dozen have been known to be taken in one day. Prodigious numbers of these birds are taken by decoys in Picardy in France, particularly on the river Somme. It is customary there, to wait for the nock's passing over certain known places ; when the sportsman, having a wicker cage con- taining a quantity of tame birds, lets out one at a time, which enticing the passengers within gun- shot, five or six are often killed at once, by an expert marksman. They are now and then also taken by hooks, baited with raw meat, which the birds swallow while swimming on the water. Other methods of catching ducks and geese are peculiar to certain nations: one of these, from its singularity, seems worth mentioning. A person wades into the water up to the chin ; and having his head covered with an empty calabash, approaches the place where the ducks are; which, not regarding an object of this kind, suf- fer the man freely to mix with the flock ; when he has only to pull them by the legs under the water, one after another, and fix them to his belt, till he is satisfied : returning as unsuspected by the remainder as when he first came among them. This curious method is frequently prac- THE WILD DUCK. Curious instances. lised on the river Ganges, the earthern vessels/of the Gentoos being used instead of calabashes. These vessels are what the Gentoos boil their rice in : after having been once used, they are looked upon as defiled, and are thrown into the river as useless: the duck-takers find them con- venient for their purpose; as the ducks, from seeing them constantly float down the stream, look upon them as objects not to be regarded. Wild ducks are very artful birds. They do not always build their nest close to the water; but often at a good distance from it; in which case the female will take the young in her beak, or between the legs, to the water. They have been known sometimes to lay their eggs in a high tree, in a deserted magpie or crow's nest; and an instance has likewise been recorded of one being found at Etchingham, in Sussex, sitting upon nine eggs, in an oak, at the height of twenty-five feet from the ground: the eggs were supported by some small twigs, laid crossways. At Bold, in Lancashire, it is said there were formerly great quantities of wild ducks, during the summer time, in the ponds and moat near the hall; which used regularly to be fed. A man beat with a stone on a hollow wooden vessel, and immediately the ducks would come round him. He scattered corn among them, which they ga- thered with as much quietness and familiarity as might be expected from tame ducks. As soon YOL. iv. — NO. 27- 2 c; NATURALISTS CABINET. Hatched in China by artificial heat. as they had finished their repast, they returned to their accustomed haunts. The Chinese make great use of ducks, but pre- fer the tame to the wild ones. It is said that th« major part of the ducks in China are hatched by artificial heat. The eggs, being laid in boxes of sand, are placed on a brick hearth, to which is given a proper heat during the time required for hatching. The ducklings are fed with crawfish and crabs, boiled and cut small, and afterwards mixed with boiled rice ; and in about a fortnight they are able to shift for themselves. The Chi- nese then provide them an old step-mother, who leads them where they are to find provender; being first put on board a sampane, or boat, which is destined for their habitation ; and from which the whole flock, often to the amount of three or four hundred, go out to feed, and return at command. This method is used nine months oat of the twelve, (for in the colder months it does not succeed;) and is so far from a novelty, that it may be every where seen: but more espe- cially about the time of cutting the rice, and gleaning the crop; when the masters of the duck-sampanes row up and down the river, ac- cording to the opportunity of procuring food, which is found in plenty, at the tide of ebb, on the rice plantations, as they are overflowed at high water. It is curious to observe how the ducks obey their masters; for some thousands, THE COMMON WILD DUCK. 205 Brought up in sampanes — Description. belonging to different boats, will feed at large on tbe same spot, and on a signal given, will follow their leader to their respective sampanes, without a single stranger being found among them. This is still more extraordinary, if we consider the number of inhabited sampanes on the Tigris; supposed to be no less than forty thousand, which are moored in rows close to each other, with here and there a narrow passage for boats to sail up and down the river. The inhabited sampanes contain each a separate family, of which they are the only dwelling; and many of the Chinese pass almost their whole lives in this manner on the water. The Tigris at Canton ia somewhat wider than the Thames at London, and the whole river is there covered in this man- ner for the extent of at least a mile. THE COMMON WILD DUCK, OR EOCHAS. FROM this species the tame ducks take their origin, and to which they may be traced by un- erring characters. The intermediate tail feathers of the drake are turned backwards, and the bill is straight, two circumstances that universally prevail in the same sort. The difference of taste is easily accounted for, from the difference of their food. They pair in the spring, build their nests among the rushes near the water, and lay 2 c 2 204 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Art of the female — Descriptions.. from ten to sixteen eggs. The female is a very artful bird, especially where the safety of her young are at stake. In summer they fly in pairs, bring up their young by the water-side, and lead them to food as soon as they are out of the shell.' When apprehensive of danger, they have been known to build their nests in high trees, and in other birds' nests. A tmoulting time, when they cannot fly, they are caught in great plenty; and in their annual migration to this country, they are taken in decoys in still greater abundance, particularly in Lincolnshire, the grand magazine of wild fowl in this kingdom. THE SCAUP DUCK, OR MACULA, SO called from feeding on broken shell-fish, is less than the common duck ; it is a beautiful bird, but so diversified in colouring, that scarcely two in a hundred canibe found alike. THE SHELDRAKE. THIS has a fiat bill, a compressed forehead, a greenish black head, and the body variegated with white. It is an inhabitant of the northern world, so far as Iceland. They usually breed in deserted rabbit-holes, and lay fifteen or sixteen roundish white eggs, and sit about thirty days. «They are very careful of their young," say* 3 THE SCOTER. 205 Descriptions. Latham , " and will carry them from place to place in their bills." They also show much in- stinctive cunning in preserving them when at- tempted to be caught; for they will fly along the ground as if wounded, till the brood are got into a place of security. Their great beauty has in- duced many unsuccessful attempts to domesticate them ; but they never thrive unless in the neigh- bourhood of salt water. The eggs are thought good, but the flesh of this bird is rank and un- savory. THE KING DUCK, OR GREY- HE JDED DUCK, A VERY beautiful species, is found at Hud- son's Bay ; it is also common in Siberia, and in Greenland, where the flesh is accounted excel- lent ; and of the skins sewed together, the natives make very comfortable garments ; nor is its down le^ss comfortable than that of the eider. THE SCOTER, OR NIGR4. THE male of this species is totally black, the female brownish ; the tail resembles a wedge ; in the winter season they are found on the coasts of Great Britain; but are \ery numerous on the shores of France from November to March, where they feed upon a glossy bivalve shell, called How taken — Description. vairneaux, and are caught by placing nets under the water where these shells abound ; to obtain which, the birds dive to a great depth, and thus thirty or forty dozen are often taken in a tide. They swallow the shells whole, which have been found quite crumbled to powder among their ex- crements. They are sometimes kept tame, and feed upon soaked bread. Their flesh is far from being agreeable, and is of so very fishy a taste that, perhaps by way of mortification, it is al- lowed to be eaten by Roman Catholics on fast days. This species is also to be met with in North America; and it abounds in the northern parts of Europe, especially on the great lakes and rivers of Siberia* THE HOOK-BILLED DRAKE GENERALLY weighs two pounds or np- tvards, and is about two feet from the extremity of the bill to the end of the tail, and in breadth from the extension of each wing, near three feet. The bill is crooked, of a palish green, except the hook at the end, which is black; it is in length, upwards of two inches. The upper part of the neck, and the head, are of a dark green, with two sm-all white speckled lines, one of which runs from the upper part of the bill, over the eye to- wards the back part of the head ; the other runs from the bill to the lower part of the eye, around which there is a circle of fine white feathers, THE MALLARD. Description. with small white feathers under the chin. The breast, belly, and throat, are white, with small transverse spots, of a brownish red, running across them. The six first of the prime feathers of the wings are white, the rest of a reddish brown; the first row of covert feathers are blue tipped with white, the second are brown with white tips. The scapular feathers of the wings, the sides, and the back, are of a reddish brown, which appears dusted or speckled over with white. The tail is black, with white tips., which turn up in a sort ot circular curl towards the back. The legs and feet are of a fine orange colour. THE MALLARD IS about the size of the preceding; its bill, from the angles of the mouth to the tip, is about two inches and a quarter, and near an inch broad, with a roundish tip at the end ; the head and upper part of the neck are of a beautiful shining green; the under eye-lids white, with a sort of half circle, or white ring, that passes round the fore part of the neck ; the under part of the neck below the white ring to the breast, is of a glossy chesnut colour. The under part of the breast and belly are a sort of ash-colour, sprinkled with a variety of dark specks, resembling drops; the back between the wings is of a cinerous red/ ia NATURALISTS CABINET. Description. like manner sprinkled or speckled ; the lower part towards the rump still darker; the rump itself of a sort of glossy purple. The sides of the bodyr and the longer thigh-feathers, are beautified with transverse brown lines, with a bluish sort of mix- ture. The scapular feathers of the wings are of a fme silver colour, beautifully variegated with brown transverse lines; the second row of thef quill-feathers tipped with white, with the outward webs of a fine bluish purple, and a border of black, running between the white and the blue ; the rest of the wings variegated with silver-co- Ipured feathers, with some of their edges black, others of a dark purple. The under parts of the tail is black, the feathers on the upper part end In sharp points, the middlemost of which turn ur> in a circular form towards the back, and appear of a fine glossy purple colour. They are fea- thered down to the knees, the legs and feet are of a saffron colour. THE TUFTED, OR BLJCK-CRESTED DUCK. THIS Is not quite so large as the wild mallard, the shape of its body appearing more broad, short, thick, and compressed ; the bill broad, and about twt> inches long, is of a palish blue colony black at the tip; the upper part of the head is of « blackish mixed purple, with a fine crest of fea- THE UPRIGHT DUCK. 20Q Albin's remark — Description. thers hanging down behind the head, of near two inches long; the nostrils are pretty large, and the irides of the eyes of a gold colour, or fine yellow. The neck and upper part of the body are of a dark brown, much inclining to black. The wings are short with black covert feathers, the outward wings of the same colour, by degrees growing more towards a white; the second row of quills is all white, with black tips. The under parts of the neck and the breast are black, the belly of a fine silver-coloured white, as are aiso the thighs, and under parts of the wings. The tail is short, composed of black feathers ; the legs are short, and the feet of a dark lead colour. Mr. Albin says, that at Venice, and other parts of Italy, this bird goes by the name of Cape Negro. THE UPRIGHT DUCK: SO called, as it walks in a more stately and erect posture than any other of this kind. Its bill is of a greenish colour, with a sort of brown shade or cast; the circles of the eyes are white; the top of the head is quite black, under which, from the upper base of the bill, there runs a •white circle which surrounds the top parts of the head; the other parts of the head are. of a dark colour, intermixed with shades of red and green, which by the reflection of different lights, appear . iv. — NO. 27. 2 D NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Observations. very beautiful. The neck is finely variegated with white and black feathers; tbe wing-feathers are brown,, with their outward edges white; the back is of a dark colour, intermixed with beau*- tiful shades resembling the rainbow ; the sides of the body underneath the wings, the thighs, and near the vent, are of a sooty-coloured black; the belly and breast white ; the legs and feet are ,of A sort of dusky yellow. ^ THE MUSCOVY DRAKE V IS considerably larger than the generality fof fowls of the duck kind; some of them being as large as a small sized goose; the bill is broad and short, of a reddish colour, a little hooked At the end ; upon the upper part of which, between .the nostrils, there grows a small round fleshy ex- crescence, that appears red like a small cherry; the irides of the eyes are white, encircled with a fleshy sort of red substance, resembling that or* the bill. The upper part of the head and neck appear of a dusky colour, a little mottled with white ; the sides of the wings and the back are of a very uncommon mixture of red, green, brown, purple, and white ; the under part of the body white, interspersed here and there with a few small brown feathers; the legs and feet of a pale red, or rather orange colour. Thje flesh of the Muscovy drake differs from I THE MADAGASCAR DUCK. Observations — Description. that of the common duck, and is said to be much more pleasant ; they lay a great many eggs, and are excellent breeders; the hen has not the tube- rous flesh growing on her bill, but with respect to colour, is much the same as the cock. The ambassador from the duke of Holstein, in his travels to Muscovy, says, he saw there a sort of wild ducks, bigger than ours, but as black as crows, with long necks, and forked bills. They are called by the Muscovites, braclan, and are scarcely ever seen but in the night time : their quills are harder and bigger than those of * crow. THE MADAGASCAR DUCK IS in size very little larger than the common tame divck, and has a yellowish brown bill ; the circles or irides of the eyes, are red ; the head and neck of a dark green ; the breast and lower parts of the body more inclining to a dusky brown -r the outward edges of the feathers red ; the sca- pular feathers are some of them green, with red edges; others more dusky, with a beautiful bluish mixture ; the first row of the covert feathers are pretty much of the same colour, the second row green; the quill feathers are all beautifully edged with red; the whole mixture of the colours shine with a curious and uncommon gloss, and appear '2 D 2 NATURALISTS CABINET. Description. exceedingly beautiful. The legs and feet are of an orange colour. They are brought from Madagascar, in the East Indies, and are now bred by the curious in several parts of England. THE SHOVELLER WEIGHS very near two pounds, and is from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, one or two and twenty inches, and upwards of eighteen from the extremity of each wing when extended. The bill is of a fine black, considerably broader at the tip than at the base; dented in the middle, and rising towards the end, with a small sort of crooked hook bending downwards, each mandi- ble being toothed like a comb; the tongue is broad and fleshy especially towards the end, the tip of which is of a sort of semicircular form. The circles of the eyes are of a fine yellow; the neck and head of a shining dark green, the crop and under part of the neck white, the upper part of the shoulders of the same colour, but inter- spersed with a variety of bold strokes; the under part of the body red, except the feathers under the tail, behind the vent, which are black ; the back is of a brown colour, beautifully shaded with a shining green purple and blue, which va- ries according to the light in which it is viewed. ijm THE SHOVELLER. 213 Difference of the hen from the cock. The first ten or twelve quill feathers are quite brown ; the next in the same row have all their extreme edges of a shining deep green, some of them varied with small white lines; others are green, with white tips, which, when viewed toge- ther, appear like a sort of cross bar upon each wing ; the covert feathers are many of them of a fine blue, others more inclining to an ash colour; the tail is composed of party-coloured feathers, some of the borders entirely white, others on their extreme edges wholly black. The thighs are interspersed with a considerable number of dusky coloured transverse lines; the legs and feet of a fine red, resembling the colour of ver- million; the claws black. The hen bears a near resemblance to the cock in the shape of its body, but differs very much in colour ; the wings are pretty much like those of the male, only the colours are more faint, and the shades not near so beautiful. The head, neck, and almost all the rest of the body, both for colour and shape, very much resemble that of the wild duck. The membrane that connects the toes of each of them are serated about the edges, and their feet seem to be considerably less than the generality of the duck kind. 214 NATCTKAEIST'S CABIHET. Descriptions* THE GOLDEN FYE CHIEFLY breeds in Italy ; it has a large head and thick body, the neck short, -and the bill broad, elevated towards the point, of a black co- lour, and is, if measured from the angles of the mouth, about an inch and three quarters long; the head, when variously exposed to the light, appears black, purple, and green, with a fine shining silky gloss ; it has a white spot on each ride of the mouth ; the eyes are of a fine gold colour; the neck, breast, and belly, white; the space between the shoulders and the back is black ; the wings of a fine beautiful mixture of black and white. The tail near three inches long; the legs short, of a yellowish colour; the toes pretty long, and more dusky. It has a disagreeable fishy taste; they are sometimes, but very rarely, taken upon the Eng- luh coast. THE PINTAIL, THOUGH to appearance nearly as long as the golden fye, seldom weighs more than a pound and a half; the wing-feathers are very long; the upper mandible is of a bluish bkick, mostly so about the nostrils, the under quite black. The neck is longer than the generality THE PINTAIL. Supposed origin of the name. of birds of this kind; it is slender, and of a brown colour, very much resembling that of rusty iron, with a tincture of purple behind the ears ; on each side of which from the hinder parts of the head, there runs a white line, which passes down the sides of the neck ; the fea- thers between the white lines are black, under which the neck is of an ash colour; both the back and neck varied with black and white transverse lines ; the middle parts of the scapu- lar feathers of the wings are black, their inner parts varied with a mixture of white, black, and brown lines, some of the tips of the second row of feathers white; others party-coloured, with .shades of glossy red. The breast and lower parts of the body, as far as the vent, are white; the under part of the tail, black; the thighs more pale, and varied with small specks of black; the two middlemost feathers of the tail are extended much longer than the rest, running into sharp points, from whence it is said to takt* the name of pintail; the upper part of the tail is of a sort of ash colour, the tips of the feathers black. The feet are of a lead colour. £16 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description. THE WIDGEON WEIGHS near a pound and a half; it has a sort of black nail at the end of the upper mandible of the bill, the other part of which is of a lead colour ; the structure of the head and mouth very much resemble the common wild duck, only the head does not seem to be quite so large, in proportion to the body, which also appears of a finer shape, and the wings longer. The crown of the head towards the base of the bill, is of a pale pink colour, inclining to a red- dish white ; the other parts of the head and the neck, are red ; the sides of the body and the up- per part of the breast, are tinctured with a very fair glossy, and beautiful claret colour, with a few small transverse lines of tyack. The feathers on the back iare brown, the edges more pale or ash-coloured ; the scapular feathers, and those under the fore part of the wings, are finally vari- egated with small transverse black and white- lines, beautifully dispersed like waves; the quill- feathers are some of them brown, with white tips, others have their outward webs of a blackish purple ; other parts, especially those beyond the covert feathers, of a lovely fine blue; some of the exterior feathers have their outward webs in- clining to black, with a fine purple gloss upon the borders, of which there are a number of small light coloured spots ; the rest of the wing THE GREAT-HEADED WIDGEON. 21? Name of the female — Food — Remarks. feathers are of a beautiful party-coloured brown and white. The upper part of the tail is ash-co- loured; the under part behind the vent, black. The legs ana feet are of a dark lead colour, and the claws black. Widgeons are common in Cambridgeshire, the Isle of Ely, &c. where the male is called the widgeoii, and the female, the whewer. They feed upon wild periwinkles, grass, weeds, Sec. which grow at the bottom of rivers and lakes. Their flesh has a very delicious taste, not inferior to teal, or wild ducks. THE GREAT-HEADED WIDGEON. THIS is larger than the common widgeon, and the make of its body is considerably thicker and shorter, weighing often near two pounds when well fed ; the bill is considerably larger and broader than that of the widgeon ; the head and the greatest part of the neck, are of a fine ful- vous red; the feathers from the upper part of the head, come down in the form of an acute angle, or peak, to the middle of the base of the upper mandible, which is of a lead colour, tipped with black, the under mandible being entirely black ; the circles, or irides of the eyes, are of a fine yellow. The small covert feathers of the wings, and those on the middle part of the back, are variegated with brown and cioerous, elegant VOL. IV. — NO. 27* 2 E 218 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Descriptions. waving lines. The rump, and feathers under the tail, are black, so that the tail, which is of a sort of a greyish colour, and about TWO inches long, appears encircled with a blackish ring. The middle part of the breast, and lower part of the belly, very much resemble the colour of the back, only the lines and points are of a more pale co- lour. The quill-feathers are of a dark ash-co- lour; and it is remarkable, all the feathers on the middle of the wings of this bird, are of one uni- form colour, without the different variations com- monly found in others of the kind. The feet are of a lead colour, and the membranes that connect the toes more dark and blackish. THE TEAL IS the smallest bird of the duck kind, and does not usually weigh more than twelve or four- teen ounces ; it is about sixteen inches from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, and from the extremity of each wing, when extended, near two feet. The bill is of a dark brown colour, the head is considerably lighter, inclining to a bay, with a large white stripe over each eye, bending downwards, towards the back part of the head : the neck, back, and tail, are of a more dusky colour. The breast is of a dirty-coloured yellow, nterspersed with dusky transverse lines; the belly more bright, with yellowish brown spots : j THE FRENCH TEAL. 219 Food — Description. the quill-feathers of the wings are of a dusky brown, with white edges; the covert feathers ap- pear of a fine shining green, with their tips white; the scapular feathers are more inclining to an ash-colour; the legs and feet are brown, the claws black. These birds feed on water-plants, seeds and grass. * THE FRENCH TEAL IS about the size of the former ; the cock of this tribe has a broad black bill ; tfre eyes are of a sort of hazel colour; the upper part of the head and neck are of a light brown, or bay, with a shining green line running from each eye to the back part of the head, with a black spot inter- vening between, and a white line passing under the eyes : the back, the lower part of the neck, and lines underneath the wings, are beautified with fine waving lines of black and white ; the breast is more of a yellowish colour, spotted with black, that bears some resemblance to scales; the belly is of a dirty white, or grey. The wings are of a brown, or dusky colour, some of them with white tips, and their outward edges black; others green, with .yellowish edges; the covert feathers have some of them white tips, and the green coverts appear of a yellowish red ; the whole beautifully variegated with different shades, that make a very agreeable appearance £20 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Chinese teal — Summer duck. to the eve; the tail is sharp towards the end, and about three inches long; the legs and feet of a dusky pale colour. Their flesh is of a delicate taste ; it affords a fine nourishment to the body, and amongst those of its kind, is said to challenge the first place. The Chinese teal of Edwards, and the summer duck of Catesby, are elegant species ; the for-* mer is a native of China, sometimes brought alive into England, but too tender to be reared in this country. The other inhabits Mexico and some of the West- India islands : and is to be seen here at times in the menageries of the curious. THE WILD «OOSE. Singular manner of feeding. CHAP. Fill. The noisy geese that gabbled o'er the pool." GOLDSMITH. THE WILD GOOSE. THIS bird has a large elevated bill, of a flesh colour,, tinged with yellow; the head and neck ash-coloured ; the breast and belly whitish, clouded with grey, as is also the back, and the legs of a flesh colour. Wild geese inhabit the fens of England; and are supposed not to migrate, as they do in many countries on the continent. They breed in Lin- colnshire and Cambridgeshire: they have seven or eight young; which are sometimes taken, and are easily rendered tame. At the table, these birds are deemed superior to the domestic goose. They are often seen in flocks of from fifty to a hundred, flying at very great heights, and sel- dom resting by day. Their cry is frequently heard while they are imperceptihie from their distance above. Whether this be their pote of 2 222 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Peculiar cry — Manners. mutual encouragement, or only the necessary consequence of respiration, seems somewhat doubtful; but they seldom exert it when they alight in their journeys. On the ground they always arrange themselves in a line, and seem to descend rather for rest than refreshment; for, having continued in this manner for an hour or two, one of them with a long loud note sounds a kind of signal to which the rest always punctu- ally attend, and rising in a group they pursue their journey with alacrity. Their flight is con- ducted with vast regularity: they always pro- ceed either in a line a-breast, or in two lines joining in an angle at the middle. In this order they generally take the lead by turns; the fore- most falling back in the rear when tired, and the next in station succeeding to his duty. Their track is generally so high, that it is almost im- possible to reach them from a fowling-piece; and even when this can be done, they file so equally that one discharge very seldom kills more than a single bird. They breed in the plains and marshes about Hudson's Bay, in North America : in some years the young ones are taken in considerable num- bers; and at this age they are easily tamed. It is, however, extremely singular, that they will never learn to eat corn, unless some of the old ones are taken along with them ; which may be done when these are in a moulting state. THE DOMESTIC GOOSE; Stripped while alive of its quills, THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. THE common tame goose is nothing more than the wild goose in a state of domestication. It is sometimes found white, though much more frequently verging to grey ; and it is a dispute among men of taste, which should have the pre- ference. These birds, in rural economy, are an object of attention and profit, and are no where kept in such vast quantities as in the fens of Lincoln- shire; several persons there having as many as a thousand breeders. They are bred for the sake of their quills and feathers; for which they are strip- ped while alive, once in the year for their quills,and no less than five times for the feathers : the first plucking commences about Lady-day, for both; and the other four are between Lady-day and Michaelmas. It is said that in general the birds do not suffer much from this operation; except cold weather sets in, which then kills great num- bers of them. The old geese submit quietly to be plucked, but the young ones are very noisy and unruly. Mr. Pennant savs he once saw this business performed, and observed, that even gos- lins of only six weeks old were not spared — for their tails were plucked, as he was told, to inure them early to the custom. The possessors, ex- cept in this cruel practice, treat their birds with 224 NATURALISTS CABINET. Numbers for sale — Practice of cramming. great kindness; lodging them very often everi in the same room with themselves. Should the season prove cold, vast numbers die by this sa- vage practice. These geese breed in general only once a-year, but if well kept they sometimes hatch twice in a season. During their sitting/ each bird has a space allotted to it, in rows of wicker pens placed One above another; and it is said that the goz- zard, or goose-herd, who has the care of them, drives the whole flock to water twice a day, and, bringing them back to their habitations, places every bird (without missing one) in its own nest. It is scarcely credible what numbers of geese are driven from the distant counties to London for sale ; frequently two or three thousand in a drove; and in the year 1783 one drove passed through Chelmsford, in their way from Suffolk to London, that contained about nine thousand. Among these are several superannuated geese, that in consequence of repeated pluckings, prove remarkably tough and dry. A goose well fed in the common way, will tveigh fifteen or sixteen pounds, but by the unna- tural practice of cramming, may be increased to almost double that weight. The creatures set apart for this beastly and unwholesome gorge are nailed to the floor, by the webs of their feet, to keep them in a state of perfect inaction ; THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 225 Instance of courage and affection. and then stuffed with bean-meal, and other fat- tening diet; but French refinement has increased the barbarity, by putting out the eyes of the wretched animal. However simple in appearance, or awkward in gesture, the goose may be, it is not without many marks both of sentiment and understand- ing. The courage with which it protects its young and defends itself against the ravenous birds, and certain instances of attachment and even of gratitude which have been observed in it, render our general contempt of the goose ill- founded. The following instance of warm affec- tion, which was communicated to the Cornte de Buffon by a man of veracity and information, is here given as a proof of the goose's sagacity, ac- companied by an engraving. i( There were two ganders, a grey and a white one (the latter named Jacquot), with three fe- males. The males were perpetually contending for the company of these dames. When one or the other prevailed, it assumed the direction of them, and hindered its rival from approaching. He who was the master during the night, would not yield the next morning; and the two galants fought so furiously, that it was necessary to be speedy in parting them. It happened one day, that being drawn to the bottom of the garden by their cries, I found them with their necks en- twined, striking their wings with rapidity and astonishing force ; the three females turned YOL. IV. NO. 27. 2 F Interesting anecdote. round, as wishing to separate them, but without effect; at last the white gander was worsted, overthrown, and mal-treated, by the other. I parted them; happily for the white one, as he would , otherwise have lost his life. Then the conqueror began screaming and gabbling, and clapping his wings; and ran to join his mistres- ses, giving each a noisy saluie, to which the ihree^ dames replied, by ranging themselves at the same time round him. Meanwhile poor Jacquot was in a pitiable condition ; and, retiring, sadly vented at a distance his doleful cries. It was se- veral .days before he recovered from his dejec- tion ; during which time I had sometimes occa- sion to pass through the court where he strayed. I saw him always thrust out from society ; and whenever I passed, he came gabbling to me. One day he approached so near, and showed so much friendship, that I could not help caressing him, by stroking with my hand his back and neck; to which he seemed so sensible, as to fol- low me into the entrance of the court. Next day, as I again passed, he ran to me and I gave him the same caresses; with which alone he was not satisfied, but seemed, by his gestures, to de- sire that I should introduce him to his mates. I accordingly led him to their quarter; and, upon his arrival, he began his vociferations, and di- rectly addressed the three dames, who failed npt to answer him. Immediately his late victor sprung upon Jacquot. I left them for a mo- THE DOMESTIC GOOSE. 227 Friendly attention. ment; the grey .one was always the stronger: I took part with my Jacquot, who was under ; I set him over his rival ; he was thrown ; I set him up again. In this way they fought eleven mi- nutes ; and, by the assistance which I gave him, he at last obtained the advantage, and got pos- session of the three dames. When my friend Jacquot saw himself master, he would not ven- ture to leave his females, and therefore no longer caine to me when I passed : he only gave me at a distance many tokens of friendship, shouting and clapping his wings; but would not quit his companions, lest, perhaps, his rival should take possession. Things went on in this way till the breeding season, and he never gab- bled to me but at a distance. When his females, however, began to sit, he left them, and redou- bled his friendship to me. One day, having fol- lowed me as far as the ice-house at the top of the park, the spot where I must necessarily part with him in pursuing my way to a wood at half a league distance, I shut him in the park. He no sooner saw himself separated from me, than he vented strange cries. However,, I went on my road ; and had advanced about a third of the distance, when the noise of a heavy flight made me turn my head: I saw my Jacquot, only four paces from me. He followed me all the way, partly on foot, partly on wing; getting before me and stopping at the cross-paths to see. which way I should take. Our journey lasted from ten NATURALIST'S CABINET. Extraordinary attachment. o'clock in the morning till eight in the evening ; and my companion followed me through all the windings of the wood, without seeming to be tired. After this he attended me every where, so as to become troublesome; for I was not able to go to any place without his tracing my steps, so that one day he even came to find me in the church. Another time, as he was passing by the rector's window, he heard me talking in the room ; and, as he found the door open, he en- tered, climbed up stairs, and marching in, gave a loud exclamation of joy to the no small affright of the family. " I am sorry, in relating such interesting traits of my good and faithful friend Jaequot, when I reflect that it was myself that first dissolved the pleasing connection; but it was necessary for me to separate him from me by force. Poor Jacquot fancied himself as free in the best apart- ments as in his own; and after several accidents of this kind, he uas shut up and I saw him no more. His inquietude lasted above a year, and he died from vexation. He was become as dry as a bit of wood, as I am told, for I would not seetiini; and his death was concealed from me for more than two months after the event. Were I to recount all the friendly incidents between me and poor Jacquot, 1 should not for several days have done writing. He died in the year of our friendship, aged seven years and two months." THE BEAN GOOSE. £29 Value of goose feathers. A young goose is generally reckoned very; good eating; yet the feathers of this bird still farther increase its value. Of goose feathers most of our beds in Europe are composed; in the countries bordering on the Levant, and in all Asia, the use of them is utterly unknown. They there use mattrasses, stuffed with wool, or camel's hair, or cotton ; and the warmth of their climate may perhaps make them dispense with cushions of a softer kind. But how it happens that the ancients had not the use of feather-beds is sur- prising : Pliny tells us, indeed that they made bolsters of feathers to lay their heads on ; and this serves as a proof that they turned feathers to no other uses. The feathers of Somersetshire are most in esteem; those of Ireland are reckoned the worst. Hudson's Bay also furnishes very nne leather*, supposed to be of the goose kind. THE BE4N GOOSE. THIS is chiefly distinguished from the do- mestic goose by the resemblance of the nail of its bill to a horse-bean. The head and neck are of an ash brown, tinged with ferruginous; breast and belly dirty white; back, a plain ash-colour; feet and legs saffron, and claws black. They appear in the fens of Lincolnshire in autumn, fiSO NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Fabulous assertion. from whence they migrate in May to the wild parts of Europe. While in this country they feed much on green wheat. THE BERN4CLE GOOSE. THIS bird has a very short and black bill, crossed with a flesh-coloured mark on each side. Part of the head, the chin, throat, under parts,, and upper tail-coverts, are white; and the rest of the head and neck, and the beginning of the back, are black ; the thighs are mottled. Round the knee, th<3 feathers are black ; and the lower feathers of the back are the same, edged with white. The wing-coverts and scapulars are blue- grey; the ends black, fringed with white at the tip. The vent, tail, and legs, are black. Bernacle geese are not uncommon on many of the northern and western coasts of this kingdom, in winter; but they are scarce in the south, and only seen in inclement seasons. They leave our island in February, and retire northward to breed. Of all the marvellous productions which igno- rance, ever credulous, has so long substituted for the simple and truly wonderful operations of nature, the most absurd, and yet not the least ce- lebrated, is the assertion of the growth of these birds, in a kind of shell, called- lepas anatifera ; •* ~v THE BERfrACLE GOOSE. Curious extracts. (goose-bearing shell), on certain trees on th« coasts of Scotland and the Orkneys, or on the rotten timbers of old ships. For the entertain- ment of our readers, we shall give brief extracts from three, out of the numerous, writers who have credited these circumstances, and have all spoken positively upon the subject. Maier, who has written a treatise expressly on this bird, says, cc that it certainly originates from shells: and, what is still more wonderful, that he himself opened a hundred of the goose- beftring shells in the Orkneys, and found in all of them the rudiments of the bird completely formed." Gerard, another writer on this point, and an Englishman, gives the following account of this wonderful transformation : — " What our eyes have seen, and our hands have touched, we shall declare. There is a small island in Lancashire, called the Pile of Foulders, wherein are found pieces of old and bruised ships, some whereof have been cast thither by shipwrecks ; also the trunks and bodies, with the branches of old and rotten trees, cast up there likewise; whereon is found a certain spume or froth, that in time breedeth into certain shells, in shape like those, of the muscle, but sharper pointed, and of a whitish colour, one end whereof is fastened unto the inside of the shell, even as the fish' of oysters and muscles are; the other end is made fast unto the belly of a rude mass or lump, which in time NATURALISTS CABINET. Gerrard's account. cometh into the shape and form of a bird* When it is perfectly formed, the shell gapeth open, and the first thing that appeareth is th« aforesaid lace or string; next cometh the legs of the bird hanging out: and., as it groweth greater, it openeth the shell by degrees, till at length it has all come forth, and hangeth -only by the bill. In a short space after, it cometh to full maturity, and falleth into the sea; where it gathereth fea- thers, and groweth to a fowl, bigger than a mal- lard and lesser than a goose, having black legs, and bill or beak, and feathers black and white, spotted in such manner as our magpie, called in some places pie-annet, which the people of Lancashire call by no other name than tree- goose; which place aforesaid, and all those places adjoining, do so much abound therewith, that one of the best is bought for three-pence. For the truth hereof, if any doubt, may it please them to repair to me, and I shall satisfy them by the testimonies of good witnesses." Sir Robert Murray's account of the bernacle, inserted in the Philosophical Transactions, is to the following purport. — " In the Western Islands of Scotland the West Ocean throws upon their shores great quantities of very large weather- beaten timber; the most ordinary trees are fir and ash. Being in the island of East, I savr lying upon the shore a cut of a large fir-tree, of about two feet and a half in diameter, and nine or ten feet long, which had lain so long, out of 3 THE fcERNACLE GOOSE. 233 Sir Robert Murray's account. the water, that it was very dry; and most of the shells that had formerly covered it were worn or rubbed off; Only on the parts that lay next the ground, there still huiii* multitudes of little shells: they were of the colour and consistence of mus- cle-shells. This barnacle-shell is thin about the edges, and about half as thick as broad. Every one of the shells hath some cross seams or sutures, which, as I remember, divide it into five parts. These parts are fastened one to another, with such a film as muscle-shells are. " These shells are hung at the trees by a neck, longer than the shell; of a kind of a filmy sub- stance, round and hollow, and creased not unlike the windpipe of a chicken: spreading out broad- est where it is fastened to the tree, from which it seems to draw and convey the matter which serves for the growth and vegetation of the shell and little bird within it. " In every shell that I opened, 1 found a per- fect sea-fowl : the little bill, like that of a goose ; the eyes marked; the head, neck, breast, wing, tail, and feet, formed; the feathers, every where perfectly shaped and blackish-coloured; and the feet, like those of other water-fowl, to the best of my remembrance." Few subjects seem to have been more circum- stantially related, or to rest on better evidence, than the above; so natural to man is credulity, which passes all bounds where the prodigy of an .event takes firm hold of the imagination, and VOL. iV.— - NO. 27. 2 G 234 NATURALIST'S CABINET Ridiculous fables — Small bernaclcs. lays the understanding asleep. Such are the wild chimeras that have been detailed concern- ing the origin of the bernaeles; which ridiculous fables once enjoyed great celebrity, and were admitted by many authors. Such is the folly of mankind to give credence to every wonderful tale — such the dangerous contagion of error and superstition ! The small bernacles frequent our coasts, as well as those of Holland and Ireland, in winter ; they are of a brown colour, with the head, neck, and breast, black, and a white collar. They are easily tamed, and when fatted, are thought to be delicate food. In some seasons they have been known to resort to the coasts of France in such numbers as to become a pest; and in the winter of 1740, they destroyed all the corn near the sea coasts, by tearing it up by the roots: a general war was declared against them, and though thou- sands were knocked on the head, it availed but little; nor were the inhabitants released from this scourge till the north-wind, which brought them, ceased to blow, when they took their leave. THE C4NADJ GOOSE. ^ THIS bird is somewhat bigger than the tam« goose. The bill, the head, and the neck, are black; and under the throat there is a broad THE CANADA GOOSE. 235 Description — How killed. white band, like a crescent. The breast, the upper part of the belly, the back, and wing- coverts, are dusky brown ; the lower parts of the neck and belly, and upper tail-coverts, white. The quills and tail are black, and the legs dark lead-colour. Canada geese inhabit the farther parts of North America. Immense flocks appear annu- ally in the spring in Hudson's Bay, and pass more to the north to breed ; and return south- ward in the autumn. The English at Hudson's Bay depend greatly on geese, of this and other kinds, for their support ; and in favourable years they often kill three or four thousand, which they salt and barrel. Their arrival is impatiently waited; it is the harbinger of the spring, and that month is named by the Indians the Goose Moon. The English settlers send out their servants, as well as the Indians, to shoot these birds on their passage. It is in vain to pursue them ; the men therefore form a row of huts made of houghs, at musket-shot distance from each other, and placed in a line across the vast marshes of the country. Each hovel, or, as it is called, stand, is occupied by only a single person. These at- tend the flight of the birds; on the approach of which they mimic their cackle so well, that the geese wiii answer, wheel, and come nearer the stand. The sportsman remains motionless, and on his knees, witii his gun cocked the whole <2 G 2 236 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Where found — Utility. time; and never fires till he can perceive the eyes of the goose. He fires as they are going from him; then picks up another gun that lies by him, and discharges that also. The geese that he has killed, he sets up on sticks, as if alive, to decoy others: he also makes artificial birds for the same purpose. In a good day (for they fly in very uncertain and unequal numbers) a single Indian will kill two hundred. Notwith- standing each species of goose has a different call, yet the Indians are admirable in their imir tation of every one, THE SNOW GOOSE IS about tne size of the common goose. The upper mandible of the bill is scarlet, and the lower one whitish. The general colour of the plumage is white; except the first ten quills of the wings, which are black with white shafts. The young are of a blue colour, till they are a year old. The legs are red. These birds are very numerous about Hud-r son's Bay ; where they are migratory, going far- ther northward to breed. They are also found in the northern parts of the Old Continent. About Jakut, and the other parts of Siberia, they afford great subsistence to the natives, and the feathers are an article of commerce. Each family will kill thousand* in a season, which* THE SNOW GOOSE. 237 Simple mode of taking it. after being plucked and gutted, are flung in heaps into holes dug for that purpose, and are covered only with earth. The mould freezes, and forms over them an arch, and whenever the family have occasion to open one of these ma- gazines, they find their provisions perfectly sweet and good. In that frozen climate these birds have so little of the shyness of the other species, that they are taken in the most ridiculous man- ner imaginable. The inhabitants place near the hanks of the rivers a great net, in a straight line ; or else form a hovel of skins sewed together. This done, one of the company dresses himself in the skin of a white rein- deer, advances towards the flock of geese, and then turns back towards the net or hovel ; and his companions go behind the flock, and by making a noise, drive them forward. The simple birds mistake the man in white for their leader, and follow him within reach of the net; which is suddenly pulled down, and captivates the whole. When he chuses to conduct them even into the hovel, they follow in the same manner; he creeps in at a hole left for that purpose, and out at another on the opposite side, which he closes up. The geese follow him through the first, and as soon as they are in, he passes round and secures every one of them. Mr. Hearne, however, in his " Journey to the Northern Ocean," says that the snow geese there are very different in their manners, beinj* 238 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Descriptions. the shyest and most watchful of all the species of geese, and never suffering a person to ap- proach them within two or three gun-shots. THE RACE-HORSE, OR, LOGGER- HEAD-GOOSE, IS a large bird, weighing from twenty to thirty pounds; the bill is of an orange colour; the head, neck, and upper parts of the body of a deep ash-colour; the thighs inclining to blue; the quills and tail black, and on the bend of the wings, is a yellow knob, half an inch in length. These birds are unable to fly, from the short- ness of their wings, but make amazing progress on the water; their flesh is very rank and un- savory. They chiefly inhabit the Falkland Isles, Staten Land, &c. and are mostly seen in pairs. THE RED-BREASTED GOOSE. THIS is one of the most elegant of the race, though little known here, its residence being chiefly confined to the coasts of the Icy Sea; it generally weighs about three pounds, is quite free from any fishy taste, and therefore highlj- •steemed for the table. THE CYGNOIDES. 239 Descriptions. THE RUDDY GOOSE IS about the size of a mallard, and found in Siberia, from whence it migrates into India; its bill is black ; the neck of an iron colour, encir- cled with a collar of black; the rest of the body an obscure or dusky red, except the tail, which is a greenish black. These birds frequently lay in hollow trees, and the male and female sit by turns; but all attempts to domesticate them have proved ineffectual. Their voice is not unlike the note of a clarinet. Their attachments are so very strong, that if the male be killed, the female will not quit the gunner till she has been two or three times shot at. THE CYGNOIDES, AS forming a middle line between the swaa and the goose, have been not improperly stiled swan-geese. This species is the swan goose of Kay, from Guinea, and is also often called the Muscovy goose. They are frequent in Britain, and unite so readily with the common goose that their offspring will produce as certainly as if no such intermixture had taken place. They walk very erect, with the head much elevated; make an extraordinary harsh screaming noise, which they continue almost the whole day through, and without the least provocation or disturbance. 240 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description. THE PUFFIN AUK IS about the size of a teal, weighing near twelve ounces, and being about twelve inches in length. The eyes are ash-coloured, or grey ; the upper part of the head and body are black ; the lower parts white; it has a sort of black ring that encompasses the throat; the sides of the head are whitish, with a cast of yellow, or ash colour; the wings are made up of short feathers, and are very small: they fly swift while they keep near the surface of the water, on account of wetting their wings as they proceed. They have black tails, about two inches long; their legs and feet are of an orange colour, and their claws of a dark blue. The bill is flat : but, very different from that of the duck, its edge is upwards. It is of a tri- angular figure, and ending in a sharp point; the tipper chap bent a little downward, where it is joined to the head : and a certain callous sub- stance encompassing its base, as in parrots. It is of two colours; ash-coloured near the base, and red towards the point. It has three furrows or grooves impressed in it; one in the livid part, two in the red. The eyes are fenced with a pro- tuberant skin, of a livid colour; and they are grey or ash coloured. The puffin, like the rest of the auk kind, has its legs thrown so far back, that it can hardly 5 THE PUFFIN AUK. 241 Peculiar manners. move without tumbling. This makes it rise with difficulty, and subject to many falls before it gets upon the wing; but as it is a small bird, not much bigger than a pigeon, when it once rises, it can continue its flight with great celerity. The puffin auks build no nest; but lay their eggs either in the crevices of rocks, or in holes under ground near the shore. They most ge- nerally chuse the latter situation. Relying on its courage, and the strength of its bill, with which it bites most terribly, it either makes or finds a hole in the ground, where to lay or bring forth its young. " All the winter," says Wil- loughby " these birds, like the rest, are absent; visiting regions too remote for discovery. At the latter end of March, or the beginning of April, come over a troop of their spies or harbingers^ that stay two or three days, as it were to view and search out for their' former situations, and see whether all be well. This done, they onc« more depart ; and about the beginning of May return again with the whole army of their com- panions. But if the season happen to be stormy and tempestuous, and the sea troubled, the unfor- tunate voyagers undergo incredible hardships; and they are found by hundreds, cast away upon the shores, lean, and perished with famine. It is most probable, therefore, that this voyage is performed more on the water than in the air : and as they cannot fish in stormy weather their VOL. IV. — NO* 38. tH KATUHALIST'S CABINET. Industry and courage. strength is exhausted before they can arrive at their wished-for harbour*" The puffin, when it prepares for breeding, (which always happens a few days after its arri- val,) begins to scrape up a hole in the ground not far from the shore, and when it has some way penetrated the earth, it then throws itself upon its back, and with its bill and claws thus burrows inward, till it has dug a hole with several windings and turnings, from eight to ten feet deep. It particularly seeks to dig under a stone, where it expects the greatest security. This is chiefly the task of the males on which they are so intent as to suffer themselves at that time to be taken with the hand. Some, when there is an opportunity, save themselves the trouble of forming holes by dispossessing the rabbits of theirs. In this fortified retreat the female lays one white egg; which, though the bird be not much bigger than a pigeon, is full the size of that of a hen. The males likewise perform the office of sit- ting, relieving their mates when they go to feed. The young are hatched in the beginning of July. "When the young one is excluded, the parents' industry and courage are incredible. Few birda or beasts will venture to attack them in their re- treats. When the great sea-raven, as Jacobson informs us, comes to take away their young, the puffins boldly oppose him. Their meeting af- 6 — THE PUFFIN AUK. C43 Battles between the puffin and raven. fords a most singular combat. As soon as the raven approaches, the puffin catches him under the throat with its beak, and sticks its claw into his breast, which makes the raven, with a loud screaming, attempt to get away; but the little bird still holds fast to the invader, nor lets him go till they both come to the sea, where they drop down together, and the raven is drowned : yet the raven is but too often successful, and in- vading the puffin at the bottom of its hole, de- vours both the puffin and its family. " But/' Goldsmith observes with much pro- priety, " were a punishment to be inflicted for immorality in irrational animals, the puffin is justly a sufferer from invasion, as it is often itself one of the most terrible invaders. Near the Isle of Anglesey, in an islet called Priesholin, their flocks may be .compared, for multitude, to swarms of bees. In another islet, called the Calf of Man, a bird of this kind, but of a different species, is seen in great abundance. In both places, num- bers of rabbits are found to breed; but the puffin, unwilling to be at the trouble of making a hole, when there is one ready made, dispossesses the rabbits, and it is not unlikely destroys their young. It is in these unjustly acquired retreats that the young puffins are found in great numbers, and become a very valuable acquisition to the natives of the place. The old ones (I am now speaking of the Manks' puffin) early in the morning at Jjxeak of day, leave their nests and young, and -2 H 2 €-44 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Goldsmith's observations. even the island, nor do they return till night-fall. All this time they are diligently employed in fishing for their young; so that their retreats on land, which in the morning were loud and cla- morous, are now still and quiet, with not a wing stirring till the approach of dusk, when their screams once more announce their return . What- ever fish, or other food, they have procured in the day, by night begins to suffer a kind of half digestion, and is reduced to an oily matter, which is ejected from the stomach of the old ones into the mouth of the young. By this they are nourished, and become fat to an amazing degree. When they are arrived to their full growth, they who are entrusted by the lord of the island, draw them from their holes; and, that they may more readily keep an account of the number they take, cut of one foot as a token. Their flesh is said to be excessively rank, as they feed upon fish, especially sprats and sea-weed; however, when they are pickled and preserved with spices, they are admired by those who are fond of high eating. We are told, that formerly their flesh was allowed by the church on Lenten days. They were at that time, also taken by fer- rets, as we do rabbits. At present, they are either dug out, or drawn out, from their burrows, with an hooked5 stick. They bite extremely hard, and keep so fast hold of whatsoever they seize upon, as not to be easily disengaged. Their noise, when taken, is very disagreeable, being THE PUFFIN AUK. Goldsmith's observations. like the efforts of a dumb person attempting to speak. " The constant depredation \vhich these birds annually suffer, doe,s not in the least seem to in- timidate them, or drive them away : on the con- trary, the people say, the nest must be robbed, or the old ones will breed there no longer. All birds of this kind lay but one egg; yet if that be taken away, they will lay another, and so on to a third : which seems to imply, that robbing their nests does not much intimidate them from laying again. Those, howeevr, whose nests have been thus destroyed, are often too late in bring- ing up their young; who, if they be not fledged and prepared for migration when all the rest de* part, are left at land to shift for themselves. In August the whole tribe is seen to take leave of their summer residence; nor are they observed p,ny more till the return of the ensuing spring. It is probable that they sail away to more south- ern regions, as our mariners frequently see my- riads of water-fowl upon their return, and steer- ing usually to the north. Indeed the coldest countries seem to be their most favored retreats; and the number of water-fowl is much greater in those colder climates, than in the warmer regions near the line. The quantity of oil which abounds in tbeir bodies, serves a? a defence against cold, and preserves them in vigour against its severity; but the same provision of oil is rather detrimental in warm countries., as it turns rancid, and many NATURALISTS CABINET. Affection >for their young. of them die of disorders which arise from its pu- trefaction. In general, however, water-fowl can be properly said to be of no climate; the ele- ment upon which they live, being their proper residence. They necessarily spend a few months of summer upon land, to bring up their young : but the rest of their time is probably consumed in their migrations, or near some unknown coasts, where their provision of fish is found in the greatest abundance." Mr. Pennant has asserted, that their affection for their young is so great, that when laid hold of by the wings, they will give themselves the most cruel bites on any part of their body that they can reach, as it' actuated by despair; and when released, instead of flying away, they will often hurry again into their burrows." However, the Rev. Mr. Bingley informs us, " that when he was in Wales, in the summer of 180i, he took several of them out of the holes that had young ones in them, for the purpose of ascertaining this fact. They bit him with great violence, but none of them seized on any parts of their own body: a few, on being released, ran into the burrows; but not always into those from whence he had taken them : if it were more easy for them to escape into a hole than raise them- selves into the air, they did so; but if not, they ran down the slope of the hill in which their bur- rows were formed, and flew away. The noise jthey make when with their young, is a singular tHE MUFFIN AUK. 24? Description of the young — Food. kind of humming, much resembling that pro- duced by the large wheels used for spinning worsted. On being seized, they emitted this noise with greater violence ; and from its being interrupted by their struggling to escape, it sounded not much unlike the efforts of a dumb man to speak." The young ones are entirely covered with a long blackish down ; and in shape are altogether so different from the parent birds, that no one could at first suppose them of the same species. Their bill also is long, pointed, and black, with scarcely any marks of furrows. They feed on sprats or sea-weeds, which make them excessively rank ; yet the young are pickled and preserved with spices, and by some people are much admired. The re-migration of the puffins takes place about the middle of August; when not a single one remains behind, except the unfledged young of the latter hatches : these are left a prey to the peregrine falcon; which watches the mouth of the holes for their appearance, compelled, as they must soon be, by hunger, to come out. The Kamtschadales and Kuriles wear the bills of the puffins fastened about their necks with straps. The priests put them on with a proper ceremony, and the persons are supposed to be always attended by good fortune so long as they retain them there. JFrom the observations made by the Rev. '248 KATUKALISTS CABINET. Remarks by the Rev. H. Davies. Hugh Davies, of Aber, in Caernarvonshire, on the different forms of the bills, among the thou- sands of this species, which, in the year 1776, were wrecked on the Welsh coast near Criccieth, it appears certain that the puffins do not breed till their third year. He saw the beach, for miles, covered with dead birds ; among which wer where the upper chap bends THE CORMORANT. 287 Description — Strength of flight. into a hook ; in the lower mandible there is a naked yellowish pouch; the tail is 'about five inches long, composed of hard stiff feathers, and the legs are strong and thick, but very short. The male has the feathers under the chin white, arid likewise a short loose pendent crest ; and part of the wings is sometimes of a deep and glossy blue green. But notwithstanding the seeming heaviness of its make, there are few birds can exceed it in power of wing, or strength of flight. As soon as the winter approaches they are seen dispersed along the sea shore, and ascending up the mouth* of fresh-water rivers, carrying destruction to all the finny tribe. They are most remarkably vo- racious, and have a most sudden digestion. Their appetite is for ever craving, and never satisfied. This gnawing sensation may probably be in- creased by the great quantity of small worms that fill their intestines, and which their unceasing gluttony contributes to engender. Thus formed with the grossest appetites, this unclean bird has a very rank and disagreeable smell, and is more foetid, than even carrion, in its most healthful state. Their flesh is so very dis- gusting, that even the Greenlanders (among whom they are very common) will scarcely eat them. {f Its form," says the ingenious Mr. Pen- nant, " is disagreeable; its voice is hoarse and croaking; and all its qualities obscene. No won- der then that Milton should make Satan per- ionate this bird, when he sent him upon the £88 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Disagreeable form — Disgusting manners. basest purposes, to survey with pain the beauties of Paradise, and to sit devising death on the tree of Jife. It has been remarked, however, of our poet, that the making a water-fowl perch on a tree, implied no great acquaintance with the his- tory of nature. In vindication of Milton, Aris- totle expressly says, that the cormorant is the only water-fowl that sits on trees. We have already seen the pelican of this number; and the cormorant's toes seem as fit for perching upon trees as for swimming; so that our epic bard seems to have been as deeply versed in natural history as in criticism." Bishop Newton, in his remarks on the follow- ing lines of Milton, also defends the poet's choice of this voracious sea-fowl as a « proper emblem of the destroyer of mankind." " Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life, The middle tree and highest there that grew, Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life Thereby regain'd, but sat devising death To them who liv'd ; nor on the virtue thought Of that life-giving plant, but only us'd For prospect, what well us'd had been the pledge Of immortality." " Indeed/' says a modern writer, " this bird seems to be of a multiform nature ; and wherever fish are to be found, watches their migrations. It is seen as well by land as sea ; it fishes in fresh- water lakes, as well as in the depths of the ocean ; it builds in the cliffs of rocks, as well as on trees; and preys not only in the day time, but by night." 2 THE CORMORANT. 289 Bred tor the purpose of fishing. Its indefatigable nature, and its great power in catching fish,, were probably the motives that induced some nations to breed this bird up tame, for the purpose of fishing ; and Willoughby as- sures us, it was once used in England for that purpose. The description of their manner of fishing is thus delivered by Faber. " When they carry them out of the rooms where they are kept, to the fish-pools, they hood-wink them., that they may not be frightened by the way. When they are come to the rivers, they take off their hoods ; and having tied a leather thong round the lower part of their necks, that they may not swallow down the fish they catch, they throw them into the river. They presently dive under water;- and there for a long time with wonderful swiftness, pursue the fish : and when they have caught them, instantly rise to the top of the water, and pressing the fish lightly with their bills, swallow them; till each bird hath after this manner, devoured five or six fishes. Then their keepers call them to the side, to which they readily fly; and, one after another, vomit up all their fish, a little bruised with the first nip given in catching them. When they have done fishing, setting the birds on some high place, they loose the string from their necks, leaving- the passage to the stomach free and open-, and for their reward, they throw them part of their prey; to each one or two fishes, VOL. TV .-—'NO. 29- 2 O How trained up in China. which they will catch most dexterously, as they are falling in the air." At present, the cormorant is trained up in every part of China for the same purpose, where there are many lakes and canals. vhen we consider how many of the natives of our islands are sustained by their flesh, either fresh or salted, we shall find no satisfaction in* thinking that these poor people may in time lose their chief support. The gull, in general, as was said, builds on the ledges of rocks, and lays from one egg to three, in a nest formed of long grass and sea-weed. Most of the kind are fishy tasted. 302 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description. with black string}' flesh; yet the young ones are better food; and of these, with several other birds of the penguin kind, the poor inhabitants of our northern islands make their wretched ban- quets. They have been long used to no other food; and even a salted gull can be relished by those who know no better." THE BROWN GULL IS considerably less than the former, the bill is about an inch and a half long, black to- wards the extremity, the rest of a light brown or horn colour, shaped much like the former; the eyes are small, the circles yellow, and the nostrils in an oblong form. The head and all the upper parts of the body and wings are of a dusky sort of brown colour, except some of the prime fea- thers of the wings, which are quite black. The belly and breast are of a more bright colour, in- terspersed with a considerable number of trans- verse brown lines. The tail is black, the legs and feet of a brownish yellow, and the claws black. This seems to be an uncommon bird, and not known to authors that have written upon the subject, being classed among the gull-kind, chiefly from the resemblance of its bill and legs. Mr. Albin says, it seems to be a non-descript bird. THE BLACK AND XVHITE GULL. 303 Descriptions. THE BROWN-HEADED GULL IS much about the size of the preceding; the bill is red and sharp pointed ; the under mandible bunching out into a small angle, the eyes black, the irides, or circles, red; encompassed with a broad circle of pale, or white feathers; the head and neck brown, the lower part towards the breast more dusky; the covert feathers of the wings and the back are of an ash-colour, the prime feathers black, with their outer edges, or webs white ; the rest of the body white, tinc- tured with a yellowish sort of pale green. The tail is near five inches long, the legs and feet red, and the claws black. These birds are common about Gravesend, in the river Thames. THE BLACK AND WHITE GULL IS by far the largest of all the gull-kind, weighing generally upwards of four pounds, and being twenty-five or twenty-six inches, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail; and from the tip of each wing, when extended, five feet and several inches. The bill appears compressed sideways, being more than three inches long, and hooked towards the end, like the rest of this 5 304 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Fishes taken whole from its stomach. kind, of a sort of orange colour; the nostrils in an oblong form ; the mouth wide, with a long tongue and very open gullet. The irides of the eyes are of a very delightful red. The wings, and the middle of the back are black, only the tips of the covert and quill fea- thers are white. The head, breast, tail, and other parts of the body are likewise wrhite. The tail is near six inches long, the legs and feet flesh-co- loured, and the claws black. It is a sea-fowl, and preys upon fishes, which have been taken whole from its stomach. THE WHITE GULL. THIS is one of the smallest sort, and does not weigh above eight or nine ounces; the form of the bill is very much like those before de- scribed, and of a red colour, with an angle on the lower mandible: the irides of the eyes white, encircled with an ash colour. The prime feathers on the wings are black, the tips and edges white, extended near two inches beyond the tail ; the back and covert feathers grey, or ash-coloured ; the head, breast, throat, and belly white, tinctured with a pale or faint yellow. The legs are bare of feathers above the knees, and of a dusky green colour, the claws small, but more dusky and blackish. THE SKUA GULL. 305 Fierce in defence of its young. They are said to be useful in gardens, where they destroy the insects and worms; their food is chiefly small fish. The birds of this kind, are in many places called sea-mews, in others sea-cobs. THE SKUA GULL. THIS species is nearly two feet in length, and weighs about three pounds. Its bill is two inches and a quarter long, hooked at the end, and very sharp; and the upper mandible is covered more than halfway down, with a black cere or skin, as in the hawk kind. The feathers of the upper parts are of a deep brown, but below they are somewhat of a rust colour. The talons are black, strong, and crooked. The skua gull inhabits Norway, the Feroe Islands, Shetland, and the noted rock Foula, a little west of these last. It is the most formida- ble of the tribe; its prey being not only fish, but (what is wonderful, in a web-footed bird) all the lesser sorts of water-fowl, and (according to the account of Mr. Schroter, a surgeon of the Feroe Isles) ducks, poultry, and even young lambs. This bird has all the fierceness of the eagle in defending its young. When the inhabitants of those islands visit the nest, it attacks them with such force, that, if they hold a knife perpendi- cularly over their heads, the gull will sometimes VOL. iv. — NO. 2<). <2 " ' 306 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Defends the Hocks from the eagle. transfix itself in its fall on the plunderers. The Rev. Mr. Low, minister of Birfa, in Orkney, in- forms us, that on his approaching the habitations of these birds, they assailed him, and the com- pany along with him, in the most violent manner; and intimidated a bold dog in such a manner as to drive him for protection to his master. The natives are often very rudely treated by them while they are attending their cattle on the hills; and are frequently obliged to guard their heads by holding up their sticks, on which (in the manner mentioned above) the birds often kill themselves. In Foula the skua gulls are privileged i being said to defend the flocks from the attacks of the eagle, which they beat off and pursue with great fury ; so that even that rapacious bird seldom ven- tures to approach the places where they inhabit. The natives of Foula on this account impose a fine upon any person who destroys one of these use- ful defenders: and deny that they ever injure their flocks or poultry; but imagine them to live only on the dung of the Arctic gull and other larger birds. The following is the account, given in Jacob- son's History of the Feroe Islands, of the method in which these birds are taken : " It cannot be expressed w^ith what pains and danger they take these birds in those high steep cliffs, whereof many are two hundred fathoms high. But there are men apt by nature and fit for the work, who THE &KUA GULL. Manner in which it is taken. take them usually in two manners : they either climb from below into these high promontories, that are as steep as a wall ; or they let themselves down with a rope from above. When they climb from below, they have a pole five or six ells long, with an iron hook at the end, which they that are below in the boat, or on the cliff, fasten unto the man's girdle, helping him up thus to the highest place where he can get footing: afterwards they also help up another man ; and thus several climb up as high as possibly they can; and where they find difficulty, they help each other up by thrusting one another np with' their poles. When the first hath taken footing, he draws the other up to him, by the rope fas- tened to his waist; and so they proceed, till they come to the place where the birds build. They there go about as well as they can, in those dan- gerous places; the one holding the rope at one end, and fixing himself to the rocks; the other going at the other end from place to place. If it should happen that he chanceth to fall, the other that stands firm keeps him and helps him up again. But if he passeth safe, he likewise fastens himself till the other has passed the same dangerous place also. Thus they go about the cliffs after birds as they please. It often hap- peneth, however, the more is the pity, that where one doth not stand fast enough, or is not sufficiently strong to hold up the other in his fall, 308 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Extracts from Jacobson. that they both fall down and are killed. In this manner some do fall every year." Mr. Peter Clanson, in his Description of Nor- way, states, that there was anciently a law in that country, that whosoever climbed so on the cliffs, that he fell down and died, if the body was found, before burial, his next kinsman should go the same way ; but if he durst not, or could not do it, the dead body was not then to be buried in sanctified earth, as the person was too full of temerity, and his own destroyer. " When the fowlers," continues Jacobson, " get, in the manner aforesaid, to the birds within the cliffs, where people seldom come, the birds are so tame that they take them with their hands; for they will not leave their young. But when they are wild they cast a net, with which they are provided, over them, and entangle them therein. In the mean time, there lieth a boat beneath in the sea, wherein they cast the birds killed: and in this manner they can, in a short time, fill a boat with fowl. When it is pretty fair weather, and there is good fowling, the fowlers stay in the cliffs seven or eight days toge- ther; for there are here and there holes in the rocks, where they can safely rest ; and they have meat let down to them with a line from the top of the mountain. In the mean time some go every day to them, to fetch home what they have taken. THE SKUA GULL. 30Q Jacobson's account of Feroe fowlers. " Some rocks are so difficult, that they can in no manner get unto them from below; where- fore they seek to come down thereunto from above. For this purpose they have a rope, eighty or a hundred fathoms long, made of hemp, and three inches thick. The fowler maketh the end of this fast about his waist, and between his legs, so that he can sit thereon; and is thus let down, with the fowling staff in his hand. Six men hold by the rope, and let him easily down, laying a large piece of wood on the brink of the rock, upon which the rope glieleth, that it may not be worn to pieces by the hard and rough edge of the stone. They have besides, another small line that is fastened to the fowler's body; on which he pulleth, to give them notice how they should let down the great rope, either lower or higher; or to hold still, that he may stay in the place whereunto he is come. Here the man is in great danger, because of the stones that are loosened from the cliff, by the swinging of the rope, and he cannot avoid them. To remedy this, in some measure, he hath usually on his head a seaman's thick and shaggy cap, which defends him from the blows of the stones, if they be not too big; but if they are, which is fre- quently the case, it costeth him his life: never- theless, they continually put themselves in that danger for the wretched body's food sake, hop- ing in God's mercy and protection, unto which the greatest part of them devoutly ^recommend 310 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Activity of inexperienced fowlers. themselves when they go to work : otherwise, they say, there is no other great danger in it, except that it is a toilsome and artificial la- bour; for he that hath not learned to be so let down, and is not used thereto, is turned about with the rope, so that he soon groweth giddy, and can do nothing; but he that hath learned the art, considers it as a sport, swings himself on the rope, sets his feet against the rock, casts him- self some fathoms from thence, and shoots him- self to what place he will ; he knows where the birds are, he understands how to sit on the line in the air, and how to hold the fowling-staff ia his hand ; striking therewith the birds that come or fly away : and when there are holes in the rocks, and it stretches itself out, making under- neath as a ceiling, under which the birds are, he knoweth how to shoot himself in among them, and there take firm footing. There, when he is in these holes, he maketh himself loose of the rope, which he fastens to the crag of the rock, that it may not slip from him to the outside of the cliff. He then goes about in the rock, tak- ing the fowl, either with his hands or with the fowling-staff. Thus, when he hath killed as many birds as he thinks fit, he ties them in a bundle, and fastens them to a little rope, giving a sign, by pulling, that they should draw them up. When he has wrought thus the whole day, and desires to get up again, he sitteth once more upon the great rope, giving a new sign that they THE SKUA CULL. 311 Immense danger of the fowlers. should pull him up ; or else he worketh himself up, climbing along the rope, with his girdle full of birds. It is also usual, where there are not folks enough to hold the great rope, for the fowler to drive a post sloping into the earth, and to make a rope fast thereto, by which he lets himself down without any body's help, to work in the manner aforesaid. Some rocks are so formed that the persons can go into their cavities by land. " These manners are more terrible and dan- gerous to see than to describe; especially if one considers the steepness and height of the rocks, it seeming impossible for a man to ap- proach them, much less to climb or descend. In some places, the fowlers are seen climbing where they can only fasten the ends of their toes and fingers; not shunning such places, though there be an hundred fathom between them and the sea. It is dear meat for these poor people, for which they must venture their lives; and many, after long venturing, do at last perish therein. " When the fowl is brought home, a part thereof is eaten fresh ; another part, when there is much taken, being hung up for winter provi- sion. The feathers are gathered to make mer- chandize of, for other expences. The inhabi- tants get a great many of these fowls, as God giveth his blessing and fit weather. When it is dark and hazy they take the most; for then the birds stay in the rocks: but in clear weather, NATURALIST'S CABINET. Glacous gull -- .Silvery gull — Tarrock gull, &c. and hot sun-shine they seek the sea. When they prepare to depart for the season, they keep themselves most there, sitting on the cliffs to- wards the sea-side, where the people get at them sometimes with boats, and take them with fowl- ing-staves." Strange and almost incredible as the above ac- count may appear, the circumstances are too well known to leave the smallest doubt of this author's veracity; and the hardihood of the peo- ple who inhabit the rocky shores of the northern parts of Europe, in these pursuits, is almost pro- verbial ; with many of them the birds so taken constitute the chief part of their food, and there- fore, possibly, it is necessity has taught them to put danger at defiance. THE HERRING GULL, 4ND OTHERS. THE herring gull resembles the black and white gull in every thing but size, except that the plumage on the back and wings is more inclined to ash-colour than black ; it weighs thirty ounces. The glacous gull, which inhabits Norway, &c. is rather larger than the herring gull, but resembles it in most other respects. The silvery gull is the same size as the herring gull, and not much dif- ferent in plumage and manners. The tarrock, and kittiwake gulls, also so nearly resemble each other, that some authors affirm THE PEWIT-GULL. 313 Varieties. the latter to be only the tarrock in a state of perfection. The head, neck, belly, and tail of the kittiwake are of a snowy whiteness, the back and wings are grey; and both also have be- hind each ear a dark spot; both species are about the same size, viz. fourteen inches, and the tar- rock weighs seven ounces. Of the arctic gull the male has the top of the head black ; the back, wings, .and tail dusky ; the rest of the body white : the female is entirely brown. The pewit-gull, or black-cap, is so called from the head and throat being of a dark or black co- lour. The red-legged gull, the brown-throated gull, and the laughing gull, which only differs from the others in having the legs black instead of red, are possibly only varieties of the same spe- cies. They are in length from fifteen to eight- teen inches. The back and wings of these birds are in general ash-coloured, and the rest of the body white. The young birds of these species are thought by some to be good eating. The gnat gull, which is found on the borders of the Caspian Sea, though distinguished by a black head, is quite a different species from our black-cap. It is about the size of a barnacle- goose, and weighs between two and three pounds. Jts voice is as hoarse as that of a raven. VOL. IV. — NO. 29* 2 B NATURALIST'S CABINET. Descriptions. THE PETREL. THESE birds all frequent the ocean and are seldom to be seen on shore except during the breeding season. Their legs are bare of feathers a little above the knee. They have a singular faculty of spouting from their bills, to a consi- derable distance, a large quantity of pure oil; which they do, by way of defence, into the face of any one that attempts to annoy them. This oil has been frequently used in medicine; and gome writers, say with success. The bill is somewhat compressed; the mandi- bles are equal, and the upper one is hooked at the point. The nostrils form a truncated cylin- der, lying over the base of the bill. The feet are webbed; and, in the place of a hind toe, have a spur, or nail, pointing downwards. THE STORMY PETREL. THE stormy petrel is notyarger than a swal- low ; and its colour is entirely black ; except thg coverts of the tail, the tail itself, and the vent feathers, which are white. Its legs are long and slender. It is found in most seas, and frequently at a vast distance from the land, where it braves the utmost fury of the storm., sometimes skimming THE STORMY PETREL. 315 Manners — Noise — Several species. with incredible velocity along the hollows of the waves, and sometimes over their summits. It is also an excellent diver, and often follows vessels in great flocks, to pick up any thing that is thrown overboard ; but its appearance is always looked upon by the sailors as the sure presage of stormy weather in the course of a few hours. It seems to seek for protection from the fury of the wind, in the wake of the vessels : and for the same reason it very probably is, that it often flies along between two surges. The nests of these birds are found in the Ork- ney Islands, under loose stones, in the months of June and July. They live chiefly on small fish; and although mute by day, are very clamorous during the night. These birds are called by the sailors Mother Carey's chickens ; but why they have given them this appellation we are at a loss to explain. They are found in many parts of the world ; and, in the Feroe islands, the inhabitants are said to draw a wick through the body of the bird, from the mouth to the vent, which being lighted at one end serves them as a candle, as it is fed by tbe vast proportion of oil which this little animal contains. There are about twenty species of foreign birds of this kind. In the high southern latitudes one is found, which is the size of a goose, and on that account is called the giant petrel. The 2 R 2 310 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Mother Carey's Goose — Description. upper parts of its plumage are pale brown, mot- tled with dusky white; the under parts are white. Mr. Anderson, in Capt. Cook's last voyage, mentions a petrel found at Kerguelan's Land, which the seamen called Mother Carey's Goose; it is by far the largest known; " they were," says he, " so tame, that at first we could kill them with a stick upon the beach. They are not inferior in size to an albatross, and are carnivorous, feeding on the carcasses of seals or birds, that were thrown into the sea. Their colour is a sooty brown, with a greenish bill and feet." This Mr. Anderson considered to be the same bird that is described by Pernetty, in his voyage to the Falkland Islands, and which ie called quebi antehuessos by the Spaniards. GREAT TERN, OR SEA SWALLOW, IS about fourteen inches long, and weighs four ounces and a quarter. The bill and feet are a fine crimson, the former is tipped with black, and very slender. The back of the head is black ; the upper part of the body is a pale grey, and the under part white. The birds have been called sea swallows, from .appearing to have all the same actions at sea that the. swallow has at land, seizing every insect which appears on the surface, and darting down upon the smaller fishesA which they sei'ze with incredible rapidity. THE BLACK TEftN. 31? Striated tern — Noddy. The lesser tern weighs only two ounces five grains. The bill is yellow, and from the eyes to the bill is a black line. In other respects it almost exactly resembles the preceding. THE BLACK TERN. THIS is of a middle size between the two pre- ceding species. It weighs two ounces and a half, It receives its name from being all black as far as the vent, except a spot white under the throat. This bird is called in some parts the ear swallow, It is a very noisy animal. Among the foreign birds of the tern genus, there are some found of a snowy white ; but the most singular bird of the kind is the striated tern, which is found at New Zealand. It is thirteen inches in length. The bill is black, and the body in general mottled, or rather striped with black and white. The noddy is about fifteen inches long, and the whole plumage a sooty brown, except the top of the head, which is white. It is a very common bird in the tropical seas, where it is known frequently to fly on board ships, and is taken with the hand. But though it be thus stupid, it bites the fingers se- verely, so as to make it unsafe to hold it. It Is §aid to breed in the Bahama islands. 318 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Descriptions* THE FULMAR IS the largest of the petrel kind which w known in these climates. It is superior to the size of the common gull, being about fifteen inches in length, and in weight seventeen ounces. The bill is very strong, yellow, and hooked at the end. The head, neck, and all the under parts of the body, are white; the back and wings ash- tolowred, the quills dusky, and the tail white. Jt feeds on the blubber of whales, which supplies the reservoir, whence it spouts with a constant stock of ammunition. This oil is esteemed by the inhabitants of the North as a sovereign re- medy in many complaints both external and in~ ternal. The flesh is also considered by them as a delicacy, and the bird is therefore in great re- quest at St. Kilda. It is said that when a whale is taken, these birds will, in defiance of all en- deavours, light upon it, and pick out large lumps of fat even while it is alive. THE SHEARWATER. THIS is something smaller than the preced- ing. The head, and all the upper parts of the body, are of a sooty blackness ; and the unde,r part and inner coverts of the wings white. These birds are found in the Calf of Man, and the a THE GANNET. 319 Description. Scilly Isles. In February they take possession of the rabbit furrows, and then disappear till April ; they lay one egg, and in a short time the young are fit to be taken. They are then salted and barrelled. During the day they keep at sea fishing, and towards evening return to their young, whom they feed by discharging the con- tents of the stomach into their mouths. THE G4NNET, OR SOL4ND GOOSE. THIS bird, which is about the size of a tame goose, is somewhat more than three feet in length, and weighs about seven pounds. The bill is six inches long: straight almost to the point, where it is a little bent; its edges are irre- gularly jagged, for the better securing of its prey; and about an inch from the base of the upper mandible, is a sharp process, pointing forward. The general colour of the plumage is dirty white, with a cinereous tinge. Surrounding each eye there is a naked skin of fine blue : from the cor- ner of the mouth a narrow slip of naked black skin extends to the hind part of the head; and beneath the chin is a pouch, like that of the pe- lican, capable of containing five or six herrings. The neck is long; the body flat, and very full of feathers. On the crown of the head, and the back part of the neck, is a small buff-coloured space The quill feathers, and some other parts 320 NATURALIST'S CABINET Observations by Harvey. of the wings, are black ; as are also the legs, ex cept a fine pea-green stripe in their front. The tail is wedge-shaped, and consists of twelve sharp- pointed leathers. These birds, which subsist entirely upon fish, chiefly resort to those uninhabited islands where their food is found in plenty, and men seldom come to disturb them. The islands to the north of Scotland, the Skelig Islands of the coasts of Kerry, in Ireland, and those that lie in the north sea off Norway, abound with them. But it is on the "Bass Island, in the Firth of Edinburgh, where they are seen in the greatest abundance. " There is a small island," says the celebrated Harvey, " called the Bass, not more than a mile in circumference. The surface is almost wholly covered during the months of May and June with their nests, their eggs, and young. It is scarcely possible to walk without treading on them ; the flocks of birds upon the wing are so numerous, as to darken the air like a cloud ; and their noise is such, that one cannot, without dif- ficulty, be heard by the person next to him. When one looks down upon the sea from the precipice, its whole surface seems covered with infinite numbers of birds of different kinds, swim- ming and pursuing their prey. If, in sailing round the island, one surveys its hanging cliffs, in every crag or fissure of the broken rocks, may be seen innumerable birds, of various sorts and sizes, more than the stars of heaven, when viewed THE GAtfNET. 321 Voracious vet dainty. in a serene night. If they are viewed at a dis- tance, either receding, or in their approach to the island, they seem like one vast swarm of bees." They are not less frequent upon the rocks of St. Kilda. Martin assures us, that the inhabi- tants of that small island consume annually near twenty-three thousand young birds of this spe- cies, besides an amazing quantity of their eggs. On these they principally subsist throughout the year; and from the number of these visitants, make an estimate of their plenty for the season. They preserve both the eggs and fowls in small pyramidal stone buildings, covering them with turf-ashes, to prevent the evaporation of their moisture. These birds are very voracious, yet somewhat dainty in their choice of prey, dis- daining to eat any" thing worse than herrings or mackerel, unless in great want. Allowing that these birds remain at St. Kilda about six months in the year, and that each bird destroys five her- rings in a day (which is considerably less than the average) we have at least ninety millions of these, the finest fish in the world, devoured an- nually by a single species of St. Kilda birds. The gannet, or Soland goose, is a bird of pas- sage. In winter it seeks the more southern coasts of Cornwall, hovering over the shoals of herrings and pilchards that then come down from the northern sea: its first appearance in the northern islands is in the beginning of spring; and it con- VOL. iv. — NO. 29. 2 s 323 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Superiority of sight. tinues to breed till the end of summer. But, in general, its motions are determined by tbe migra- tions of the immense shoal of herrings that come pouring down at that season through the British Channel, and supply all Europe as well as this bird with their spoil. The gannet assiduously attends the shoal in their passage, keeps with them in their whole circuit round our island, and shares with our fishermen this exhaustless ban- quet. As it is strong of wing, it never comes near the land, but is constant to its prey. Where- ever the gannet is seen, it is sure to announce to the fishermen the arrival of the finny tribe; they then prepare their nets, and take the herrings by millions at a draught; while the gannet, who came to give the first information, comes, though an unbidden guest, and snatches its prey from the fisherman even in his boat. While the fishing season continues^ the gannets are busily em- ployed : but when the pilchards disappear from our coasts, the gaonet takes its leave to keep them company. The cormorant has been remarked for the quickness of his sight; yet in this the gannet seems to exceed him. It is possessed of a trans- parent membrane under the eye-lid, with which it covers the whole eye at pleasure, without ob- scuring the sight in the smallest degree. This seems a necessary provision for the security of the eyes of so weighty a creature, whose method of taking prey, like that of the cormorant,, is by 3 THE CAN NET. 323 How taken — Eggs — Nests. darting headlong down from an height of an hundred feet and more into the water to seize it. These birds are sometimes taken at sea, by fas- tening a pilchard to a board, which they leave floating. The gannet instantly bounces down from above u^pon the board, and is killed or maimed by the shock of a body where it ex- pected no resistance. The gannets breed but once a year, and lay only one egg, but if that be taken away, they lay another ; and if that be also taken away, then a third; but never more for that season. Their eggs are white, and rather less than those of the common goose ; and their nest large, composed of such substances as are found floating on the sur- face of the, sea. The young birds, during the first year, differ greatly in colour from the old ones ; being of a dusky hue, speckled with nu- merous triangular white spots; and at that time resembling the colours of the speckled diver. They come yearly to the Bass Island, which is an almost inaccessible rock, situated at the mouth of the Forth in Scotland, seven miles from land, and faces St. Andrews on the north, North Ber- wick on the south, and the German ocean on the east. It was anciently a kind of prison for those who dissented from the then established church. There they breed in great numbers; it belongs to one proprietor, and care is taken never to frighten away the birds when laying, or to shoot them upon the wing. By that means they be- 2 s 2 324 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Peculiar habits. come so confident as to alight and feed their young ones unconcerned at any person's being near them. They feed upon fish, as we have observed; yet the young gannet is counted a great dainty by the Scots, and sold very dear ; so that the lord of the above islet makes a consi- derable annual profit by the quantity that is taken therefrom. They quit this island towards the latter end of autumn, and when they return in the spring there is usually but three or four at first, which precede the rest as so many spies, or harbingers, and are followed by the flock a few days after, as is attested by several creditable authors. They build their nests in the highest and steepest rocks they can find near the sea, and employ for that purpose such a quantity of sticks as is almost in- credible; insomuch that the inhabitants of that part of the country, upon finding a few nests, think themselves plentifully provided with fur for a twelvemonth. They deposit their eggs in the holes of the rock, and while they are lay^ ing them, rest one foot upon another; whence Johnson thinks they derive their name from So- lea, the sole of the foot : but this is rather an im- probable derivation. They feed their young ones with the most delicate sort of fish ; and if, in fty- ing away with one, they see another they like better, they immediately drop the first, and plunge into the water again with great violence. THE CAN NET. '323 Peculiar habits — Pennant's remarks. They likewise disgorge a great quantity of fish,, which were formerly used as food by the garrison of the castle. The young, during the first year, differ greatly from the old ones; being of a dusky hue, and speckled with numerous triangu- lar white spots. While the female is employed in incubation, the male supplies her with food; and the young itself extracts its food from the pouch of the parent, with its bill as with a pincer. These birds, when they pass from place to place, unite in small flocks of from five to fif- teen : and, except in very fine weather, fly low, near the shore, but never pass over it; doubling the capes and projecting parts, and keeping nearly at an equal distance from the land. Dur- ing their fishing they rise high into the air, and sail aloft over the shoals of herrings or pilchards, much in the manner of kites. When they ob- serve the shoal crowded thick together, they close their wings to their sides and precipitate themselves, head-foremost, into the water, drop- ping almost like a stone. Their eye in this act is so correct, that they never fail to rise with a, fish in their mouth. Mr. Pennant says, that the natives of Saint Kilda hold this bird in much estimation, and often undergo the greatest risks to obtain it. Where this is possible, they climb up the rocks which it frequents; and in doing this they pass 326 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Intrepidity of the St. Kilda fowlers. along paths so narrow and difficult, as, in ap- pearance, to allow them barely room to cling, and that too at an amazing height over a raging sea. Where this cannot be done, the fowler is lowered by a rope from the top ; and to take the young, often stations himself on the most dan- gerous ledges: unterrified, however, he ransacks all the nests within his reach; and then, by means of a pole and his rope, moves off to other places to do the same. (See the annexed en- graving.) It has been also said by travellers, that to take the old birds, the inhabitants tie a herring to a board, and set it afloat; so that by falling furiously upon it, the bird may break its neck in the attempt. This, however is unlawful; for the fastening of herrings thus to planks at sea, to catch the Soland goose, or gannet, is for \ bidden under a'severe penalty. Some years ago one of these birds was flying over Penzance in Cornwall, wben seeing some pilchards lying on a fir plank, in a place for cur- ing those fish, it darted itself down with so much violence, as to strike its bill quite through an Jnch-and-a-quarter plank, and kill itself on the spot. The gannet seems to attend the herrings and pilchards during their whole progress round the British Islands ; and sometimes migrates in quest pf food as far southward as the mouth of the Tagus, being frequently seen off Lisbon during the month of September. From this time till THE tfQBY. 327 Description — Wherefore so called. March it is not well known what becomes of these birds. The young birds, and the eggs alone are eat- able; the old ones being tough and rancid. THE BOOBY. THIS bird is about two feet six inches in length. Its bill is nearly four inches and a half long; toothed on the edges, and of a grey colour. A space round the eyes, and on the chin, is naked. The head, neck, upper parts of the body, wings, and tail, are ash-coloured brown ; and the breast, under parts, and thighs, white. The eggs are pale yellow, and the claws grey. This and some other species have been deno- minated boobies from their excessive stupidity ; their silly aspect; and their habit of continually shaking their head and shivering when they alight on the ship's yards, or other parts, where they often suffer themselves to be taken by the hand. In their shape and organization they greatly resemble the cormorants. The boobies have an enemy of their own tribe, that perpetually harasses them. This is the fri- gate pelican, or man-of-war bird, which rushes upon them, pursues them without intermission, and obliges them, by blows with its wings and bill, to surrender the prey that they have taken, 328 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Skirmishes of the booby and frigate ; which it instantly seizes and swallows. Catesby thus describes the skirmishes of the booby and its enemy, which he calls the pirate. " The lat- ter/' he says, " subsists entirely on the spoils of others, and particularly of the booby. As soon as the pirate perceives that it has caught a fish, he flies furiously against it, and obliges it to dive under water for safety; the pirate not being able to follow it, hovers above the water till the booby is obliged to emerge for respiration, and thea attacks it again while spent and breathless, and compels it to surrender its fish: it now returns to its labours, and has to suffer fresh attacks from its enemy." Leguat says, the boobies repair at night to fepose on the island of Rodrigue ; and the fri- gate waits for them on the tops of the trees ; it rises very high, and darts down upon them like a hawk upon his prey, not to kill them, but to make them disgorge. The booby, struck in this way by the frigate, throws up a fish, which the latter snatches in the air : often the booby screams, and discovers a reluctance to part with its booty; but the frigate scorns its cries, and rising again, descends with such a blow as to stun the poor bird, and compel an immediate surrender. Dampier gives us a curious account of the hostililies between the man-of-war birds, and the boobies, in the Alcrane Islands, on the coast of THE BOOfcY. 329 Dampier's account of their hostilities. Yucatan. " These birds were crowded so thick, that I could not/' he says, " pass their haunt without being incommoded by their pecking.—- I observed that they were ranged in pairs, which made me presume that they were male and fe- male. When I struck them, some flew away ; but the greater number remained, and would not stir, notwithstanding all I could do to rouse them. I remarked also, that the man-of-war birds and the boobies always placed sentinels over their young, especially when they went to sea for provisions. Of the man-of-war birds, many were sick or maimed, and seemed unfit to procure their subsistence. They lived not with the rest of their kind ; either expelled from so- ciety, or separated by choice: but were dispersed in different places, probably that they might have a better opportunity of pillaging. I once saw more than twenty on one of the islands, sally out from time to time into the open country to carry off booty, and return again almost imme- diately. When one surprised a young booby that had no guard, he gave it a violent peck on. the back to make it disgorge, which it did in- stantly: it cast up one or two fish about the bulk of one's hand, which the old man-of-war bird swallowed still more hastily. The vigorous ones play the same game with the old boobies which they find at sea. I saw one myself which flew right against a booby ; and with one stroke of its bill, made him deliver up a fish that he had VOL. iv. — NO. -29. 2 T 330 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Description — Rank and fishy. just swallowed. The man-of-war bird darted so rapidly, as to catch this fish in the air before it could fall into the water." THE CURLEW. THERE are eleven species of this bird, ac- cording to Latham, differing very much in size, the longest measuring about twenty-five inches, and sometimes weighing thirty-six ounces. These birds fly in considerable flo.cks, and are well known upon the sea-coasts in most parts, where, and in the marshes, they frequent in the winter, feeding on worms, frags, and all kinds of marine insects. In April, or the beginning of May, they retire into the mountainous and unfrequented parts of the sea shore, where they breed, and do not return again till the approach of winter. There have been some advocates in favour of the flesh of this birdj, but in general it is strong, rank, and fishy. \i has a long black bill, much curved or arched, about eight fingers only, and begin- ning to bend a little downwards about three fin^ gers from the head. The middle parts of the feathers on the head, neck, and back, are black ; the borders or outsides ash-coloured, with an in- t^ermixture of red; and those between the wings and back are of a most beautiful glossy blue, and shine like silk. The vent and belly are white. The feet are divided, but joined by a little mem-. THE STONE CURLEW; S3l Description. brane at the root. The tongue is very short, considering the length of the bill, and bears some resemblance to an arrow. The female is somewhat larger than the male, which is commonly called the jack curlew, and the spots with which her body is covered almost all over> is more inclining to a red; THE STONE CURLEW DIFFERS very much from the former. It is a pretty large bird, being from the extension of the point of each wing a full yard, and has a straight sharp- pointed bill, near two inches long, black towards the nostrils, the other parts yel- low; the eyes and the edges of their lids are yel- low, there is a bare place under each eye, that appears of a sort of yellowish green, the breast, thighs, and under the chin, are of a yellowish white, the back, head, and neck, are in the mid- dle parts black, with their borders of a sort of reddish ash-colour, with some transverse spots of white upon the quill- feathers, and the outward surface black, some of the other wing-feather? are tipt with white, so that they appear of a fine mixture of black and white, prettily mottled. The tail is about six inches long, the colours va- riegated like those of the body and wings. The legs are long, and of a yellowish colour, with 332 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Where found — Cry — Description. small black claws; it has only three fore toes, which are joined together by a little membrane: but has not any back toe at all. They are found in Norfolk, and several other counties in England, and have a cry that very much resembles that of the green plover ; they breed very late in the year, insomuch that the young ones have been found in the latter end of October, scarce able to fly; they run very swiftly, and will often stop, and stand without the least motion of any part of their bodies. THE BARKER. THIS may not be improperly placed here, from in a great measure partaking of the charac- teristics of the curlew family, if it does not in reality belong to it. This bird measures from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, near two feet, and from the point of each wing when extended, upwards of three. The head and part of the neck are of a cinereous, or brown colour, interspersed with small black spots; the back, and both the covert and scapular feathers of the wings, of a reddish brown, with white edges and tips : the quill-feathers black, with their outward edges white. The under part of the body is of a dusky white tinctured with yellow. The tail is composed of dusky brown feathers, striped re- gularly \viih white on boih the webs. The legs THE LAUGH WHITE GAULD1NG. 333 Timidity — Peculiar noise. and feet are brown, tinctured with a *lusky yel- low, and greenish gloss. They generally feed on the salt marshes, not far from the sea, and are so timorous that they will very rarely admit a man to come near them, usually seeking their food in the night as other nocturnal birds do. They are said to make a noise like the barking of a dog, from whence they are supposed to take the name of barker; though, according to Mr. Ray, this appears to be the bird described by Bellonius by the name of berge, and that which the French call petit corlieu, which they esteem a very great delicacy. THE LARGE WHITE GAULDING MEASURES from the end of the bill to that of the tail, about three feet and a half, and about four feet from the extension of each wing ; the bill is very long, angular, and of a yellow colour, in which there are two Jong slits for nostrils. The neck is very crooked, resembling in some degree a Roman S, and is about eleven inches long. The feathers that cover the whole body are of an exceedingly beautiful milk-white colour. The thighs, legs, and toes, are about ten inches long, and are covered with large scales, of a bluish black colour. It has four toes, one behind, and three before, the middlemost of which is near three inches long; the claws are blacky and ' 3 334 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Observations by Capt. Wood. there is a small web between the two outermost toes. It feeds upon small fish, and frequents the sea marshes and salt pools. Capt. Wood observes, that in the north-west parts of Greenland there is a sort of fowl which the natives catch with springs and snares, chiefly for the sake of their skin and feathers, which being thick, they dress and make garments- of them, like furs, wearing the feathers outward in the summer time, and inward in the winter. He says two or three of his men killed fifteen hun- dred of them in one day. One would from this account imagine, snares would be as unnecessary here as in the bird island in America, mentioned by the Earl of Cum- berland, who says, " there are such incredible numbers of birds found in it, that there needs no artifice to take them ; for a man may catch with his hands alone almost enough to serve a whole fleet." THE BLUE GAULDING IS from its bill to the end of the tail about eighteen or twenty inches, and from the ex- tension of each wing, about a yard. The part of the bill towards the head is of a bluish colour, and black towards the extremity; it is very sharp, and about two inches and a half long: it has a greenish skin about the eyes, V THE BLACK BELLIED DARTER. 335 Principal food — Description. and a tuft of thin small longish feathers upon the head; the neck is about six inches long, co- vered with thin feathers of a bluish black colour; the whole body of the bird being nearly the same colour, except the breast, belly, and under the wings, which appear something lighter. The legs are covered with greenish scales, and are about seven or eight inches long; it has four toes, one behind and three before, the middle- most of which is about two inches long; and it has black crooked sharp claws. They feed on shrimps, young crabs, spiders, and field crickets; and frequent ponds and wa- tery places. THE BLACK BELLIED DARTER. THIS species is the size of a common duck; the head, neck, and upper part of the breast are of a pale brown, and on each side of the neck is a broad white line. The belly, wings, and tail are black, as are also the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts; but these are marked with white lines. The bill is bluish above, and somewhat red beneath, and the legs are of a yellowish green. The four toes are united like those of the cormorant. It is about three feet in length, and is found in some parts of Africa, in Ceylon, and Java. In these countries where people are §o apprehensive of serpents, whoever sees only NATURALISES CABINET* Similitude to a serpent — Sagacity. the head and neek of the black bellied dartef while the rest of the body is hidden among the foliage of a tree on which it is perched,, must na~ turally mistake it for one of those reptiles, accus- tomed to climb and reside in trees ; and the illu* sion is increased by its having all the tortuous motions of these animals. In whatever situation it happens to be, whether swimming, flying, or at rest, the most apparent and remarkable part of its body i* its long and slender neck, which is constantly in motion, except during flight, when it becomes immoveable and extended, and forms with its tail a perfectly strait and horizontal line. The principal iood of this bird is fish, which, rf small enough, it swallows entire, but if too large it flies off with them to some rock or stump of a tree, and fixing them under one of its feet, tears them to pieces with its bill. Though water is its principal element, yet it builds its nest, and rears its young on rocks and trees, but always on those that are so near the river, that it can either, in case of danger, or when the young are old'enough to learn to swim, precipitate them into it. There are few birds that exceed these in saga- city and cunning, particularly when surprised on the water. In this situation it is almost impos- sible to kill them. The head, which is the only part exposed, disappears the instant the flint touches the hammer of the gun; and if once inissed, it is in vain to think of approaching THE WHITE BELLIED DARTER. 387 Description — Expert at fishing. them a second time, as they never show them- selves more than once, but at a very great dis- tance, and then only for the moment necessary for breathing. In short, so cunning are they that they will often baffle the sportsman by plunging at the distance of a hundred paces above, and rising again to breathe at the distance of more than a thousand below him, and if they have the good fortune to find any reeds, they conceal themselves there, and entirely disappear. THE WHITE-BELLIED DARTER. THE white-bellied darter is scarcely so large as a mallard, but its neck is so long that it mea- sures not less than two feet ten inches. The bill is three inches long, straight, and pointed. The neck is covered with downy soft feathers, of a reddish grey ; the upper parts of the plumage are dusky black, dashed with white; the under parts pure silvery white. It is a native of Brasil, and is extremely expert at catching fish. Mr. Bertram, in his American Travels, sa}rs that these birds have a way of spreading out their tail like an unfurled fau. They delight to sit in little peaceable communities, on the dry limbs of trees, hanging over the still waters, with the wings and tail expanded, and when ap- proached, they drop from the limb into the wa- ter, as if dead, and for a minute or two are not VOL. iv. — NO. 30. 2 u 338 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Habits — Description — Varieties. seen, when on a sudden, at a vast distance, their long heads and necks are raised, and have much the appearance of snakes, as no other parts of the body are to be seen when swimming, except sometimes the tip of the tail. In the heat of the day they are often seen in great numbers, sailing high in the air over the rivers and lakes. THE BOATBILl, A VERY curious bird, is found in the south- ern parts of America, of which it is a native; it is about the size of a common fowl. The gene- ral colour of the bill is dusky, and the skin be- neath the under jaw is capable of distention. From behind the head springs a long black crest. The plumage on the forehead is white, and the rest of the bird is a pale bluish ash colour ; and the feathers which hang over the breast are loose, like those of the heron. There are vari- eties of this bird, both spotted and brown, but they appear simple varieties, and not at all enti- tled to the denomination of species. Like the king-fisher, it preys upon fish, which it catches by perching on trees that over-hang the streams, and dropping on the fish as they swim by. THE JACANA. 339 Long toes — Wings armed with spurs. THE UMBEE TAKES its name from its colour, which is of a deep brown, or umbre, and is brought from the Cape of Good Hope ; it is about the size of a crow, to which it is very similar. The bill is three inches and a half in length, with a furrow on each side the upper mandible, and from the head springs a large crest of black feathers, bet- ter than four inches in length. THE JACANA IS found in most of the tropical climates, but is most common in South America. It is re- markable for the length of its toes, and for the wings being armed in front with sharp spurs. There are about ten species, differing in size from that of a common fowl to that of a water- rail. They vary also in their plumage, some brown, some black, and some variable. The faithful jacana is a most useful bird at Cartha- gena in South America. The natives, who keep poultry in great numbers, have one of these tame, who attends the flock as a shepherd, to defend them from birds of prey. Though not larger than a dunghill-cock, the jacana is able, by means of the spurs on his wings, to keep off birds as large as the carrion vulture; and even, S u 2 340 N A TUB A LIST'S CABINET. Pleasing to the sight — Flesh well tasted. that bird himself; and it never deserts its charge, but assiduously takes care to bring the whole flock safe home at night. It feeds on vegetables, and cannot run but by the help of its wings. THE KOKOI, A BRASILIAN bird of the crane kind, and very pleasing to the sight, is about the size of a stork ; its bill is straight and sharp, about six fingers in length, of a yellowish colour, inclining to green ; the neck is fifteen fingers long, the body ten, the tail five; the neck and throat are white; both sides of the head black, ihixed with ash-colour. On the undermost part of the neck, are most delicious white> long, and thin feathers, fit for plumes; the wings and tail are of an ash-'colour, mixed with some white feathers ; all along the back, are long and light feathers like those on the neck, but of an ash- ctolour,- the legs are very long, and covered above half the way down with feathers. Its flesh is very good, and of a grateful taste. Such are the several aquatic birds known to naturalists; but there is no doubt, from the many discoveries which are continually made by navigators and travellers, that there are various SHOOTING WILD FOWL. 341 Dr. Harward's receipt for sportsmen's boots. others, not only of water, but land birds hitherto unknown to mankind : it is likewise very proba- ble that some of our voyagers have mistaken different species of known birds, for some un- known genera. We shall now conclude our de- scriptions with some observations on SHOOTING JVILD-FOIVL. ee TO be equipped for this sport," observes the Rev. Mr. Daniel, " in severe weather it is essentially requisite to be well clothed." — Dr. Harward, one of the best wild-fowl shooters in the kingdom, recommends, if a sportsman's boots be new, that they should be well anointed with half a pound of bee's wax, a quarter of a pound of resin, and the like quantity of mutton suet, or tallow, boiled together, and used luke- warm. Should the boots have been used, beef suet is to be substituted for the mutton. Thus the boots are rendered water-proof; under which the sportsman should wear thick yarn stockings, and over them what is termed wads by the fisher- men. A cap must be worn, made of skin, in- stead of a hat: the fowl will not approach near the latter, and nothing so much or so soon shies them. The punt-shooters (men who earn their liveli- hood by attacking the wild-fowl night and day, according as the tide serves) kill great numbers. Pnnt-shooting. The pursuit is hazardous, especially when there is much ice in the river, by which they some- times get encircled, and then can only float with the current, and are kept often two or three tides before they can extricate themselves, and their punt is ill calculated to sustain pressure against its tides, which are not twenty inches high from the surface of the water; in this the punter by night drops down with the tide, or uses his pad- dles after the fowl: he knows their haunts, and takes every advantage of wind, tide, moon, &c. His gun, which carries as much as a little can- non, is laid with the muzzle over the stem of the punt, in a hitch which regulates the line of aim : at the bottom of the punt he lies upon his belly, and gets as near the roui of fowl that are upon the water as possible. When within the range of his gun, he rattles with hrs feet against the bottom of his punt, and when the fowl begin to spring at this unexpected sound, at that moment lie pulls the trigger and cuts a lane through their ranks ; he instantly follows the direction of his shot and gathers up those that are killed, or just expiring, for very seldom he makes it answer to row after fowl only wounded ; he then charges his gun and drifts further down the river, in hopes of a second, third, and successive shots. By this mode one man has brought home from four- score to an hundred wild-fowl, of various kinds in one night's excursion. SHOOTING WILD-FOWL. 343 Gun proper for punt shooting. The best time for this shooting is the first or se- cond day's thaw after a sharp frost, and when deep snow has long covered the ground: the fowl are then seen flying in every direction to dabble in the fresh-water, which then appears all around invit- ing them. Another favourable opportunity is at the commencement of a frost, with the wind strong at east, and a sleet or snow falling ; if the guns can but be kept dry, there is no complaint about the using them, and the fowl in such wea- ther always fly lower than when the atmosphere is clear. The gun proper for this amusement has no occasion to be more than three feet eight inches in the barrel, which should not weigh less than twelve pounds; upon this scale the whole gun will be about eighteen pounds weight; this quan- tity of iron at the above length will be as capa- ble or more so, of throwing shot sharp and dis- tant, as a barrel two feet longer. Should this heavy mass be objected to as cumbersome to carry, let it be remembered that these guns are not meant to lie upon the arm, or to be carried about in the fields. The shooter is either seated in a boat, or upon a marsh; in either situation the gun does not fatigue him, since he has nothing to do but elevate it as the wild-fowl fly over his head; and after firing and charging, let it again lie beside him until fresh objects require its use, 2 344 NATURALIST'S CABINET. Receipt for keeping a sportman's gun clean. For keeping a sportsman's gun clean, Dr. Harward recommends three ounces of black lead, half a pound of hog's lard, and one quarter of camphor, boiled upon a slow fire. The gun barrels are to be rubbed with this preparation, and after three days, wiped off with a linen cloth. Twice in a winter will keep off the rust, which the salt-water is otherwise sure to be continually bringing out of the iron. END OF VOL. IV. INDEX. ALBATROSS, the, description of . 277 figure of ... 278 its affection for the penguin , 281 voracious disposition of . . 280 Albin, Mr. his remarks on the flamingo . . 175 on the tufted, or black-crested duck 209 Alcatraci, description of . , . 284 Anderson, Mr. his remarks on the petrel in Kerguelan's Island . , , . .316 Anhima, the, description of . . . . 169 Ardesoif, Mr. anecdote of . . ,9 Attagen, the, description of . . . .94 . . . various opinions respecting , . 95 Auk, the puffin, description of ... 240 . . affection of, for its young . . 246 . . . industry and courage of . 241 t . . its battles wilh the raven . . 243 . . the great, description of ... 253 Avosetta, the, description of ... 131 B Bnrbot on the Mexican crown bird . . • .73 Barker, the, description of . . . . 332 Barrington, Hon. Daines, on the swallow . . 45 Bee-eater, the, description of ... 78 the Bengal . . . . 80 VOL. IV. 2 X INDEX. Fagt Bellonius, remarks by, on the bee-eater * .79 on the stork . . - . 108 Birds, aquatic, general description of • T, • • 97 general characteristics of ,* ..} . 100 . • . graceful evolutions of . r*r,; - . 98 cloven-footed . . . 100 . * finned feet . /, .; . ib. • . . web footed .... 104 . «_ . . supplied with a quantity of oil * . 106 •*,,•• • ^ree orders of . . ^ < . 99 Bishop, the. See Organist. Bittern, the, description of . » ." i , 126 . hab'itsof \. \ *.„ '' . . 127 . \ . . nest, eggs of . .. , . 129 . peculiar noise of *V i-.- . 128 Black- cap, the . , '. i "''"^ ' . 313 Boatbill, the, description of . '. % . £. ' . 338 Bochas, the. See Duck, the common wild. Booby, the, description of, and wherefore so called . 327 . its battles with the man-of-war birds . . 329 Brook, Mr. remarks by, on the ruffed grous /"'** . 24 Buffon, M. de, anecdote by, of the cock ' f v- V$ . ( . , remarks by, on the flamingo , . 177 t . ,, %' • °n the swallow . . 54 . on swans . • ' "'• 189 Cannon, Nicholas, anecdote of . . ' , ^ '- § Carasow, the, description of , . . .71 . . . remarks by various authors on . • 74 Chatterers, the waxen, or Bohemian . . ,83 the carunculated . . . ib. Chickens, hatched in Egypt, &c. by means of artificial heat 12 mode of treating those, forcibly hatched . 14 progress of the incubation of, in the, natural way . 16 wonderful regularity in the formation of . 18 INDEX. Pag* Cock, the, courage and jealousy of . ; .5 description of . . , 3 . . grand and animated appearance of . .4 . . the bantam, or dwarf . , . • 7 . . the crested . . , . . ib. , . the English game . . . ; 8 . . the frizzled . . . + ? . . the Hamburgh . . , .6 .. . the, of the wood. See Grous, wood. Cockfighting, origin of . . .9 . common in Sumatra . . .10 Colas, Dr. on the swallow . . . .45 Coot, the, description of .... 1S8 Cormorant, or corvorant, the, bred for the purpose of fishing 2«9 description of . . 286 .... disgusting manners of . ., 283 • .... how trained in China . . 290 » • » . . strong sight of . „ 287 , voracity of . . 293' utility of the skin of , . 294 the shag, or lesser . . 29,"> Crane, the, description of . . . , i^o nocturnal expeditions of . . .121 . . peculiar manners of , .. . 122 . the balearic, description of . . 167 whimsical figure of 168 . the gigantic , f 123 . manners of a tame one . . 125 .... supposed to be invulnerable . . 124 . theNumidian . . , .170 Crown bird, the, description of . .71 . the Mexican . . ,72 Curlew, the, eleven species of ... 330 , . the stone ..... 331 £!ygnoides, description of . . . 239 INDEX. Dampier on the flamingo . -,''1' ^J1' ^ ; 1^6 Daniel' Rev. Mr. on the partridge % •;,.-'"• , 29 . <; . " . « on red grous *.t '"a1''' . 28 Darter, the, black-bellied, description of «s > . 335 . . * , . ' . its similitude to a serpent . 336 . the white-bellied, description of ' '? "' . 337 Davies, Rev. Hugh, on the puffin hawk ' f-'.:> . 248 Derham, Dr. on the heron • .,'"' irj;.' .' •' . 112 Diver, the Chinese, description of '. : '"."'. . 258 ;' '.Ihe crested ', *• "» ' ™'*- • 252 . the dun . ' . '4 ' %' ' ' 'V . 256 ,v ; . the northern V J'» ' . • 248 .'*V: , the sea •**$ ''V' r-.'r' . .'251 . the speckled ' . ' ';. , ,i' . 25O Dotteril, the, description of . -rV>:'. '" .' . 16O* S"'~ . * . vt-rj^ singular and simple . • . 161' Drake/ the hood-billed -V • ' .* .206' .''•"'.• the Muscovy ?-^» :'\'^^ ^ ^ 2K) Dronte or dido, the, description of *. •-.,.. i ^ g- ."l, • . / incapable of flight or-defence . 86' Duck, the common, description of ' Y i 'f'\. " . 190" . ' . , . inattentive lo its oflfepring . .191 ,v"~ Y . the common wild or bochas ." ,'"•"' .' ^03 ,v . the eider, description of *. ",': .' 192- .' manner of procuring its down . .' 193 ,' ' ' .* . ' .'value of the down of ; . 194 . . the king, or grey-headed . -_>-•!«. ^ ^^ ,; .^he Madagascar " -. ' '" '.' ' ' *'"»." . all •" .'the scaup, orlVIacula ' .' ' '» . 204 . the summer . '/ ' l " '. "' . 220 ; . the tufted, or black-crested . . ' • ^08 * the upright '. . .'''" . ?';9 . the wild, hatched in ChinaJby artificial heat . 292 how taken iu decoys . . .198 INDEX. Page, Duck, the wilJ, how taken -by other methods , ; 200 « . . manners of . . . .196 . . . remarks on . . . . 197 varieties of . . . .195 very artful .... 201 Dunlin, the, description of .... 1(37 iDupratz, M. le Page, his account of the bishop . . 89 Ecwards's account of the Albatross . 270 Faber on the pejican .... 276 Flamingo, the, description of . . .173 manners of, when ensnared . .178 . manners of-the young . . .182 peculiar manners of , ; 176 remarks by various authors on . . 177 singular mode of feeding . , 180 Fly-catchers, the fan-tailed, description 6f . ,90 . the^pied . . . •, ib. . the spotted . . . t ib. Forster, Mr. on the crested penguin . , . 267 Frigate. See Man-nf '-war bird. Fry, Dr. on the swallow .... 45 Fulmar, the, description of . . . , 318 Fye, the golden, description of . . . 214 Gannet, or soland goose, the, description of • . 319 4 how taken , . 323 ...... peculiar habits of . . 324 ...... quickness of its sight . 322 voracity anu daintiness of .321 Caulding, the blue, description of . . 334 1 INDEX, Gaulding, the large white . :r«>«w ^ « .333 Gemelli, Dr. remarks by, on the carasow (| ,fr . 74 Gerard's account of the bernacle goose n«efi • 231 Qodwu, the, description of ,».J( it* • 148 Gold-Miiith, Dr. his remark's on the puffin aufe .w^, . f 243 Goose, the bean, description of ^' ^;,:%) , 229 ,. . the bernacle, description of ,. ? ^^ 0 f 230 fabulous-assertions respecting , 23^ . ; the Canada ""*. . '••„:•'* , . 254 • where found, and how killed . . 25£> ; . the domestic . p ••,»••» •;*•• '•• 223 «... anecdotes of its sagacity . . 2S53 * . attention and attachment of . 227, 228 . its courage, &c. . . ,- 224 „••£ . Mother Carey's . s '*'' ^,>. 1^5 )316 j»r. . the race-horse, or loggerhead ^ ; r\^ /238 ^-f . the red-breasted r.-AM* ,^ : V • *, « ib» r;; . the ruddy . . ^ . , > , . j. J 239 • r . the small bernacle . ^ ..>~. '2. 234 , . the snow . «• > *•*»•! •*; • 236 p, . . simple mode of taking ^ . 237 Gooseander, the, description of . ^ ': . • ;-A 255 Gould. Rev. Mr. discovery by, respecting partridges . 30 Crackle, the, description of . , • x, ^ " • 84 ^3 ..' the boat-tailed ' -,,,.-_ ^ ..'. ; •. ^. ib- Grebe, the, description of , ,»>-. * • ' ' ,» . 141 , . . manners of ^ , . , , 142 Grous, the black, food, manners, &c. of • , ; ,» 25 • ; > • • / how taken ,>; ,, «• • - » 26 . remarkable characteristic of . . 9A . the red, description of . * £ 27 flesh of, excellent, . , y 28 • . the ruffed, description of . . , i^ 22 . cunning of the old . . .24 ..." extraordinary noise of . .23 . cv . the wood, description of . . '' 19 4 .% »t , female, her attention to the cry of the male 21 ».,.•.•. • singular cry of the male , vj • 2t of a contest between two «ter- tins- and a wren -. •. ••'C'V ;'; • • 60- Smeathnidii, Mr. Jiis account of a gigantic crane . . 125 Sinew, the, description of . >i')J/; . . 257 Snipe, the, description of . . fy '•'1 . 150 migrations of . i?»»' . 15£ * •* .• two sorts of • . • •. ^ n?<|j"j« . 151 Soland goose. See Gannet. Solitary, the, description of . . . .87 Sonnini, M. on the manakin . . .75 Sparrraan on the -crested penguin ::<*' p *>.»/•;. » 26S Spoonbill, the European . • • .171 deformed figure of . . 172 . . . splendid plumage of . . ib. Staunton, Sir G. his account of the cormorant . ^.' , 891 Stork, the, description of . « ,u, . , 107 ^.-n .. mild disposition of • -ft ,t , .,* - • 108 , •• . peculiar habits of ,4(.. ;» ( . 110 remarkable affection of . . 107 Swallow, the common house, or chimney . . 43 f ....... anecdotes of 51 — 54r f t, j industry and affec- tion of . 52 migrations of . 46 rapid flight of . 44 wonderful adroit- ness of . 53 the esculent, description of . ''''• '" . 68 j . . manner of takmg the nests of . 70 Sir George Stannton's account of . 69 the sand, or sand ' martin • . . .60 the sea. See Tern, great. . the wirtdow, or martin . . .55 • • . . . . curioos nest of . 56,57 manners of the yttung . 5S .- • peculiar habit* of * 89 INDEX. Page Swan, the, delicate in its appearance . . . 184 graceful attitudes of . . .183 . . its strength and fierceness . . . 185 . . its triumph over a fox ^ • . 136 . . the wild, or whistling . . . .187 hunted in Iceland . . 188 its notes, and when emitted . 189 Swift, the, or black martin> description of . .63 . peculiar voice of, and manner of feeding . . * 65 •• . % . serenading of the male . 64 Tangaras, similar to sparrows * . .88 Teal, the, description of . . .218 . . the Chinese ^ . » 220 . . the French . . . » .219 Tern, the black, description of ... 317 . . the great, or sea swallow . . .316 . . the lesser ..... 317 . . the striated « . . . ib. Turkies wild, description of . . . 4- Turkey, the, description of . . . .35 , * . difficult to rear . . . .36 . . . galiantry of the cock . . .37 . how hunted . . . .36 . . maternal affection of the hen . . 40 . mildness of . . .38 . timidity of . . .39 Turnstone, the, description of . . .167 u Umbre, the, description of . . » . . 339 INDEX. Page w White^ Mr. his remarks on the long-legged plover . .. 162 • ;; . . . . on the partridge „.,, . -31 • » , . ; •, • .• ; . on swallows . . 35, 3$ Wkquefcwt on the albatross ..... ; . 279 "Widgeon, the, description of ,f. ,t;.j ;.)r.^; . 216 the great-headed . 1;ii,r,, . . .. .217 tVild-fowl, directions for shooting « . . 341 Willoaghby on the docility of partridges . .. 34 • . on the migration of swallows . .46 .on the heron . . . 113,114 . on the northern diver . . . 250 • 0 n . on the swan . !••*••.•.• •>} ».»j.:i.' . 185 »lj s • on the spoonbill . u'1 •".>; • 173 j. «_. ^ . on the woodcock . . ,». ;(, . 445 W«od, Capt. observations by . . •! , . 334 Woodcock, the, description of ,. ; ',;,,. ;.j . 143 • if; . . how taken . .»'•<> -.u» ;. . 148 ;;-, . » migrations of . . . . 145 .,;t . . remarkable nerves of . j.v . .144 » . . sporting observations respecting 146, 147 Wryneck, the, curious gestures of . *,, { ,,v>fc .J4, . 81 «v. • . description of . • * •. ''*.'.*, . 80 BINDING LIST MAY 1 1943 University of Toronto Library DO NOT REMOVE THE CARD FROM THIS POCKET