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1 2 3

/ -

•

■ft

•

< •

\\. r .-■<;•

THE

NATURAL HISTORY

O F

BIRDS.

FROM THE FRENCH OF THE

COUNT D E BUFFON.

ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS;

AND A

PREFACE, NOTES, and ADDITIONS,
BY THE TRANSLATOR.

IN NINE VOLUMES.
VOL. VL

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR A. STRAHAN, AND T. CADELL IN THE STRAND;
AND J. MURRAY, N". 32, FLEET-STREET.

MDCCXCIII.

6 73
?

■**

CONTENTS

OF THE

SIXTH VOLUME.

q^HE Fly-Bird —

-* The Leajl Fly-Bird
The Ruby —

Amethyft —

Gold Green
Tufted Neck
Ruby Topaz —

Crejied Fly-Bird
Racket Fly-Bird
Purple Fly-Bird
Gold Cravat — *•

Sapphire —

Emerald Sapphire
Amethyft Emerald
Carbuncle —

Cold Green

Spotted-necked Fly-Bird
Emerald Ruby
Eared Fly-Bird
Collared Fly-Bird
Broad-Jhafted Fly-Bird

Page

^- 1

-» 10

-^- 12

— 19
22

— 23

— 24

— 25

--• ibi

— 27

- 29

33
34

The

CONTENTS.

The Lon^^- tailed Steel-coloured Fly-Bird
Forked- tail Fiolet Fly-Bird
Lo'i^ tiiil Fly-Bird —

B.'iik Lon^-tailed Fly-Bird
, The Colih-i — —

Tol)az Colibri —

Garnet — —

White Shaft —

Zitzil^ or Dotted Colibri
Blue Shaft —

Green and Blaclf Colibri —

Tufted Colibri —

Violet-tailed Colibri —

Green- throated Colibri —

Caroline- thioated Colibri
Violet Colibri —

Green Gorget ■^- —

Red Collar — —

Black Pbjiron —

White Plajlron — —

Blue Colibri — -

Pearl Green — ^ —

Rujly -bellied Colibri —

Little Colibri — —

The Parrot — —

Parrots of the Old Continent
The Cockatoos • — — - .

White-crejied Cockatoo —

TelloW'crefted Cockatoo —

Red-crejled Cockatoo —

' Little FlcfJ>billed Cockatoo —

Black Cockatoo — '

The Parrots properly fo called —

Page

35
36
57

44
46

47
48

59
ib.

f^.

^3
80

ib.
82
83

87
88

CONTENTS.

^he JncOi or Cinereous Carrot — —

Green Parrot — —

Variegated Parrot — • —

Vaza, or Black Parrot — —

Mafiarine — .1^ —

Bloody-billed Parrot — —

Great Blue-headed Green Parrot —

Grey-headed Parrot — '■^

The Loris — — —

Noira-Lorl — , —

V A R I E T I E s of the Noira — —

1. The Java Parrot — — —

2. The Ccram Lori — —

The Collared Lori — —

Tricolor Lory — —

Crimfon Lory — .— . —

Red Lory — —

Red and Violet Lory — —

Great Lory •— —

The Parrakcct Loris — —

Red Parrakeet Lory — • —

Violet and Red Parrakeet Lory ' «—

Tricolor Parrakeet Lory — «

Parrakeetso//^^ Old Continent, in which
Tail is long and equally tapered

The Great Collared Parrakeet —

Double Collared Parrakeet — • —

Red-headed Parrakeet — —

Blue-headed Parrakeet —

' Lory Parrakeet — —

Tellow Parrakeet — —

^T^ure-headed Parrakeet — -

the

Page

^:^

1C2

10+
105
107
loS
iu.
no
III

113

ib.

114
115
116

ii3
119
120
ib,
121
122

123

ib.
125
126

ib.
127
128
129
The

CONTENTS.

Page

the Moufe Parr akeet •*• <-• 129

Muftacbo Parrakeet — — 130

Blue-faced Parrakeet — — 131

Lace zvinmi Parrakeet — —132

P A R R A K E E r s of the Old Continent, zuhlch have a

long ana unequal Tail — '34

The Rofe-ringed Parrakeet — — ib.

Little Parrakeet — — 1 35

LomrJJjaf ted Great Parrakeet — ^ 136

Reddijh-wiit^cd Great Parrakeet — 137

Red- throated Parrakeet — — 138

Black'banded Great Parrakeet — 139

Red and Green Parrakeet — — 140

Creftcd Parrakeet — — 141

Short- tailed P a r r a k e ets of the Old Continent 1 4a

The Blue headed Parrakeet — 143

Red-headed Parrakeet — — 145

Coulacijft — — 148

, Golden-ivinged Parrakeet — — 149

Cray-headed Parrakeet — — 1 50

Variegated'zvinged Parrakeet 7— 151

Blue -winged Parrakeet — — 152

Collared Parrakeet — — " 152

Black-winged Parrakeet — 1 53

jirimanon — — " 154

'PA'kROTZ of the New Continent — 156

The Aras — — — ib,

RedAra — — 158

Blue Ara •— — 168

Gr/?^« -<^rrt — — — 169

Black Ara — — 175

The Amazons and Cricks — — 177

STit'^ Amazon Parrots — ' — " 1 8*

CONTENTS.

Page

W 77,<? yellow-headed Amazon —

1S2

129

M Variet lES or contiguous Species of the Tdlozv-headed

130

,^B Amazon — — "

183

'3»

W 1. The Red and Green Parrot of Cayenne

ib.

>32

^ 2. A Variety noticed by Aldrovandus withrut

m name — . — —

184

134

V /« ^

« ^he tarabet or Red-headed Amazon —

184

9 IVhite-headed Amazon — —

185

135

'36

9 Tellow Amazon — —

186

■B Aourou-Couraou — —

187

^37
'38

9 Var lET I -es of the Aourou'Couraou —

188

9 I. The Pfittacus Viridis Melanorlnchos —

ib.

'39

9 2* ^ Variety defcribed by Aldrovandus, called Ca-

140

9 theriiia by the Spaniards — —

ib.

141

9 3' The Aiuru-Curuca — —

liif

142

:9 4* ^ variety noted by Marcgrave —

ib.

143

9 5. .The Yellow-fronted Amazon Parrot —

ib.

148

9 Tie Cricks — —

190

W Crick wid> a Tellozv Head and 'throat

ib.

149

^ Meiily Crick — —

'9?

150

V /* T

^ JRefiS? rt«^ Blue Crick — —

194

'5'

9 Blue-fcxcd Crick — —

^9B

196

9 Blue- headed Crick •— *-

198

'53

154

• *

9 V A R I E T ! E s </ /^^ Blue-headed Crick —

ib.

9 '• The Cocho Parrot — —

199

9 2. The Leflcr Green Parrot —

ib.

/^.

X 3. The Brafilian Green Parrot —

ib.

'58

]6S

9 The Violet-headed Crick — —

200

169

9 The Popinjays — —

203

"75

9 Paradife Topinjay — —

ib.

'77

9 Mailed Popinjay — —

204

182

•H^^/t ^

The

*r^/

CONTENTS.

'•Tie Tivnv.a — — •

R,\l'l'it>fJe.^ Poff/i/J.-y —

Pn*'l>!r I>fi!feJ PopiftJ.jv —

Pifhwiy ivitb a Bine Htad and "throat
V'iolc! Po;,iiijay —

SnJJik ' — —

Urown Pcplijay —

yluroyn-hcaucd Poph'jny •—

Fjra^UA — —

'The P,i*-roq:.'cfS — —

^ fill pour i —

C.aiai — —

Page

205

207

ib,

208»

209
210

211
2l2
213

ib.

2iy

VaRliuqjjets cfthc Nfzv Continent , with long and

e<]ihj/iy ti/ered Tiiils — 219

T/je Pavcuanc Parioquet — — ib,

Brozvn-tbroiited rarroq^uet ^ — 221

Parroquct zvith a variegated throaty 223

jinaca — — — 224

Jcndaya — — , 225

Emerald Par roquet — — 226

Parroquets zvith a long 7'ail unequally tapered 228

ib,

— 230
231

232

— 233
— ^B5

— 239-

— ib.
240

~ 241

— 242
The

The Cincialo —

Red-fronted Parroquet -—
Apute Juha — -

Golden erowned Parroquet
Guarouba, or Tellow Parroquet
l^eliozv- headed Parroquet —

Ara Parroquet —

[ The Touis, or Short-tailed Parroquets

The TellozU'throated Toui — •

Sofove — —

Tirica — —

EtCy or Toui-Ete —

CONTENTS.

'q'he Gohkn-henikd 'I'oni —

The C u R u c I I s —

27'<? Re J- bellied Curncui —

Tcllow-bellted Cmncui -•

Viulet-booded Curncui —

*rhe Curucukoo — —

1'he Touraco — •—

'The Cuckoo — — _

V A R 1 E T I ES r)/* the Cuckoo —

1, The Cuckoo from the Cape of Good Hope

2. The Loaiigo Cuckoo — —

Paje

245
246

250

— 2n2

2C2

300

301

30»

'The Foreif^n Cuckoos — — 303

Birds of the Old Continent, which are related to

3-
4.
5-

the Cui km — — -

The Great Spotted Cuckoo —

The Black and White Crefted Cuckoo
The Greenifti Cuckoo of Madagafcar —
The Coua — — —

The Houhou of Egypt — •—

6. The Rufous White Cuckoo ^-

7. The Boutfallick — —

8. The Variegated Cuckoo of Mindanao —

9. The Cuil — — —

10. The Brown Cuckoo, variegated with black

11. The Rufous Spotted Cuckoo — —

12. The Chincfe Spotted Cuckoo —

13. The Brown and Yellow Cuckoo with a radiated

Belly — — -.

The Crefted Jacobinc of Coromandel —
The Little Cuckoo with a Gray Head and Yel-
low Belly — —

16. The Coukecls — —

17. The Gold green and White Cuckoo —
j8. The Long-fliafted Cuckoo —

19. The Collared- crcfled Cuckoo -—

308
ib.

309

3'3

3'4

3'7

3'9
320

321

323
ib.

3^5

326
327

328
329
33*
333
334

20. The

CONTENTS.

20. The San-hia of China — —

21. The Tait-Sou — —

22. The Pointer Cuckoo — —

23. The Vourou-Driou «— —

American Birds which are related to the Cuckoo

1. The Olvi Man, or Rain-bird —
Va r I e t I e s of the Rahi Cuckoo —

The Rufous-winged Old Man —

The Little Old Man — —

2. The Tacco — — •
The Guira-Cantara — • —
The Quapatlol, or the Laugher —
The Horned Cuckoo, or the Atingacu of Brafil

3-
4-
5.

6. The Brown Cuckoo variegated with rufous

7. Tlie St. Domi .-^q Cuckoo —

8. The Piaye Cuckoo — —

9. The Black Cuckoo of Cayenne —
10. The Little Black Cuckoo of Cayenne

"ithe Ants — — ,*-•

V^ke Savamia Ant — —

Mdf throve Am -— —

^he Huutou, or Momot — — '

^he Hoopoes, the Promerops, and the Bee-eaters
^he Hoopoe — —

Var I E T I E s fy/ the Hoopoe —

1. Varieties mentioned by Belon, &c. —

2. Anclh'^r by Commerfon and Sonnerat

3. Another by the Marquis Gerini —

Page
336
337
338
3+'

344
lb.

345
ib.

346
347
352
353
354
355

357
358

360
361

364

37^

376

379

395
ib.

396
ib.

For e I c n Bi u d zvhkh is related to the Hoopoe .397
The Black and VV'.iite Hoopoe of the Cape of
Good Hope — - — ib.

4 .'-f

^he Prommfpe

399
The

CONTENTS.

the Blue-winged Promerops —

Brozvn Promerops with /potted Belly
Striped-bellied Brown Promerops
Great Promerops zvith frizled Flounces
Orange Promerops . — •

J'he Baker ■ —

the Polochion — —

the Red and Blue Merops —

the Bee-Eater —

Telhw and White Bee-Eater
Gray-headed Bee-Eater —

Gray Bee-Eater of Ethiopia
Che/nut and Blue Bee- Eater

V AKiETY of this bird —

The Chefnut and Blue Bee-Eater of Senegal

Page
400
401

402

403
405
407

408
409
411
418

419

420

ib.

— 421

ib.

the Patirich — — 422
the Green Blue-throated Bee-Eater — 424
Green and Blue Tellow- throated Bee-Eater 427
Little Green and Blue taper -tail Bee-Eater 428
Azure-tailed Green Bee-Eater — 429
Blue-headed P^ed Bee -Eater — 430
Red and Green Bee- Eater of Senegal — 431
Red-headed Bee-Eater — — 432
Green Bee^Eater with rufous Wings and tail 43 3
MerocephakfOr Tellow-headed Bee-Eater 434,
the European Goat-Sucker — - — 436
Foreign Birds which are related to the Goat-
Sucker — — 443

1. The Carolina Goat- Sucker — 448

2. The Whip Poor Will .— — 450

3. The Guira-Querea — — 452

4. The Ibijau — — "^ ASS

Varieties

CONTENTS.

Varieties of f he Uijau — — 455

The I 'itle Spotted Goat-Sucker of Cayenne ib.

TK^» eat Ibijau — — 456

5. The jjev^lacle Goat-Sucker, or the Haleur 458

6. The Variegated Goat- Sucker of Cayenne 459

7. The Sharp-tailed Goat- Sucker — 461

8. The Gray Goat-Sucker — — 462

9. The Montvoyau of Guiana — 463
10. The Rufous Goat-Sucker of Cayenne — • 464

The Szvallows — — — 466

The Chimney y or Domrfdc Szvallozv — 49 3

V A R I E T I E s (/ the Com won Szvallozv — 50 5

1. The Atingua Swallow — — ib.

2. The Rufous-bellied Swallow oi' Cayenne — ib.

3. The Rufous-cowled Swallow — 506

Foreign Birds, zvhich are related to the Common

Szvdlorju — — — 508

1. The Great Rufou<;-bellied Swallow of Senegal ib.

2. The White-cinclured Swallow — 509

3. The Ambergris Swallow ■— — 510

The Martin — —

—

5ii

The Sand Martin —

—

526

The Crag Swallow -—

—

5S2

The Szvift — —

—

534

fVhite-hellied Szvift —

—

548

Foreign Birds which are related to

the Szvallows^

the Martins, and the Swifts

—

552

I. The Black Swallow —

.—

554

2. The White-bellied S;yift

—

555

3. The Peruvian Swallow —

■■■■■

557

4. The White-collared Swift

i—

558

5. The Afli-bellied Swallow -

• w^^

560

6. The Blue Swallow of Louifiana

—

ib.

Varieties

Il 'I

CONTENTS.

Yarietils of this Bird — —

The Cayenne Swallow — .1^

The South American Swallows —

The Purple Martin — «■ ,

The Great American Martin ,—

7. The Brafilian Swallow — -^

8. The Brown-collared Swallow —

9. The White-bellied Cayenne Swallow —
10. The Efculent Swallow — _
n. The Wheat Swallow — . —

Variety of this Bird —

The Little Brown Swallow -»

12. The Gray- rumped Swallow — _•

13. The Rufous-rumped Swallow —

14. The Sharp-tailed Brown Swallow of Louifiana

15. The Sharp- tailed Black Swallow of Martinico

Page

561

ib.

562

563

ib.

564
566
567
568

578

579
ib.

580

581
582

58s

THE

■^!"-'-^-\-. iW-

Tinr-BIRJiS OF THE ]N>VTUKAT-. ►SIZK.

r ' •

THE

NATURAL HISTORY

O F

B I R D S.

-- Ti

The FLY-BIRD.'

VOi/eau * Mouche, BufF*

OF all animated beings, the Fly-bird is the
nnoft elegant in its form, and the moft
brilliant in its colours. The precious ftones
and metals polilhed by our art cannot be com-
pared to this jewel of nature. Her miniature

* In Spanifh Tomineios : in Peruvian ^inti or ^?W/, which
name obtains alfo in Paraguay : in Mexican Huifzitzil or Hoitzitzil,
OuriJJia (fun-beam) : in Brazilian Cuianumbi, which is generic.
It is alio called Vidlilin and Guachicbil (riower-fucker) in Mexico.
Briflfon terms it Mtllijuga or honey -fucker; 'L\x\x\x\xs Trochilas, of
little-top. In EngliOi it is ufually known by the name of hunt'
minghird. Mr. Pennant denominates it honey-fucker,

[The Mexican appellations of Huitzitzil and VidHlin, fignify re*
generated; which alludes to a notion entertained by the Indians
that in autumn this bird ftuck its bill into the trunk of a tree, and
remained infenfible during the winter montlu, till the verna;!
warmth again waked it to animation^ and invited it to its flowery
pafture. T.]

VOL. VI. B produvSlions

FLY-BIRD.

f i '

■(I: '

[u'odu^ions arc ever the moft wonderful ; fhe
has placed it in the order of birds, at the bottom
of the fcale of magnitude ; but all the talents
which are only (hared among the others, nim-
blenefs, rapidity, fprightlinefs, grace, and rich
decdration, fhe has beftowed profufely upon this
little favourite. The emerald, the ruby, the
topa^, fparkle in its plumage, which is never
foiled by the duft of the ground. It inhabits
the air ; it flutters from flower to flower ; it
breathes their frelhnefs ; it feeds on their nec-
tar, and refides in climates where they blow in
perpetual fucceflion.

It is in the hotted part of the new world
that all the fpecies of Fly-birds are found. They
are numerous, and feem confined between the
two tropics * ; for thofe which penetrate in
fummef within the temperate zones make but
a fhort ftay. They follow the courfe of the
fun; with him they advance or, retire; they
fly on the wings of the zephir^ to wanton in
eternal fpring.

The Indians, ftruck with the dazzle and
glow of the colours of thefe brilliant birds,
have named them the Learns or locks of the fun \,
The Spaniards call them tomineos, on account
of their diminutive fize, tomine fignifying a
weight of twelve grains. ** I faw," fays Nie^
remberg, *' one of thefe birds weighed with its

• Laet. Ind. Oecid. Lib, V. 256.

t Marcgrave.

ncft.

ill-

F t Y . B I R D. 3

fteft, aiid the whole together did not amount
to two tomirtes *.'* The fnlaller fpecies do not
exceed the bulk of the great gad-fly, or the
thickriefs of the drone. Their bill is a fine
needle, and their tongue a delicate thread i their
little black eyes refemble two brilliant points s
the feathers of their wings are fo thin as to look
tranfparent f ; hardly can the feet be perceiv-
ed, fo fhort they are and {o (lender : and thefe
are little ufed, for they refl only during the
night. Their flight is buzzing, continued, and
rapid ; Marcgrave compares the noife of their
wings to the whirr of a fpinning-wheel : fo
rapid is the quiver of their pinions, that when
the bird halts in the air, it feems at once de-
prived of motion and of life. Thus it refts a
few feconds befide a flower, and again (hoots
to another like a gleam. It vifits them all,
thrufting its little tongue into their bofom, and
carefling them with its wings ; it never fettles,
but it never quite abandons them. Its playful
inconftancy multiplies its innocent pleafures ;
for the dalliance of this little lover of flowers
never fpoils their beauty. It only fips their ho-
ney, and its tongue feems calculated for that
purpofe: it confifts of two hollow fibres, form-
ing a fmall canal J, parted at the end into two

* Nieremberg, p. 239. Acofta, Lib. IV. cap. 37.
t Marcgrave. J Macrgrave.

B 2 filaments:

*4 F L Y - B I R D.

filaments* : it refembles theprobofcis of infects,
aiul performs the lame office -f-. The bird pro-
trudes it from its bill, probably by a mcchanifm
of the OS byoidcs^ fimilar to what obtains in the
tongue of wood-peckers. It thrurts it to the
bottom of the flowers, and fucks their juices.
Such is its mode of fubfiftins: accordin<jj to all
the authors who have written on the fubjedl J.
One perlon alone denies the i3idi\ he is Ba-
dier§, who* Hnding in the cefophagus fome
portions of iniects, concludes that the bird lives
on thefe, and not the neclar of flowers. But
we cannot rejedt a number of refpedable au-
thorities for a fingle bally alfertion ; though the
Fly-bird fwallow ibme inieds, does it thence
follow that it fubfifts upon them ? Nay, mufl:
it not necelVarily happen, that, fucking the ho-
ney from the flowers, or gathering their pol-
len, it will fometimes fwallow the little in-
fects which are entangled r Beiides, the rapid
wafte of its fpirits, the confequence of its ex-
treme vivacity and its rapid inceflant motion,
muft continually be recruited by rich nutriti-
ous aliments: and Sloane, on whofe obferva-
tions I lay the greateit llrels, pofitiveiy avers

• Labat, t. IV. 13.
f Natural Hiftory of Guiana, p. 165.

% GarcilafTo, Gomara, Hcrnaiu'jz, Cliillus, Nieremberg, Marc-
grave, Sloane, Catelby, Feuillee, Labat, Dutertre, &c.
§ Journal dc Phyfique, Janver 1778, p. 32« •

that

F L Y - B I R D.

Marc-

that

that he found the ftomach of the Fly-bird en-
tirely filled with the pollen, and fweet juice of

flowers *.

Nothing can equal the vivacity of thefe lit-
tle creatures, but their courage, or rather auda-
city; they furioully purfuc birds twenty times
larger than themtelves, fix in the plumage, and
as they arc hurried along ftrike keenly with the
bill, till they vent their feeble ragef : fometimes
even they fight obftinately with each other.
They are all impatience; if upon alighting in a
flower they find it faded, they will pluck the
petals with a precipitation that marks their dif-
pleafure. Their voice is only a feeble cxyfcrep^
firep, which is frequent and reiterated J. They
are heard in the woods at the dawn of the morn-
ing §, and as foon as the fun begins to gild the
I'ummits of the trees, they take wing and dif»
perfe in the fields.

They are folitary||; and indeed, fluttering
irregular in the breeze, they could hardly aflb-
ciate. But the power of love furmounts the
elements, and, with its golden chains, it binds
all animated beings. The Fly-birds are (qzw to
pair in the breeding feafon; their nef; corref-

• Nat Hid. Jamaica, p. 307. ' ^

t Browne, p. 475} Q)x^t\c\o\x, NouvcUe France, t. III. p. 158;
Dutcrtre, t. II. p 263.

X Marcgrave compares this note, for it? continuance, to that of
the fparrow, p. 196,
^ Marcgravcj, p, 196.
i II I'hilolophical TfanlatS^ions, No. 200, art. 5,

• B 3 ponds

6 F I. V - B I R D.

ponds to the delicacy of their bodies \ it is forip^
td with the foft mtton or filky c|owt> gathered
from flowers, and has the confiftcncy and feel
of a thick fmooth flcin. The female performs
the work, and the male coUeds the materials*.
She applies herfeU with ardour; fele£ts, one by
one, the fibres proper to form the textqrc of this
kindly cradle for her progeny ^ (he fmqoths th^
margin with her breaity the inHde with her tail|
fhe covers the outfide with bits of the bark of
the gum tree, which grc ftuck to (belter from
the weather, and giye folidjty to the fabric t :
the whole is attached to two leaves, or a lingle
fprig of the orange pr citron ];, or lomttimes
fo a draw hanging from the roof of an hut §,
The neft is not larger than the half of an apri-
cot II , and it is alfo (haped like a half cup. It
contains two eggs, which are entirely white,
and not exceeding the bulk of fmall peafe. The
cock and hei^ (it by turns twelve days ; on the
thirteenth the young are excluded, which are
then not larger then flies. " I could never
perceive/' fays Father Dutertre, •* how the
mother fed then), except that (he prefepted the
tongue covered entirely with hofiey extradle4
from flowers.*'

We naay eafily conceive that it is impoflible
to raife thele little flut^erers. f hofe who hav^"

• Dutertre, /. II. /. 26^. f /</. UU.

X Browne. f DutertKe.

II VexxxWtt Journal iCOh/ervati^Wf t, I. p, 413,

tric(J

forip^
:hered
d feel
forms
ials*.
►ne by
of this
bs thj^
T tail I
ark of
r from
•ric i" :
iingle
etimes
hut§,
1 apri-

p. It
white,
The
on the
ch are

>oflible
Q hav^'

FLY-BIRD. f

tried to feed them with fyrups could not keep
them alive more than a f- w weeks ; thefe ali-
ments, though of ealy digeftion, are very dif-
ferent from the delicate ncdlar colle£kcd from
the frefli bloflbms. Perhaps honey would have
fucceeded better.

The method of obtaining them is to (hoot with
iand, or by means of the trunk- gun \ they will
allow one to approach within 6ve or fix p^ces
of them *. Tbey may be caught by placing a
twig fmeared over with a clammy gum in a
flowering (hrub. It is eafy to lay hold of the
little creature while it hums at a bloflbm. It
dies foon after it is caught f , and ferves tQ
decorate the Indian girls, who wear two of
thefe charming birds, as pendants from their
ears. The Peruvians had the art of forming
their feathers intpi pii^^ures, whofe beauty is
perpetually extolled in the older narratives J,
Marcgravc, who faw fome of thefe pieces of
workmanship, admires their brilliancy and de-
licacy.

With the luftre and gloTs of flowers, thefe
pretty birds have been fuppofed to have alfo the
perfume ; and many authors have aflerted that

• They are fo numerous, f^ys Marcgrftve, that a fowler may
eaflly take fixty in 4 day.

t Dutercrc and Marcgrave.

I See Ximenes, who attributes the fame art to the Mexicans :
Qemelli Carreri, Thcvpt^ Leryj Hernandez, &<;.

B 4

they

tried

■I

I'i'i

:• i

f L Y-B I R D.

they have the fragrance of miiik. The miftake
originated probably from the name applied by
Oviedo, oi paffer mofquitus, which would eafily
be changed into paffer mofcatus ^. But this is
not the only tnarvellous circumftance with
which their hiftory has been clouded -f; it has
been faid that they arc half birds, half flies, and
produced from a fly I ; and a Provincial of the
Jefuits gravely affirms in Clufius, that he was
v/itnefs to this transformation §. It has beeij
alledged that during the winter feafon they re-
main torpid, fufpended by the bill from the
bark of a tree, and awakened into life when
the flowers begin to blow. Thefe fidions
have been rejected by intelligent naturalifts || ;
and Catefby afllires us, that he faw them
through the whole year at St. Domingo and
Mexico, where nature never entirely lofes her
bloom 4-. Sloane fays the fame of Jamaica,
only that they are more numerous after the
rainy feafon ; and prior to both, Marcgrave

• Gefner very juftly remarks that this epithet is derived rather
from muj'ca (a fly), than from mo/chus (the name in modern Lat;n
for mufk.)

f Dutertre correfts very judicioufly many puerile exagger-
ations, and detefts, as ufual, the millakes of Rochefort, /, II,

/• 263. ., . . '

J .SV^ Nieremberg, p. 240.

§ This Jefuit, fays Clufius, made ftrange relations in natural
hiftory. Exotic, p. 96.

II See WiUoughby. .■ . . ■^•

4 Nat. Hift. of Carolina, VoU I, /. 65.

mentioned

FLY-BIRD. ^

mentioned their being frequent the whole year
in the woods of Brazil.

We are acquainted with twenty-four fpe-
cies in the genus of the Fly-bird \ and it is pro-
bable fome have been overlooked. We fhall
diftinguifh them by their different denomi-
nations, drawn from the moft obvious cha-
raders. ... •

> .V

I JO ]

The LEAST FLY-BIRD,

J^e }!us petit Oi/eau-Mouche, BufF.
FIRST SPECIES.

Trochiliis Mttimus, Linn. Gmel. and Klein.

Uellifuga, Bri/r.

Guatnuntbi /eptima fptciei, Marcq.

Cuainumbi minor t corpore toto cincreo, Ray.

Polythmus minimus 'variegatui. Brown.

The Leaji Humming' birdt Sloane, Edw. and Lath*

TT is congruous to begin with the fmallefl;
■■• fpecies, in enumerating the fmalleft genus.
This Leaft Fly-bird is icarce fifteen lines in
length ; its bill is three and a half, its tail four :
fo that there remains only nine lines f^r the
head, the neck, and the body. It is fmaller,
therefore, than fome of our flies. All the up-
per fide of the head and body is of a gold green
changing brown, and with reddilh reflections ;
all the under fide is of a white grey. The fea-
thers of the wing are brown, inclining to violet,
and this is the general colour of the wings in all
the Fly-birds, as well as in the colibris. The bill
alfo and the feet are commonly black, the legs are
clothed pretty low with little downy plumules;
and the toes are furnifhed with little iharp
curved nails. All of them have fix feathers in
the tail ; Marcgrave mentions only four, which
3 i»

LEAST FLY-BIRD.

is probably a miilake of the tranfcriber. The
colour of thefc taij-feathers is, in moft of the
fpecies, bluifli black, with the luftre of bur-
nifhed fteel. In the female the colours are ge^
nerally not fo bright ; it is acknowledged too
by the beft obfervers to be rather fmaller than
the male *, The bill of the Fly-bird is equally
thick throughout, (lightly fwelled at the tip,
comprefled horizontally and flraight. This laft
charader diftinguilhes the Fly-bird from the co-
Jibris, which moft naturalifts, and even Marc-
grave, have confounded.

This firfl and Icaft fpecies is found in Brazil
and the Antilles. The bird was fent to us from
Martinico with its neft; Edwards recpved it
from Jamaica.

* Grew in the Philofophlcal Tranfa^ions, No^ zoo, art, ^.— ^

Labat, Dutertre.

[A] Specific charafter of ^^Trochilut Minimus: " Its lateral
tul-feathers white at tneir outer edge, its body of ihining green,
J>^\v wliitifli," It weigl^s between twenty and forty-five grains.

I' ::!,:

ilt'i!

f .1;

IM a .■

;/'■!,■

r 12 J

■iiil!

The RUBY.

Lt Rub's, BufF.

• . SECOND SPECIES.

Trochilus'Coluhris, Linn. Gniel. and Klein.

l»',eUifi4ga CaroUnenfi; gutture ru'tro, Brin.

Nominee Vinfcens, gutture flammeo, Pctiv.

Gtiniiiutnbi, Ray. and Will.

I'he Amtrican Tommeiui ox Humming- bird, Catefby and

Knlm.
The Red-throated Honey-fucker, Penn.
The Rgd'tbtoated Humming-bird, Edw. and Lath.

N obferving the fcale of magnitude, many
would occupy the fecond place. We (hall
take the Carolina Fly-bird, and denominate it
the Ruby. Cate{by feebly exprefles the luftre
and beautv of the colour of its throat, when he
calls it a crimfon enamel: it has the brilliancy
and fire of the ruby. In a fide view, it has a
gold tinge, and, feen from below, it appears* a
dull garnet. We may remark that the feathers
of the throit are fafliioned and difpofed like
icales, round and detached; which arrange-
ment multiplies the refleclions, that play both
on the neck and the head of the Fly-birds,
among all their fparkling feathers. In the pre-
fent, all the upper fide of the body is gold-
green, changing into red copper; the breaft
and the fore part of the body are mixed with

white,

and

^•>'

RUBY.

»3

white, grey, and blackifti ; the two feathers in
the middle of the tail arc of the colour of the
back, and the lateral feathers are pu r pie- brown ;
Catefby fays copper colour. The wing is brown,
tinged with violet, which, as we have already
obferved, is the common colour of the wings in
all thefe birds; fo that we may omit them in
the fubfequent defcriptions. The form of the
wings is fingular : Catelby compares it to the
blade of a TurkiQi fcimeter. The four or five
firfl; outer quills are long, the next much lefs fo,
and thofe neareft the body are extremely fmall;
which, joined to another circumflance, that the
largeft are curved outwards, makes the two
wings when fpread refemble a drawn bow, of
which the little body of the bird reprefents the
arrow in the middle.

The Ruby appears in fummer in Carolina,
and even in New England ; it is the only
Fly-bird that penetrates into the northern pro-
vinces *. Some narratives tranfport it to Gaf-
pefia f , and Charlevoix fays that he faw it in
Canada. But he appeai. little acquainted with
it when he lays, that the bottom of its neft is
interwoven zvith fmail bits of wood, and that it
lays Jive eggs % ; and in another place that its

* Catcfljy and Edwards.

t Nouwlk relation de la Gafpejie, par le R. P. Chretien le Clerque,
P.vm, 1691, />. 486. The Gafpefians, according to this account,
call it nirido, bird of heaven.

X Hirt. andDcfcrip. de la Nouv. France, Parity 174^, /.HI.

is-8

feet

R U B V.

II:

Jeet art Ukc Us hlll^ very long** Little ftrcfs
can be laid on fuch evidence. The winter re-
treat is faid to be in Florida -f- ; it breeds in Ca-
rolina in fummer, and departs when the flow-
ers begin to fade. It extracts its nourishment
from the flowers only; ** and I have always
obferved,** fays Catefby, " that it never feeds
on infeds, but entirely on honey-juices {.'*

• Hill. deSt. Domingue, Paris, 17J0, p. 31.
t See Hift. Gen. des Vo>\ /. XIV. />. 456.
:[ Carolina, Vol. I. p. 65.

(A] Specific charafter of i\it Tf$chiltts-Colubf is : « It is gold-
{Tcen ; its tail-feathers black, the three lateral ones ferruginous
tipt with white } its throat flame, coloared." It b three inches and
•ne third long.

ALL
ai
impoffi
the fmi
the fan
forked,
with V
is goldi
change
placed
rather
reach
which
forkec

[A]
gold-gre(
thyftine.'

!;i

t «J 1

The AMETHYST, BufF.

Trecbilus Amtthjjlinust Gmel.

The AtHithyftint Humming-bird, Lath.

THIRD SPECIES.

LL the throat and the fore part of the neck
are of a briUiant amethyft, which it is
impoffible to figure or paint. This is one of
the fmalleft of the Fly-birds ; its fize and form
the fame with thofe of the Rubyi its tail is alio
forked. The fore fide of the body is marbled
with white, grey, and brown ; the upper fide
is gold-green ; the amethyfl colour of the throat
changes into purple brown, when the eye is
placed lower than the objeft. The wings feem
rather ihorter than in the other Fly-birds, and
reach not the two middle feathers of the tail,
which arc however the fhorteft, and give it a
forked (hape.

[A] Specific charafter of the Trechilus Amithyftinm: f* It is
£oId-green> below variegated with a(h and brown, its throat une*
thyftine." It is found in Cayenne.

!' ■ 'I

■■'if' ■ , Vi *',<-'•■( i;\','*;

WWmi

>■ ■■•J- .■ ■ .- .--^p'.Mfa

■m

« . \

fttm

..('♦.

:';■ ' '1 *r;tlii

■>.*'■

I «6 J

The GOLD GREEN.

Ir.^f.

I:;;!

VOrvertt BuiFon.

FOURTH SPECIES.

Trocbilus VirldlJJimus , Gmel.

The All-grttn Humming-bird^ Lath*

^ REEN and gold yellow fparkle more or leftJ
^*^ in all the Fly-birds ; but thefe fine co-
lours cover the whole plumage of this, with
<i brilliancy and glofs which the eye cannot
enough admire. Jn certain pofitions it is pure
dazzling gold ; in others, it is a glazed green,
"which is not inferior to the luftre of polilh-
ed metal. Thefe colours extend over the
wings ; the tail has the black hue of burniflied
ileel *.

' To this we (hall refer the All-green Hum-
;«/»'*'-^//7/ of Edwards. We fhall alfo refer the
fecond fpecies of Marcgrave ; its fingular beau-
ty, its ftiort bill, and the dazzle of gold, and
of brilliant and refplendent green, diftinguifli it
fufficiently. Briflbn makes this his fixteenth
Ipecies, under the name of the Forked-tail Bra-

• Specific charafter : ** It is very green. Its belly white, its tail
iteel- coloured/

zilian

F L Y-B I R D.

zilian Honey-fucker * ; but he was not aware
that Maicgrave reprefents its tail neither long
nor forked. Its tail is like the former, fays that
author ; and in the firft fpecies the tail is
Jlraight, only an inch long, and does not exceed

the wing*

The TUFTED-NECK.

Le Huptcol, BufF.

FIFTH SPECIES*

Trccktlus /iuratus, Gmel.
^rothilus Ornatust Lath. Ind.
ThtTufttd'Hecktd Humming bird. Lath. Syn.

THIS name marks a very fingular charaf^er,
which diftinguilhes this bird from all the
reft. Not only its head is ornamented with a
pretty long rufous tuft, but on each lide of the
neck, below the ears, rife feven or eight un-
equal feathers ; the two longeft, being fix or
it\'c\\ lines, are rufous, and narrow throughout.

'■M

♦ Trochllut Glaucopis, Gmel.
Trpcbilus Frontalis, Lath.
Mellifuga Brafiienjii cavdd bifurcd, BrifT.
Guainumbi MajjVy Ray and Will.
The Blue fronted Humming-birJt Lath. Syn.

Specific charafler : *• It is gold-green; its front flcy-blue. Its
vent white, its wing-feathers violet-brown, its feet feathered, its
tail Heel -coloured, and fomewhat forked,"

VOL. VI* c but

■ ■ tt .'4 ■ *■ * .iM

■ 'I !'i It.*'. W.'

i«'l.

»"1 ':

r L Y.iriR t).

but the ends a little widened, and tipt with ii
green dot. The bird cre(5^s tliem reclining
them back ; while at reft they lie flat on the
neck, as alfo does the beautiful tuft : but they
are all brillled when it flies, and the bird ap-
pears quite round. The throat and the fore
fide of the neck are of a rich gold green (if the
eye be held much lower than the objed, thefe
brilliant feathers appear entirely brown) ; the
head and all the upper fide of the body green,
with dazzling refledlions of gold and bronze,
as far as the white bar that crofl'es the rump ;
beyond this, to the end of the tail, is fpread
a Ihining gold on a brown ground on the
outer webs of the quills, and rufous on the
inner ones ; the under fide of the body is gold-
grccn brown ; the lower belly, white. The
Tuftcd-ncck does not exceed the fizc of the
Amcthyfl: ; the female refembles it, except that
it has no tuft or external ears : the bar of the
rump is rufty, and fo is the throat ; the reft of
the under fide of the body rufous, fliaded with
greenifti ; its back and the upper fide of the
head are as in the male, green with gold and
bronze reflections.

Y. B T R D.

'rW P U B \ TOPAZ, Buff.

SIXTH SPECIES.

^roch.lus Mo/chittis. Linn, and Gmel.
Millifuga Brnfuie)ifi$ gtitture to^azino, BrllT.
The Trochi.'us ivilh afirrugi/nrts tail, Bancroft.
The kuby-mcke.i Huminirg-lrird, Lath.

F all the birds of the genus, this is the
mod beautiful, fays Marcgrave, and the
moft elegant: it has colours and the fpark-
ling fire of the Ruby and the Topaz : the
upper fide of its head and neck is as brilli-
ant as a ruby; the throat, all the fore fide of
the neck, in the front view, dazzle like the
Aurora Topaz of Brazil. The fame parts, feen
a little lower, refemble unburnifhed gold, and
flill lower, change into a dull green ; the top
of the neck and the belly arc of a velvet bhick
brown; the wing is violet brown; the lower
belly white ; the inferior coverts of the tail and
its quills are of a fine gold-rufous, and tinged
with purple; it is edged with brown at the
end ; the rump is brown, heightened with
gold-green ; the wings, when clofed, do not
extend beyond the tail, whofe quills are equal.
Marcgrave remarks that it is broad, and that
the bird difplays it gracefully in flying. It is
pretty large for its kind. Its total length is
three inches and from four to (\^ lines ; its bill
is Icven or eight ; Marcgrave calls this half u;i

c 2 Inch.

r L Y-B I R D.

• ■, I

inc6. This beautiful fpecics fcems numerous,
and has become common in the cabinets of na-
turalilb: Scba fays that he received many of
them from Ciira^oa. We may notice a cha-
racter which all the Fly-birds and Colibris have,
viz. that the bill is thick feathered at its bafe,
and lometimes as far as the fourth or third of
its length. = , .,

The female has only a ftreak of gold or to-
paz, on the throat and fore-part of the neck ;
the reft of the under fide of the body is white-
gray [A]. . , ^ , : ,.; , ,. ; ,,

We conceive that the Fly- bird reprefented.
No. 640, fig. I *, Planches Enluminies^ is a prox-
imate fpecles, or perhaps the iame with this ;
for the only difference confifts in its having a
creft, but which is not much raifed. In other
refpeil:.s, the refemblance is ftriking ; and, from
a comparifon of the figures, the latter appear*^
rather fmaller and its colours not fodeep, though
the tints and diftributions are efl'entially the

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Mo/ek'itt: *' It is gold-
gnen ; its tail-feathers equal and ferruginous, the outermoft tipt
witii brown ; its A'ing- feathers black."

• Trochilus Elatus, (Jmel.

Mellifuga Americana gutture topaziao, BrifT.
Flon/uga aut Meli/uga^ Seba. ^

Tl.e Ruby ■crtfied Humming bird, Edw. and Lalh.

Specific charaCler : " It is gold-greeni(h, its tail-feathers equal
and ferruginous, tipt with black j a red crefted cap.*'

fame :

'■%

F L Y- B I R D.

equal

fame: fo that the one feems to be young, the
other adult. Or perhaps it is a variety of cli-
mate ; fince the one comes from Cayenne, the
other from Brazil. The Rubycrejled Hum^
ming-hird given in Edwards's Gleanlni^s corref-
ponds exactly with the above-mentioned co-
loured fisjure. Frifch has alfo given the head
of this Fly-bird, pf. 24, on which Briflbn has
formed his fecond foecies, taking, for the fe-
male, another fij^ure inferted by Frifch in the
fame place, ar»d ' hich reprefents a Little Gold-
green Fly- bird. ^'' t the female of the Topqz-
breafted i^i ij ^i whofe body is brown, can-
not lurely ' - ' In this, as in every other
genus of biv'ib, tne colours of the female are al-
ways duller than thofe of the male. We may,
therefore, with the liighell probability, refer
the fecond all-gran Fly-bird of Frifch to the
gold-green.

•1

'"■If.

c 3

FLY-BIRD.

■;':,i'i.'

nlll'!

The CRESTED FLY-BIRD.

rOi/eau-Moude Uu/>pe, Buff. '• ' '' ' '

SEVENTH SPECIES.

Trochilus Crifatus, Linn. Gmel. and Borowfk.
Melhfuga Crifiata, BrifT. and Klein.
The Green Jlrait-billed Humming -birti, Bancroft.
T\\Q Crejled Green Humming birJ, Lath.

Tp^uTERTRE and Feuillec have taken this bird
^^ for a Colibri ; but it is one of the fmalleft
of the Fly-birds, fince it does not exceed the
Ruby. Its crefl: refembles the moft brilliant
eniierald ; and this diftinguiflies it, for the reft
of its plumage is dull. The back has green and
gold reflexions, on a brown ground j the wing
is brown ; the tail blackifh, and fhining like
poliflied fteel; all the fore-fide of the body is vel-
vet brown, mixed with a little gold- green near
the flioulders; the wing, when clofed, does
not exceed the tail. The under f de of the bill
is covered with little green brilliant feathers as
far ns the middle. Edwards has delineated the
iiell. Labat obferves that the female has no
crefl,

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Crijiatus : " It is green,
its wings brown,, its belly brown cinereous, its creft bluiih, its legs
feaihered,"

F L Y- B I R D.

The RACKET FLY-BIRD,

n
•M

'1:1

VOi/eau-Trlouche a Raquettes, BufF.
EIGHTH SPECIES.

TrochiliS Longicaiidus, Gmcl. •

Irocfjiius Ph turns, Lath. Ind.

The Racket-tailed Humming-bird, Lath. Syn,

^-r-*\vo naked fhafts, extending from the two
■^ middle feathers of the tail, are terminated
with little fans, which gives them the form of
rackets. The ribs of all the quills of the tail
are very thick, and of a rufty white; the reft
is brown, like the wings. The upper fide of
the body is of a bronze gieen, which is the
col )ur common to all the Fly-bird>; the throat
is of a rich enxeiald- green. The point of tlis
biii is about thirty lines from the end of the true
tail, the two (hafts extend ten lines farther.
This Ipecies is not well known, and feems very
rare. We have defcribed it from a Ipecimen in
Mauduit's cabinet. It is one of the fmalleft
Fly-birds, and, exclufive of the tail, it exceeds
not the Tufced-neck.

[A] Speci<^f c ifter of the Trochilus Longicaudus: " It ii
gold green, ii- i ^at n»ncrald; its wings, and its tail-feathers,
brovvnj the two .^id- j' . . very long."

^ 4

' ■■*:

li.lt ■

I'll

Mil i

III'

44 FLV-BIRD.

The PURPLE FLY-BIRD.

VOi/eau-Mouche Fourpre, BufF.

NINTH SPECIES.

Tro:hilus Ruber, Linn, and Gmel.

]\JelIi/uga Surinamenjis, BrifT.

Mellifuga Ali$ Fu/cis, Klein.

The Little Brown Humming-bird, Edw. Banc, and Lath.

LL the plumage of this bird is a mixture of
orange, purple, and brown ; and it is, per^
haps, as Edwards obferves, the only one of the
genus that has not the gold-green on the back.
Klein has therefore difcriminated it imperfectly
ay the epithet of brown-winged ', fince brown,
with more or lefs of violet and purple, is
the general colour of the Fly-birds. The bill
is ten lines, which is nearly one third of its
length.

[A] Specific charadler of the I'rcchilus Ruber: ** Its lateral tail
feathers are violet ; its body of a brown brick-colour^ fomewhat
ipotted."

'.ijif:

F L Y. B I "R D.

The GOLD CRAVAT.

TENTH SPECIES.

^rochilus Leucogafier, Gmel.
Mellijuga Cayanenjis ventre alio, Brifl*.
Cuamumbi prima /pedes, Ray and Will.
The Larger Humming-bird, Sloane.
The Gold throated Humming-bird, Lath.

npHis feems to be the firft fpecies of Marc-
X o-rov^ . for it has a o-old ftreak on the

grave

throat, which tUat author thus defcribes, " the
fore-fide of the body is white, mixed under the
neck with fome feathers of a (hining colour."
Briflbn omits that circumdance in his eighth
fpecies, though it is formed upon the defcrip-
tion of Marcgrave's firft. Its length is three
inches and five or fix fines; all the under fide
of the body, except the gold ftreak on the fore
fide of the neck, is white-grey, and the upper
fide gold-green [B]. We (hall reckon Brifiibn's
ninth fpecies* the female of this, there being
no material difference between them.

■■ •:.]'1l

[B] Specific charafler of the Trocbilus Leucogajler: " It is gold-
green> below white, its legs feathered.'^

• Trochilus-Pegafus, Gmel.

Melllfuga Cayanenjis, ventre gri/eo, BrlfT.
The Grey-bellied Humming bird. Lath.

It is thus defcribed by BrifTon : "Above gold-green, varying with
a pure copper colour ; the feathers of the tail gold-green on their
^rft-half, varying with a pure copper colour, and dark purple oa
tl»eir other h^f, the lateral ones tipl with grey; the feet feathered/'

^m^

.•,il«--+.i''-S ]

i;:

■J li'! ■"'-'' •■

-¥i

^ FLY-BIRD.

The SAPPHIRE,

Le Saphir, BuiF.

ELEVENTH SPECIES.

Trochilus Saphirinus, Gmel.

The S(4pphire Humming-bird, Lath.

"T is rather above the middle fize ; the forcr
fide of the neck and breaft is of a rich lap-
phire-blue, with violet reflecflions ; the throat
is rufous; the upper and under fides of the body
dull gold- green ; the lower belly white ; the infe-
rior coverts of the tail rufous; the fuperior ones
of a (hining gold-brown; the quills of the tail
are gold-rufous, edged with brown; thofe of
the wings brown ; the bill is white, except the
point, which is black.

I' I

' ''1

The EMERALD-SAPPFIIRE, Buff.

TWELFTH SPECIES.

Trochilus Tricolor, Gmel.

The Sapphire and Emerald Humming-bird, Lath.

fT^HE two rich colours which decorate this
■■' bird defervedly confer upon it the names
of thofe precious ftones. A fapphire blue co-
vers the head and throat, and melts admirably
S into

F L Y- B I R D.

into the glazed emerald green, with gold re-
flexions that cover the breaft, the ftomach, the
circle of the neck, and the back. The bird is
middle fizcd; it comes from Guadeloupe, and,
we believe, has not hitherto been dcfcribed.
We have feen another, brought from Guiana,
of the fame bulk ; but it had not the fapphire
throat, and the reft of its body was of a very-
brilliant glazed green. Both thefe are depo-
fited with the firft in the excellent cabinet of
Mauduit. The laft appears to be a variety, or
at leaft a fpecies nearly related to the firft. In
both, the lower belly is white ; the wing is
brown, and exceeds not the tail, which is cut
equally and rounded : it is black, with blue re-
flexions ; their bill is pretty long, its lower halt
whitilh, and upper black.

[A] Specific charafter of the Trocbilus Bicolor : ** It is gold-
cmerald; its head and throat flcy-blue.**

The AMETHYST EMERALD.

THIRTEENTH SPECIES.

Truhilus-Ouriffiat Linn, and Gmel.

Melli/uga SurinatnenjU peffore cceruleo, Brifl'.

The Green and Blue Humming- birdt Edw. and Latk.

'T^His Fly-bird is above the middle fize ; it is

near four inches long, and its bill is eight

lines. Its throat and the fore part of its neck

are

;';;[:0;

■Vlit

•I

:nf

l . \'

■mm
I M

■fit

ill

.'.ij'

F L Y- B I R D.

are emerald green, brilliant and golden; its
bread, its ftomach, and the top of its back, are
purple blue amethyfl: of the utn^oft beauty: the
lower part of the back is gold-green, on a brown
ground; the belly is white; the bill blackifh;
the tail velvet black, fliining like polifhed fteel.
To the flime fpecies we may refer the Green and
Blue Humming-bird oi Edwards, and the Blue-
breaped Surinam Honey -fucker of Briflbn. It is
figured rather larger in Edwards [B].

The CARBUNCLE.

' VL/carlcucUt "^vl^.

FOURTEENTH SPECIES.

T>'ocbilus Carbunculus, Gmel.

The Carbuncle Humming-bird » Lath.

A CARBUNCLE red, or deep ruby, is the co-
"**" lour of the throat and breart ; the upper
fide of the head ai^d neck is of a duller red ; a
velvet black envelopes the reft of the body ; the
wing is brown, and the tail of a deep gold-ru-
fous. The bird is rather above the middle fize ;
the bill, both above and below, is befet with
feathers, through almoft one half of its length.

[B] Specific charafler of the Troehilut Ourijfta: ** It is golden-
green, the feathers of its tail fomewhat equal and gold-brown,
^e feathers of the wings black, its bc}ly j^luc."

F L Y. B I R D.

It was fent from Cayenne, and feems to be very
rare. Mauduit, in whole polTeflion it is, would
refer it as a variety to the Topaz-ruby ; but the
difference between the topaz-yellow and the
deep ruby on the throat of thefe two birds,
feems too great to admit this clafTification. In
all other refpedls, they are very iimilar. — The
preceding fpecies, except the thirteenth, are
new, and not defcribed by any naturalill [A].

1 1« 'ii'^'

■■.V'l

I,*',

The COLD-GREEN, Euff.

FIFTEENTH SPECIES.

Trecfjilus Mel-i/ugus, Linn, and Gmcl.

(jualmtmii L-'ona S/>ecies, Ray and Will.

MJli/u^a Caya'ietifs, ^rifT. '

The Cajtnne Humming'blrd , Lath. . '

'npHis is the ninth fpecies of Marcgrave ; the
•* whole body, fays he, is of a brilliant green,
with gold rcfledioiis ; the upper mandible is
black, the lower rufous; the wing is brown;
the tail pretty broad, and ihines like polifhed
fteel. I'he total length of the bird exceeds
fomewhat three inches. The under fide of the
body has not fo much green as the back, and is

[A] Specific ch.irafter of the Trochilus-Carbunculus : '* It is
black ; its head, neck, and breill, red ; its wings brown ; its tail
goIJ-iufous."

only

,.vir ■::]

S'V H

I-, ■ j.

3»

FLY-BIRD.

only marked with fpots or waves of that colour.
The female is rather fmaller, as ufual in this
tribe of birds [A].

'ii,i

■... *i

THE

SPOTTED-NECKED FLY-BIRD.

VOifcau-Moucbt a Gorge TacheteCt Buff.

• SIXTEENTH SPECIES.

Trocbilus Fimbriatus, Gmel.

Mellifuga Cayayienjis gutture nanjto, BriiT.

The Spotted necked Humming-bird, Lath.

'TpHis fpecies is much related to the preced-

ing.

It is larger, and, but for that dif-

ference, we fhould have affigned it the iame
place. Briflbn fays that it is four inches long,
and its bill eleven lines. Its plumage is exadly
like that of the preceding *.

[A] Specific charaAer of the Trocbilus Melli/ugus: " It is gold-
green; its tail-feathers equal and blue^ its wing-feathers dark
bluifh ; its legs feathered.'*

• Specific charafter : " It is gold-green, below gray ; its
tail fteel coloured, tipt with gray ; the featlicrs of its brcall fringed
with white."

F L Y-B I R D.

The EMERALD RUBY, Buff.

SEVENTEENTH SPECIES.

Trochilus Ruiitteust Lath. Ind.
Me/lijuga Bn^Jilitn/ts gutture rubro^ BrlflT.
The Ruhy-tbroated Hummiug'btrd, Lath. Syn.

nr^His is much larger than the Carolina Ru-
■* by, being four inches four lines in length ;
its throat is of a fparkling ruby, or, in certain
politions, rofe colour ; its head, its neck, the
anterior and upper parts of its body, emerald
green, with gold reflections ; the tail is rufous.
It is found both in Brazil and in Guiana [A].

The EARED FLY-BIRD.

VOi/eau-Mouche a Oreil/es, BufF.

EIGHTEENTH SPECIES.

Trochilus Juritusj Gmcl.
MiUi/uga Cayanenfis Major » Briflf.
The Fiolet-eared Humming-birdt Lath.

E apply the epithet eared to this Fly-
bird, both on account of the remarkable
colour of the two pencils of feathers, which

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Rubineus : " It Is gold-
green, its throat gold-red, its wings and tail rufous."

extend

pi',

■>4

'"■'A

!-..,J,,

Mi m

Ml' !'

3t F L Y. B I R D.

extend behind the ears, and on account of
their great length, which is twice or thrice
that of the fmall adjoining feathers that cover
the neck. They leem only the produtlion
of what, in all birds, cover the meatus audi'
tortus ; they are foft, and their downy fibres
not glued together. Thefe are the remarks of
Mauduit, and well agree with his ingenious ob-
servation, which we formerly had occafion to
mention, viz, that all the feathers which ap-
pear fuperabundaiit, or, fo to fpeak, parafite,
in birds are not peculiarities of ftru<5ture, but
merely the extenlion and developement of parts
common to all the others. The Eared Fly-
bird is of the firft magnitude, being four inches
and a half long. Of the two pencils which dif-
tinguilh tl e ears, and which confift each of
£ve or (ix feathers, the one is emerald- green,
and the other amethyft-violet ; a ftreak of velvet
black flretches under the eye ; all the fore part
of the head and body is of a bright gold-green,
which changes on the coverts of the tail into
a very lively bright green ; the throat and un-
der fide of the body are of a fine white ; of the
tail quills, the fix Interal ones are of the fame
white, the four mid-ones black, inclining to
deep blue ; the wing is blackifli, and the tail
projects beyond it nearly one-third of its length.
In the female, the pencils and the black flreak
under the eye are lefs diftind ; in other refpc^ts
it refembles the male.

■1*1*

P L Y. B I R D.

The COLLARED FLY-BIRD,

Called the Jacobine,

KlNfeTEENTH SPECIES.

^rocbilut Meliivorutt Linn. Gmel. and Browfk.

Milli/uga SurtHamen/it Torquata, Briflf.

The tVbiti-htUiid Humming-birdt Edw. and Lath.

>T^HIS Fly-bird is of the firft magnitude; it is
■^ four inches eight lines in length ; its bill
ten lines ; it^ head, thrdat, and neck, of a fine
obfcure blue, gloffed with green ; on the back
of the neck, and near the back, is a white half
collar ; the back is gold-green ; the tail white
Sit the end, and edged with black; its X^no nnid-
dle quills, arid their coverts, gold-green ; the
breafts and (ides the fame; the belly white. It
is probable, on account of this diftribution, it
has been called Jacobine* The two middle fea-
thers of the tail are (horter than the reft, and
the wing, when clofed, does not project beyond
k. The fpecies is found at Cayenne and Su-
Hnatn*

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Mtlliwrut : *• Its tail-
ftiathers are black, the lateral ones white ; the head blue ; the back
gieen 2 the belly white.'* -

W ',

<''!l

Vol. VI.

FLY-BIRD.

I..

The BROAD-SHAFTED FLY-BIRD.

VOi/tau'Meiuhe a Largtt 7'ujaux, BufF.

TWENTIETH SPECIES.

^rocbilui Campy hpttrus, Gmel.
7rockilus LatipettHtt, Lath. Ind.
The Broad-Jhafttd Humming-hird, Lath. Syn.

THIS bird and the preceding are the two
largeft of the genus. The prefent is four
inches eight lines long; all the upper fide of
the body is of a faint gold-green ; the under
fide grey; the middle feathers of the tail are
like thofe of the back ; the lateral ones white
at the tip, the reft of a brown, refembling po-
lifhed fteel. It is eafily diftinguifhed from the
other Fly-birds by the protuberance of three
or four great wing-quills, whofe (hafts appear
fwelled and dilated, bent near the middle,
which gives the wing the fhape of a broad
fabre. This fpecies is new and apparently rare,
and has not hitherto been defcribed. We faw
the fpecimen in the cabinet of Mauduit, who
received it from Cayenne.

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Campyloptmu : '« It is
gold-green ; below grey ; its lateral tail-feather.^ brown, tipt with
white ; the fliafts of three or four of the middle feathers of the
wings curved in the middle.'*

fm
I m

F L Y- B I R D.

••<■ / 1 • I •

The LONG-tAILfiD StfifeL^CO-
LOURED FLY-BIRD. Buff. ,

TWENTY-FIRST SPECIES.

Trocbilut Macrourui, Gmel.
7'rochilut Forcipalus, Lath. Tna.
Mtlli/uga Cayantnfts Cauda bi/itrca, "Bt'xK,
• ^ Tht Cayennt fori -taJ/tdHMMmijtg'lfir J, lAt\i,.Syiu il i

THE beautiful violet blur, \vhich covers the
head, throat, and neck, would feem to in-
dicate an analogy to the fapphire, did not length
of the tail exhibit too great a difference. The
two exterior quills are two inches longer than
the two mid-ones ; the lateral ones continually
diminilh, which makes the tail very much
forked. The bird is dark' blue, gliftening like
burnifhed fteel ; all the body, both above and
below, is of a fhining gold-green ; there is a
white fpot on the lower belly ; the wings, when
clofed, reach only to the middle of the tail,
which is three inches and three lines; the bill
is eleven lines, and the total length is fix inches*
The entire refemblance between this defcrip-
fion and that which Marcgrave gives of his
third fpecies, convinces us that they are the
fame, contrary to the opinion of Briffon, wha
makes it his twentieth fpecies. But the third
fpecies of Marcgrave has a tail more than three
Inches long; whereas the twentieth Honey-

D 2 fucker

i^ ■ ill

■H .'43

^ FLY-BIRDV

fucker of Briflbn has it only an inch and JtX
lines : and this is too wide a difference to occur
in the fame fpecies. We fliall confider the
bird of Briffon in the following article [A]*

The FORKED-TAIL VIOLET
F L Y- B I R D.

VOi/eaU'Mtucbt Violet a ^eut Fourchui» Boffv ; • *•
TWENTY-SECOND SPECIES* v

Trochiliu Fufcatuu

Melli/uga Jamacienjis Vtolaeea eauda bifufcat Bri/T.

The Lejjiir fork-tail Humming-bird, Lath.

BESIDES the difference of fize, which, as we
have already remarked, obtains between
this and the preceding fpecies, there is alfb a
difference of colours. The upper parts of the
head and neck are brown, gloffed with gold-
green, whereas thefe gliflen with blue in Marc-
grave*s third fpecies. In the prefent, the back
and breaft are of a ihining violet blue ; in that
of Marcgrave they are gold-green. The throat
and the lower part of the back are brilliant
gold-green ; the fmall coverts below the wings

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Macrourus : «* It is gold*
green, its head and throat violet, its belly marked with a white
ipace, its tail forked and Ueel coloured."

are

">',]

F L Y- B I R D.

are of a fine violet, the great ones gt Id-green ;
their quills black : thofe of the tail the fame ;
the two exterior ones are the longed, which
makes it forked ; it is only an inch and half
}ong ; the bird meafures four inches.

The LONG-TAIL FLY-BIRD,

Of Gold, Green, and Blue. Bu^.

TWENTY-THIRD SPECIES.

Troehilus Forficatus-t Lath. Gmel. and Browilu
FalcintUus n/trtice eaudaqut cyaneis, Klein.
MtUi/uga Jamaictnfis Cauda hifurca, BriiT.
The Long-tailed Green Humming' iirdt £dw.
The Fork-taiUd Hutiming-birJ, Lath.

/T^HE two exterior feathers of the tail of this
'*' Fly-bird are near twice as long as the body,
and proje(^ above four inches. Thefe feathers,
and all thofe of the tail, of which the two
middle ones are very (hort, and not exceed-
ing* eight lines, are wonderfully beautiful and
mingled, fays EdwFrds, with reflexions of
green and of gold blue j the body is green ; the
wing is purple brown. — This Ipecies occurs in
Jamaica.

[A] Specific charaAer of the T^rtichilus F^ficatus: *' It is grew,
the lateral featheri of thp tail very long^ its cap ajid its tail h^^
thers blue.**

'f^

■ n

l:%

'■•' '■';

II 'I

i#^

I':'
pi

F L Y-B I a D.

■ >i »< I

u. Tj '^i't .'^^ii'- . -,;,., ^ ;., •;,,.

The BLACK LONG^TAILED
FLY- BIRD. 5«/,

TWENTY-FOURTH SPECIES.

Trochilui-Pclytmus, Linn, and Gmel.

FaUinellus cauda fepttm unciarum, Klein.

MelliJ'iiga Jamaicenjis Atricapilla cauda bifurca, BrifT.
► The Lc^g tailed Hummiiig-hirti, Albin.
' . The Long-tailed Black-cap Humming-hirdf Edw. ic Ban,
\ The Bl'-rk-cafped Humming hird^ Lath*

/ i

^T^His Fly-bird has a longer tail than any of the
-*' reft ; the two great feathers are four times
as l'^? ■ "^s the body, which is fcarcely two
inch : ;hefe are alfo the two outermofl: ; their
webs confift pf parted downy fibres, and they
arp black like the crown of the head ; .the back
is gold brown-green ; the forefide of the body
green ; the wings purple-brown. Albin's fi-
gure is a very bad one, and he was much mif-
taken in fuppofing this to be the fmalleft fpe-
cies in the genus ; though he fays, that he
found it in Jamaica in its ned, which confiftcd
of cotton [A]. ;' ' ' ' '•

' We find in the Eifay on the Natural Hiilory
of Guiana, mention of a little Humming-bird

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Pdytmus: '* It is green-
ilh, the lateral feathers of its tail very long, its cap and tail fea-
thers brown."

F L Y-B I R D.

*with a blue creft. We are unacquainted with
it ; and the account of it, and indeed of two
or three others, is infufficient to afcertain their
fpecies. We may, however, be convinced that
the genus of thefe handfome birds is ftill richer
and more multiplied in nature than we have de-
lineated it.

,.k.v

"iVi;

» 4

C 40 3

pi"

In I ].:...

The C O L I B R I •.

'M,

■Mr;

If I ! ■••

Bi'll

j| •

-I

:'l..

'"' I-

ill

l^»!'i

111

,'! i' 1

II,

•Alb '! I' : -
iiiriiE

WHEN nature beftowed beauty fo Uviflit
ly on the fly-birds, Ihe negledled not;
their kindred tribe, the Golibris. Both inhar
biting the fame climate^ fafliioned after the fame
model, and decorated by the fame brilliancy of
plumage : the fame vivacity, the fame perpe-^
tual flutter of adion, and the fanne habits and
economy. As their refemblance is {q entire,
they have often been confounded under the fame
narne : that of Colibri is adopted from the laur
guage of the Caribbees. Marcgrave applies tq
both indifferently the Brazilian appellation,
Guainumbi, But they are diftiqguifhed by an
obvious and permanent charadter : in the Cot
libris the bill is equal and taper, inflated flight?
ly near the end, and not flraight, as in the fly?,
birds, but curved throughout, and longer alfo
in proportion. Further, the neat and flender
form of the Colibris feems to be more length-
ened than that of the fly-birds ; and they are
in general larger : yet there are fome little Co-
libris fmaller than the great fly- birds. The

♦ In the Brazilian language, the Fly-bird and the Colibri have
the common name of (^«a/>/«0i^i.' in Guiana, the Colibri is called
in the dialect of Garipana Toukouki: and, according to Seba, cer*
tain tribes of Indians term it Ronckjts,

Colibris

:: Mill !

Iill'.-'i

tl 'II'

2^fl3fi

\'..vi

COX.TFiHrS.Ol!' THK T^TATURAX. SIZE,

Q Q ;. I B R I,

Colibris fhould be ranged below the creepers,
jhough they differ in the fliape and length of
their bill; in the number of the feathers of their
tail, there being ten in the formed' and twelve in
the latter ; and in the ft^yfture of their toi gue,
which is limple in the latter, but in the former
divided ipto two femi- cylindrical portions, as in
the fly -bird.

All naturalifjs agree that the Colibris and fly-
birds have the fame manner of living. It has,
indeed, been dpnied ^hat either of thefe tribes
feed on the honey of flowers *. But the rea-
fons already adduced convince us that this af-
fertio.- is unfounded j and the general refem-
blance of thefe birds corroborates the evidence
that their mode of fubfifting is the fame.

It is no lefs difficult to breed the young of
the Colibri than thofe of the fly- bird ; they are
as delicate, and confinement proves equally fa-
tal to them. The parents have been feen, hur-
ried on by the audacity of afFedion, to ru(h
with food for their progeny into the very hands
of the plunderer. Labat relates an inftance of
Jthis, which deferves to be quoted. " I (bow-
ed," fays he, " to Father Montdidier a neft of
Colibris, which was placed on a (bed near the
boufe. He carried it off with the young, when
they were about fifteen or twenty days old, and
put them in a cage at his room window, where

■'>la

fe'te*'.

Journal de Phyfique, Janvier 1778.

tho

■X

I Hi'

4'i

4»

C O L I B R I.

the cock and hen continued to feed them, and
grew fo tame, that they fcarcely ever left the
room; and though not (hut in the cage, nor
fubjefted to any reftraint, they ufed to eat
and deep with their brood. I have often feen
all the four fitting upon Father Montd idler's
finger, finging, as if they had been perched
upon a branch. He fed them with a very fine
and almoft limpid pafte, made with bifcuit,
Spanifli wine, and fugar. They dipt their
tongue in it, and when their appetite was fa-
tisfied they fluttered and chanted .... I never
faw any thing more lovely than thofe four pret-
ty little birds, which flew about the houfe, and
attended the call of their fofter-father*."

Marcgrave, who does not difcriminate the
Colibris from the fly-birds, mentions them as
having only a feeble cry, and no travellers
afcribe fong to them. Thevet and Lery alone
aflert of their gonambouch that it chants fo as
to rival the nightingale + ; for it is from them

that

♦ ** He prcferved them m this way five or fix months, and we
hoped foon to fee them breed, when Father Montdidier, having
one night forgotten to tie the cage in which they roofted by a cord
that hung from the ceiling, to keep them from the rats, had the
Yexation in the morning to find that they were difappeared » they
had been devoured." Labat, Nouveau Voyagt aux lUs de PJmt-
•riqiie. Paris, 1722, t. IV. p. 14.

f " But, as a fingular curiofity, and as a mafter-piece of little-
nefs, we mud not omit a bird which the favages call gonamhoucb,
of a whitiih and (hining plumage, which, though not larger than
a hornet, excels in fong ; infomuch that this diminutive creature,

fcarce

C O L I B E 1.

that Coreal and fome others have repeated the
fame. But it is moft likely a miftake ; the
o-onambouch, or little bird of Levy, which has
a whitijh Jhining plumage^ and a dear d'ijiin5i
voice, is the fugar bird, or fome other, and not
the Colibri, whofe notes form, according to
Labat, only a fort of pleafant hum.

It does not appear that the Colibris advance
fo far into North America as the fly-birds ; at
leaft, Catelby fays that he faw only one fpecies
of thefe in Carolina. And Charlevoix, who
pretends that he found a fly-bird in Canada,
confefles that he nev»;r faw there a Cohbri *.
Yet it is not the cold that prevents it from vi-
fiting that province in the fummer, fince it
feeks a cool temperature at a confiderable height
among the Andes. M. de la Condamine never
faw Colibris more numerous than in the. gar-
dens of Quito +, where the climate is not hot.
They prefer, therefore, a warmth of twenty or
twenty-one degrees \ : there, in a perpetual
round of pleafures and joys, they fly from the

fcarce ftirring from the great millet, which the Americans name
avatif or other great plants, has its bill and thropt always open.
If one did not repeatedly fee and hear, he would hardly be per>
fuaded that from fo flendcr a body could proceed notes fo clear,
fo liquid, and fo loud, as not to yield to thofe of the nightingale."
Vojuge au Brifil, par Jean dt L<.ry. Paris, 1578, p. 175. The
fame faft is mentioned by Thevet. Singidarites de la France An-
lartique. Paris, 15 qS. p. 94*

* Hift. de Saint Domingue. Paris, 1730, /. I. /. 32.

f Voy. de la Condamine. PariSf 1745, f. i']i*

J i.e. 77' or 79" of Farenheit.

expanded

1 "
■'i

<': If

* • im

''■''k

v-i

..*L

C O L I B R I.

expanded bloflbm to the opening bud, and where
the harmonious year for ever invites them, by
its enchanting mildnefs, to love and fruition.

* Mi

The TOPAZ COLIBRI, Buf. '■

FIRST SPECIES.

■ ' «

Troci/ilus Ptlla, Linp. and Gtnel.

Polytmus Surinamenjts LongUaudm Ruhtr, BrifT.

FaUintliuj gutturt <viridi, Klein.

lYiC Lorg-tailtd Red Hummittg-birJ» Edw,

The Topaz Humming'birJt Lath.

AS fmallnefs was the moft ftriking chara£ler
of the fly-birds, we began with the fmall-
eft : but that property, not being io confpicu-
ous in the Colibris, we (hall refume the natural
order of magnitude. The Topaz appears, ex-
clufive of the two long fhafts that extend frorp
its tail, to be the largell of the genus ; we
(hould alfo call it the moft beautiful, did not all
thefe brilliant birds rival each other, and be-
wilder the imagination amid the blaze of their
charms. Its form is delicate, flender, elegant,
and rather fmaller than the common creeper,
its total length, from the point of the bill to the
end of the true tai^, being near fix inches ; the
two long fhafts projed two inches and a half
beyond it ; the throat, and the fore fide of the

neck,

G O L I B R t.

neck, decorated by the mod brilliant topaz
mark) that colour viewed obliquely changes
into gold-green, and from below it appears pure
green; a hood of foft black covers the head,
a thread of the fame black inclofes the topaz
mark; the breaft, the neck, the top of the
back, are of a finer deep purple ; the belly is
of a Aill richer purple, and dazzling with red
and gold reflcvftions ; the fhoulders and the
lower part of the back, are orange rufous ; the
great quills o( the wing, violet-brown ; the lit-
tle quills, rufo's ; the colour of the fuperior and
inferior coverts of the tail, gold-green ; the la-
teral quills rufous, the two middle ones, pur-
ple brown ; thefe projed into two long fliafts,
which are webbed with a fmall edging a line
broad on each fide ; thefe long (hafts, in their
natural pofitioii, crofs each other a little beyond
the tail, and then diverge ; they drop in moult-
ing, and the male to which they belong would
then refemble the female, were he not difcri-
minated by other charaders. The female has
not the topaz breaft, but only a flight trace of
red ; and in place of the fine purple and flame
rufous of the male's plumage, almoft all that
of the female is gold-green : in both the feet
are white.

•: in

-'im

^v:l;y

[A] Specific charafter of the Trothilus PJIa : " It is red, its
middle taiUfeathers very long, its head brown, its throat golden,
and its rump green."

•Ti

C O L I B R L

. The G A.R N E' T.'i,5,v. ■■.,,,;,

■*•«(.

.''«!

^ri ItGrtmtt, BufF.

f.:

. • ,*.

•tii .!»

SECOrrU SPECIES.

V I :

* ffrecbiluj uturatuj var, Gmel*

npHE checks as far a$ under the eye, the fidcj^
-^ and lower part of the neck arid throat tc>
the bread, arc of a fine brilliant garnet ; the
•upper fide of the head and back, and the inder
fide of the body, are of a foft black ; the tail
and wings of the fame colour ; but ornamented
with gold-green. The bird is five inches long*
and the bill ten or twelve lines.

' <i . f{

' <y.>i

The WHITE SHAFT.

Le Brill Biane, BufT.

THIRD SPECIES.

Treebifus Supereiliq/iij, Linn, and Gmelt
Polytmui Cayantnjts LoHgicauduSi BriiT. *' ' '
The Suptrciliout Humming-birdt Lath.

■!»

|F all the Colibris, this has the longeft bill,
which is twenty lines ; the tieathers of the
tail, next the two long (hafts, are alfo the
longeft, and the lateral ones continually de-
creafe, to the two outermoft, which are the

fhorteft.

C O L I B R I.

(horteft, and this gives the tail a pyramidical
ihape ; its quills have a gold gbl's on a grey and
blackifh ground, with a whitifli edge at the
point, and the two (hafts are white through the
whole projecting portions ; all the upper fide
of the back and head, gold colour ; the wing
violet -brown ; and the under fide of the body
white-gray [A].

• 'I

THE

ZITZIL, or DOTTED COLIBRI.

L* Zitx.il, ou Coliiri PiquetS, Buff. ^ ,<•; i:

FOURTH SPECIES.

' ■ Trochilui PuH^ulatus, Gmel. " ' .

• Polytmut PunSulatust Briff. " ' . . .1 ^ •

, H'itKitziltototl, Fernandez. ; • .

, The SpotteJ ^iumming-hird. Lath. , .

ZITZIL is contrafted for Hoitzitzil, which is
the Mexican name of this bird. It is pret-
ty large ; its wings blackifh, marked with
white points on the fhoulders and back ; the
tail is brown, and white at the tip. This is all
we can gather from an ill-written defcription of
Hernandez' editor *. He fubjoins that he got
his information from one Father Aloayfa; and

[A] Specific chara£ler of the TrocbiUu Supercilio/u! : ** It is
gtou)' brown; its middle tail-feathers very long ; its belly fome-
what fieih-colou red ; its eye-brows white."

• Jo. Fab, Linctut.

4 that

, ; is.li

': i; r

■i, V •■-

!-''MfW,l

I, ■ ^

C O L I B R I.

that the Peruvians call the fame bird />i//e6i
and that living upon the juice of flowers, ic
prefers that of the thorny tribes*. . \o .

The BLUE SHAFT. .

Le Britt Blue, fiufT.

FIFTH SPECIES.

f'rocbilus Cyanurus, Gtnel.

Polytmus Mexicdnus Longicaudiis, Brifl*. ;

Tajauquitototlt Seba and Klein.

The Blue-tailtd Hxmming-iirJ, Lath.

A ccoRDiNG to Seba, whom Klein and Brif*^
-^^ fon have followed in reckoning this a fpe-
cics of Colibri, the two long proje£tions of fea-
thers which decorate its tail are of a fine blue ;
the fame colour, only deeper, covers the fto-
mach and fore part of the head ; the upper fide
of the body and of the wings is light green ; the
belly cinereous. It is one of the largeft Coli-
bris, and almoft equal to the epicurean warbler.
Seba's figure reprefents it as a creeper, and that
author feems to have never obferved the three

* In another part of his work, Hernandez gives the names of
feveral fpecies of fly-bfrds and colibris, without charafterizing
any : thefe names are, ^etzal Hoiizitxillin, Zocbio Hoitzitzillint
Xlulkt HoUzitzilUftt Tozcacoz Helttitziltin, Totac HoitziizilUn, 7V-
moe Hoitzitzillini whence it appears thai Hoifxrtzillin is the ge-
neric name.

fhade^

lii."

G O L I B R L

(hades in the form of the bill which difcrimi-
nate thefe three tribes, the fly-birds, the colibris,
and the creepers. Nor is he more fortunate in
difplaying his erudition ; he applies to this Co-
libri the Mexican \\2imQ yayauhquitototly which,
in Fernandez, denotes a bird of the fize of a
ftare. But fuch errors are trifling in compari-
fon of thofe into which naturalids are led b/
the colledlors of curiofities, who value nothing
but the glitter of their cabinets. To find ati
indance we need not ilep aiide : Seba mentions
Colibris from the Moluccas, from Macaflary
and from Bali, not knowing that this tribe of
birds is peculiar to the new world. Briflbti
copies the miflake, and defcribes three fpecies
oi Colibris from the Raft Indies, Thefe are un-
doubtedly creepers, the brilliancy of whofe co-
lours, and the names tjioei and kakopit^ which
Seba tranflatts little kings of flowers^ have fug-
gefted the Colibri. No traveller acquainted
with natural hiftory has found Colibris in th«
okl continent ; and what Francis Cauche fays of
the fubjeft, is too obfcure to merit attention *.

* In hli account of Madagafcar, Paritt 1651, /. 137, borrow*
ing the name and the habits of the Culibri, he afcribes tlicm to a
little bird of this ifland'. It is probably by a ftmilar abuTe of names,
that Jfy'tird occurs in the voyages of the Company, applied to a
bird of the Coromandel coaJl, which is indeed very fmall, and is
elfewhere called trnti. Recueil dt Vtyagu qui «»/ /irvi a fttaklj/i,
ment dt la Campagnie dts Indts. Amfterdam, 170a, t. VI. p. $t|.

[A] Specific chandler of the Trochilus Cyanurus : ** It is green,
below cinereous ; its front, its throat, and the two middle feathers
of the uil longer than the reft, and blue."
VOL. Y(. £

i^<:

, ^! '-iJ

I,} 'il:

.■ ••!:(;

' '.^''l'

C O L I B R I,

The GREEN and BLACK COLIBRI.

SIXTH SPECIES.
«

Trochilus Holo/ericeus , Linn. Gmel. and Borowfk.
Polytmus Mexkanut, BriiT.
Avii Auricoma Mexieanuy Klein.
\ The Black-bellied Humming-bird, Edw. Bancr. and Lath.

>- >

Tt is rather more than four inches long ; its
r- bill thirteen lines ; its head, neck, and back,
are gold colour and bronze ; the breaft, the bel-
ly, the (ides of the body, and the legs, are fliin-
ing black, .with a light reddifh reflexion; a lit-
tle white bar crofles the lower belly, and an-
other of gold-green, gliftening with lively blue,
interfe(?:s tranfverfely the top of the breaft ; the
tail is velvet black, with the blue glofs of poliftied
fteel. It is faid that the female may be diftin-
guifhed in this fpecies hy the want of the white
Ipot on the lower belly. The bird is found both
in Mexico and in Guiana. Briflbn refers to
this fpecies the Avh auricoma Mexicana of Seba,
which is indeed a Colibri ; but his delcriptjon is
fo vague and indefinite, as to apply equally to
them all.

[A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Hohfericus: '* It is
green ; the quills of its tail equal, and black above ; a blue bar on
the breaft } its belly black."

IM El

C O L I B R L

The TUFTED GOLIBRI, Btiff.

* • • / 1 ' / ^ • ^' , .- t- . , * • ■> «

^ ' SEVENTH SPECIES.

I'rochilus Parad'feus, Linn, Gmel. and Borowfk.
Polytmui Mexicanus Longicaudus ruber crijlatus, Brilf.
The Paradlfe Humming-bird t Lath.

TJRissoN finds this alfb in Seba's catalogue. I
•*-' am generally averfe to form fpecies on the
indications, fo often defedtive, of that compiler;
but the chara£ters of the prefent feem fuffici-
ently diftindt to be adopted. " This little
bird," fays Seba, " has a fine red plumage,
blue wings ; two long feathers proje£t from the
tail ; and on its head there is a tuft which is
very long in proportion to its thicknefs, and
falls back on the neck ; the bill is long and
curved, including a fmall btfid tongue, which
ferves to fuck the flowers."
. Briflbn meafuring Seba's figure, which is not
of much account, found near five inches fix
lines to the end of the tail. ^

[ A] Specific charafter of the Trochilus Paradifeus : " It is red,
its wings blue, its head crefted; its middle tail-feathers very
long."

£ 2

K-t

Nl- S Ij

s»

C O L I 8 R t.

VIOLET-TAILED COLIBRI, Buf.

EIGHTH SPECIES.

TmMus ifltttSt Gmel.

Trociiiuj NifidttSt Lath. Ind.

The Fialtt'tailed Humming- birdt Lath. Syn.

'^HE bright pure violet which paints the tall
^ of this CoUbri, diicriminates it from the
reft ; the four middle feathers of the tail are of
a violet colour, melted under brilliant reflec*
tbn& of gold*green ; the €\x outer ones, vievired
^m below, prefent a white point, with a vio*"
kt (pot that furrounds a ipace of dark blue like
bumifted fteel ; all the under-iide of the body
is lichly gilded in the front view, and when
held obliquely it appears green ; the wing, as
in all thefe birds, is brown, verging oii violet ;
tbe ^es of the throat are white, and, in tihe
middle^ there is a longitudinal (Ireak of brown,
mixed with green ; the fides are coloured with
the fame ; the breaft and belly are white. This
fpecies is pretty large, it being five inches ; and
has one of the longefl bills, which is fixteen
lines.

[A] Specific character of the TrathiUt Allmt : " It is gold<»
green ; its under furface, the fides of the neck, and the tips of the
fix outer tail feathers, white ; its tail violet."

C O L I B R I.

THt

CREEN-THROATED COLIBRI, Buff,

NINTH SPECIES.

Trotbilus Meeutatust Gmel.

TrocMm Gmlaris, lAth. Ind.

TIm Gmn-tbrwittd UimmMig-tkd, Lath. Syn.

A STREAK of very bright emerald- green is
traced on the throat of this CoUbri,
which falls, fpreading oq the fore- fide of the
neck ; there is a black fpot on the breaft ; the
{idea of the throat and neck are rufous, mixed
with white ; the belly is pure white ; the up*
per fide of the body, and of the tail, dull gold-
green ; below the tail, are the fame violet,
white and burniihed fteel fpots, as in the Fiokt^
tailed CoHltrL Thefe two fpecies appear ana-
logous, and they are of the fame fize, but the
bill of the Green -throated Colibri is not fo long*
We faw in Mauduit's cabinet a Colibri of the
fame dimenfions, with the upper fide of the
body faintly tinged with green and gold on a
blackifh grey ground, and all the fore-part of
the body rufous, which feems to us the fe-
male.

wl
Wl

!?,

^■.

1-,

.(1! .

I'll

'Am

'■■•?.T.I

'■ '»*'

,1 1 i> ' ■

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C O L I B R L

THE

CARMINE-THROATED COLIBRI,

Buff.

TENTH SPECIES.

Trochilut Jugularis, Linn, and Gmel.

The Red-breajled Humming-birel, Edw. and Lath.

T is four inches and a half in length ; its bill
thirteen lines, much curved, and therefore
analogous to that of the treepers, as Edwards
remarks; the throat, the cheeks, and all the
fore-part of the nrck, carmine red, with a ru-
by-lu ft re ; the 1/ )er fide of the head, body,
and tail, of a foft ^lackifh brown, with a (light
fringe of blue on the edge of the feathers ; a
deep gold-green (hines on the wings ; the in-
ferior and fuperior coverts of the tail are of a
fine blue. This bird was brought from Suri-
nam into England. ' - -»'' -i- . v^ '- ■ • " is-
:•: ■ :>":-.;'•/•.. i- : ' /

[A] Specific charafter of the Trocbilus Jugularis: *' It is hluiih*
its tail feathers equal j its neck below blood- coloured.'*

C O L I B R I.

The VIOLET COLIBRI, Buff.

. • ' ••■. ■■■•■

ELEVENTH SPECIES.

Troebilw VloLceus, Gmel,
Polytmus Cnyantnjis FiolaceuSt Brifl*.
The Violet Humming-birdt Lath. , .

TT is four inches and two lines in length ; its
■^ bill eleven lines; the whole head, neck,
and belly, covered with purple violet, which is
brilliant on the throat and on the fore-fide of
the neck, and diluted on all the reft of the
body with a mixture of velvet black ; the wing
is gold green ; the tail the fame, with a chang-
ing reflexion of black. It is found in Cay-
enne ; its colours refemble thofe of the garnet
Colibrij but the difference of fize is too great
to admit of their being clafTed together.

[A] Specific charafter of the 7V«fi&/7w Violactus: '* It is vio-
let I its wings and tail gold-green.'*

''/;

,'i:
i!^i-

1 . In

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' ''V * '

■t ■

'^ >

r . 1

£ 4.

^^t.^^i

' w

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^i-iT

C 0 L I B R I.

The GREEhf GORGET.

It Hayji-Col Vtru BoC

TWELFTH SPECIES.

Trcekilus Grmm'iuiu, Gnel.

The B/aeJi^6rt0jM H»mmi»g-HrJ» Uth.

IT is rather larger than the Violet-tailed Co-
libri, but its bill is not fo long ; all the fore-
part and fides of the neck, with the lower part
of the throat, emerald green ; the top of the
throat, or the fmall portion beneath the bill, of
a bronze colour ; the breaft velvet black, ting-
ed with dull blue; green and gold appear on the
flanks, and cover all the flpper iide of the body;
the belly white; the tail purple blue, with the
reflection of burniflied fteel, and exceeds not
the wing. We conceive the female to be an-
other Colibri of the fame {ize and didributioii
of colours, except that the green, on the fore-
part of the neck, is intcrfe£led by two white
flreaks, and that the black, on the throat, is
neither fo broad nor fo deep. Thefe two birds
are in the admirable feries of Colibris and Fly-
birds in Dr. Mauduit*s cabinet.

[A] Specific charaAer of the Troebilus Graminetu: ** It is gold-
green, below white ; its throat emerald j its brcaft black ; it$ tail
purple.**

C O L I B IM.

The RED COLLAR, Buff.

THIRTEENTH SFECIRS. ,

^rochilm Leucurtis, Linn, and GmeL

fotjtmus SiiriHamtmfis, Briflf.

The White taikii Humming birJ» Lath.

npHis is of the middle fize, being four Inches
^ and five or iix lines in length ; on the
lower and fore-part of the neck, there is a hand-*
fome red half collar, of conliderahle breadth ;
the back, the neck, the head, the throat, at J
the bread, are of a bronze and gold green ; the
two middle feathers of the tail are of the ikme
colour ; the eight others are w hite, and this is
the chara<5ier by which Edwards difcriminate^
the bird.

[A] Specific charafler of the Tre:»i/us teucurm: *' It ii ^4*
gracD, iti tiul feather* e(|ua)a ks colUr rcci.**

'■ )•; '^ f

•ifsX''.

C O L I B R L

The BLACK PLASTRON.

FOURTEENTH SPECIES.

7'yec/ji/us Mango, Linn, and Gmel.
Guahiumh: minor, rqftro nigrot R*/ *n*i Will.
Polytmus Jamaicanjts , BrifT.
The Mango tJumtning-hirdf Lath.

'TpHE throat, the fore-fide of the neck, the
■*■ breaft, and the belly of this Colibri, are
of the moft beautiful velvet black ; a ftreak of
brilliant blue rifes from the corners of the bill,
and, defcending over the fides of the neck, fe-
parates the black plaftron, or breaft-piece, from
the rich gold-green, with which all the under
furf\ce of-'the body is covered ; the tail is of a
purple brown, glofled with Ihining violet, and
each quill is edged with the blue of burnilhed
fteel. Thefe colours refemble thofe of Marc-
grave's fifth fpecies, only the bird is rather
fmaller ; it is four inches long ; the bill one
inch ; the tail eighteen lines. It is found
equally in Brazil, in St. Domingo, and in Ja-
maica.

[A] Specific charafter of the Troe&i/us Mango : " It is glofly
green; its tail-feathers fomewhat equal and ferruginous; its belly
black.'* •

C O L I B R I. 59

The WHITE PLASTRON.

FIFTEENTH SPECIES.

TrocJylus Margaritaceus, Gmel.
The Grey-ntcked Humming-birdt Lath.

A LL the under fide of the body, from the
•^^ throat to the lower belly, is white pearl gray ;
the upper lide of the body is gold-green ; the
tail is white at the tip, then croffed by a bar of
black burnilhed fteel, and after that by one of
purple brown ; and it is black with a blue Heel
cad at its origin. It is four inches long, and
its bill an inch.

The BLUE COLIBRI, Buff.

, ,' ; SIXTEENTH SPECIES.

. i 9*r$chilus Vtnufiiffimust Gmel.

Trochilus Cyaneus, Lath. Ind. ,

Polytmtts Mexicanus Cyaneut, BrifT.

The Crim/ott'htaded Blue Humming-bird, Lath. Syn.

T is ftrange that Briflbn, who never faw this
bird, (hould follow the vague, inaccurate
account of Seba, inftead of the defcriptioii of
Dutertre. The wings and tail are not blue, as
Briflbn reprefents, 'jut black, as Fatfter Duter-
tre mentions, and indeed according to the ana-
logy

■I

W-t&i.

C O L I B R I.

logy of all the birds of this tribe. The whole
of the back is azure ; the head, the throat, and
the fore-part of the body, as hr as the middle of
the belly, are velvet crimfoii, which, if held in
different pofitions, is enriched with a thoufand
beautiful refiedtions. Dutertre only adds, that
it is about half the Jize of the little crowned wren.
The figure of Seba, which Briilbn feems to
take» reprefcnts a creeper [A]*

The PEARL GREEN.

V".

SEVENTEENTH SPECIES.

Trpciilui Deminicui, Linn, and Gmcl.

Poljtmus DomtHtcttf/is, Brifl!'.

The Si» Domingo Humming- iinf. Lath.

'TpHis is one of the fmalleft of the tribe, and
•*• hardly exceeds the creded fly-bird; all
the upper fide of the head, body, and tail, are
of a faint gold-green, which is intermixedy on
the fides of the neck, and more and more on
the throat, with pearl white-gray; the wing
is brown, as in the reft, and tinged with vio-
let ; the tail is white at the end, and of the co-
lour of poliHied fteel below [B].

[A] Specific charaAer of the TrocbiluM y«uuflijpmu$ : " It is
red ; its back blue ; if wings black."

[B] Specific charafter of the Troekilut Dtmimctu: ** It is (bin-
ing green, below fomewhat cinereous; its tail>fea|her« fcrru^-*
nous in the middle, and white at the tips.**

C O L I B R I.

•ff

The RUSTY BELLIED COLIBRI.

»■ : iJ

, t '•- "J

EIGHTEENTH SPECIES.

TroehiUt Hir/utai, Gmd. , , . .

Poljtmiis Brafilitnfist firi^T.
GMtimtmh' minvr, rtflro tMewut, Ray and Will.
TIk Ru/MO'StUitd kvmming'iiirJt Lzih,

• •

'T^His is the fourth fpecies of Marcgrave, and
'*' muft be very fmall, fince he lays that it
is inferior to the third, which he had formerly
flated as the lead. All the upper fide of the
body is gokl*green; all the under fide rufly
blue; the tail is black, with green refledlionSy
and the point is white ; the lower mandible is
yellow at its origin, and black to the extremi*
ty; the feet are yellowifh white.

.•,i-f>'r^

The LITTLE COLIBRI, Buf.

NINETEENTH SPECIES.

^rocbilut-Tiaumantias, Linn, and Gmel.

CuaiKumbi minor toto corpore aureo, Ka/ and Will.

Po/ytmut, Briflbn.

MiUi/uga RtHckjt diaat Klein.

Avitula Americana Coluiritit, Seba.

The JdmirabU Himmimg-birdt Lath.

HIS is the laft and fmalleft of all the Co-
libris ; it is only two inches and fix

lines

¥■

ti 1 .*. ,,^ j

C O L I B R I.

lines in length ; its bill eleven lines, and its
tail twelve or thirteen ; it is entirely gold-
green, except the wing, which is violet or
brown : there is a fmall white fpot on the
lower belly, and a finall border of the fame
colour on the feathers of the tail, broader on
the two outer ones, which it half covers.
Marcgrave again flops to admire the brilliant
plumage with which nature has decked thefc
charming birds. The little Colibri in particu-
lar, he pbferves, dazzles like the fun *.

■ • In fumma fplendet ut ftl. ■■■'■

[A] Specific charadler of the TrochOus Tbaumantias : " It is
fliining green ; its tail-feathers equal and fringed with white, the
outcrmoft white exteriorly.*

Wl «" * s -•-,#,■

[63] '

The PARROT*.^

Le Farroiutt^ BufF.

r"W^HE animals which man has the moft ad-
Jl mired, are thofe that feem to partici-
pate of his nature. He is ftruck with wonder
as often as he traces his external form in the
ape, or hears his voice imitated by the Parrot ;
and, in firfl moments of his furprife, he is dif-
pofed to rank them above the rell of the brutes.
Thefe animals have fixed even the ftupid at-
tention of favages, who behold the magnificent
fcene of nature and her exqiiifite productions
with the moft perfedt infeniibility : they ftop
the progrefs of their canoes, and linger gazing
whole hours at the capers of the marmofet.
Parrots are the only birds which they are fond
of raifingand educating, and which they are even
at pains to improve ; for they have difcovered
the art, which is ftill unknown to us, of vary-

• In Greek 'fiTlaHn ; in modern Greek naTraya?; in Latin
Pfittarus. In German the Parrot is called Pappengey, the Para-
keet Sittiek, or Sickuji : in Spanilh the Parrot is named Popagh ;
in Italian Papagallo, and the Parakeet Peroquetto: in Poiifli Papu-
ga: in Turkifli Z)«</f ; In Mexican Tuznene: in Brazilian y^«»'«,
and the Parakeet Tut. In old French Papegaut. According to
Aldrovandus, moft of thefe names are derived from Papa, and de-
note thi ■ ipe of the birdu

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PARROT.

ing and heightfeniiig the colours that deck the
plumage *.

The power of ufing the hand, and of walk-
ing on two feet, the refemblance, how faint
foever, to the face, the want of a tail, the
naked hams ; the timilarity of the fexual parts,
the pofition of the breads, and the menftrual
flux in the females ; the ardent paflion of the
males for women : all thefe circumftances have
procured to the ape the name o,( wi/d man from
thofe who themfelves are indeed only half- men,
and who can compare only the exterior charac-
ters. Had what was equally poflible taken
place, had the voice of the Parrot been beftow-
cd on the ape; the human race would have
been ftruck dupib with aftonifliment, and the
philofopher could hardly have been able to de-
monftrate that the ape was ftill a brute. It is
fortunate, therefore, that nature has feparated
the faculties of imitating our fpeech and our
geftures, and (hared them between two very
different fpecies ; and while flie has co tferred
on all animals the fame fen(es, and on fome the
fame members and organs, with m"*?, fhe has
referved for him alone the power of improving

• Thofe Parrots to which the favages give artifictal coloars are
termed tafires. This is efFe£led, it is iaid, by means of the bieod
of a frog* Vk^iich they drop into the fmali wounds made in young
Parrots by phicJcing their feathers : thofe which fprout again
change tkcir green or yellow tint* into orange, rofe colour^ or
variegated hues, according to tljf medicameots employed.

them;

f A ft R O T.

«i

tliertt ; that noble mark of our pre-cmiiience,
which conftitutcs our empire over the auimated
world.

There are two kinds of improvement ; the
one barren, and confined to the individual ; the
other prolific, and extending through the fpe-
ries, and cultivated in proportion as it is encou-
raged by the inftitutions of the fbciety. Among
bruteS) the experience of one race is never
tranfmittcd to the fucceeding ; their acqui-
fitions are merely individual ; they are the fame
now that they ever were— ever will be. But
man is progreflive ; he receives the inflrutftions
of paft ages, he reaps the benefit of the difco-
veries of others, and, by a propef ufe of his
time, he may Continually advance in know-
ledge. And who can, without regret and in-
tlignation, view that long gloomy night of ig-
norance and barbarifiii, which overfpread Eu^
rope, and which not only arrefted our improve-
ment, but thruft us back from that elevation
which we had attained ? But for thefc unfor-
tunate viciflitudes, the human fpecies vvould
invariably approach towards the point of per*
fedion.

The mere favagc, who (hui^s all fociety, and
receives only an individual education, cannot
improve his fpecies, and will not difter, even in
underftanding, from thofe animals on which he
has beftowed his name. Nor will he acquire
even fpeecli, if the family be difperfed, and the

VOL* VI, V children

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children abandoned foon after birth. The nrd
rudiments of the fecial difpofitioii are therefore
unfolded bv the tender attachment and the
watchful folicitude of the mother ; the helplefs
ftate of the infant requires conftant and aflidu-
ous attention ; its claimant cries are anfvvered
by footliing exprefllons, which begins the form-
ation of language, and, during the fpace of two
or three years, this grows in fome degree fixed
and regular. But, in other animals, the growth
is much more rapid ; the parental endearments
lad only fix weeks or two months ; and the
impreflions are flight and trandtory ; and, after
reparation, they entirely ceafe. It is not, there-
fore, to the peculiar ftruclure of our organs that
we are indebted for the attainment of fpeech ;
the Parrots can articulate the fame founds, but
their language is mere prattle, and void of fig-
iiihcation.

The power of imitating our difcourfe or our
aclions, confers no real fuperiority on an ani-
mal. It never incites to the cultivation of ta-
lents ; It never tends to the improvement of the
fpecies. The articulation of the Parrot implies
only the clofe analogy of its orsjans of hearinfr
and of voice to thofe in man ; and that fimilarity
of firudture obtains, though in a Icfs degree, in
many other birds, whofe tongue is thick, round,
and nearly of the fame form. The ftares, the
black birds, the jays, the jack -daws, &c. can
imitate words. Thofc wliufc ton^jjue is forked

(and

PARROT.

(and almofl: all the fmall birds may be raiip^^d
in that clars)^ whidle more eafily than they
prattle ; and if, with this ftru(fture, they have
alfo feiifibility of ear, and can accurately retain
the iraprelfions made on that organ, they will
learn to repeat airs : the canary, the linnet, the
fifkin, and the bulfinch, feem natural mulicians.
The Parrot imitates every fort of noifc, the
mewing of cats, the barking of dogs, and the
notes of other birds, as well as the human
voice ; yet it can only fcream or pronounce
very fliort phrafes ; and, though capable of
even articulating founds, it is unable to mo-
dulate thefe, or fupport them by intermingling
gentle cadences. It has therefore lefs acute-
nefs of perception, lefs memory, and lefs flexi-
bility of organs.

There are alfo two different kinds of im'vta-
tion ; the one is acquired from reflection ; the
other is innate and mechanical : the latter pro-
ceeds from the common infl:in£l diftufed through
a whole fpecies, which prompts or condrains
each individual to perform funilar adlions ; and
the more flupid the animal, the moie entire
will be this influence, and the clofer will be
the refemblance. A fheep lias invariably the
fame habits with every other fheep ; th^ firlt
cell of a bee is precilely like the lafk. The
knowledge of the indi\ idual is equal to that of
the fpe':ies ; — fuch is the diftuidion K tweeii
reafon and inftin<Sl:. The other kind of imita-

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^8 PARROT.

tion, which fliould be regarded as artificial, I9
the*acquiritio!i of the individual, and cannot be
communicated. The mofl: accomplifhed Parrot
will never tranlmit his talent of prattHng to his
offspring. When an animal is inftruvHied by-
man, the improvement refts with it alone.
This imitation depends as well as the former on
the peculiar il:ru6lure ; but it alfo implies fen-
fibility, attention, and memory ; and thofe fpe-
cies which are fufceptiblc of education, rank
high in the order of organized beings. If the
animal be eafily trained, and each individual re-
ceive a certain degree of inftru^lion, as in the
cafe of the dogs, the whole fpecies will acquire
fuperiority under the direction of man ; but
when abandoned to nature, the dog will relapfe
into the wolf or the fox, and would never of
itfelf emerge from that ftate.

All animals may therefore be improved by
aflbciating with man ; but thev cannot be in-
ftru<3:ed to improve each other ; for they ne-
ver can communicate the ideas and know-
ledge which they have acquired. Even birds
whofe (hape and proportions are fo different
from tho4e of quadrupeds, are fufceptible of the
fame degrees of education. The agamis can
be trained to perform nearly all the actions of
the dogs ; a canary, properly bred, fliews its
attachment by carefles th^it arc equally ani-
mated, and more innocent and more liiicere
than thofe of the cat. There are many in-

ftances

■'\i

PARROT. 69

fiances of the wonderful efFeds of education on
the rapacious birds *, which feem the mod fa-
vage and the moft averfe to bend to inftrudtion.

• i(

In 1763," fays M. Fontaine, '* a buzzard was brought to
ine that had been taken in a fnare : it was at firll extremely favage
and even cru:l. 1 undertook to tame it, and I fucceeded by leav-
ing it to fall, and couilraining it to come and eat out of my hand.
By purfuing this plan, 1 brought it to be very familiar ,• and after
having (hut it up about fix weeks, I began to allow it a little li-
b-Tty, taking the precaution, however, to tie both pinions of it&
wings. Jn this condition it walked out into my garden, and re-
turned when 1 called it to feed. After fome time, when 1 judged
that 1 could trull to its fidelity, I removed the ligatures, and faf*
tened a fmall bell, an inch and a half in diameter, above its talon,
and alfu attached on the breail a bit of copper having my name
engraved. I then gave it entire liberty, which it foon abufed;
for it took wing, and flew as far as the forcft of Belef:ne. I gave
it up for loft ; bat four hours after 1 (aw it rulh in'o my hall,
which was open, })uiraed by five Other buzzardsi which had con*
llra^ncd it to feek its afylum .... After this adventure it ever
prelerved its fidelity to me, coming every night to fleep on my
window ; it grew Co fimiliar with tne, as to feem to take Angular
plcafure in my company. It rxttendeJ conftantly at dinner, iat oa
a corner of the table, and very often cireflcJ mc with its head and
bill, emitting a weak fti;irp cry, wiiich ho.vever it fymetimes lof-
tened. It is true that I alone had this privilege. It One day fol-
lowed me, when I .vas on horfeback, more than two leagues, fail-
ing above my head .... It had at> averfion both to dogs and cats,
nor was it in the leall afraid of them ; it had often tough battles
with them, and always came ofF viftorious. • had four very
llrong cats, which I colletSed into my garden befide my buzzard ;
1 threw to them a I it of raw flelh, the nimbleft cat feizcd it, the
rt-ft pu fued ; but the bird darted upon her body, bit her ears with
his bill, and fqueezvd her fides with his talons, with fuch force
that the cat was obliged to relinquilh her prize. Often another
cat fnaiched it the inftant it dropt, but Ihe fulFercd the fame treat-
ment, till the buzzard got entire poU'cflion of the plunder. He
was io dexterous in his defence, that when he perceived himfelf af-

F ) failed

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Ill Ada, the pigeon is taught to cnrry letters
between places an hundred leagues diftant : and
th^ art of falconry proves that, by dire(£ling the
inilincl of birds, they may be as much im-
proved as the other animals. On the whole,
it appears that if man bellowed equal time and
attention upon any animal as upon a child, it
would acquire a mechanical imitation of the
fame adions ; the etteds only would differ. In

the

fiiiled .It once by the four cats, he took wing, and uttered a cry of
exultation. At lail, the cats, chagrined at their repealed difap-
pointment, would no longer contend.

•* 1 his buzzard had a fingular antipathy ; he would not fuffer a
red cap on the head of any peafant, and fo alert he was in whip-
ping it off, that they found their head bare without knowing what
was become of their cap. He alfo fnatched wigs without doing
any injury, and he carried thcfe caps and wigs to the talleft tree
in a neighbouring park, which was the ordinary depofit of his
booty .... lie would fuffer no other bird of prey to enter his do-
main ; he attacked them very boldly, and put them to flight. He
did no mifchief in my court-yard, and the poultry, which at firft
dreaded him, grew infenfibly reconciled to him. 'I'he chickens
and ducklings received not the leaft harlh ufage, and yet he bathed
among the latter. But what is fingular, he was not gentle to my
rieiglibcurs' poultry; and I was often obliged to publiflx that I
would pay for the damages which he might occafion. However,
he was often fired at, and he receiv'ed fifteen mufket-fhots, with-
out fufTcring any frafture. But once early in the morning, hover-
ing over the fkirts of a forefl, he dared to attack a fox; and the
keeper feeing him on the fhouldcrs of the fox, fired two fhots at
him ; tfie fox was killed and the buzzard had his wing broken ; yet
notwithrtanding this frafture he efcaped from the keeper, and was
lolt feven days. This man having difcovered, from the noife of
the bcU, that he was my bird, came next morning to inform me;
] flint to make a fearch near the fpot ; but the bird could not be
fouttd, nor did it return till feven days after. 1 had been ufed to

call

\:f

PARROT. 71

the one cafe, rcaibii extends and dltTurcs tlic*
attainments ; in the other, they continue flu-
tionary, and perifh with the poficflbr.

But that education which Hems to unfold tl^e
faculties, and meliorate the difpofitions of qua-
. drupeds or birds, renders them odious to the
reft of their fpecies. When a buzzard, for
inftancc, a magpie, or a jay, efcapes to the
woods, its favage kindred flock around it to
gaze at the novelty. Their wonder is foon
converted into rage; and they furioufly attack
and drive off the intruder : nor is it admitted
into their fociety till it rclinquiflies its artificial
habits, and adopts the manners of the tribe.

Birds are deftined by nature to enjoy the
complcteft independence, and exult in the moft
unbounded freedom. Other animals are con-
demned to crawl on the furface j thefe foar aloft

call him every evening with a whiflle, which he anfwercd not for
fix days ; but, on the feventh, I heard a feeble cry at a diftance,
which I judged to be that of my buzzard : I repeated the whiflie
a fccond time, and 1 heard the fame cry. 1 went to the part
whence the found came, and, at bit, found my poor buzzard wit'i
his wing broken, which had travelled more than half a league on
foot to regain liis afykim, from which he was then diftant about
120 paces. Though he was extremely reduced, he gave me many
careffjs. It took near fix weeks till he was recruited, and his
wounds healed ; after which he began to fly as befcre, and follow
his old habits for about a year : he then dirappean d for ever. I
am convinced that he was killed by accident; and that he would
not have forfaken me from choice.'*

Letter of M. Fontaine, Cure de Saint-Pierre de Bele/ttie, to M. le
C:mtc de Bujcn, I earing date 28 Janua>y, 1-778,

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in the air. No obftaclc can oppofe their pro
grcfs ; no. fpot can fix their refidence : the Iky
is thcii' country, and their courfe is on the
■wings of the breeze. They forefec the vicifTi^
tilde of the fcafons, and watch their return.
They generally appear when the mild influence
of fpring has clothed the forefts with verdure j
there they neftle, concealed under the foliage.
Heaven and earth feem to confpli co their fe-
Lcity. But folicitude loon arifc:.; th^y dreacj
the cruel vifits of the fame anim ?i which
they before looked down with c jntempt. The
wild cat, the marten, the weazel, feek to de-
vour the abjedls of their tendereft affection :
the adder clambers to gain their eggs, or devour
their progeny ; and children, that amiable por^
tion of human kind, but who, from want of em-,
ployment, are ever in mifchief, wantonly plun-i
der the facred depolits of love. Often the mo-
ther rufhes into danger in defence of her young;
and facrifices to the ardor of her attachment^
her love, her liberty, and her life.

Why is the feafon of the higheft pleafures
alfo the feafon of the greateft folicitude ? Why
are the mofl delicious enjoyments always damp^
ed, even in the freeft and moft innocent of be^
ings, by the cruelleft anxieties ? May we not;
complaint of harfhnefs in nature, the common
mother of all \ '" benevolence is never pure,^
or of long continuance. No fooner the hap^
py pair united, by choice and by their mu-

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PARROT,

tual labours, have fabricated the •^.'^nfioii of love,
than they dread the plundere. d a -ack. The
feathered race has alfo its ty ants ; and the ra-
pacious birds are the n^ore formidable, as they
are more independent. The eagle fnatches
with impunity the prey from the lion; all
dread hi? afped; ths feebler birds icream at
his appro -h, and feek immediate (belter, per^
haps tUf ciigic would have occupied a large por-
tion t».t the earth, if man had not driven himi
to the fummits of mountains and inacceffible
tracks, where in folitude he ftretches out his
gloomy dominion.

From this curfory view, it would appear that
birds rank next to man in the great fcale of ex-
iftence. Nature has accumulated and concen-
trated more ftrength in their little bodies than
(he has communicated to the huo;e limbs of the
moft powerful quadrupeds ; agility is combined
with folidity ; their empire extends over the in-
habitants of the air, the earth, and the waters.
The whole of the infed tribes are exclufivelj
fubjedt to their dominion, and feem only deft
tined to feed thefe deftroyers : they alfo feizo
the noxious reptiles on the ground, and fnatch
the fi(h from their element. They even at-
tack the quadrupeds ; the buzzard fometimesi
darts on the fox, and the falcon ftops the ante-
lope ; the eagle preys on the (heep, murders the
dog equally with the hare, and tranfports their
carcalc* to his eyry. The birds walk on two

feet,

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IMAGE EVALUATION
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PARROT.

feet, imitate fpeech, and repeat mufical airs.;
ill thefe refpefts ^oo they refemble man, while
their power of flying marks a decided fuperi-
ority above all the other terreftrial animals..

But from this general view of the nature of
birds, let us defcend to furvey the genus of the
Parrots, That tribe, the moll: numerous of all,
affords ftriking illuftrations of a new propofi- .•
tion: that, in birds, as in quadrupeds, thofe
which inhabit the tropical regions are confined
excluiively to their refpedive continents. This
principle ferves to fix their nomenclature ; the '
ipecies are much diverfified and multiplied ;
•above lOo are known, and yet of thefe not one
is common to both continents. What can be
a more decifive proof of this general propofitioii
"which wc explained in the Hiftory of Quadru-
peds ? The two continents were never joined,
except towards the north, and therefore no ani-
mal incapable of fupporting the intenfe cold of
the frozen regions could migrate from the one
into the other. Birds alfo, fuch as the Parrots,
which live and propagate only in warm cli-
mates, have remained indigenous ; fome inha-
bit the tropical regions of the new continent,
others thofe of the old, and occupy in each a
zone extending twenty- five degrees on both
fides of the equator.

^f But it will be faid that if the elepb". Us and

other large quadrupeds, which at prefent are

peculiar to Africa and India, inhabited origi-

^■■S'''^'''^^'''''''7' —'■'_.■--'■ nally

.' (

P A R'R O T.

nally the northern tradts in both continents,

.'. miffht not this have alfo been the cafe in regard
to the Parrots ? And as the earth gradually
cooled, thefe might continually advance to-
wards the tropics ; and neither the lofty moun-
tains, nor the narrow pafs of the ifthmus of
Panama, could prevent their migration.

This ' objection, though plaufible, is only a

. new queftion, which, in whatever way it be
refolved, cannot afFed our hypothefis, that the
north was the primaeval refidence of animals,
and that they afterwards removed to the regions
of the fouth. But thofe birds whofe conftitu-
tion is adapted to a hot climate could never rife
to the frozen fummits of mountains; and the
cold that prevails in the elevated regions of the
air would as efFedually flop their flight, as the
various obftacles to be furmounted would limit
the progrefs of the elephant. Thus what
appears at firft an objection, is really a jcon-
flrmation of the theory; fince not only the
quadrupeds, but alfo the birds, which are na-
tives of the torrid trails in the old world, have
never penetrated or fettled in the infulated con-

t tinent of South America. In the cafe of the
birds, however, this principle has fome excep-
tions ; for a few fpecies are found equally in the

.equatorial parts of both continents. But this
is owing to particular circumftances ; their vi-

, gorous vings and their power of refting on the
' lurface of the water by means of the broad mem-

* ^^^" f , :, branes

ii< 'h

\<k\

ik< iff-.

PARROT.

brancs of their feet. The Parrots can neither
foar to a vaft height, nor fly to a great diftance,
and their feet are not webbed. Accordingly,
none of thcfe have ever migrated trom the one
Continent to the other, qnlefs tranfported by
mcti acrofs the intervening ocean *. This will
be better perceived after viewing the arrange-
ment, and comparing the defcriptions of the
fevcral fpecies. It was perhaps as difficult to
clafs them as the monkeys ; lince all the pre-
ceding naturalifts have confounded them toge-
ther/ ^-■'■':v.-':i--;.-^ti;vT-^c.7r ;■...;■'-, -/ - ....

The Greeks were acquainted at fir ft with
only one fpecies of Parrot, or rather of Parra-
keet ; it is what wc now call the Great Ring
Parrakeetf and comes from India. They were
brought from the iOand of Taproba^ie into
Greece by Oneficrites, who commanded Alex-
ander's fleet. They were fo new and uncom-
mon that Ariftotle himfelf appears not to have
icen them, and mentions them only from re-
port-|-, But the beauty of thefe birds, and
their power of imitating fpeech, foon made

* The Parrots have a laborious ihort flight, fo that they cannot
crofs an arm of the fea feven or eig agues broad. Each illand
ipf South America has its particuk ^rrots; thcfe of St. Lucia,
pf St. Vincent, of Dominica, of Martinico, are different from
each other: thofc of the Caribbee idands do not refemble them, nor
are thefe Caribbee Parrots foun^ near the Oronooco, which is the

Stt of the cbntineat neareft thefe iflands. Neti cwnmuHicattd bj
, d» la,Bmrdtt King^s Pb'fician at Cajtune.
f Hi/l.Jnim.Lib.VUl. iz, « There is an Indian bird called
j^Mrf, which is faid to fpeak." , - . . .,

. , ,. - ^ them

PARROT.

them the obje£ts of luxury among the Romans,
and the prevalence of that pra£lice provoked the
indignation of the rigid Cato *. They were
lodged in cages of filver, of (hells, and of ivory ;
and the price of a Parrot often exceeded that of
a flave ')*.;;'- t^ ■ '^ ■■'^■'iv ^#» ^^^<j .■^y,^ ^ ...

No Parrots were known at Rome, but thof«
brought from India ];, until the time of Nero ;
the emifiaries of that prince found them in the
ifland of the Nile, between Syene and Meroe,
which is exa£lly in the Umit that we ailigned
of twenty-four or twenty-five degrees lati-
tude §. Pliny tells us that the Latin name
pfittacus was derived from the Indian appella-
tion pjittace^ ovjtttace ||.

The Portuguefe, who firft doubled the Cape
of Good Hope, and explored the fhores of Afri-
ca, found the country of Guinea, the iflanda
fcattered in the Indian ocean, and alfo the con-
tinent, inhabited by various kinds of Parrots, all
unknown in Europe. So numerous they were

* This auflere cenfor exclumed in the midft of the aflTemUed
fenate, *< O ! fenators ! O ! unhappy Rome ! what forebodings !
in what times do we live, to fee the women feed dogs on their
knees, and the men carry Parrots in their hands !" Columella,
Di£i, Antiq. Lib- III.

•|* Statius. ' ' : ; ,

X PHry, Lib, X. 42«— Pau(amas.

^ Id. Lib. VL 29.

II Lib. X. 42. 'I'hey were brought alfo in the fifteenth cen-
tury from the countries through which Alexander marched. KtUh-
tifi/j dt Qadamojii* See kiifi, Qtn^ dtt Vyagttt X» lit 305*

■ ■ ■ • ■ ■ ■ at

t:;[

Jv i!^'

Elf''

PARROT.

at Calicut*, in Bengal, and on the African coafls,
that the Indians and negroes were obliged dur-
ing harveft: to watch their fields of rice and
maize, and to repel the deftrudive havock of
theie birds +, > ^nj-*: t > *. ^ . ..*;* ; ..

This vaft multitude of Parrots in all countries
which they inhabit J, feems to prove that they
breed feveral times annually, fince the produ&:
of one hatch is inconfiderable. Nothing could
equal the variety of the fpecies which navigators
found on every part of the coaft of South Ame-
rica. Many iHands were called the Parrot
I/lands, They were the only animals that Co-
lumbus met with in the one where he firft
landed §. They were the early articles of traf-
fic between the Europeans and Americans ||.
The American and African Parrots were im-
ported in fuch numbers, that the Parrot of the
ancients was forgotten ; it was known only by
defcription in the time of Belon 4«.

* Recueil des Voyages qui ont fervi a I'etabliflement de la
Compagnie des Indes, &c. Amjlerdam^ 1702, t. III. p. 195.
,, . i* See Mandeflo, at the end of Olearius, t, JI. p. 144.

% ** Among the many remarkable animals, the Parrots of Ma-
labar excite the admiration of navigators, by their prodigious
numbers, and by the variety of their fpecies. Dellon avers that .
often he had the pleafure of feeing two hundred taken in one draw
of a net." Hiji. Gen. des Foy. t, XL p. 454.

§ Guanahani, one of the Lucayos.

II Firil Voyage of Columbus in the beginning of the UiJI. Gen,
des Voy. t. KIT.

4 Nat det Oi/eauxj p. 296.

PARROT.

We (hall range the Parrots in two great
clafles ; the firft comprehending thofe of the
old continent, the fecond thofe of the new.
The firft will be fubdivided into five families ;
the Cockatoos, ,the Parrots properly fo called,
the Lories, the long-tailed Parrakeets, and the
ihort-tailed Parrakeets. Thofe of the new world
will include fix other families ; the Maccaws,
the Amazonians, the Creeks, the Popinjays,
the long-tailed Paroquets, and the (hort-tailed
Paroquets, . •. . ,

M /■"■*•■

-.'fir

»'r

f . ---:

■ft

J- r

Jii:

■''in]

! ll

»^ ?.''«

FfeS:

;»

PARROT*.

PAR ROT S

OF THE OLD CONTINENT.

#•

The COCKATOOS.

THE largeft Parrots of the old continent are
the Cockatoes. They are all natives of
the fouth of Ada, where they feem indigenous*
We are uncertain whether they are alfo found
in Africa^ but they are undoubtedly not found
in America. They are fpread through the
ibuthern parts of India ^» and in all the iflands
of the Indian ocean, at Ternate-f, at Banda|,
at Ceram §, in the Philippine iflands ||, and in

The trees of this city (Amadabatt capital of Gucal-at)*
and thofe on the road from Agra to Brampour, which is 1 5d Ger«
man leagues, breed an inconceivable number of Parrots • . . Some
are white, or pearl grey, and capped with a carnation tuft ; thef(i
are called iaiat§ui, becaufe they diftin£tly articulate that wordt
Thefe birds are very common through all India, where they neftle
in the towns on the roofs of houfes> like the fwallows hi Europe. "
Veyagt Jt ManJtJIot t. IL p. 144.
t Voyage autour du MtnJe, par Oemelli Carreri, Paris, I719»

#. V. /. 5.

X Recueil des Voyages qui ont fervi i I'etablifrement de la Com->
pagnie des Indes, &c« Amjitrdamt 1702, f. V. p. 26.

% Dampicr. || QemelU Carreri.

thofe

• '

Carrot.

itioie of Siinda *• Their name kakaioest cata-
cua^ and cacdtou^ is formed from their cry +•
They are eafily diftinguifhed from the other
Parrots, by their white plumage, by the round-
er and more hooked (hape of their bill, and
particularly by a creft of long feathers, which
they can raife or deprefs at pleafure \,

It is difi^cult to teach the Cockatoos to prat«
tie, and fome fpecies can never acquire the
imitation. ]&ut they are more ea(ily bred § ;
they all grow tame, and in fome parts of In-
dia they feem domeflicated, for they build
their nefts on the roofs of the houfes. And
this facility of education feems to refult from
their fuperior utiderflanding ; they are more
atten^ve and obedient than oth^r Parrots, and
they ftrive, though without fuccefsj to re-
peat what they hear* Their defe(Sls are com-
penfated by other expreffions of feeling, and
by afFedlionate careffes. All their motions have
a gentlenefs and grace which adds new cbsjrms
to their beauty* Two of thefe birds, a ivale
and a female, were (hewn in March 1775 at
the fair of St. Germain at Paris. They difco-

• Voyage de Siam, par le P. TdcSkard, Parisy 1686, p. 130.

f ** We made feveral tacks to double the ifle of Cacatoua, To
called becaufe of the white Parrots that refide in it, and which in-
ceflantly repeat that name. This ifle is very near Sumatra." Ibid.

X The crown of the head, which is covered by the long reclined
feathers, is entirely bald.

. § «* At Ternate, thefe birds arc domeftic and docile; they
fpeak little, but fcream much." GemelU Catreri,

VOL. VI, G vered

h W.-

■': ;; !. '■

u • I ft , I

{^■.l

,»'i ,,1 ■- '.

PARROT.

vercd great docility, raifed their creft, made a
falute with their head, touched with their bill
or their tongue, anfwered their keeper's quef-
tions with a fign of aflent, as they were de-
fired ; they marked by repeated motions the
number of perfons in the room, the colour of
their clothes, the hour of the day, &c. ; they
billed each other without being dire£led, an
evident token of their inclination to couple, and
their keeper told us that they had often com-
merce together even in our climate. — Though
the Cockatoos, like the other Parrots, ufe their
bill in climbing, they have not the fame heavy
unpleafant gait ; they are, on the contrary,
very agile, and walk gracefully, tripping with
(hort quick fteps.

t^^"

THE '

WHITE -CRESTED COCKATOO.

Lt Kakat'eos a Hupp$ Bhnchet BufF. :
FIRST SPECIES.

. PJittffeut Crijlatui, Linn. Gmel. and Qorowik.
Cacatua, Briff.

Kakatocha tcta aiha, Klein. ' ^

' ' PfittMCtts albut Crijiatus, Ray and WilL

TT is nearly as large as a hen. Its plumage is
•■• entirely white, except a yellow tinge on the

under

y^j3P

THE GICEAT WHITE COCKATOO .

: \

':;

1 '

' 1

!tj.| ':

:f|

-f) 'i^

■ ■•;.'• kit*

■>':• ! ''

K V:

^i '.

-It ' ;

! '

•l!'f„

■ ■■ ■ f" ,

^^m

unde
ofth
ble c
or tw
but I
webb
runni

YEL

,1*

- **.

'k<

* ■ ■"':,.■■■

v«fr<.

white,
the tail
eyes ; i
long fo;
vates ai
It was !
the M

, [A] Sp«
its creft pli

PARROT.

under fide of the wings, and of the lateral quills
of the tail ; the bill and feet are black. Its no-
ble creft is very remarkable, confifting of ten
or twelve feathers, not of the foft downy kind,
but of the nature of quills, tall and broad
webbed ; they are inferted in two parallel lines
running back from the face^ and form a double
fan [A]. ^'

THE - ^

YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOO.

Lt Kakattes a Huppt Jaune, BufF.
SECOND SPECIES.

ffittacui Sulpbureus, Gmel.

Cacatua Lulto-crijlatat Briif.

The Crtfled Parrot or Cockatoo, Albin.

The Ltffer IFhitt Cockatoo, Edw. and Lath.

|F this fpecies, there are two branches, dif-
fering in fize. In both the plumage is
white, with a yellow caft under the wings and
the tail, and fpots of the fame colour round the
eyes ; the creft is yellow citron, confiding of
long foft ragged feathers, which the bird ele-
vates and projedts ; the bill and feet are black.
It was a Cockatoo of this fpecies, and probably
the firft ever feen in Italy, that Aldrovandus

. ' [*M Specific charadker of the ^//tff«/ Cri)?<(i/w ; ** It is white,
its creft pliant and yellow." '

G a ' defcribes;

iiif

1' ■ li i

lii";ll

!i'*i'

f-i 'Ji

. .' ,

''■ ''vt

• '.■

'it

'i u.- ' •

■ . '-

■ ,■. ■••..:'

'?!

'.. ''-iKi'

:ii

'^:f.% S

'rei

1. 1.'

PARROT.

defcrlbes ; and he admires its elegance and
beauty. It is as intelligent, gentle, anddocile,
as the preceding. <

We faw this beautiful Cockatoo alive. It
exprefl'es joy by (haking its head brilkly feveral
times upwards and downwards, making a flight
cracking with it& bill, and difplaying its elegant
creft. It returns the careffes ; touches the face
with its tongue, and feems to lick it ; the kifles
are foft and gentle. When the one hand is
laid flat under its body, and the other refts on
its back, or only touches its bill, it prefl'cs firm-
ly, claps its wings, and with its bill half open
it blows and pants, and feems to feel the moft
intoxicating delight. It repeats this as often
as one choofes. It is alfo very fond of being
fcratched ; holds its head, and raifes its wing
to be ftroked : it often whets its bill, by gnaw-
ing and breaking bits of wood. It cannot bear
the confinement of the cage, but it never roves
out of its matter's fight. It anfwers its call,
and retires when he commands ; in which cafe
it difcovers anxiety, often looking back for the
fign of invitation. It is exceedingly neat ; all
its motions are graceful, delicate, and pretty.
It feeds on fruits, pulfe, all the farinaceous
grains, on paftry, eggs, milk, and whatever is
fweet, but not too fugary.

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittaeui Sulpbmeus : "It is white,
its creft pliant and drawn to a point ; and this, with a ipot below
the eye^i, is brimflone colour.'*

PARROT.

The RED-CRESTED COCKATOO.

la Kakatoii n Huppt Rougtt Buff.

THIRD SPECIES.

Pfittactts Moluteenjitt Gmel.

Pfivacut Ro/aetust Lath. Ind.

Caeatua Rubrocriftata^ Briff. and Gerinit

T^t Gnattr Ceeketoo, Edw.

y^t Grtai Rtd'Crtfied Cockatot, Lath.

T is one of the largeft of the genus, being
near a foot and half long ; the upper part of
its creft, which reclines backwards, confifts of
white feathers, and covers a bundle of red
ones [A],

The LITTLE FLESH-BILLED
COCKATOO,

Li Petit Kakatees a See Couleur de Chair, BufT.

FOURTH SPECIES.

ffittaem ErythroUiieus, Linn, Gmel. Ray, and Will,
l^Yic Red and White Parrot ^ Lath.

THE plumage is entirely white, except fome
tints of pale red oii the temples, and on

[A] Specific charafterof the PJtttaeus Mqlmcenjis : ** It is white,
inclining to a dilute rofe colour ; its creft is red above ; the lateral
feathers of its tail below, from the bafe to the middle, brimftone
coloured.'* <^

G 3 the

;iji ill

'3'

J
t "

i..

K i

V ■■"! 'i'i

i I'i

II :i If ..'
1"; ■ -

.1, (i- •

,, It U\ ■ ■

.1:': . •

' m

PARROT.

the feathers of the upper part of the creft,
which red caft is deeper on the coverts of the
lower furfice of the tail. There is a little light
yellow at the origin of the fcapiilar feathers and
of thofe of the creft, and on the infide of the
quills of the wing and of mod of thofe of the
tail ; the feet are blackifh ; the bill reddilh
brown, which is peculiar to this fpecies, the
bills of the other Cockatoos being all black. It
is alfo the lead of the genus ; Briflbn makes it -
of the fize of the Guinea Parrot, but it is much
fmaller. It has a creft, which lies flat, and is
eredled at pleafure.

We may obferve that the bird termed by Brif-
fon the Cockatoo with red wings and tail does
not appear to belong to the fame genus, fince
he makes no mention of the creft, which is the
diftinguifliing chara£l:er. Befides, he borrows
his account from Aldrovandus, who defcribes
it in the following terms. ** This Parrot
ought to be reckoned among the largeft ; it is
equal in fize to the capon ; all its plumage is
cinereous white ; its bill is black and much in-,
curvated ; the lower part of the back, the
rump, all the tail, and the quills of the wings,
are vermilion." Thefe chara6ters would cor-
refpond to thofe of the Cockatoos, if the creft
were added ; and this great red and white Par-
rot of Aldrovandus might perhaps form a fifth
fpecies, or a variety of one of the preceding.

[A] Specific chanifler of the PJttfacus Enthrokucus : " It is
cinereous; the quills of Us wings are white crimfon."

PARROT.

«7

The BLACK COCKATOO,

Buff^ and hath.

, FIFTH SPECIES.

■ '■ j . •' ■

..;, Tfittacut Attrrimus^ Gmel.

EDWARDS, who defcribes this Cockatoo, af-
ferts that it is as large as a maccaw. Its
plumage is entirely bluifh black, which is deep-
er on the back and the wings than under the
body ; the crell is brown or blackifh, and the
bird has, like the other Cockatoos, the power
of erecting it high, and of reclining it almoft
clofe on the head ; the cheeks below the eye
are covered by a red, naked, wrinkled Ikin,
which covers the inferior mandible of the bill,
whofe colour, as well as that of the feet, is
blacki(h brown ; the eye is fine black. The
bird may be reckoned the negro of the Cock-
atoos, which are generally white ; the tail is
long, and confifts of tapered feathers. The fi-
gure delineated from nature was fent from Cey-
lon to Edwards, and that naturalift recognifed
the fame bird in a collection publiihed by Vander
Meukn at Amfterdam, in 1 707, and termed by
Feter Schenk the Indian Crow* v»

[A] Specific charafter of the PJiitaeus Attrfimus: «« It is black«
its creft large and lighter coloured, its cheeks red and naked.*

G 4

j(';:,

<' 1;-., t.

•:^i

S !;i: '-J ,1

■ ' 1 1
. ■ ■ ■ J ■ '

"■i

. . '.1. •'•

t'fliif"uiitfcii

, 1

PARROT.

The PARROTS

PROPEI^LY SO CALI,EJ5,

'ITT'e (hall apply the name of Parrot to thoft
^^ of the old continent whofe tail is (hort,
and confids of quills nearly equal in length.
We may reckon eight fpecies, all natives of
Africa or India, and none of then), found in
America.

THE

JACO or CINEREOUS PARROT, Buff.

FIRST SPECIES.

PJittacui Erhbacus, Linn. Gmel. andKram.
Pfittacut Gmntenjis Cinertust Brifl*.
IJ/chgraver Papagey, Wirs.
'fhcJ/f'Cfihured Parrot, Albin. WiU? and |iath.

THIS fpecies is now the moft commonly
brought into Europe, and generally pre-
ferred, as well on account of the miidnefs of
its difpofition, as of its fagacity and docility, in
which it at leaft equals the green Parrot, with-
out the djfagreeable cries. It feems to pronounce
the .vord yaco, and hence its ufu^ appellation.
AD the body is of a fine pearl and flaty gray,
which is deeper on the upper furface, lighter
pn the }ower, an I ''^ "lined to white on the

belly.

rM \

PARROT. i|

belly. The tgiil, which is vermilion, termi'^
nates and heightens this plumage, which is
gloiled and powdered with a inowy colour,
that gives it conftantly a freOi appearance.
The eye is placed in a white, naked, mealy
Ikin, that covers the check ; the bill is black ;
the feet gray j jand the iris gold colour. Th^
total length of the bird is a foot.

Mod: of thefe Parrots are imported from the
coaft of Guinea*, and come from the interior
parts of Africa f : they are alfo found at Congo J,

■m

* WiUughby.

f *f They are found on the whole of this coaft (of Guinea), bu(
in fmall numbers, and mod of them even come from the interior
parts of the country. Tbofe of Benin, of Calbari, of Cabolopez,
are moft efteemed, for which reafon they are -brought from thofe
places ; but they are much older than fuch as can be obtained
here, and confequently are not fo docile, nor fo ealily trained. All
the Parrots here on the coaft, and alfo near the angle of Guinea^
and in the above-mentioned places, are of a blue polour . . . Theie
birds are fo common in Holland, that they arelefs eileemed there than
here, and not fold fo dear." Voyage en Guinee, par fiofman, Utrec&i,
1*^05. — Albin is miftaken when he fays that this fpecies come9
from the Eall Indies; it appears confined to Africa, and a fortiori
it occurs not in America, though BrifTon places it at Jamaica, pro-
bably from the indication of Browne and Sloane ; but without hav.
ing confulted them, fince Sloane (Jamaica, Ftl. 11. p. 297) fays
exprefsly that the Parrots, wluch are numerous in Jamaica, were
all brought thither from Guinea. This fpecies is not a native of any
part of the new world. *' Among the multitude of Parrots found
at Para, we cannot perceive the gray fpecies, which is fo common
in Guinea." Voyage de la CondamtHe, p. 1 73.— In Antart^ic France
there is no gray kind found, as in Guinea, and in upper Africa.
Thevetf Singularites de la France Antar£lique, Paris, i|)58, /, 92.

I Recueil des Voyages qui ont fervir a TetabUflement de la Com-
pagnie des Indes. AmfttrJam, 1702, 1. IV. p. 321.

and

'U\

ii '■:^::i{

mw-

'•1

PARROT.

and oil the coaft of Angola *. They are very
ealily taught to fpeak "f , and feem fondeft of
imitating the voice of children, who arealfo the
mofl: fuccefsful in training them. It has indeed
been remarked by the older writers J that the
birds moft fufceptible of imitating the human voice
are eager to liften to children, whofe articula-
tion is imperfed and unequal, and therefore
more correfpondent to their own. But the ci-
nereous Parrot copies alfo the deep tones of the
adult ; though the effort is laborious, and the
words arc lefs diftin6t. One of thefe Guinea
Parrots was fo completely drilled by an old
failor, that it acquired exactly his hoarfe voice
and cough; and though it was afterwards given
to a young perfon, and was in no other com-
pany, it never forgot the lelTons of its firft
mafter, and it was diverting to obferve its trnn-
fitions from a foft gracious tone to its former
hoarfenefs and coarle fea tones.

* Hiftorie Generale des Voyages, /. V. /. 76.

•f- They inhabit likewife the ifles of France and Bourbon, whi-
ther they have been tranfported. Ltiires Edifiantes^ Recutil i8,
p. II. ** Thisifle (of Mauritius or France) breeds tortoifes, tur-
tles, grey parrots, and other game, which are caught by the hand
in the woods. Beiides the profit derived from this excrcife, it af-
fords much diveriion. Sometimes when a great Parrot is taken,
it is made to fcream, and inftantly hundreds flock round it, which
are felled with fticks." Recueil des Fojages qui ont j'ervir a l*eta-
blij/ement Je la Compagnie des hides, jiatji^rdam, 1702, /. ///,/, 195.

X Albertus, lib. XXIJI,

But

relate

t<
reflec
eiral
The
this

t
from

fwers
half

mone
rofari

PARROT.

f»

.<i

hi-

l»r-

if-

ich

ta-

Lit

But not only has this bird a facility, it has
alfo an eagernefs, in imitating the human voice.
It liftens with attention, and drives to repeat ;
it dwells conftantly on fome fyilables which it
has heard, and feeks to furpafs every voice by
the loudnefs of its own. We are often fur-
prifed at its repeating words or founds, which
we never taught it, and which we (hould not
fuppofe it to have noticed *. It feems to fet
itfelf talks, and tries every day to retain its lef-
fon-f-. This engages its attention even in fleep,
and, according to Marcgrave, it prattles in its
dreams J. They are moft capable of improve-
ment when young ; then they fliew more (a-
gacity, more docility: and their memory, if
early cultivated, becomes fometimcs aftonifh-
ing. Rhodiginus § mentions a Parrot which a
Cardinal purchafed for loo crowns, becaufe it
recited corre£lly the Afojlles^ Creed \\. But when

• Witnefs that Parrot of Henry VIII. which, as Aldrovandu*
relates, having fallen into the Thames, called to the boatmen for
afllftance, as it had heard the paiTengers call from the beach.

f Cardan goes fo iar as to afcribe to it meditation and inward
refleclion on what it has been taught, and this, fays he, through
emulation and the love of glory . . Meditatur ob fiudium gltrite . . ,
The love of the marvellous muft have had mighty influsnce upon
this philofopher, to make him advance fuch abfurdities.

X Arii^otle had propofed a quxre, whether animals hatched
from eggs ever dream (Lib. V, jo. Hijl. Anim.) Marcgrave an-
fwers, that ** his Parrot X^aura often rofe in the night, and prattled
half atteep."

S lib. III. 32.

II M. de la Borde tells us that he faw one, which fervcd as al>
moner on board a veiTel ; it recited the failors prayer, then the
rofary. Jj;

\ ":,!

''t

•■♦•S-ii

PARROT.

it grows older, it becomes ftubborn, and will
hardly be taught. Olina recommends the
evening, after their meal, as the proper time
to indrudt them ; for their wants being fatif-
fled, they are moil docile and attentive.

The education of the Parrot has been com-
pared to that of the child *. At Rome, the
perfon who trained a Parrot held in his hand a
fmall rod, with which he ftruck it on the head,
pliny fays that its fkuU is very hard, and that
it requires fmart blows to make it feel f . HoWf
ever, the bird which we mentioned feared the
rod more than a child that has been often whip-
ped. If after remaining perched the whole day,
i*- anticipated the hour of walking out into the
garden, and defcended too foon (which feldom
happened), threats and the fight of the rod
drove it with precipitation to its rooft ; there it
continued, but (howed its impatience by flap-
ping its wings and fcreaming.

♦ ' We (hould fuppofe that the Parrot does not
perceive when he fpeaks himfelf, hut fancies that
fome perfon addrefles him, He often alked his
paw, and anfwered by holding up the paw.
Though he liked to hear the voice of children,
he feemed to have an antipathy to them ; he
purfued and bit them till he drew blood. He
had alfo his objedls of attachment, and though
his choice was not very nice, it was conftant,

pc
lil
hii

^lian.

t Pliny, lU. X, 42.

thi

PARROT.

Me was cxceffively fond of the cook-maid ; fol-
lowed her every where, fought for her, and
feldom mifled Ending her. If fhe had beetx
fome time out of his Hght, the bird climbed
with his bill and claws to her Ihoulders, lavilh-
ed his careiTes, and would, on no account, leave
her. His fondnefs had all the marks of clofe
and warm friendfhip. The girl happened to
have a very fore finger, which was tedious in
healing, and fo painful as to make her fcream.
While (he uttered her moans, the Parrot
never left h«r chamber. The firft thing he
did every day was to pay her a vifit ; and this
tender condolence lafted the whole time of
the cure, and he again returned to his former
calm fettled attachment. Yet this ftrong pre-
diledion for the girl feems to have been more
direded to her office in the kitchen, than her
perfon ; for wllcn another cook-maid fucceeded
to her, the Parrot (hewed the fame degree of
fondnefs the very firft day *."

But Parrots of this kind not only imitate
difcourfe; they alfo mimic geftures and ac-
tions. Scaliger faw one that performed the
dance of the Savoyards, at the fame time re-
peating their fong. The one already mentioned
liked to hear a perfon fing, and, when he faw
him dance, he alfo tried to caper, but with the
, word grace imaginable, holding in his toes, and

* Note communicated by Madame Nadault, my filter, to whom
this Parrot belonged.

tsimbling

V n

fl PARROT.

tumbling back clumfily. He was then the

mod cheerful ; but he had alfo an extravagant

joy, and an inceflant prattling when in the

ftate of intoxication : for all Parrots love wine,

particularly the Spanifh and the mufcadine.

Even in the time of Pliny it was remarked that

tkie fumes of that liquor gave the Parrots a flow

of fpirits*. He crept near the fire in winter, and

his greateft pleafure, in that feafon, was to get on

the chimney ; and when warmed he gave many

ligns of his ccmfortable feelings. He had equal

pleafure in the fummer (howers ; he continued

whole hours expofed, and fpread his wings the

better to receive the rain, and did not fcek for

cover till he was wet to the Ikin. After he had

returned to his rooft, be ftripped all the feathers

one after another through his bill. If the weather

was dry, he liked to bathe in a ciftern of water,

and entered into it repeatedlypthough always

very careful not to wet his head. But he was

as averfe to plunge in winter ; and if then

Ihewn a veflel full of water, he would run off,

and even fcream. ,

Sometimes he was obferved to yawn, and
this was almoft always the fymptom of weari-
nefs. He whiftled with more force and clear-
nefs than a man; but, though he exprefled
many tones, he could never be taught to copy
an air. He imitated perfectly the cries of wilcjj

* Itt vinopr^cipue la/civa* Lib. X. 42.

and

si: I;

PARROT.

and domeftic animals, particularly the crow,
which he mimicked fo well, that he might
have been taken for one. He feldom prattled
in a room with company ; but if alone in the
adjacent room, he was noify in proportion to
the loudnefs of the converfation which he over-
heard ; he Teemed prompted to repeat precipi-
tately all that he had learnt, and was never fo
animated or fo clamorous. In the evening he
retired of his own accord to his cage, which he
Ihunned during the day: there with one foot
concealed in the plumage, or hooked to the bars
of the cage, and his head beneath his wings, he
(lept until he perceived the dawn of the morn-
ing ; but he often wakened to the blaze of can-
dles. Then he flepped down to the bottom of
the cage, and (harpened his claws, ufing the
fame motion with the fcratching of a hen.
Sometimes he whiftlcd or prattled in the night
when expofed to light -, but in the dark he was
filent and tranquil *.

That fort of fociety which the Parrot forms
with man, is, by means of language, more inti-
mate and pleafing than what the monkey can
claim from its antic imitation of our geftures and
actions. If the ufeful and amiable qualities of tlic
dog, the horfe, or the elephant, command our
attention and cfteem, the fingular talents of the

* Refl: of the note communicated by Madame Nadault.

4 prattling

ril^:

ill'

t.'S

l<JI

■•■■'{■'I

in,. <

5«

P A Jl R O t-

prattling bird fomctimes engage more power-
fully our curioiity. It diverts and aniufes ; in
folitude it is company; it takes part in conver-
fation, it Iaughs» it breathes tender exprelHons,
or mimics grave difcourfei and its words ut-
tered indifcriminately pleafe by their incongru-
ity, and fbmetimes excite furprife by their apt-
nefs *. This play of language without mealn-
ing is uncommonly whimiical, and though not
more empty than much other talk, it is always
more amufing. The Parrot feems alfo to re-
ceive a tin(fture of our inclinations and manners;
it loves, or it hates ; it has particular attach-
ments, predile<ftions, and caprices; it is the
obje£t of its own admiration and applaufe ; it
becomes joyous or fad ; it is melted by carefles,
and bills tenderly in return : in a houfe of
mourning, it learns to moan-f-, atnd often ac-
cuflomed to repeat the dear name of a miftrefs

* WiUughby fpeaks from CluHus of a Farrot> which, when a
perfon faid to it, Laugh, Pull, lattg5, laughed accordingly, and
the inftant after fcreamed out, IVhut a fool to malt mi laugh! We
have feen another which gtew old with its mailer, and ihared with
him the infirmities of age. Being accuftomed to hear fcarce any
thing but the words / am Jtck ( Je fuis malade) ; when a perfon
alked it, Hovu d^ye, Po I, how d'ye (Qu*as-tu, perroquet, qu*as-
tu)? I amjlck, it replied wiih a doleful tone, ftretching itfelf over
the fire, 1 am fiek (Je fuis malade).

f ^et, in the Annab of Conftantine Manafles, the flory of the
young Prince Leo, fon of the Emperor Bafil, condemned to death
by his implacable father, whom the cries of the perfons around
him could not move, till the accents of the bird, which had learnt
to deplore the fate of tlie Prince, at lail flung his barbarous heart.

whofe

portic
more
and 11
Bui
ikill,
togi^
per n
hindei

which a
(hait in eel

he
uh
nd
rnt
t.

PARROT.

•V

whofe lofs is bewailed, it awakens, in feeling
hearts, the memory of pall joys *.

The power of imitating exa»Slly articulate dif-
courfe implies in the Parrot a p( ^uliar and more
perfed ftru^^ure of organ ; and the accuracy of
its memory, though independent of the under-
Aanding, manifefts a clofenefs of attention and a
ftrength of mechanical recolledion that no bird
pofles in fb high a degree. Accordingly, all
the naturalifts have remarked the Angular form
of its bill, its tongue, and its head : its bill,
round on the outlide and hollow within, has,
in fome meafure, the capacity of a mouth, and
allows the tongue to play freely ; and the found,
(Iriking againft the circular border of the lower
mandible, is there modified as on a row of teeth,
while the concavity of the upper mandible re-
fle£ls it like the palate ; and henc-j it does not
utter a whiftling, but a full, articulation. The
tongue, which modulates all the founds, is pro-
portionally larger than in man, and would be
more voluble, were it not harder than flefh,
and invefted with a ftrong horny membrane.

But this organization, though adjufted with
Ikill, is ftill inferior to the ftrucSlure contrived
to give an eafy and powerful motion to the up-
per mandible, and, at the lame time, not to
hinder its opening. The mufcles are not fixed

• Sie, in Aldrovanidus (p. ^62), a pleafirig and afFefting pipce,
which a poet, who grieves for his miftrefs^ addrefles to his Parrot*
thait inceflantly repeats her name.

VOL. VI. H to

, . !

■ .3

■» '1

■tf

9«

PARROT.

I;^

to the root, where they would have exerted ti0
force ; nor to the fides, where they would have
clofed the aperture* Nature has adopted a dif-
ferent plan ; at the bottom of the bill are fixed
two bones, which, extending on both fides^
and under the cheeks^ form a continuation of it,
fimilar in form to the pterygoid bones in man,
except that their hinder extremity is not con-
creted into another bone, but loofe. Thick
layers of mufcles, fent off from the back of the
head, and inferted in thefe bones, move them
and the bilL For a fuller defcription of this
fingular contrivance, I fhall refer to Aldrovan-
dus*.

This naturalifl properly obferves, that, be-
tween the eye and the lower jaw, there is a
fpace, which deferves better the name of cheek
than in any other bird ; it is alfo more protu-
berant, occafioned by the number of mufcles
that extend over it to the bill.

The bill is very flrong ; the Parrot cafily
cracks the nuts of the red fruits ; it gnaws the
Wood, and even bends or wrenches the bars of
its cage, if they be {lender, or if it be tired of
confinement. It ufes its bill, oftener than its
claws, in climbing and fufpending itfelf j it alfo
holds by the bill in defcending, as if it were z
third foot, which fleadies its motion; it alfa
ferves to break its fall -f . It is a fecond organ

• Tom. I. pp. 640 and 641.

t Pliny, tih. X. \i.

pc
its
6r

wt
am
the
Th,
fror
ofte
whii
fuch
thi$
alimi
Ti
fbod
ever)
baftai
thou<
hi tl

* WJ

that the I

what is

power,

Aaatly cl

linus fpi

BiiHakinl

uncomml

t CaA

I Thi

;i I

parrot:

bf touch, and is equally ufeful with its toes, ia
icramblinor and clenching.

The mobility of its upper mandible gives it a
power which no other birds have, of chewing
its food. In thofe, whether of the granivorous
or carnivorous tribes, the bill is like a hand
which throws the food into the gizzard, or aa
arm which fplits or tears it. The Parrot feize^
the piece fideways, and gnaws deliberately*.
The lower mandible has little motion, but that
from right to left is moll perceptible ; and thi^ is
often performed when the bird is not eating,
which has made it be fuppofed to ruminate. In
fuch cafes it probably only whets the edge of
thii mandible, with which k cuts and bites its
aliments.

The Parrot difcovers hardly any choice in its
food : it lives in its native country on almoft
every fort of fruit or grain. The feeds of the
baftard faffrdn + have been found to fatten it,
though they a(fl on man as a violent purge J.
In the domeftic ftate^ it eats whatever is pre-

'■' ^■

■.^"i

* We muft remark that the external hind toe is moveable, and
that the bird draws it fidewife and forward, to feize and handle
what is given to it; but only in this fingle cafe does it ufe that
power, and at other times, whether it walks or perches, it con-
ftaatly carries two toes before and two beiiind. Apiileiiis and S ' -
Unus fpeak of Parrots with five toes ; but this was owing to their
Hiiftaking a paffage of Pliny, where that naturalift afcribes that
uncommon property to a family of magpies CLil;, X. 42.^

t Carthamus Carduncel/i/s, Linn.

J The Spaniards call tlxis feed Seme de Papageyt Parrot-feed.

H 2

fented;

'■M

m.v\

fOif)

PARROT.

fented ; but flefh, which it would rather prefer,
is extremely hurtful to it, and occafioiis an un-
natural longing, which prompts it to fuck and
gnaw its feathers, and pluck them one by one
from every part that its bill can reach. This
cinereous Guinea Parrot is particularly fubjecSt
to that difeafe ; it tears the feathers from its
body, and even from its beautiful tail, which
never afterwards recovers the fame bright red as
at firft.

Sometimes after moulting this Parrot is ob-
ferved to become marbled with white and rofe
colour ; occafioned either by fome diflemper, or
by advanced age.

What Briflbn reckons as varieties, under the
names of the Red-winged Guinea Parrot, and
the Red variegated Guinea Parrot^ are owing to
fuch accidental changes of plumage. In the
one figured by Edwards, the red feathers are
mingled at random with the gray, as if the bird
had been drefl'ed out (tapired). The cinereous
Parrot is like others of the genus, fubjedt to the
epilepfy and the cramp*; yet is it very. hardy
and lives to a great age -j-. , Salerne fays that
he iliw one at Orleans which was above (ixty
years old, and Hill cheerful and lively ;j;.

* Olina. Occelleria, /■ 23.

t ** I knew one at the Cape of St. Domingo, which was averred
to be forty-fix years old." Note communicated by M. dc la Borde.
X Vofmaer fays that he knew a Parrot which had lived in a fa-
mily

t
A//.

[A]
JBrithc,
crijnfd

^ly

PARROT.

xoi

It is uncommon for Parrots to propagate in
our temperate climates; but they frequently
lay addle eggs. There are fome inftances,
however, of Parrots being reared in France.
M. de le Pi^eoniere had a cock and hen in
the town of Marmande v\ Agenois, which
hatched regularly each fpring for five or fix
years, and the young Parrots lived, and were
educated by the parents. Each hatch con-
(ifted of four eggs, three of which fucceed-
ed. The birds were ihut in a room with no-
thing but a barrel open at top and filled with
faw duft ; flicks were faftened both on the
outfide and infide, that the male might fcram-
ble upwards and downwards, and fit befide the
hen. In entering the room it was necelTary to
have boots ; for the male, fired by jealoufv, bit
furioufly whatever he perceived to approach his
female *. Father Labat alfo mentions two Par*-
rots that had feveral hatches at Paris -f*.

mily for an hundred years, having defcended from father to fon :
but Oiina, more credible and better informed, afcribes only twenty
years for the average term of the Parrot.

• Letter dated from Marmande tn Jgenois, 25th Auguft, 1774.

t Nouveaux Voyages aux xles de I'Amerique. Paris , 1722,
/. //. p. 160.

[A] Specific charadler of the Afli-coloured Parrot, PJittacus
^ritbacus: ** It is hoary, its temples white and naked, its tail
crimfon."

I L| h' '■ '.ill

\'S

III' *^

5v'

H 3

IDS

PARROT.

The GREEN PARROT,

SECOND SPECIES.

rfittacus Sincnfit, Gmel. and Bri/T.

The Great and Red Chine/e Parrot i Ed w. and Lath.

EDWARCS defcribes this bird as brought frorr^
China. But it is not found in moft of the
provinces of that vaft empire ; it is confined to th^
niort fouthern, fuch as Quanton and Quangli *,
which are near the tropic, the ufual limit of
the climate of Parrots- This is probably one
of thofe which travellers have fancied were the
fame both in China and in America. But that
iiotion, which is contrary to the general order
of nature, is overturned by comparing each fpe-
cies in detail. The prefent is unlike any of the
Parrots of the new world : it is as large as a
middle- 11 zed hen ; the whole of its body is
bright ftiining green ; the great quills of the
wing and the flioulders are blue ; the flanks,
5ind the under fide of the top of the wing, bril-
liant red ; the quills of the wings and tail are
lined with brown. — Edwards fays that it is very

• *' The fouthern provinces, fuch as Qtian^on, and efpsclally
QjiPRfi, have Parrots of all kinds, which differ in nothing from
thofe of America: thtir plumage is the fame, and they have no
\t(s f tcility in learning to fpcak." Hijlohe Gemrde des Foja^es,

i. VI. p. 488. -

rare.

ra
G

aren
verec
and
henc(
heade
of th
of th
green
pf th(
Th
pears
and w

[A]

the lo\ver
(l^e marg

PARROT.

103

rare. It is found in the Moluccas, and in New
Guinea, whence it was fent to us [A],

The VARIEGATED PARROT.

■^■M

THIRD SPECIES.

PJittacus Jcctpitrinus, Linn. Gmel. Gerini, & Borowfk.

Pfittacut Farius InMcus, Briff".

P/ittacus Eleganst CIuHus.

The Ha'wk-bcaded Parrot, Edw, and Lath.

TT is of the fize of a pigeon. The feathers
^ round the neck, which it briftles when an-
gry, but which Clufius overdoes in his figure,
are purple, edged with blue. The head is co-
vered with feathers mixed with ftreaks of browa
and white, as in the plumage of the hawk, and
hence Edwards applies the epithet of Hawk'
headed^ There is fome blue on the great quills
of the wing, and at the point of the lateral ones
of the tail, of which the two middle ones are
green, and To are the feathers on the upper fide
gf the body.

The mailed Parrot, No. 526, PL EnL ap-
pears to be the fame with the one juft delbribed ;
and we pref'^nae that the fmall neimber of thefe

[A] Specific chara£ler of the PJittacus Sinenjis: •' It is green ;
the lower coverts of its wings red ; fome of the greater ones, and
tl^e margin, blue; the tail brown below."

H 4 birda

iirss ..

*■;■ 'Alt

104

PARROT.

birds which have been brought from America
to France were introduced from India into the
new world, and that if they are found in th^
interior parts of Guiana, they have been natu-
ralized there like the canaries, finches, the Guinea
pig, and fome other animals, that were carried
thither by navigators from the old continent.
That this fpecies is not a native of America feems
evinced, becaufe no traveller mentions it. Be-
fides, its voice, which is fhrill and acute, is dif-
ferent from that of all the other Parrots indi-
genous in that continent ; and we may there-
fore conclude that it originated from a few in-i
dividuals carried accidentally from India [A].

The VAZA, or BLACK PARROT *:

FOURTH SPECIES.

PJittacui Niger, Linn. Gmel, Klein, and Gerin.

Pjitlacus Madaga/carenfis, BrifT.

The Black Parrot of Madaga/car, Edw. and Lath,

TTaza is the name which this fpecies bears in
^ Madagafcar, according to Flaccourt, who

[A] Specific chiiraaer of the P/ittacm Acdpitrinu$: " It is
green; its htad gray; its neck and treaft fomewhat violet and va-
riegated; the quills of its wings and tail tipi with blue."

* Vaxa is the black Parrot of this country ; ibme of the ycunv-
are brown red, but they are difficult to be had." Vojag9 au /w«-
<«<»^^«r, par Flaccourt. Parti, i66i.

adds

M'/ffO

-m

■ M

■■^•'■'.in

THE B LACK PARROT.

i ■:'(

^«i

i^M '> f1

TIIE MASCAK17»J^E.r^\RROT.

PARROT.

I0<)

adds that it imitates the humaa voice. Renne-
fort alfo mentions it * ; and it is the fame with
what Francis Cauche calls tf^^oures-meinte-^'f
which, in the Madagafcar diale6l, fignifies the
black bird. Aldrovandus like wife takes notice of
black Parrots that inhabit Ethiopia J. The Vaza
is as large as the cineroijs Guinea Parrot, and is
"uniformly black over its whole plumage ; the
colour is not indeed intenfe, but inclined tp
brown, and tinged faintly with violet. It has
a remarkably fmall bill ; its tail is, on the con-
trary, of confiderable length. Edwards, who
faw it alive, fays that it is a very familiar an4
Joyely bird [A].

-i:

■J.'

, I . : .

,1'^ t

■•'•yB

The M A S C A R I N E.

■I

FIFTH SPECIES.
fjittatut Mafcarit^tt Linn. Gmel. and finff.

HIS Parrot is fo called, becaufe, round its
bill, there is a kind of black maik which

• ** At Madagafcar the large Parrots are black." Relation de
Renneferty Hiji. (■>€». da Voy. t. VIII. p. 606.

f Voyage au Madagafcar, par Fr. Cauche, Parist 1651.

X Tom. 1, ^.636.

[A] Specific charafter of the PJttiacus Niger: " Its tail elon-
gated and equal ; its body bluilh black ) its bill and orbits whit,
ilh.''

envelopes

■■■>,•

■.^'.'?!

io6

PARROT*

envelopes the forehead, the throat, and the
border of the face. Its bill is red; a gray hood
covers the back of the head and neck ; all the
body is brown; the quills of the tail, w^hich are
brown two thirds of their length, are white at
their origin. The total length of this Parrot is
thirteen inches. The Vifcount Querhocnt af-
fures us, that it is found in the ifland of Bour-
bon, whither it has probably been carried fron^
Madagafcar. We have qnp in the King's Ca-
binet of the fame ilsse and colour, except that
jt has not the black mafk, nor the white co-
lour on the tail, and that all its body is equally
brown ; its bill is alfo fmaller, and, in that re-
fpe<5t, it refembles the Vaza, of which it would
appear to be a variety, if it does not form an
intermediate fpecies between that bird and the
mafcarine. To the fame fpecies we would re-*
fer the brown Parrot of Briflbn.

[A] Specific character of the Pfittacus Ma/carinus : ** It is ci-i
nereous, with the bridle black below ; its orbits nak^ an4 re4-«
diibi its lateral tail-feathers whitifli at their ba(e."

» ■ J I

. ■'. ' < «

,i;,.;-

•■v •!-. . -,

iJ:'

''.f.

•1

• ^ :<,jf

f.' 'i^

?••■ J,

i^'2k\

MTJ4-Z

The

loured
that o
that o
neck
tions ;
ed wi
green
appear
blue a
tion^;
with i
teen i

green, ii

THi5 I.OKY.

PARROT,

i©7

Tlie BLQODY-BILLED PARROT.

f.e Par roquet a Bee Couleur du Sang, Buff,

9IXTH SPECIES.

PJlttacus Macrorhyncos, Gmel.
^he Great-h/Iied Parrot, If&tK

npHis Parrot is found in New Guinea. It Is
-■' remarkably large. Its bill is blood- co-
loured, thicker and broader in proportion than
that of any qf the other Parrots, and even thaa
that of the American macqaws. The head and
neck are of a brilliant green with gold reflec-
tions ; the fore part of the body is yellow fliad-
ed with green ; the tail is yellow below and
green above ; the back is Iky blue ; the wing
appears tinged with a mixture of the fame iky
blue and green, according to its different poh-
tion^; the coverts are black, edged and fpriqkled
with ftreaks of gold yellow ; this Parrot is four-
teen inches long.

[A] Specific charafler o( the P/ttacus Macroryncies : ** It is
green, inclining below to yellow ; its wings mixed with iky blue
^q^d grpen ; its coverts blacky"

\V'»\\

m':\

.01

il'il

leg

PARROT.

The GREAT BLUE-HEADED
GREEN PARROT.

SEVENTH SPECIES.

PJittaeus Gramineust Gmcl.

The Amboyna Parrot t Lath. . ^ -

THIS is one of the iargeft of the P;^rrots ; it
is near iixteen inches in length, though
its. tail is rathei fhort. The face and the upper
fide of the head, are blue ; all the upper fur-
face is meadow -green, mixed with blue on the
great quills ; all the under furface is olive-
green : the tail is green above, and dirty yel-
low below [A].

The GRAY-HEADED PARROT,

EIGHTH SPECIES.

\ TJittacus Senegalus, Linn. GmeL and BriiT.

1^'be Senegal Parrot, Lath.

'T^His bird has a fliort tail, which excludes it

^ from the family of the Parrakeets ; and

though only feven inches and a half long, it is

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittaeus Gramintus : " It is green,
helow olive; its ft ont and top blue^ its tail yellow below."

thick

[('■ !ll

PARROT.

10^

thick and round (haped Its head and face are
of a gloiiy bluifh gray ; its ftomach and all the
under fide of its body are of a full marigold-
yellow, fometimes mixed with aurora red ; its
bread and all its upper furfixce green ; except
the quills of the wings, which are only edged
with that colour on a' brown gray ground.

Thefe Parrots are frequent in Senegal'^
they fly in fmall flocks of five or fix, and perch
on the fl:raggling trees in the burning, fandy
plains of that country, and utter a (hrill, dif-
agreeable cry. Th^y keep clofe together, fo
that a perfon may kill feveral at once ; and it
often happens that a fingle (hot levels with the
ground the whole of the little flock. Le Maire
aflSrms that they never fpeak*; but perhaps
they have been neglected in their education.

• ** The Parrots are thefe of two kinds (at Senegal) ; fome
fmall and entirely green, others larger, having the head gray, the
belly yellow, the wings green, and the back mixed with gray and
ysllow ; the latter never fpeak, but the fmaller have a fweet,
clear voice, and prattle whatever they arc taught." Voyage de It
Maire. Parist 1695, /. 107.

[A] Specific charafter of the Pjittacus Senegalus: " It is grcco,
below yellow ; its head cinereous ; its orbits black and naked.'*

hi 1.

t*;i''

■ V.'

Il6

LORY.

The LOR I S.

THIS name has been applied in the Eaft in-
dies to a family of Parrots whofe cry rc-
fembles the found of the word lori. They are
hardly diftinguifhed from the reft of the genus,
except by their plumage^ which is chiefly red,-
and of various intenfity. Their bill is alfo fmall-
er, not io much hooked, but fharper than that
of the other Parrots. Their afpe6t is lively,-
their voice fhrillj and their motions quick.-
They are, according to Edwards,- the moft
nimble of all the Parrots, and the only ones
that can leap to the height of a foot. Thefe
well afcertained flxds confute the aflTertion of
a traveller, that they brood in filent melan-
choly *.

They are taught with great eafe to whiftic
and articulate words ; they foon grow tame,'
and, what is uncommon in all animals, they
retain their cheerfulnefs in captivity. But they
are in general very delicate, and difficult to tranf-
port; and, in our temperate climates, they are
fhort lived. Even in their native regions, they
are fubjedl to epileptic fits, like the maccaws
and other Parrots ; yet it is probable that this
diforder attacks only the domefticated birds.

• Hift. Gen, des Voy, t. X. p. 459.

" Ornithologies

cies j

f "

which ai

LORY.

lit

** Ornithologlfts have impfoperly," fays Son-
fterat*, •' difcriminated the Loris by the epi*
thets of the Philippine, the Eaji Indian, the
Chinefe, &c. Thefe birds inhabit only the
Moluccas and New Guinea, and thofe found in
other parts have been carried thither." But
thefe nomenclators are guilty of a greater im-
propriety in reckoning fome fpecies of Loris as
natives of America, fmce none exift there ;
and, if travellers have {tQW a few individuals,
they muft have been introduced from the Ad-
atic iflands.

Sonnerat adds too, that he conftantly found
the Loris in one ifland to be of a different fpe-
cies from thofe in another, though at a fhort
diftance only. A fimilar obfervation has been
made in regard to the iflands of the Weft In-
tfies.

hfii

9i,''i

Hiii'

The NOIRA-LORI.

'..■liit'luir ■

FIRST SPECIES.

Pftttacui Garrulus, three Varieties, Gmel.
Lerius Moluccenjis, Briff, and Gerini.

^T^His bird is found at Ternate t» at Ceram,
^ and at Java, where it is called Noira, a

name

• Voyage a la Nouve/le Gulttee, p. 173.

f ** There are many beautiful Parrots in the ifle of Ternate,

which are red on the back, with little feathers on the fore fide of

3 the

K>y.

\^^.

112

LORY.

name which the Dutch have adopted. It is
held iu lljch high eftimation in India, that ten
reals are readily offered for one Noira. In the
account of the firft voyage from Holland to Ja-
va, it is faid that feveral of thefe beautiful birds,
which were tried to be brought home, all died
on the palfage*. In the fecond voyage, how-
ever, one was carried to Amfterdam ; and, luice
that time, they have been m'.3re frequent.

The Noira (hews Urong attachment, and
even affedlion, to its mafter ; it carefles him
with its bill, and ftrokes his hair with furprif-
ing: gentlenefs and tamenefs. At the fame
time it cannot bear flrangers, and bites them
with a fort of rancour. The natives of Java
breed many of thefe birds +. In general the
cuftom of keeping tame Parrots feems to have
been very ancient in India, fince -^liaii men-
tions it [A].

the wmgs. They are fomewhat fmaller than thofc of the Weft In-
dies, but they learn much better to fpeak.'* Argtnjda, Conquetes
des Mcluques. Paris, 1706, /. III. p, 21,

* Linfcot apuj Clujlum. Au£l* p. 364, '

f ** The Dutch paffed into the apartment of the Parrots, which
appeared to them much more beautiful than what they had feen in
other places, but of a moderate fize. The Portuguefe give them
the name o( noyras: they have a bright glofly red on the throat and
under the flomach, and a beautiful gold plate on the back." Hifl»
Gen. des Foy. t. VIll. p. 136.

[A] Briflbn thus defcribes his LmusMoluccenJit : " It is fcarlet t
the fpot on the upper part of its back and the upper coverts of the
wings, yellow ; the quills of the wings green externally and above,i
below pale rofecolour, within fafFron tipt with black ; the lateraF
quills of the tail above, crimfon on their firft half, and green on*
the other ; the two outcrmeft mixed externally on tlieir laft half
with deep violet"

J; if !j

LORY.

X13

VARIETIES of the NOIRA.

I*. To the Noira we ought perhaps to re-
fer the Java Parrot mentioned by Aldrovan-
dus, and which the inhabitants of that ifland
term nor, which means brilliant. The whole
of the body is of a deep red ; the wings and the
tail are of a deep green ; there is a yellow fpot
on the back, and a fmall border of the fame co-
lour on the Ihoulder. Of the feathers of the
wings, which when clofed appear entirely
green, the coverts only, and the fmall quills,
are vellow, and the laro;e ones are brown.

II "f. The Lori defcribed by BrilTon under
the name of the CerOtn Lori, and to which he
applies what we have afcrilxd to the Noira, is
only a variety, and in no refpe£t different, ex-
cept that its legs are green, while thofe of the
former are red, like the reft of the body.

i 'Mi

■r;^i^

* This Is the fecond variety of Linflsus' Pjittcuus GitrruUi,
t Pfittacui Garruluj, Linn. Gmel. and Borowflc.
Lorius Ctramcvjls, BrifT.
* ' Ffettacus Rufuitfemorlbus ahj'que 'viddthui^ Fris. & Klelfl.

The Purple Parrot , Charlton.

Ths Scarlet Purr^ikeito lAiith green and hlack luhgs, Will.
The Ceram Lery, Lath.
[A] Specific charaftcr: '* It is red ; its orbits ciiwreoas; its
cheeks and wing? green ; its tail-ijuiUs blue on their pulUrior half ."

■(■

VOL. VI.

J 14

LORY.

The COLLARED LORY.

SECOND SPECIES.

PJiitacHs-DomicsUa, Linn. Gmel. and Borow/k.
Lortus OrUntalis Indicm, BrilT.
The Second Black-capped Lory, Edw.
The Purp/e- capped Lory, Lath.

ALL the body, including the tail, is of a deep
blood colour ; the wing is green, the top
of the head is black, terminated with violet on
the nape ; the legs and the fold of the wing are
of a fine blue; the lower part of the neck is
furniflied with a yellow collar, which we have
adopted as the fpecific charafler.

The bird figured in the Planches Eniuminees
under the name of the Eaji Indian Lory^ and
which Briflbn defcribes by the fame appellation,
appears to be the female of this ; for the only
difference is that it wants the yellow collar,
and that the blue fpot on the top of its wing is
not fo broad ; it is alfo fomewhat fmaller. This
Lory is like all the reft of the kind, very gen-
tle and familiar ; but it is alfo v^ry delicate and
difficult to breed. None more eafily learns to
fpeak, and even with diftin(5lnefs. ** I have
feen onp,'* fays Aublet, " which repeated every
thing it heard the firft time *.** Though this

* ** It had come from India to the Ifle of Frnnce, and had been

given to Die by the Count d'Eftaiiifj ; it was aflonifliing." A^c-
cofmr.unkatcd by M, Au[>li(,

''tlXt..".\.-Ai. ,

LORY.

capacity is very aftonifliiiig, there is no reafbu
to doubt of it*. This bird is valued very high ;
Albin fays that he faw one fold for twenty gui-
neas.—We may regard the ^a^ Indian collared
Lory as a variety of this Ipccies [A].

The TRICOLOR LORY.

THIRD SPECIES.

Pjtttaeut-Loryt Linn. G'mel. and Borowfic.

tortus Pbilippenfist BrilT.

The Firft Black-capped Lory, Edw. and Lath.

'TpHE fine red, the azure, and the green,
■*' which are difpofed in large fpots on the
plumage of this Lory, have induced us to give
it the epithet of Tricolor, The forepart and
the fides of the neck, the flanks, the lower
part of the back, the rump and half the tail,
are red. The under fide of the body, the legs,
and the top of the back, are blue ; the wing is

* ** The Dutch had one that in a moment imitated the cries of
the other animals which it heard/' Seconi foyage des Hollandois,
Hift. Gen. des Voy. t. VIII. p. 377. — •' All voyagers fpeak with
admiration of the facility with which the Parrots of the Moluccas
can repeat what they hear. Their colours are variegated, and
form an agreeable mixture ; they fcream much, and very loud."—
Ibid.

[A] Specific charafter of x)nK PJittaeus-Domicella: '* It is red ;
its cap violet : its wings green ; its Ihoulders and knees blue ; its
orbits brown,"

. <i .V

-Ci

I 3

^reen,

LORY.

green, and the point of the tail, blue; the
ci'own of the head is covered by a black cap-
The bird is near ten inches long. Few are lb
beautiful, both on account of the brilliancy of
the colours, and their elegant contraft. Ed-
wards faw it alive, and terms it iht Little Lory \
it vvhiftled pleafantly, he fays, and pronounced
fcvcral words di(l:in<5tly ; and, leaping brilkly on
its rooft or on the linger, it called with a foft
clear voice, Lory^ lory. It played with the hand,
and ran after perfons, hopping like a fparrow.
This charming bird lived but a few months in
England. The fpeclnicn which we have dc-
fcribed vvas brought by Sonnerat from the ifland
Yolo, which the Spaniards claim as oiie of the
Philippines, and the Dutch as one of the Mo-
luccas [A].

lU t

win
the
but,

azui
is lo
fmo]

abov

cies

reri

there

The CRIMSON LORY.

FOURTH SPECIES.

Pjittacus Puniceust Gmel.
Loriui Amhoineffts t Briff".

^TpHis Lory is near eleven inches long. Wc
• •*' term it crlmfon^ becaufe the red of its
pluniage, the face except, is not fo brilliant as

: [A] Specific charailer of the PJittMus-Lcry : '' Itis purpl^j
its cap violet: ; its wings green ; its bread, its cheeks* and its tailt
blue I its orbits Tomewhat carnatioiu"

IT IS
wh
back,
covert
appear
termec
for vc
found

Scarier, bel
the inner

LOR Y.

117

iu the others, and has a dull brown caft on the
wing. The blue of the top of the neck and of
the flomach is weak, and inclined to violet ;
but, on the fold of the wing, it is bright and
azure, and, at the edge of the great quills, it
is loft in their blackifli ground ; the tail is of a
fmoky red below, and of the fame tile- red
above, as the back. This is not the only fpe-
cies feen at Amboyna, and from Gemelli Car-
reri the following alfo appears to be found
there [A].

:U\

The RED L O R ¥•

FIFTH SPECIES.

PJittMus Ruber, Gmel,
The Molucca Lory, Lath.

"WT is entirely red, except the tip of the wing,
■*• which is Wackifh, and two Wue fpots on thfc
back, and one of the fame colour on the lander
coverts of the tail. It is ten inches long, and
appears to be a new fpecies. It is improperly
termed the CJjhiefe Loty m the PJ, Enium,
for voyagers never mention the Lories a5
found in Chiwa*, and one of ouf beft ob-
„ ■ fervei's,

f A J Specific charafter of the Pptacus Puniceui : «* It is deej*
fcarler, below white ; theleflfer and inferior coverts of its wings, and
the inner and under fide of its wing-quills are blackilh brown."

*'** AtAtaboynaihei-e itttja^tiy fp?<riei of Pkitrts/dnd among

1 3 othert

1 'it;:

]i8

LORY.

fervers, M. Sonncrat, aflurcs us, on the con-
trary, that they are all inhabitants of the Mo-
luccas and of New Guinea. In fadl, the Gilolo
Lory * of this author fcems to be exactly the
fame with the prefent [A].

' - 1 ■

The RED and VIOLET LORY.

SIXTH SPECIES.

PJittaeus Guehienjist Gmel.
The Guthy Loryt Lath.

THTs bird has hitherto been found only at
Gueby. All the body is of a fhining red,
regularly foaled with violet brown from the
back of the head, pafling by the fides of the
neck, as far as the belly ; the wing is broken
by red and black, in fuch a manner that this
laft colour terminates all the points of the quills,
and marks a part of their webs ; the fmall quills
and their coverts ncareft the body arc dun-vio-
let ; the tail is copper red. The total length
of the bird, eight inches [B].

others is one which has all its feathers carnation." Vvfagt autwr
du tnonde, par Gemelli Carreri, t. V. p. 236.
• Voyage a la nouvelle Guinee, p. 177,

[A] Specific charafter of the PJiitacus Ruber: " It is red; the
fpace about the eyes and the wing-quills black ; the fpot on the wings
and the lower coverts of the tail iky-blue ; the tail tipt with bay."

[B] Specific charafter of the P/f//«faiG«/^V;j^; " It is brilliant
red ; its wiog-quills Aripcd tranfverfely with black ; its tail brown-
led.".

LORY.

ti9

The GREAT LORY, Buff.

SEVENTH SPECIES.

Pjittacui Grandist Gmel.
The Grand Lorjt Lath.

'T^His is the largeft of all the Loris; it is
•■' thirteen inches long. The head and neck
are of a fine red; the lower part of the neck,
where it joins the back, is violet blue ; the
breaft is richly clouded with red, blue, violet,
and green, and the mixture of green and fine
red is continued under the belly; the great
quills, and the edge of the wing, from the
fhoulder, are Iky blue ; the reft of the upper
furface is dull red. Half of the tail is red, the
tip yellow.

It appears that Vofmaer defcribes the fame
fpecies by the name of Cey/on Lory, It was pro-
bably carried from a greater diftance to that
ifland, and thence brought into Holland ; but it
lived there only a few months.

X 4

ill

t J

•If

,i,lw

lib-

tfi

' ■',»

-n

'm m.

iy/-'

"•'■/•..Mft

•',:■(

I20

PARRAKEET LORY.

The PARRAKEET LORIS.

THE following fpecies are almoft entirely
red, like the Loris, but their tail is longer,
though not fo long as that of the Parrakeets.
We (hall therefore confider them as forming
the intermediate gradation*

The RED PARRAKEET LORY, Buff.

FIRST SPECIES.

PjSttacus Bortteus, Linn. a,nd Gmel.

Pjittaca Cocciaea Sonarum Fortujiarum Infulett firl/T.

The Long'taiUd Scarlet Lory, Edw. and Lath.

THB plumage of this bird is almo{^ wholly
red, except feme of the coverts and thd
tips of the quills of the wing and of the tail,
which are partly green and partly blue. The
total length is eight inches and a hal^ £d«
wards fays that it is very rare, and that a tra-
veller brought it from Borneo, and gave it to
Sir Hans Sloane.

[A] Specific charader of the Pfittacus Bomeust as given by Mr.
Latham : « It is red ; the quills of its wings and tail green ; a
blue fpot on in wings, its orbits brown.*'

PARRAKBET LORY,

lai

The VIOLET and RED PARRA-
KEET LORY, Buff.

SECOND SPECIES.

PJtttacui IftJicus, Gmel.
Pfittacui Coeeineutt Lath* Tnd»
PJittaca InHca C$ccinea, BriiT.
The JtiJian Loty^ Lath. Syn.

'TpHE prevailing colour is red, mixed with
•* violet blue. The bird is ten inches long,
and its tail occupies near one third of that fpace^
The tail is entirely of a full blue, which alfb
covers the flanks, the flomach, the top of the
back, and of the head ; the great quills of the
wing are yellow ; all the reft of the plumage is
of a fine red, edged with black, which is dif«-
pofed in feftoons on the wings.

(A] Speciitc tharafter of the PJtttacus Indicus : " It is fcarlet,
variegated with brown and violet ; the upper partft of ks head and
neck, its bread, and a band behind the eyes, violet ; the tips of the
greater tailquiHs dilute brown« thoTe of the leiTer and the co*
verts, brown vieUt.'*

111 .7-:

■■Is-

in 'Mi ■
'pi*

■I

' 1

■■ r ,

i'm

.'I'll

')>i I-

''J

• :■«
" its ■

• .4.* '

122

PARRAKEET LORY,

THE

TRICOLOR PARRAKEET LORY-

THIRD SPECIES,

PJittacus Amboinenfisf Linn, and Gmeir
PJittaca AmboiHtnJls Coccifiea, BrifT.-
The Amboyna Rid-Parrot, Lath. ,

*U ED, green, and turkey blue, are difpofed in
•*^ large marks over all its plumage ; red co-
vers the head, the neck, and all the upper fide
of the body ; the wing is deep green ; the back
and tail are of a full velvet blue. The tail is- fe-
ven inches long ; and the whole bird is fifteen
inches and a half long, and as large as a turtle.
— The tail in thefe three laft fpecies, though
longer than common in the Loris and Parrakeets
properly fo called, is not tapered as in the long-
tailed Parrakeets, but confifls of equal quills,
with a fquare termination.

[A] Specific charaAer of the PJittacus Amhoinenfis: " It is
fcarlet j its back blue ; its wings with a green fpot,"

PARRAKEET LORY.

123

PARRAKEETS

OF THE OLD CONTINENT.

PARRAKEETS

IN WHICH THE TAIL IS LONG AND EQUALLY TAPERED.

WE (hall diftinguifti the long-tail Parra-
keeti' into two families ; into thofe which
have the i? . ^ually tapered, and into thofe which
have the two middle quills much longer than
the reft, and appearing detached from each other.
A\^ 'jfe Parrakeets are larger than the ihort-
tailv'1 lies, which we (hall afterwards defcribc.

iK':

!.i

THE

GREAT COLLARED PARRAKEET.

La Grande Ferruche a Collier d*un Rouge Vlf, Buff.

FIRST SPECIES,
With a long, equally tapered Tail,

Pftttaeut-Alexandrit Linn. Gmel, Scop, and Bor.

Ffittacus Torquatus Matreurus, Ra}'.

Perrecello, Olin,

The Ring Parrakeet, Edw. and Will.

The Ahxatulrine Parraieet, Lath.

LINY and Solinus have both defcribed the
green collared Parakeet, which was the only

i m

'I H:\ 1

kI>W'

one

"3^4

P A R R A K E E T.

one known in their time, and which came from
India. Apuleius delineates it with that elegance
which he ufually afFe£ls *, and fays that its
plumage is of a pure brilliant green. Tl\e only
interruption of this colour is, according to Pli-
ny, a half collar of bright red on the top of the
neck -f. Aldrovandus, who has coUedled all
the particulars, leaves no room to doubt but
that the hng'tailed and colIared'?2Lrrot of the an-
cients is the fame with the red collared Great
Parrakeet of this article. There are two cir-
cumftances fufficient to evince this ; the firft
is the breadth of the collar, which, about the
middle, is equal to the thkknefs of the little fat-
her ^ and the f cond, that there is a red fpot
which marks the top of tJie wing. Both thefe
arc peculiarly the properties of this Parrakeet.
It is equally beautiful with the reft of the
tribe : its plumage is of a lively light green
on the head, and deeper on the wings and the
back ; the rofy half-collar embracing the back
of the neck, joins, on the fides, to the black
bar that covers the throat ; the breafi is of a
vermilion red, and there is a purple fpot on the
crown of the head : the tail is beautiful, and
longer than the body ; its upper furface mixed
with green and beryl, its under furfrce of a
delicate yellow. The bird is found, not only

• Florid. Ub.Ih

+ Virickm ttto (or^trt, torque tfmtum mimato i9 cervice diJiivSttmi
PKn. Lib, X, 42, ' . ,

5 on

PA R R A K E E T.

on the fouth of the continent of Afia, but alfo
in the adjacent iflands, and at Ceylon $ ^r thi9
is Taprobana, from which Alexander's fleet
brought the firft Parrot into Greece [A].

The DOUBLE COLLARED
PARRAK E E T.

SECOND SPECIES,

' i' With a long and equal Tail. •.' <

PJittacus-AUxandri, fccond Variety, Gmel.
The D9ul!e ringed Parrakett, Lath.

TWO fmall wings, the one I'ofe- colon red, and
the other blue, entirely encircle the neck ;
all its plumage is green, which is deeper en the
back, has a yellow caft under the body, and,
in many parts, there is a dulky ftreak on the
middle of each feather ; below the tail, a ycU
lowifli fringe edges the brown-gray, which is
imprefled on each quill. The bird is as large as
a turtle ; and, as it is found in the ifland of
Bourbon, it probably inhabits alfo the corre-
fponding continent, either of Africa or India.

[A] Specific charafter of the P/f//^fW-^//x*/;yr/ : "Itisgree*;
its collar and breall red ; it3 throat black."

■■m

I m

,'■'■ < v f

:frm

' it-,'! f
'■■«.' fit"

■ : *•¥

I --
-l»"!

226

PARRAKEET.

The RED-HEADED PARRAKEET.

THIRD SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

PJittacut Erythroctpbalus, Gmel.

Pfittaca Ginginiana, BriiT.

The BUffom-btadtd Parrakett, Lath.

THIS Parrakeet is eleven inches total length,
and the tail is longer than the body. The
whole of the upper fide is dull green, with a
purple fpot on the top of the wing ; the face is
purplifli red, which, on the head, runs into
blue, and is intercepted, on the nape of the
neck, by a ftreak produced from the black that
covers the throat ; the under fide of the body is
a dull dirty yellow ; the bill is red [Al.

THE

BLUE-HEADED PARRAKEET.

FOURTH SPECIES,

With a long and equal Tail.

PJittacui Cyanocepbalust Linn. Gmel. Brifl*. and Gerini.
The Blui-heaM Parrot, Ld\h,

T is ten inches long ; its bill is white, its
head blue, its body green ; the fore-fide of

[A] Specific charafter of the PJtttaeus Erythrecepbalut : "It is
green; its head red, mixed with blue; its throat black, with a
black and pale green collar."

Its

oran«
black
tail,
low

[A]

PARRAKEET.

127

its neck yellow, and the under furface of its
belly and tail yellow mixed with green ; the
middle quills of the tail uave a blue caft above ;
the legs are bluifli [A].

The LORY ^A^RRAKEi^T,

FIFTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

PJtttactts Ornatust Linn. Gmel. and Bor; -
Pjtitaca Indica Faria, BrlfT.

'iTT'E adopt the name which Edwards has be-
^^ flowed on this fpecies, becaufe it is of a
beautiful red, like the loris j that colour, inter-
fedled by fmall brown waves, covers the throat,
the fore^part of the neck, and the fides of the
face, as far as the back of the head, which it
furrounds. The crown of the head is purplifh,
Edwards terms it blue ; the back, the upper
furface of the neck, the wings, and the flo-
mach, are emerald green 5 the fides of the neck,
and the flanks, are irregularly fpotted with
orange yellow ; the great quills of the wing are
blackifh, fringed at the end with yellow; the
tail, which is green above, appears tinged be-
low with red, and is yellow at the tip; the

[A] Specific charafter of x}\t P^ttaciu Cyanoctfhalut :
gr^en ; its head and tliroac blae."

*€

It is

bill

> " •'if

'¥m

Its

1» A R R A KE ET.

bill and feet are white-gray. This Parrakect is
about the middle (ize, and is only feven inches
and a half long. It is one of the handfoniedy
on account of the brilliancy and choice of its
colours. It is not the paradife bird of Seba, as
Brifibn fuppofes; for in that bird ihe tail is
unequally tapered [A].

THE

YELLOW PARRAKEET, Buff.

SIXTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

Ffittacui Salftitialiit Linn, and Gael. -, ..

Pfittaca Angdenjh Lutea, BrifT.

FJittacm Croceust Klein.

Ffittacus Luteus, cauda loitga, Fris.

The 4nf^oU Ttllow Piiurot» Alb. and Latli,

LL its plumage is yellow, except the belly
and the ring of the eye, which are red,
and the quills of the wing, with a part of thofe
of the tail, which are blue ; the former are in-
terfcifled near their middle by a yellowifh bar.
Albin tells us that it can learn to fpcak, and,
though he calls it the Angola Parrot, he fays it.
comes from the Eaft Indies [B],

[A] Specific dhiarafter of the /^//<?fai Omatm: '• it is yellow-
green ; the back' of its head, its throat, and its bread, red ; in
top, and its ears, blue, with cinereous orbits,"
• [B] Specific charafter of the Pfittacus Sofjiiiialh: «« It h yel-
low ^ the coverts of its wings green > its orbits red ; its IftiepaA uiU
qtiUis blue exteriorly.'^

lOy^vi

Fraiii

PARRAKEETi

129

THE

AZURE-HEADIiD PARRAKEET.

SEVENTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail;

Pfii»aeut-JhxmJr:, Var. 4, Gmel.

Pjt'lnca Cyai.o(eliha!os Inciicn, BrifT.

The Blue headid P .rraUef, Edw. ani Lath,

^TpHis Parrakeet is of the fizs of a pigeon; all
■*" its head, face, and throat, are of a fine
Iky-hlu"; there is a little yello;v on the wings;
the tail is blue, equally tapered, and as long as
the body ; the reft of the plumage is green. It
is brought from the Eaft ladies, according to
Edwards, who defcribes it.

The MOUSE- PARRAKEET, Buff.

EIG^TTH SPECIFS,
With a long and equal Tail.

Pjtttaeut Murinits, Gmel.

The Grij-irt.<Jied Parakeet, Lath.

THIS fpecies appears to be new, and we know
not its native country. Perhaps the fol-
lowing extrad from a vovasje to the Kle of
France alludes to it*: — " The green Parra-

Voyage a Ifle de France, 1772, /. 122.

VOL. VI.

keet

'k^.\

130

PARRAKEET.

keet with a gray cowl is about the bulk of a
iparrow, and cannot be tamed;" though, how-
ever, this Parrakeet is coniiderably larger than
the fparrow. We have called it the Moufe-
Parrakeet, on account of a large mark of moufe
gray that covers the bread, the throat, the fore-
head, and the whole of the face; the reft of the
body is olive green, except the great quills of
the wing, which are of a deeper green : the
tail is five inches long, tlie body as much ; the
feet are gray; the bill is white gray. All the
plumage is pale and difcoloured, and gives it a
fombre air; and in point of beauty it is the moft
inferior of the family [A].

The MUSTACHO PARRAKEET.

NINTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

Pjittacut-Pendicerianust Gmel.

A BLACK ftreak ftretches between both eyes,
■*^ and two large muftachoes of the fame co-
lour rife from the lower mandible, and fpread
over the fides of the throat. The reft of the
face is white and bluifti ; the tail is green above,

[A] Specific charafter of the P/tttacus Murinus : ** It is olive;
its face, its throat, and its brcaft, are moufe-coloured } its wing-
quills green."

aad

PARRAKEET.

'31

and firaw coloured below; the bnck is deep
green ; there is Ibmc yellow on the coverts of
the wings, of which the great quills arc of a
deep water-green ; the ilornach and brcaft are
lilac. The bird is near eleven inches in length,
and the tail occupies the half of it. It has not
been hitherto noticed by any naturalift.

THE

BLUE-FACED PARRAKEET, Buff.

TENTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

•

PJittacus Heematorhis, Linn, and Gmel.

PJittacus Amboir.enjis Fttria, Br iff.

The Rtd-breafted Parrot^ Edvv. and Lath.

'T^HiS beautiful Parrakeet is green on the up-
-*- per fide, and the head is painted with
three different colours; the face and throat with
indigo, the back of the head with brown-green,
and the crown with yellow ; the lower part of
the neck and the breaft are red fnuff-colour on a
ground of brown green ; the belly is green, the
abdomen confifts of yellow and green, and the
under furface of the tail is yellow. Edwards
has given this bird the name of the RccUhrcafied
Parrakeet \ but it appears to have been repre-
fented from a fpecimen prefcrved in fpirit of

K 2 wine.

:r!!(

it!

I !

If'"

irJ-' i^^ii

' ''•< \

13*

PARRAKEET.

'vvinc, and its colours were tarnifhed. Our fpe-
cimen was in better condition. The bird is
tbund at Amboyna.

We Ihall regard the Molucca Parrakect as
either a variety of this, or a clofcly related fpe-
cies ; its (ize and colours are nearly the fame,
only the head is entirely indigo, and there is a
fpot of the fame colour on the belly ; and the
aurora-red of the breaft is not waved, but mix-
ed with yellow. The tail of thefe Parrakeets
is as long as the body, which is ten inches ;
their bill is reddifli white *.

THE

LACE -WINGED PARRAKEET,

Bujf. and hath,

•ELEVENTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

PJlttac'ts OlivaceuSf Gmel.

♦TpHE wings are laced with blue, yellow, and
•*- orange ; the lirft of thefe colours occupy-
ing the middle of the feathers, the two others
extending to the border; the great quills are
olive-brown, and the fame colour is extended
over all the body, except a bluifh fpot behind

* It is the firft variety of the Pfittacm Hamatodus, according to
Gmclin, and denominated \.\\Q Orangt'treajied Parrot in h^ihaivcd

Synopfis.

the

PARRAKEET.

'33

the head. The bird is near eleven lines \oncr
of which the tail is more than a third ; but the
wing is alfo very long, and covers near half the
tail, whereas in the other Parrakccts the wings
are much (hortcr.

We now proceed to enumerate the Parrakccts
of the old continent, whofe tail is alfo long,
but unequally tapered.

[A] Specific charafter of the PJiitacus OUvaceus : *• It is olive ;
a blue fpot on the back of its head } it2> wings varicgatec! vith blue,
^reent and orange*"

ii|

(■

w
til

I*'

^1
if

•I
111 '>-'^'i

r ■ "r,

K 3

■ I

'34

PARRAKEET.

PARRAKEETS

OF THE OLD CONTINENT,

WHICH HAVE A LONG AND UNEQUAL TAIL.

The ROSE-RINGED PARRAKEET,

FIRST SPECIES, .
With a long and unequal Tail.

Pfittacus- Alexandria Second Variety, Gmel.
PJittaca 1'orqtiatat Briff. and Gerini.

SO far is this Parrakeet from being peculiar to
the new world, as Briflbn reprefents it, that
it is there entirely unknown, it inhabits many
parts of Africa, and is brought in great num-
bers to Cairo by the caravans of Ethiopia. The
vefTels that fail from Senegal or Guinea, where
it is common, carry it with the negroes into the
Wrifr India iflands. None of thefe Parrakeets
arc ft;un.l on the continent of America ; they
are only ftcn near the fettlements of St. Do-
mingo, Martinico, Guadeloupe, &c. which the
African velicls perpetually frequent, but at Cay-
enne, where negioes are very feldom imported,
they never occur. Al' thefe fa(£ls, which were
communicated by an excellent obferver, prove
that the Rofc- ringed Parrakeet is not a native

I! V

PARRAKEEl.

'35

of the new world. But it is ftill more fingular
that Briflbn fhould confider the fame bird as the
Parrot of the ancients; as if the Greeks and
Romans went to America to find it. Befides,
it is a different fpecies, which we have already
defcribed.

The Rofe-ringed Parrakeet is fourteen inches
long, but of this extent the tail and its two pro-
jecting feathers occupy rear two thirds; thefe
feathers are of a beryl blue ; all the reft of the
plumage is a light foft green, which is rather
more vivid on the quills of the wings and mix-
ed with yellow on thofe of the tail ; a fmall
rofe collar clafps the back of the neck and joints
with the black of the throat ; a bluifh tinge ap-
pears on the feathers of the nape of the neck,
which recline upon the collar; the* bill is brown
red.

The LITTLE PARRAKEET,

With a Rofe-colourcd Head and long Shafts,

SECOND SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

PJittacus Erjthrocephalus, Firft Variety, Gmel.

PJittacus BtngalenfiSi BrtfT.

The Parrakeet Jrom Bengal t Albin.

The Rofe-beaded Ring Parrakeet» Lath.

/T^His little Parrakeec, which is not more than
•^ four inches long, meafures twelve, if the

JK 4 two

!*i

iMfc iiiLirggj

«36

PARRAKEET.

two long jfhafts be included ; thefe are blue, the
rell: of the tail^ yhich is not more th iii two
inches and a half long, is olive screen, which is
alfo the colour of all the under (ide of the bod",
and even of the upper (ide, where it is only
deeper ; a few fmall red feathers appear through
the plumage, on the top of the wing ; the head
is rofe- colour, mixed with lilac, interfered and
bordered by a black ring, which, riling frotn
the throat, encircles entirely the neck. Ed-
wards fpeaks with rapture of this bird : it is
termed, he fays, in ^QVi^dXfridytutah,

The LONG-SHAFTED GREAT
PARRAKEET.

THIRD SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tall.

^Jiitacm Erythrocephalus, Var. 3, Gmel.
The Malacca Parraktet, Lath.

THE colours of this Parrakeet are fo like
thofe of the preceding, that they might
be viewed as th- fame fpecies, were they not
confiderably different in refpecSl to iize. This
is fixteen inches long, including the two (hafts
of the tail, and the other dimeniions are pro™
portional ; the (hafts arc blue, as in the pre-
ceding ; the tail is of tfie fame olive green, but

deeper

.1,

PARRAKEET.

137

deeper, and of the fame tinge as the wings ; the
miildlc: or* the \v1ng5 is rather bluer; all the
gr'" ii on the hy]y s much diluted with an ad?
mixture of yeiiovviih ; t!ie head is not etitirely
roic-colourT.d, nut o-Av the Ipacc n^^ir the eyes,
and the back •)»' the hccid ; the reft is green, and
tiiere is no riug -tbout the hupd,

The REDDb^H-WINGED GREAT
P A R R A K K E I\ Buff.

FOURTH SPECIFS,
With a long and equal fail.

TJlttacus Eupa:ria, Linn, anj Gmel.
PJittaca (Jin'niana., BniT.
The Gingi P.rrct, Lath.

^TpHis Parrakeet is twenty inches, from the
■*• point of the bill to the extremity of the
two long (hafts of the tail : all the upper fur-
face of the body is deep olive green, the under
furface is pale green, intermixed with ydlow-
i(h ; on the pinion of each wing is a fmall red
mark, and another one of dilute blue on the
middle of the long feathers of the tail ; the bill
is red, and aUo the feet and nails [A].

[A] Specific charadler of the Pfitiacus-Eupatria: " It is green;
its cheeks naked ; its (boulders fcarlet ; its bill purpU(h."

138

PARRAKEET.

THE

RED-THROATED PARRAKEET.

FIFTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

Pjittacus Incarnatus, Linn, and Gmel.

PJittaca Jndica, Brifl*.

The Little Red-winged Parrakeett Edw. and Lath.

EDWARDS, who defcribes this bird, fays that
it is the fmalleft Parrakeet which he had
ever feen. It is not larger than a titmoufe, but
its tail is longer than its body ; the tail and
back are of a full green ; the coverts of the
wings and of the throat are red ; the under fide
of the body is yeliowifh green ; the iris of the
eye is of fo deep a caft as to appear black,
though in moft of the Parrakeets it is gold- co-
loured. Edwards fays that it comes from In-
dia.

[B] Specific charafter of the P/f/z^jfiff /«f<»r*«/«/ : " It is green i
its bill, feet, and nails, carnation ; its cere and orbits whitiHi; it«
throat and the coverts of its wings red,"

h ■'■■■'

PARRAKEET.

>39

The BLACK-BANDED GREAT
PARRAKEET.

SIXTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

PJlttacus jitricaftllus, Linn, and Gmel.
j^ra Moluccetijis Fart a, Briff.

npiiE bird, which Briflbn has termed the Afo-
•*• /ucca Maccaw, is undoubtedly only a Par-
rakeet ; for no Maccaw inhabits either -India,
or any part of the ancient continent. Seba
calls the fame bird a Loty ; but the long fea-
thers of its tail (hew evidently that it is a Par-
rakeet. The total length of the bird is four-
teen inches, of which the tail is near feven.
The head has a black band, and the neck a red
and green collar ; the bread is of a fine light
red ; the wings and back are of a rich Turkey-
blue; the belly is deep green, fprinkled with
red feathers ; the tail, of which the middle
quills are the largeft, is coloured with green
and red, with black edges. This Parrakeet
was, according to Seba, brought from the Pa-
puan iflands ; a Dutch fettler at Amboyna pur-
chafcd it of an Indian for five hundred florins.
This price was not extravagant, confidering the
beauty and gentlenefs of the bird; it prcaounc-
ed diltin(Slv leverai words in different lanfrua'J-es,
it made its falute in the morning, and lung its

fong.

lii

■i

It
ii

ill

vi"',

S -l!

'-•f'r

it, hxSl

imi

"mm

14(3

PARRAKEET.

fong. Its attachment equalled its accomplifh-
ments; for having lofl its mafter, it died of me-
lancholy* [A].

THE

RED and GREEN PARRAKEET.

SEVENTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

PJittaca Japanenjts, Briff.

^TpHis fpecies has been denominated by Brif-
•*• fon the Japan Farrakeet ; but no Parrots
are found in that ifland, or in the northern pro-
vinces of China, except fuch as have been car-
ried thither ; and probably this bird, of which
Aldrovandus faw only the figure, came from
Ibme more fouthern part of Afia. Willughby
obferves even that both the figure and its de-
fcription appeared fufpicious. The plumage is
compofed of green, red, and a little blue ; the
firfl of thefe colours is fprcad on the upper fide
of the body, the fecond on the under fide and
the tail, except the two long (hafts, which are
green, and the blue that tinges the (boulders and
the quills of the wings : there are two fpots of
the fame colour on each (ide of the eye.

♦ Kxmpfer, /././. 113.

[A] Specific charafter of the Pjtitacuf JtricapiVus : *' Above it
is blue ; its throat and bread red ; its belly and vent green j iti
top bla^k, with a green and black collar."

V''

PARRAKEET.

I4f

The CRESTED PARRAKEET.

EIGHTH SPECIES,

With a long and unequal Tail.

Pftttacvi JavaMtcus, Linn, and Gmel.
PJlttaca ya-veitjt< Cripnta Coccifieat BrifT.
The Crejled Red Parmheet, Lath.

'Tpiiis is the fmal/ Parrot ofBont'ius, whofe
■* luftre and variety of plumage are extolled
byWillughby; the pencil can hardly imitate,
he fays, its brilliancy and beauty. It is com-
pofed of bright red, and of rofe colour, mixed
with yellow and green on the wings, and with
green and blue o: the tail, which is very long,
and proje£ls beyo d the wings ten inches ; a re-
markable excefs i^ a bird which is not larger
than a lark. The feathers on its head form a
creft, which muft be very elegant, fince it is
compared to a peacock's tuft in the following
extract, which feems to allude to this beautiful
fpecies. *' This Parrakeet is about the bulk of
a fiikin ; on its head is a tuft of three or four
feathers, refembling that of the peacock. This
bird is exceedingly gentle *." . Thefe little
Parrakeets are found in Java, in the interior
parts of the country. They fly in flocks, mak-
ing a great noife. They chatter much, and,
when tamed, they eafily repeat whatever they
are taught \.

• Lettres Edifiantesj /econdrecue'il, /. 69.

t Willugliby.

i;i

! I|!

I 'I

Ill :':k'.|

k -| 'j

' 'I! I'^M

I'Sv'i^'l

iii m

•ill i; »V«(t

! l|i s;'>i

m »' :

^H i-'''l

PARRAKEE'f.

THE

SHORT-TAILED PARRAKEETS

OF THE OLD CONTINENT.

THESE are frequent in the fouth of Afia^
and in Africa. They are entirely dif-
ferent from the Parrakeets of America, except
a few which were probably carried thither^
The fpecies of Parrakeets that inhabit the old
continent are much more numerous than thofe of
the new : their habits are alfo different ; fome,
for inftance, cling to a fmall branch, and deep
with their head hanging downwards, which is
2iot remarked of thofe fettled in America.

In general, the Parrots of the new world
make their nerts in the hollows of trees, parti-
cularly thofe deferted by the woodpeckers^
which are called carpenters in the Weft India
iflands*. In the old continent, on the con-
trary, many travellers inform us that feveral
fpecies of Parrots fufpend their nefts, which
arc formed with rulhes and roots, to the ends of

• Lery pofitively avers that the American Parrots never fufpend
their nefts» but make them in cavities of trees. JfudCluJium
Au&. /, 364.

£exibk

PARRAKEET.

»43

flexible boughs *. This difference in the man-
ner of neftling, if it obtains in a great number
of fpecies, may have been prompted by the di-
verfity of climate. In America, where the
heat never is exceflive, it is neceflary to con-
centrate it; but, in the burning plains of
Africa, the ncft is rocked by the tempering
breeze.

THE

BLUE -HEADED PARRAKEET-

FIRST SPECIES,
With a (hort tail.

PJittacus-Galgulust Linn. Gmel. and Bor.

Pfittacula Malaccenfis, Briff.

The ^apphirt-crvwned Parrakeett Edw. and Lath.

np^HE crown of the head is of a fine blue, and
^ round the neck is an orange half-collar ;
the breaft and rump are red, and the reft of the
plumage green.

Edwards fays that he received this bird from
Sumatra: Sonnerat found it in the ifland of
Lu^on +.

This is one of the fpecies that (leep with
their head hanging downwards. It lives on

* See the account given by Cadamoflo. Hift. Gen, dis Voy, t, II,
p. 305. — Foy, a Madaga/car par Fr. Cauche^ Paris, 1651.
t Voyage a la Nouvellt Cuinet, p. 76.

calloUf

K -i i|1

},AI

i f

,,f!l

1'.' xif- i.m

:!rfl

I!' "

«44

P A R R A K E E T.

calloUy a kind of white liquor, which is obtain*
cd in the Eaft Indies from the cacoa tr^e, \>y
miking an incilioii near the foot ftiiks thit l'ir>-
pLirt the fruit. A hollow bamboo is fixed to
the extremity of the branch to c«)l.cdt the la;>,
which when tird drawn is pleafaiit, and reltuH
bles the tafte of new cvd-^r.

It api^eared to us th.it we ought to rc^er to
the f^imc fpecies the bird mentioned by Aidro-
vandub, of which the crown of the head w;i3 a
fine blue, the rump red, and the refl of t le
plu inge green. But as that naturalid does i. t
take notice of the half-collar, or oi the red on
th(^ breaft, and alio fays that it came fom
Malncca, it wa.<; perhaps of a ditFercnt, though
clokly related, Ipccies.

[A] Specific charafler of the Pjittacus Galgufuj: '* It is green j
its rump and breaft fcarlet; the top (of the male) blue."

•y*r

■^W^'

YK'^yrf

Vi-t

t\ ii:

TIGd.IURSEDBEJaSED GUINEA PARAKEET.FlG.2THBPiUUPPlN£ PAKAm

m pi

•• thoul

tnon f)!

Their

fmall

theyftJ

for a cj

Ctn,

JTj

pagatel

t^ARRAKK^Ti

*45

. PARAKE

The RED-HEAD£D PARRAKEET,

Or the GUINEA SPARROW*

SECOND SPECIES,
With a (hort Tail.

Pjittacut Pullatiut, Linn. Gmel. a&d Bor*

Pfittacula Guinttnjis» BriiT.

P/itiaeui PufiUui vinditt Ray.

The Rtd-htaiti Guiiua Parraittt, Lath*

'"I^His bird is known to bird-fanciers under the
■*• name ol* Guinea Sparrow * : it is very com-
mon in that country, and is brought into Eu-
rope on account of the beauty of its plumage^
its tamenefs^ and gentlenefs ; for it cannot be
taught to fpeak, and has only a difagreeable
fcream. Many are loft in the pafl^ge, and
fcarcely one out of ten reaches Europe + ; yet
they live to a coniiderable age in our climates,
when f(id on panic and canary feeds, and kept
in pairs. They alfo lay fometimes |, but the

eggs

* <* The Parro^uets are called Cuinea Sparreiut" fays BoAnan*
*< though it would not be eafy to aflign the reafon, fince the com-
tnon fparrows are here (on the gold coaft) extremely abundant.
Their red bill is a little curved, like that of the Parrots. Thefe
fmall creatures are carried to Holland in rreat numbers : there
they fell very dear, though in Guinea a dozen may be purchafed
for a crown, of which nine or ten will die in the paiTage." Hift,
Cifh ats Foy. t. IF. p, z^'j.

f 1:^^. Gn. des Voy. t. IF. p. 64*

X There is no doubt but with due care thefe birds might be pro-
pagated in the domeftic Aate. Sometimes the force of nature-

VOL. VI* L »lo"<^'

ir'»

K .'

virc

146

PARRAKEET.

eggs feldom hatch. If one of the pair dicj the
other grows melancholy, and hardly ever fur-
vives. They are extremely attentive to each
other ; the male fits heiide the female, and dif-
gorges intu her bill, and he is unealy if (he be
a moment out of his fight. Thus they fweeten
their captivity, by love and gentle manners.
Travellers relate that, in Guinea, thefe birds are
fo numerous as much to injure the crops*. It
would feenii that the fpecies is difperfed over al-
moll: all the fouthern climates in the ancient con-
tinent ; for it is found in Ethiopia • , in the Eall:
Indies J, in the ifland of Java §, as well as in
Guinea |{.

Many perfons call this bird very improperly
the Brajilian fparrow ; for it is not a native of
America. — ^The body is entirely green, marked
with a fpot of fine blue on the rump, and by a

alone, in fpitc of the rigor of the climate and of the feafon, pre.
vails in them. Her Highnefs of Bourbon and Vermandoisi Ab-
befs of Beaumont-les-Tours, had two Parrakeets from Goree, that
hatched two young ones in the month of January in a room with-
out fire, but which the cold foon killed,

♦ Barbot. Hift. de Guinee, p. 220.

t Clufius, Exot. AuSluar, p. 365.

X Albin, Vol. III. p. 7.

§ Salerne, Ornithol. p. 72.

II *' All along this coaft they are numerous, but efpecially near
the lower part, as at Mouree, Cormantin, and Acra." f^oy. en Gui'
nee, par Bofman, Utrecht, 1705, p. 277. " Infinite numbers of
Parrots are found at Anamaboe: they are of the bulk offparrows;
tbeir-body is of a beautiful green ; their head and tail of an admir-
able red, and all their figure fo fine, that the author brought fome
to Paris, as a prefent fit for the king." HiJ}, Gen. des f^oj, t. IF.

. . flame

PARRAKEET.

147

flame coloured malk, mixed with a blufli tint,
which covers the forehead, enclofes the eye,
and defcends under the throat, and, in the mid-
dle of it, the bill appears of a reddifh white ;
the tail is very fhort, and appears all green when
clofed, but if dilplayed it is perceived to be in-
terfe6ted tranfverfely with three bars, the one
red, the other black,oand the third green, which
borders and terminates the extremity ; the pi-
nions of the wings are blue in the male, and
yellow in the female, which differs not from
the former, except that its head is of a fainter
red.

Clulius has very diftin6lly defcribed this fpe-
cies under the name of PJittacus Minimus, Ed-
wards, Briflbn, and Linnaeus, have confounded
it with the little American Parrot painted with
various colours of Seba. But it is undoubtedly
a different bird, for Seba fays that his Parrot has
not only a collar of fine iky- blue, and a tail mag-
nificently tinged with a mixture of five colours,
viz. blue, yellow, red, brown, and deep green ;
but that its voice and fong are pleafant, and that
it eafily learns to fpeak. It is evident that all,
thefe attributes belong not to the Red-headed
Parrakeet. Perhaps the bird, which Seba faw
alive, forms a fixth fpecies in the fliort-tailed
Parrakeets of the new continent.

A variety, or perhaps a contiguous fpecies,
may be found in the bird defcribed by Edwards
under the denomination of ihQfmalleJi green and

L 3 red

• !"

'1::

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'ill,

■lill

i
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■.J:H

,i| :?.isa

■ Mi

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^1.: '.I'M

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I4f

PARRAKEET.

ted Parrakeet^ which differs in no refpe^l
from the preceding, except that its rump is
Ted [A]. . , ;.

• * ^ . f / ,

1 '•.;>■•■.

/The C O U L A C I S S I.

'■' ' --^ THIRD SPECIES ■ "- .

Of fhort- tailed Parrakeet.

PJittacusGalgulus, Var. Gmel. •

PJittacula Philippenjii, Briff. • [ '

The Philippine Parrakeet, Lath.

THIS is the name which the bird receives in
its native region, the Philippine iflands,
and particularly in that of Lu^on. The fore-
head, the throat, and the rump, are red ; there
is a half-collar of orange on the upper fide of the
neck ; the reft of the body, and the fuperior
coverts of the wings, are green ; the great quills
of the wings are deep green on the outfide, and
blackifh on the infide ; the middle quills of the
wings and thofe of the tail are green above and
blue below ; the bill, the feet, and the nails,
are red.

The female is difcriminated from the male by
a bluiih fpot on each fide of the head becween
the bill and the eye, and has no half-collar on
the neck, or red on the throat, and the red

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittacus Pullarius : ** It is green ;
Us front re^ ' its tail fulyp^s j its bar blacl^ ', i^ts orbU^ cinor«ous.'*

tinge

PARRAKEETi

149

tinore of its forehead is alfo more dilute and
narrower.

Briflbn and Linnasus* confound it with Ed-
wards's Sapphire-crowned Parrakeet, which i^
our Blue-headed Parrakeet, and the firft fpecies
with a ihort tail.

THE

GOLDEN-WINGED PARRAKEET.

FOURTH SPECIES,
^ With a ihort Tail.

Pfittaeui Chryfopterus, Linn, and Gmel.
Fjittacus Alts Deauratit, Briff.

dWards gives an account of this bird. It was
probaK;, orought, he fays, from the Eaft In-
dies, but he is not quite certain. The head, the
fmall fuperior coverts of the wings, and the whole
body, are green, only it is deeper on the body
than beneath ; the great fuperior coverts of the
wings are orange ; the four primary quills of the
wings are deep blue on the outfide, brown on
the infide and at the extremity ; the four next
are of the fame colour with the fafl: j and laftly,
thofe near the body are entirely green, as well
as the quills of the tail ; the bill is whitilh; the
feet and nails are pale flefh colour [Aj.

• Syft. Nat. Edit. XIII.

[A] Specific chara^erof the PJittacusChyjipta/its: '* It Is gioon;
its wings marked with a blue and fulvou<; ipjot: it<i orbits iiakrii
jtnd whit*"/'

J- 3

ISO

PARRAKEET.

THE

GRAY-HEADED PARRAKEET.

FIFTH SPECIES, -'

With a ihort Tail. ' ■- - '

PItttacui Canus, Linn, and Gmel.
Pfitt acuta MadagafcarienJU» Bri/T.

T>RissoN is the firft who defcribed this bird,
*^ which he fays is found in Madagafcar. The
head, the throat, and the lower part of the
neck, are gray, inclined fomewhat to green;
the body is of a lighter green below than abovr •
the fupcrior coverts of the wings, and the mid-
dle quills, are green ; the great quills are brown
on the infide, and green on the outfide, and at
the extremity ; the quills of the tail are light
green, with a broad tfanfverfe black bar at their
extremity ; the bill, the feet, and the nails, are
whitilh.

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittaeus Ce^us : ** It is green ;
its head and its throat gray-green ; its tail rounded, with a broad
black bar/'

P A R R A K E E T.

151

The VARIEGATED WINGED
PARRAKEET.

SIXTH SPECIES,
With a Ihort Tail.

PJittacus Melanopterus, Gtnel.
TYit Black-'wittged Parrakeett h^ih.

^T^His Parrakeet is fomewhat larger than tlie
•*' preceding ones ; it is found in Batavia,'
and in the iHand of Lucjon. We Ihall borrow
the dcfcFiption of it from Sonnerat *. " The
head, neck, and belly, are light green and yel-
lowilh ; there is a yellow bar on the wings,
but each feather that forms it is edged exteriorly
with blue ; the fmall feathers of the wings are
greenifh ; the great ones are of a. fine velvet
black (fo that the wings are variegated with
yellow, blue, green, and black) ; the tail is of
a light lilac colour; and near its extremity
there is a very narrow black bar ; the feet are
grav \ the bill and iris are reddifli vellowj*

• Voyage a la Nouvellc Guinec, f. 78.

i|;„i

w. '■■^•'■..4

it! • ■■\'.Ji:u'^'fl

L 4

FARRAKEET,

BLUE-WINGED PARRAKEET,

8eve;nth s?ecies,

Wi^h a /hort Tail,
PJittacus CapenJiSi Gmel.

/"TpHis is a new fpecies, which we received
■*• from the Cape of Good Hope, hut with-»-
out any accounts of its habits or of its climate.
It is entirely green, except fome quilis of the
wings, which are of a fine blue; the bill an4
r:et are reddifli. — This fhort defcription is fuf»
f'cient to difcriminate it fro^i the other fhort'
tailed Parrakeets,

The COLLARED PARRAKEET*

EIGHTH SPECIES,
With a (hort TaU.

Tjittacui Tor^uotus, Gmel,

TT7E (hall alfo brrrow the account of this bird
^^ from Sonnerst. *' It is fcjnd in the Phi-
lippines, and efpeci illy in the ifland of Lu^on ;
it is of the bulk of the Brafilian (Guinea) Spar-
row ; all the body is of a lively pleafant green,
which is deeper on the back, and more dilute

3, . xindef

PARRAKEET.

t53

under the belly, and (haded with yellow ; be-
hind the neck and below the head, there ia
a broad collar, which confifts, in the male, of
iky-blue feathers ; but in both fexes the feathers
of the collar are variegated traafverfely with
black ; the tail is (hort, equal to the wings, and
terminated in a point ; the bill, feet, and iris,
are blackilh gray. This fpecies has no merit,
but in its ihape and colours ; for it is devoid of
^racesy 9nd cannot be taught to fpeak [A]«

THB

BLACK-WINGED PARRAKEET,

NINTH SPECIES,
With a ihort T*U.

PJittaeus Miner, Gmel.

The Itiaunitm Parrakettt Lath.

'T^His fpecies comes likewife from the ifle of
■* Lu^on, and Sonnerat thus dcfcribes it,
♦♦ It is rather fmaller than the preceding; the
upper fide of the neck, the back, the fmall fea-
thers of the wings and of the tail, are of a deep
green; the belly is light green and yellow i(h;
the crown of the head is a very bright red in
the male, and the feathers, which border the

[A] Specif; character of the PJittacus torquatus: ** It it gre^n;
p yellow W on its t^ead, ftriped acrofs with black,"

upper

> V'd-

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PARRAKEET.

upper margin of the bill in the female are o^
the fame bright red, and there is alfo a yellow
fpot above on the middle of the neck; in the
male the throat is blue, in the female it is
red ; in both^ the great feaihers of the wings
are black, thofe that cover the upper lurface of
the cail are red ; the bill, feet, and iris, are yel-
low. I conceive, fays Sonncrat, thefe two Par-
rakects to be the male and female, becaufe they
differ little, and are analogous in their fize,
fhape, and colour, and inhabit the fame cli-
mate ; but I will not affert that they may not
be diftindt fpecies. Both fleep hanging fum
branches with their heads downwards, and are
fond of the fap that flows from incilions in the
cocoa tree [A]. v

The A R I M A N O N.

TENTH SPECIES,
With a &ort Tail.

Pjitlacui Taitianus, Gmel.

The Otaheitan Blue Parrakeet, Lath.

m ".

^"^His bird is found in the ifland of Otahelte,

^ and lodges in the cocoa trees, whence its

name Arimanon, We borrow the defcription

[A] Specific charadler of the Pjittacus Minor : " It is green;
its top fcarlei ; its bread blue; its greater wiiig quills black."

from

PARRAKEET.

^SS

from Commcrfon. We range it after the (hort-
tailed Parrakeets, though it has a peculiar cha-
racter that belongs not to any of the genus; viz.
its tongue is pointed, and terminates in a pen- ■
cil of (hort white brill'.cs.

The plumage is entirely of a fine blue, ex-
cept the throat and the lower part of the neck,
which are white ; the bill and feet are red. It
is very common in Otaheite, where it flutters
about continually fqualling. It forms flocks,
and feeds on bananas, but it is difficult to do-
mefticate; it dies of melancholy, efpecially if
kept alone in the cage. It cannot be brought
to eat any thing but the juice of fruits, and
conftantly rejects every kind of folid diet.

. [A] Specific character of the Tfittacm Tcutianus: *' It is blue;
the feathers on ils head longifli ; its throat white ; its bill and feet
red."

'..'.*,'

■^■, a

TM^

156

A ft A.

^i'

PARROTS

OF THE NEW CONTINENT.

! ■■ I

The A R A S.

OF all the Parrots, the Ara is the largcft, and
the moft magnificently decked ; purple,
gold, and azure, blaze on its plumage ; its afpe^
is fteady and compofedj its deportment grave,
and even fupercilious, and as if confcious of its
beauty. But its calm temper foon renders it
familiar, and even fufceptible of a degree of at--
tachm:rnt» h rnay be domefticated without be-
ing endaved ; it never abufes the liberty which
has been granted to it ; it contrails a fondnefs
for the family where it is adopted, and con-
ftantly returns from its rambling.

All thefe Aras are natives of the tropical parts
of the new world, and inhabit both the conti-
nent and the iflands ; but none are found in
T^frica, or in India. Chriftopher Columbus, in
his fecond voyage, touched at Guadeloupe, and
there faw Aras, which he named Giiacamayas *♦
Tbey occur even in the defert iflands, and every-p

• HerrcMj Lib. lU caf. |q.

vherQ

A R A.

>5r

where conftitute the fineft ornament of thofo
gloomy forefts with which the wild luxuriantly ■
of nature clothes the face of the earth *.

When thefe Parrots were introduced into
Europe, they were beheld with admiration,
Aldrovandus, who, for the firft time, faw an Ara
at Mantua in 1572, remarks that they were then
quite novelties, and highly eileemed ; and that
princes received thele birds fron ^ne another a3
rare and valuable prelents. Even Belon, that
curious obferver, had never fee ^ maccaw, for
he fays that the gray Parrots a.o thr largefl of
all.

We know four fpecies of Aras, viz. the red,
the blue, the green, and the black. Our no-
menclators enumerate fix +, but which ought
to be reduced to one half, as we fhall afterwards
find.

The chara(£ters which diftinguifh the Aras
from the other Parrots of the new world are,
1. their fize, which is at leaft double that of
the others ; 2. the length of the tail, which is

• ** While Commodore Aufon and his officers were contemplat-
ing the natural beauties of this folitude, a flock of Aras flew over
their heads ; and as if thefe birds wiilied to improve the entertain-
ment, and heighten the magnificence of the fpcfbacle, they flopped
to make rumberlefs circles in the air, which allowed time to ob-
fcrve the iullre and brilliancy of their plumage. Thofe who wit-
nefled this fcene cannot defcribe it without raptures." AnfotCs K^
agt round tht World, — '♦ It is the fineft fight in the world, to be-
hold ten or twel"^ -,ras on a very green tree; never are* more
charming coloars .Ulplayed.*' Dutertre. //j^« d«t JntilUt, t, //.
/. 247* f Briflbn.

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A R A.

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alfb much longer even in proportion to the bo-
dy ; 3. the naked and dirty white Ikin, which
covers both (ides of the head, furrounds it be-
low, and covers alfo the bafe of the lower man-
dible. This naked ikin, in which the eyes are
placed, gives them a difagreeable afpe«5t. Their
voice is harfti ; they feem to articulate only the
found ara, and with a raucous, thick tone,
which is grating to the ear. " ■ "i

t.''-.<

,.• ( • ■>

The RED A R A.

FIRST SPECIES. .^ .

Pftttaeus-Macao, Linn. Gmel. Scop, and Bor. .-^^

Ara Brajilienjisy Briff. and Gerini.
Pfittacus tnaximus altera Ray, Will, and Klein.
The Red and Blue MaccaiVf Edw, Alb. Banc, and Lath.
PJiitacui-Aracanga, Gmel.
Jtraracangua, Ray and Will. ^ _^

Ara Jamaicinfist Briff. ' ' ' ^ - -.
PJhtatus capitt caruko, Klein. ,' > .

The Rti and YtlU'w Macc&Mfrom Jemaica^ Alb. Baacr.
and Lath.

A LL the nomenclators have followed Gefner
•^^ and Aldrovandus in ranging the Red Aras
in two fpecies. But, on the other hand. Marc-
grave, and all the travellers, who have had an
opportunity of viewing and comparing the birds,
confider them as belonging to the fame family.
They inhabit only the warm climates of Ame-
rica, the Antilles, Mexico, the iflhmus of Pa-

5 nama,

A R A.

'59

nama, Peru, Guiana, Brazil, &c. and are found
in no part of the old continent. It is ftrange,
therefore, that fome authors * have copied Al-
bin in calling them Macao Parrots, and have
imagined that they came from Japan. Some may
have been carried thither from America, but they
are undoubtedly not natives of Japan, and it is
probable that thefe authors have confounded the
great Red Lory of the Eaft Indies with the Red
Ara of the Weft Indies.

■ The great Red Ara is near thirty inches in
length, but of this the tail occupies almoft the
one half; all the body, except the wings, is
vermilion, the four longeft feathers of the tail
are the fame ; the great quills of the wing are
Turkey-blue above, and copper-coloured on a
black ground beneath ; in the middle quills the
blue and green are admirably melt-^d into each
other; the great coverts are gold-yellow, and
terminated with green; the (boulders are of the
fame red with the back ; the fuperior and infe-
rior coverts of the tail are blue ; four of the la-
teral quills, on each fide, are blue above, and
the whole under furface copper-colour, which
is lighter and has more of the metallic glofs un-
der the four great middle quills : a tuft of fnuff-
coloured velvet feathers projeiSls, like a cufhion,
on the forehead ; the throat is brown- red; a white
and naked membranous fkin encircles the eye.

it y-^' A t T'"«'J& M Vi ,■

• A]bin and WUlugliby,

covers

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A ft A.

covers the cheeky and fheathes the lower tazti*
dible, which is bbckilh, and fo are the legs*
This defcription was made from a living bird|
and one of the largeft and mod bekutiful.— »
Travellers remark differences both in regard to
colour and fize, according to the different coun-^
tries, or even iflands, from which they ar^
brought *. We have fccii fome in which the
tail was entirely blue, others in which it was
red, and terminated with blue. Their bulk is
as various $ but the little Red Aras are more
rare than the large ones. , _

In general, the Aras were formerly very
common in St. Domingo. I fee from a letter
of the Chevalier Defhayes that, fince the French
have extended their fettlements to the fummits
of the mountains, thefe birds are become lefs
frequent f. Both the Red and Blue Aras in*
habit the fame climates, and their habits and
economy are exad^ly the fame ; and what we

* " Thefe birds are fo diffimilar according to the grounds where
they procure their food, that every ifland has its Parrots, its AraSi
and its Parroquets, different in fize of body> in tone of voice» and
in the tints of the plumage." Dutertre, Hi^. Jes Jatillet, Paris*
1667, t. II. p. 247.—** The ^'"s are birds of extreme beauty i
they have a long uil, which u ipof':d of charming feathers of
different colours, according to k..e iflands which have given them
birth." //(/?. Naf. li MeraU dei JntilUs, Rotttrdam, 1658*

t *' In all thefe iflands (the Antilles) die Aras Have become
▼ery rare, becaufe the inhabiunts kill them for eating. They re-
tire to the lead frequented places, and are no more obferved to
approach the plantations." Qlf/irvatitai 9/M* it la B§rd«t King^t
^igifieian «/ Cajinii*»

(hall

A R A.

i6i

(hall now relate, in regard to the one, will
equally apply to the other. .^

Aras live in the woods that cover the fwampy
grounds, where the palm trees abound, and
they feed chiefly on the dates of the palmettoes,
of which there are immenfe forefts in the over-
flowed favannahs. They generally appear in
pairs, feldom in flocks; fometimes, however,
they aflemble together, and their united fcreams
are heard at a great diftance. When any thing
fcares or furprifes them *, they vent the fame
fcreams, and while on the wing they cry in-
ceflantly. Of all the Parrots, they fly the bed ;
they traverfe the cleared lands, but never alight ;
they perch on the fummit of trees, or on the
higheft branch. During the day, they roam to
a uiftance not exceeding a league in fearch of
ripe fruits, but always return in the evening to
the fame fpot. Dutertre + fays that they are
fometimes compelled by hunger to eat the ap-
ples of the manchineel, which is poifonous to
roan, and probably to moft animals ; he adds
that the fle(h of fuch birds is unwholefome, and
even envenomed. Yet the Aras are commonly
eaten in Guiana, Brazil, &c. without any bad

• ** The Indians were in profound fecurity (at Yubarco, In Da-
rien), when the cries of a fort of red Parrots of extraordinary fize,
which they call guacamqyas, gave them notice of the approach of
their enemies," Exftdttioa ej OJeda, &c, Hi^. Gen. dtt Foy. t. XII,
p, i$6.

t Hift. des Antilles, f, II. p. 248. „

VOL. VI. M confequences ;

U'^^

'M If I

m .iswa

1 62

A R A.

I!'-

i^rr

confequences ; whether it be that the manchi-
neel does not grow in thofe countries, or that
the Aras, finding abundance of their proper food,
fhun the food of that poifonous tree.

It appears that the Parrots of the new world
had nearly the fame difpofitions with all thofe
animals which inhabit defert tradts ; they were
familiar, unfufpeding, and fearlefs of the ap-
proach of men, who in thofe regions were feebly
armed and few in number, and never could dif-
pby their dominion *. Peter of Angieria -f af-
fures us, that, on the difcovery of America, the
Parrots were caught with the noofe, and almoft
by the hand of the Iportfman ; that they were
feldom feared by the noife of fire arms, and did
not take to flight when they faw their compa-
nions drop dead j that they preferred the trees
planted near houfes to the folitude of forefts ;
and though the Indians caught them three or
four times a year, to flrip them of their rich
plumage, this violence did not drive them from
their favourite haunts J. Hence Aldrovahdus,
who drew his information from the early ac-
counts of America, fays that thefe birds are na-
turally attached to man, or, at lead, ihew no

• ** The fmall birds which inhabited the woods of New Zea-
land were fo little acquainted with men, that they calmly roofted
on the branches of trees next us, even on the end of our mufkets.
We were new objefis to them, which they regarded with a cu-
riofity equal to our own.'* Forjer's Rtlation of Captain Cook's fecond
Voyage. t ■ -

\ Lib, X, Jec. ^t ' ^Lery, /, 174.

lymptoms

A R A.

163

fymptoms of fear in his prefence ; that they
follow the Indians into their huts, and feem to
contract an afFe6lion to the fpots inhabited by
thefe peaceful men. A part of this confidence
and fecurity adheres to the Parrots which have
retired to th^ forefts. M. de la Borde informs
us that this is the cafe with thofe fettled in Gui-
ana ; they allow one to approach very near them
without betraying fufpicion or fear. And Pifo
fays of the Brazilian birds, what may be applied
to all thofe of the new world, that they are in-
Cautious, and eafily decoyed into every kind of
fnare.

The Aras make their nefts in the holes of old
rotten trees, which are very common in their
native regions^ and more numerous even than
the rifing vigorous plants: they enlarge the
aperture, when it is too narrow, and line the
infide with feathers. They have two hatches
jannually, like all the other American Parrots,
and each coniifts of two eggs, which, accord-
ing to Dutertre, are as large as pigeons* eggs,
and fpotted like thofe of partridges *. He adds
that the young ones have two fmall worms in
their noftrils, and a third on a fmall ball which

• ** It often happens that an Ara will lay an egg or two in our
temperate climates; Aldrovandus cites fome inftances. M. le Mar-
quis d Abzac has informed us that a large Red Ara of his laid three
eggs i they had no germ : however, as the bird was ardent and
clamorous to cover, a hen's egg was given to her, which fhe
hatched." Letter e/M. It Marquis d* Abzac, dated from the Cajile of
NtjaCf near Perigueuxi 21 Sept ember t 1776.

M 2 gathers

164

A R A.

gathers above the head ; and that thefe little
worms die when the birds begin to be fledgred*.
Such worms in the noftrils are not peculiar to
the Aras; the other Parrots, the caffiques, and
many other birds, are fubjedl to them when in
the neft : many quadrupeds alfo, the monkeys
in particulnr, have worms in the nofe, and in
other parts of the body. Thefe infeds are well
known in America, and in the French fettle-
ments are called macaques worms. They creep
into the flefh, and occafion dangerous abfceflcs
both in men and the other animals; horfes
lometimes die of fuch diforders, owing to their
negligent treatment in thofe countries, where
thev are never ftabled nor drefled.

The male and female Aras fit alternately oa
their eggs, or cherifli their young, and both
equally carry food ; they never defert the charge
as long as their afliftance is needed, and always
perch together near the neft.

The young Aras are eafily tamed, and, in ma-
ny parts of America, thefe birds are never taken
but in the nefts, becaufc the adults are too dif-
ficult to educate. Yet Dutertre relates, that the
Carribs had a fingular way of catching them
alive; they obferved when the Aras were on
the ground, eating fallen fruit ; they endea-
voured to furround them, and on a fudden hal-
looed, clapt their hands, and made fo great a

* Hift. dcs Antilles, /. //. /. 249.

noife.

A R A.

i6s

noife, that the birds, in the moment of furprife,
loft the ufe of their wings, and turned on their
back to defend themfelves with their bill and
nails; the favages then held out a ftick, on
which they clenched, and were immediately
tied by a imall firing. He alio pretends that
they could be tamed, though old, and caught
in this violent way. But this account appears
rather fufpicious ; particularly, as all the Aras
in fadt fly from man, a loud noile muft have a
greater cffcOi in driving them away. Wafer
fays that the Indians who inhabit the ifthmus
tame the Aras as vvc do magpies, and allow
them to make excurfions into the woods during
the day, but that they conftantly return home
in the evening ; that they imitate their mafter's
voice, and the fong of a bird called chicali^,
Fernandez relates that they can be taught to
fpeak, but that their articulation is coarfe and dif-
agreeable ; that when they are kept in the houfe,
they rear their young like other domcftic birds.
It is certain, that they never prattle To well as
the other Parrots ; and after they are tamed,
they never try to efcape.

The Indians work the plumage into feflival
caps, and other ornaments ; they alfo ftick fome
of the rich feathers into the cheek, and through
the noftrils, or the ear?. The flefti of the Aras,
though commonly hard and black, is not un-

>}ml

• Wafer, in Dampier's Voyage,

M 3 pleafant

i66

A K At

hi!

ij I r

pleafant food, and makes excellent foup ; and,
in general, the Parrots are ufually eaten as the
moil plentiful game in the fettlement at Cay-
enne.

The Ara is, more than any bird perhaps, fub-
je£l: to the cramp, which is more violent, and
more quickly mortal, in the hot countries, than
in the temperate climates. I kept one of the
largefl: and handfomeft of the kind, which was
given to me by the March ionefs of Pompadour
in 1 75 1. It was feized with an epileply two or
three times every month, and yet it lived fe-
veral years at my feat in Burgundy, and might
have lived much longer, if it had not been kill-
ed. But in South America, thefe birds com-
monly die of the falling ficknefs, and this is alfb
the fate of all the other Parrots, which are
equally fubjed to that diforder, in the domeftic
ftate. Perhaps the caufe which we affigned in
treating of the canary finches, obtains here, viz.
the feparation from the female, and the fuper-
abuiidance of nutrition. The Indians, who rear
the Aras in their huts with the view to fell their
feathers, have a remedy for the epilepfy ; they
cut the point of the toe, and the difcharge of a
lingle drop of blood works an immediate cure.
The fame operation fucceeds equally in procur-
ing relief to the other diforders incident to the
domeftic ftate. I have formerly remarked that
the canaries die when the blood does not form
^ drop at the bill. Nature feems to point out

the

A R A.

167

the fame remedy which the Indians have difco-
vered.

This epilepiy, or cramp, as it is called in the
colonies, invariably happens to domefticated
Parrots when th'-v perch on a bit of iron, fuch
as a nail, a curtam rod, &c. ; fo that great care
is taken that they alight only on wood. This
fa<5l Teems to (hew that the fit, which is a vio-
lent convulfion of the nerves, is analogous to
clciftricity, whofe a6tion, it is well known, is
more violent when tranlmitted through iron
than through wood *, . .., . ..,

* This analogy feems to be rather fanciful. The effedl mud
be referred to the irritability of the mufcuLr fibres, excited by the
iharpnefs or afperity of the toaching fubllance, and by the fudden
cold (hot through tlie bird's toes by the contadb of metals* which is
a rapid conductor of heat. T.

[A] Specific character of the Pfittacui-Macao : " It is red; its
wing-quills blue above, rufous below; its fcapular feathers varie-
gated with blue and green; its cheeks naked and wrinkled.'*—
That of FJittacm Aracangua : " It is dilute fcarlet ; its fcapular
feathers yellow, terminated with green ; its wing-quills blue above,
rufous below; its cheeks naked and wrinkled."

J.J ,

•■«»'• ' ,

• v

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•

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A R A.

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The BLUE A R A.

liSiT.M

SECOND SPECIES.

,VY'n .1."

rjittatus-Araraunat Linn. Gmel. Scop, and Bor.

Vfittacus maximta eyauo croceus, Ray, SIoane« and Will;

' I* Arajamaietnjis tyant'crottat firilTt ,, . .

- ,, *• Ara Brajiiienji) ey'tno'Croctat Id. . .. ,."^ ,Vi .»

PJittacui vertici virUi, cauia cyanta, Klein.
01 ;,;;. i^^ ^/^^ ^^^ y^n^,^ Maccaw, Edw. Alb. and Lath.

ii J »<: ■*':{

■■>l J

■^roMENCLATORs tavc divided this into two
^^ fpecies; the firft is the blue and yellow Ara
of Jamaica^ and the fecond is the blue and yellow
Ara of Bra/il. But thefe birds are not only of
the fame fpecies, but inhabit the fame parts of
South America.

It is eafy to defcribe the Blue Ara : the up-
per fide of the body, the wings, and the tail,
are entirely azure, and the under fide of the
body is fine yellow * j this yellow is rich and
•■ ■ ' ■ • ■ ;wi^^-:i.-« V ■ '>^'>-^^"^ "-^^Jf • Vivid,

* " The other called CamdS, having all the plumage under its
belly and round its neck as yellow as fine gold ; the upper fide of
the back, the wings, and the tail, are of thepureft blue: you would
fay that it is attired below with a cloth of gold, and mantled above
with violet figured damafk.*' Lcry, Voyage auBrtfiU ^^i^*P' 171.
Thcvet characterizes equally well the two fpecies of Aras: ** Na-
ture has delighted to pourtray this beautiful bird, called by the fa«
vages carindtt clothing it with a plumage fo beautiful and charm-
ing, that it is impofiible not to admire the workmanihip. This
bird exceeds not in bulk the raven, and its plumage, from the belly
to the throat, is yellow like fine gold ; the wings and the tail,
which is very long, are of a fine azure-colour. There is another

bird

■<m

I t

' •

2^^J4^

THE BRASIUAN^ GKE£V MACCifiV.

'■^

ii
ft

A R A.

169

vivid, and the blue is glofly and fparkling. The J
favages admire thefe Aras, and celebrate their
beauty ; the ulual burthen of their fongs is, 2>/-
low bird, yellow birdy how charming * /

The Blue Aras never mingle with the Red
Aras, though they frequent the fame fpots, and
live in harmony. Their voice is fomewhat dif-
ferent, for the favages can diflinguifti them by
the cry alone. It is faid that the blue ones do
not pronounce the word ara fo diftindly [A].

ifii:'.

The GREEN ARA.

THIRD SPECIES. ,

« .

Tjittaeut SeveruSf Linn. Gmel. Scop, and Bor.
Ik Jtru BrafiUenfis Viridis, BrilT.
a. Ara BrafiUenfis Erjthrochlorat Id.

Maracana, Ray and Will.
;. The Brajilian Green Maccaw, Edw. Sloane, and Lath.

'T^HE Green Ara is much rarer than the two

•* preceding; it is alfo much fmaller. It

confifts of only one fpecies, though nomencla-

bird refembling this in fize, but dIfFerent in its colours ; for its
plumage> inilead of being yellow, is of a red like fine fcarlet, and
the reft azure." Siffgularites de la France Jntar^i^ue, par Thevet,
Paris, 1558, /. 32.

• Canide jouve, €anidi jouve, heura oncebe, Lery. p. 173,
[A] Specific charader of the Pjitt<i<,ui Ararauna: *' Above it
is blue^ below yellow ; its cheeks naked, with feathery lines."

' " ' tors

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I. .

lyo

A R A.

IK' M

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I) '■'I

tors have divided it into two ; becaufe they con-
found it with the Green Parrakeet, which they
call the AraParrahet^ on account of the length
of its tail, and its diftin£tly articulating the word
ara : but notwithflanding thefe properties it is
ftill a Parrakeet, and very common in Cayenne ;
whereas the Green Ara is there altogether un-
known. Sloane fays that the Little Maccaw,
or Little Green Ara, is very frequent in the
woods of Jamaica. But Edwards properly ob-
ferves that this is certainly a miftake, becaufe,
though he made feveral applications, he could
procure none from his correfpondents in that
ifland. Perhaps Sloalie confounded the long-
tailed Green Parrakeet with the Green Ara.

We had a Green Ara alive : it was prefented
by M. Sonini of Manoncour, who procured it at
Cayenne from the favages of Oyapoc, where it
was caught in the neft. Its length, from the tip
of the bill to the end of the tail, is about fixteen
inches ; its body, both above and below, is
green, which according to the pofition is golden
and fparkling or deep olive ; the great and fmall
quills of the wing are beryl blue, on a brown
ground, and the under fide copper coloured ;
the under fide of the tail is the fame, and the
upper fide painted with beryl blue, melting into
olive green ; the green on the head is brighter
and lefs mixed with olive than that on the reft
of the body ; at the bafe of the upper mandible,
on the face, there is a black border of fmall

linear

It!

Is :'ii

A R A.

171

linear fei'* rs that refemble briflles; the white
naked (ku. rhat furrounds the eyes is fpriiikled
with fmall pencils of the lame black briftles
ranged in rowsi the iris of the eye is yellow-
i(b. ^ , :. / *

This bird is as beautiful as it is rare; and it
is ftill more amiable for its focial temper and
gentle difpofition. It loon grows familiar with
perfons whom it fees frequently, and is pleafed
to receive and repay their carefles. But it has an
averfion to ftrangers, and particularly to chil-
dren, and flies at them furioufly. Like all other
domefticated Parrots, it clings to the finger
when prefented to it ; it alfo clafps wood : but
in winter, and even in fummer, when the
weather is cool and rainy, it prefers the arm or
the fhoulder, efpecially if the perfon has wool-
len clothes, for in general it likes warm fluffs.
It is alfo fond of kitchen (loves when they
are cooled fo much as to retain only a gentle
warmth. For the fame reafon, it avoids fitting
on hard bodies which quickly communicate
cold, fuch as iron, marble, glafs, &c. ; and in
cold rainy weather, though in fummer, it fhud-
ders and trembles if water be thrown upon it.
However, in fultry days, it bathes of its own
accord, and often dips its head in the water.

If one ftroke it gently, it fpreads its wings,
and fquats ; it then utters its difagreeable cry,
which refembles the chatter of the jay, railing
its wings during the adion, and bridling its

feathers :

''■■< '.K

' . > . i

I *yf

I :'

I
i

!.■? ..

il*^

1.1. ;,'

K •■■

Pi r

172

A R A.

feathers : and this habitual cry feems to exprefs
either pleafure, or languor. Sometimes it ha$
a (hort ihrill cry, which is lefs equivocal than
the former, and denotes joy and fiitisfadion ; for
it is generally addrefled to perlbns whom it loves ;
but this cry alfo marks its impatience, fits, and
its pettifh gufts of ill-humour. But it is ini-
poilible to be precife on this fubje61: ; for birds
organized like the Parrots perpetually vary or
modify their voice, as they are prompted by imi-
tation.

The Green Ara is jealous : it is fired at feeing
a young child (haring in its miftrefs's carefles
and favours ; it tries to dart at the infant, but,
as its flight is fhort and laborious, it only (hews
its difpleafure by geftures and reftlefs move-
ments, and continues tormented by thefe fits
till its miftrefs is pleafed to leave the child, and
take the bird on her finger. It is then over-
joyed, murmurs fatisfa6lion, and fometimes
makes a noife exa£ily like the laugh of an old
perfon. Nor can it bear the company of other
Parrots, and if one be lodged in the fame room,
it will ftrive to deprive it of every comfort. It
would appear, therefore, that the bird can fulFer
no rivals whatever in its miftrefs*s favour, and
that its jealoufy is founded on attachment ; ac-
cordingly it takes no notice when it fees a dif-
ferent perfon fondle a child. .

It eats nearly the fame things that we do. It
is particularly fond of bread, beef, fried fifh,

. paftry,

V. "1.

'I-

A R A.

»73

paftry, and fugar ; but it feems to prefer roafted
apples, which it fw allows greedily. It cracks
nuts with its bill, and picks them dexteroufly
with its claws. It does not chew the foft fruits,
but fucks them, by preffing its tongue againft
the upper mandible ; and, with refpe(fl to the
harder fort of foods, fuch as bread, paftry, &c.
it bruifes or chews them, by prefling the tip of
the lower mandible upon the moft holbw part
of the upper. But, whatever be the nature of
ifs food, its excrements are always green, and
mij^ed with a fort of white chalky fubftance, as
in mod other birds, except when it is lick, and
then they afllime an orange or deep yellow
caft.

Like all the other Parrots, the Blue Ara ufes
its claws with great dexterity; it bends forward
the hind toe to lay hold of the fruits and other
crumbs which are given to it, and to carry
them to its bill. The Parrots^ therefore, em-
ploy their toes nearly as the fquirrels or mon-
keys ; they alfo cling and hang by them. The
Green Ara almoft always fleeps in this way,
hooked to the wires of its cage. There is alfo
another habit common to the Parrots, viz. they
never climb or creep without faflening by the
bill, with which they begin, and ufe the feet
only as a fecond point of their motion.

The noftrils are not vifible in this Ara, as in
moft of the other Parrots ; inftead of beins:
placed in the uncovered part of the horn of the

bill,

{jf'f

■ I,'- ,*<

T ,i .

''"ii(l !

174

A ^ A.

im ■•*

^1|
f. 'lil

81! ^11

bill, they are concealed in the firfl: fnnall fea-^
thers that cover the bafe of the upper mandible^
which rifes and fon-ns a cavity at its root v^heii
the bird makes an effort to imitate difficult
founds : in Aich cales the tongue folds back at
the tip, and recover? its fhape when it eats ; a
power not commonly pollcfled by birds which
can only move it backwards or forwards in the
dire(flion of the bill. This little Green Ara is
as hardy as moft of the other Parrots, or even
more fo. It learns more eafily to prattle, and
pronounces much more diftindly, than the Red
or Blue Aras. It liftens to the other Parrots,
and improves hefide them. Its cry is like that
of the other Ara», only its voice is not near fo
flrong, and does not articulate fo difliiidly the
found ara. ^

It is faid that bitter almonds will kill Parrots,
but I am not certain of the fadl ; I know, how-
ever, that parfley, of which they are very fond,
if taken even in fmall quantity, is very perni-
cious ; as foon as they eat it, a thick vifcous li-
quor runs from the bill, and they die in an hour*
or two. '

It appears that there is the fame variety in
the Green Aras as in the Red ; at leaft Edwards
has defcribed a great Green Maccaw^ which is
thirteen inches long, and fifteen to the middle
feather of the tail : the face was red ; the quills
of the wing blue, and alfo the lower part of the
back and the rump. Edwards calls the colour
8 ~ of

i.' r '

A R A.

175

of the under furface of the wings and of the tail,
dull orange^ and it is probably the fame with
that dull bronze red which we perceived below
the wings of our Green Ara; the feathers of
the tail, in that of EdwardiJ, were red above,
and torminatcd by blue [A]. • >

The BLAC K ARA.

FOlTRTH SPECIES.

Pjittacus Atety Gmel.
The Black Maccaw, Lath,

THE plumage is black, with reflediions of
(hining green, and thefe mingled colours
are much like thofe of the ani. We can only
indicate this fpecies, which is known to the fa-
vages of Guiana, but which we have not been
able to procure. It differs from the other Aras
in fome of its habits ; it never approaches the
fettlements, but remains on the arid and barren
fummits of rocks and mountains. Laet feems
to mention this bird by the name of Ararauna^
or Machaoj whofe plumage, he fays, is black,
but fo well mixed with green that, in the fun
beams, it (hines admirably; the legs are yel-

[A] Specific charafter of the Pjittacus Severus : *' It is green;
its cheeks naked; the quills of its wings and tail blue, below pur-
plilh."

low,'

;'«

I'll

yA \

M[-

• ,. Sep

■ !'#

■!!t

ii'i

176

A R A.

1^ '■

m ^

It
I

low, he fubjoins ; the bill and the eyes reddiffi,
and it refides in the interior parts of the coun-
. try.

Briflbn has formed another Ara from a Par-
j-akeet, and called it the variegated Ara of the
Moluccas, But, as we have frequently obferv-
ed; there are no Aras in India, and we have
fpoken of this bird in treating of the Parrakcets
of the old continent.

[A] Specific character of the P/ittacus Attr : «« It is black, with
a grecnifli fplendour; its bill and eyes are reddilh: its legs yeU
low."

'!<•

\ .

■* ■ » !■■.-£

'^1*'

»: f- '•-.■

I,! IS

I !

.li:

AMAZON AND CRICK.

177

THE

AMAZONS and CRICKS.

WE (hall apply the name of Amazon Par-'
rots to all thofe which are marked
with red on the fan of the wing ; they have re-
ceived that appellation in America, becaufe they
are brought from the country of the Amazons,
We (hall appropriate the term Crick to thofe
which have no red on the fan, but only on the
wing : this too is the name given by the fa-
vages of Guiana to thefe Parrots. They arc
diftingui(hed from Amazons by other properties
alfo : I . the plumage of the Amazons is Ihin-
ing, and even dazzling, whereas the green co-
lour of the Cricks is dull and yellowifh;
2. in the Amazons the bead is covered with a
fine and very bright yellow, but, in the Cricks,
this yellow is dull and intermixed with other
colours ; j. the Cricks are rather fmaller than
the Amazons, which are much fmaller than the
Aras ; 4, the Amazons are exceedingly beauti-
ful and rare, but the Cricks are the moft com-
mon of the Parrots, and the moft inferior iii
point of beauty; they are extenfively fpread,
while the Amazons are hardly ever found, ex-
cept at Para, and in fome other countries bor-
dering on the river of Amazons.

VOL. VI. N But

.> !> ■ \i

if VI

}

•M

hi 1,

i 'I

f .

'i '

II f

El •■

178

AMAZON AND CRICK.

But the Cricks, having red on their wings,
ought to be joined with the Amazons, of which
this red forms the principal character : their na-
tural habits are likewire the Tame ; they fly in
numerous flocks, perch in multitudes on the
lame fpots, and all Icream together (b loud that
they may be heard at a great diftance. They
frequent alio the woods, both thofe on the
mountains and thofe which grow in the low
grounds, and even the fwamps that abound
with palms, elalVic-gum trees, and bananas, &c.
and are fond of the fruit of thefe trees. They
cat, therefore, a greater variety of fruits than
the Aras, which commonly fubfift on the pal*
mettoes alone ; but thefe dates are lb hard that
they can hardly be cut; they are round, and as
large as pippins.

Some authors* have faid that the flefli of all
the American Parrots contrails the odour and
colour of the fubftanc^s on which they feed ;
that it fmells of garlic, when they eat the fruit
of the acajou ; that it has the fcent of mulk and
of cloves, when they eat the fruit of the Indian
wood ; and that it receives a black tinge, when
they live upon the fruit of the gentpa, whofe
juice, though at firft as limpid as water, be-
comes as black as ink in the fpace of a few
hours. They fubjoin that the Parrots become
very fat during the maturity of the mangroves,

• Dutertre, Hi^. de$ Antilles ^ t. II. p. 251.— Labat, IJouv, Voy.
auicIUs de l^Amtritiuef t. II. p. 159.

which

AMAZON AND CRICK.

which yield excellent food ; and laftly that the
feeds of the cotton (hrub intoxicate them to
fuch a degree, that they may be caught with
the hand.

The Amazons, the Cricks, and all the other
Parrots of America, conftrud their nefts in holes
formed in decayed trees by the woodpeckers,
and only lay two eggs twice a year, which the
cock and hen hatch by turns : it is faid that
they never forfake their neft, and perfift in
hatching, though their eggs be handled and de-
ranged. In the love feafon, they afl'emble and
breed in the fame haunt, and fearch their food
in company; when their appetite is fatisfied
they make a continual and noify babbling, (hift-
ing their place inceflantly, and fluttering from
tree to tree, till the darknefs of night and the
fatigue of adtion invite to repofe. In the morn-
ing they are obferved on the naked branches,
at fun- rife, and they remain quiet till the dew
is dried from their plumage, and their warmth
recovered; then they rife in a flock, with a
noife like that of gray crows, but louder* They
breed in the rainy feafon *.

The favages commonly take the Parrots in
the neft, becaufe they are more eafily reared
and better tamed. But the Caribbs, according
to Labat, catch them alfo after they are old :
they obferve the trees on which they perch in

* Note commuiuuced by M. de la fiorde* King's Phyfician at
Cayenne*

N 2 great

t( 1

! J^

?<u

i8o

'^f'-'y,

AMAZON AND CRICK.

great numbers in the evening, and, after dark,
they carry near the fpot lighted coals, on which
they throw gum and green pimento; the birds
are fuddenly involved and Aifled in thick fmoke,
and fall to the ground ; the favages then feize
them, tie their feet, and recover them from
the fufFocation, by throwing water on the head*.
They alfo bring down the Parrots without hurt-
ing them much, by (hooting them with blunt
arrows "f. But the old ones thus caught are dif-
ficult to tame. There is only one method of
rendering them tradable ; it is to blow the
fmoke of tobacco into their bill, which partly
intoxicates them, and makes them gentle and
pliant. If they grow mutinous again, the dofe
is repeated, and thus in the courfe of a few days
their difpofition is foftened. We can hardly
form an idea of the envenomed temper of the
wild Parrots ; they bite cruelly without provo-
cation, and will not quit their hold. The old
birds never learn to prattle in perfection. To-
bacco fmoke is alfo ufed to cure them of their
noify difagreeablc cry.

Some authors J alledge that the female Par-
rakeets never learn to fpeak ; but this is a mif-
take : they are more eafily taught than the
males, and even more docile and gentle. Of

• Labat, li^cuv. Voy. aux lies tie VAmeriqutt t. II. 52,
t '* The favages of Brafil have very long arrows, headed with
a ball of cotton, for (hooting at Parrots." Bikn,

X Frifch, &c. "^'^ -'^■

, . - ■' ' all

t l!

AMAZON AND CRICK.

i8i

all the American Parrots, the Amazons and the
Cricks are the mod fufceptible of education^
cfpecially when caught young.

As the favages traffic with each other in
the feathers of Parrots, they claim a certain
number of trees on which thefe birds make
their nefts. This is a kind of property from
which they derive an income by felling the Par-
rots to Grangers, or by bartering the feathers
with other favages. Thefe trees defcend from
father to fon, and are often their richeft inherit-
ance*, ^v. -

• Fernandez, WJI, Nov. fii/f, f, 38,

h"/:«{»t.i

'ill w.

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N 3

iSs

AMAZON.

I " ' 1-1

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lip

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i •-'{

■ '■■ {

ill

53 *

Ii .

The AMAZON PARROTS.

WE know five fpecies of thefe, befidea
many varieties ; the firll is the Yel-
low-headed J the fecond, the Tarabe, or Red-*
headed; the third, the White-headed; the
fourth, the Yellow Amazon ; and the fifth,
the Aourou-Couraou*

The YELLOW-HEADED AMAZOiNT,

FIRST SPECIES.

PJiitacus Nobilist Linn, and Gmel«
. The Ntile Parrot, Lath.

THE crown of the head is a fine bright yel*
low ; the throat, the neck, the upper lide
of the back, and the fuperior coverts of the
wings, of a brilliant green j the bread and the
belly green, with a little yellow iih ; the fans of
the wings are of a bright red ; the quills of the
"wings are variegated with green, black, violet^
blue, and red ; the two exterior quills, on each
iide of the tail, have their inner webs red at
their origin, and tht n deep green, which, at
the extremity, changers into a yellovvifh green;
the bill is red at the bale, all the reft of it ci-.

nercQUs 5

J"
th

lol
on

its

AMAZON.

183

nereous ; the iris is yellow ; the feet gray, and
the nails black.

We muft obferve that Linnaeus commits an
error in faying that this bird has naked cheeks ;
which confounds the Amazons with the Aras,
to which alone that character belongs. On the
contrary, the Amazons are feathered on the
cheeks, or between the bill and the eyes, and
like all the other Parrots, have only a very
fmall circle of naked Ikin round the eyes [A].

Varieties or contiguous Species of the
YELLOW-HEADED AMAZON.

There are two other fpecies, or perhaps va-
rieties, related to the preceding.

I. T^he Red and Green Parrot of Cayenne^
which has not been mentioned by any natural-
ift, though known in Guiana by the name of
Bqftard Ama%on or Half- Amazon, It is faid to
be a crofs-breed of the Amazon with another
Parrot. It is indeed inferior in beauty to the one
juft defcribed ; for it has not the fine yellow on
the face near the root of the bill ; the rjreen co-
lour of its plumage is not fo brilliant, but has a
yellowilh caft ; the red on the plumage is the
only colour which is fimilar and difpofed in the

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[A] Specific charafter of the Pjitiacus Kobilis ; *' It Is green ;
its cheeks naked j its fhoulders fcarlei."

N 4 Amc

x84

AMAZON.

fame way ; there is alfo a fliade of yellowifh
under the tail ; the bill is reddifh, and the feet
gray; and as it has the fame bulk, we can
hardly doubt but that it is nearly related to the
fpccies of the Amazon.

II. The fecond variety was firfl noticed by
Aldrovandus, and, according to his defcription,
it appears to differ from this Amazon Parrot
only in the colours of its bill, which that au-
thor fays is ochrey on the fides of the upper
mandible, whofe ridge is bluifli, with a fmall
white bar near the tip; the lower mandible is
alfo yellowifli in the middle, and lead colour
through the reft of its lenorth. But all the co-
lours of the plumage, the fize, and fhape of the
body, being the fame as in the Yellow-headed
Amazon, it may be only a variety.

si ''■
it '■

t-r-4i^

The TARABE, or RED-HEADED
AMAZON.

SECOND SPECIES.

PJittaeus Taraba, Gmel.

The Re J -headed Amaxon^s Parrot ^ Lath.

HIS Parrot, which is defcribed by Marc-
grave as a native of Brafil, is not found
in Peru. The head, the 'breaft, the pinions,
and tops of the wings, are red ; and hence it

ought

JTyvtf

' ' ■ ii;- -

U i >

TIfB"WHITE-FIiONTE.r> l:»AB.ROT'

AMAZON.

1S5

ought to be ransed with the Amazon Parrots.
All the reft of its plumage is green ; the bill
and the feet are dull a(h-colour [A].

The WHITE-HEADED AMAZON.

THIRD SPECIES.

PJittacus Leucocephalus, Linn. Gmel. and Bor.
The White-headed Parrot^ Edw.
The White-fronted Parrot, Lath.

IT would be more accurate to name this bird
the White-fronted Parrot ; becaufe the white
is generally confined to the face. But fome-
times it furrounds the eye, and extends to the
crown of the head ; and often it only borders
the face. The fpecies appears fubje<5t, there-
fore, to variety. In one fpecimen, the plumage
was alfo of a deeper green, and lefs waved with
black : in another, it was lighter, mixed with
yellow ilh, and interfe£led with black feftoons
all over the body ; the throat and the fore-fide
of the neck are of a fine red. That colour is
not fo much fpread in the former, or fo bright,
but there is a fpot of it under the belly. In
botli of them, the quills of the wing are blue ;
thofe of the tail yellow i(h green, tinged with

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittacus Taraba: •* It is green;
its head, its throatj and the leiTer coverts of its wings, are red.'*

red

lil;. ^i'vi

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186

AMAZON.

red in the firfl: half; and, on the fan, a red fpot
is perceived, which is the livery of the Ama-
zons. Sloane fiiys that thefe Parrots are fre-
quently brought from Cuba to Jamaica, and
that they occur alfo in St. Domingo. They
are found in Mexico, but never in Guiana.
Briflbn divides them into two Ipecies; and this
miftake was occafioned by Edwards's White-
headed Parrot being different from his. The
Martinico Parrot mentioned by Labat, in which
the upper fide of the head is flate colour, with
a little red, is different from our White-headed
Parrot, though Briflbn afl'erts that they are the
fame [A].

I
I fill

l» , ' . 1

Is ;, ' i '

The YELLOW AMAZON.

FOURTH SPECIES.

PJittacus Auroray Gmel.
The Aurora Parrot^ Lath.

THIS bird is probably a native of Brazil, (ince
Salerne fays that he favv one which pro-
nounced Portuguefe words. We are certain at
lead th^t it comes from the new world, and the
red colour of its vents affigns its place among
the Amazons.

All the body and the head are of a very fine

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittacus Leucocephalus : " It is
green J iis wirg-quills blue; its front white; its orbits fnoivy."

yellow ;

JUl^S

THE YELLO-t VHE ADEI> AMAaOW £AKROT .

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AMAZON.

187

yellow; the fans are marked with red, and alfo
the great quills of the wings, and the l-'^eral
quills of the tail ; the iris is red ; the bill and
feet are white [A],

The AOUROUCOURAOU.

FIFTH SPECIES.

Pfittacui JEJiivm.

jiiuru-curau, Ray and Johnftone.

The Common Amazon^ i Parrot, Lath*

THE Aourou-Couraou of Marcgrave is ahand-
fome bird, and is found in Guiana and Bra-
zil. Its face is bluifh, with a bar of the fame
colour below the eyes ; the reft of the head is
yellow; the feathers of the throat are yellow,
and edged with bluifh green ; the reft of the
body is light green, which aflumes a yellowifh
tinge on the back and belly; the fan of the
wing is red ; the fuperior coverts of the wings
green ; the quills of the wing are variegated
with green, black, yellow, blue, and red; the
tail is green, but, when the feathers are fpread,
they appear fringed with black, red, and blue ;
the iris is gold colour ; the bill is blackifli ; and
the feet cinereous [B.]

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittacus Aurora: *< It is bright
yellow ; its axillit, the margins of its wings^ and its greater wingt
quills red outwards in the middle/*

[B] Specific charafter oi the PJtttacus JEJiivus : ** It is green ,(
fomewhat fpotted with yellow; its front blue; its Hipulders bloo4^
f oloured ; its orbits cam£itiQn«''

'i«,:i!'

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i88

AMAZON.

VARIETIES of the AOUROU-COURAOU.

?'ii-i

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(I 1, i

There are feveral varieties which may be
referred to this fpccies.

I. The bird mentioned by Aldrovandus under
the appellation o^FJittacus Viridis MelanorinchoSj
which hardly differs at all from the preceding.

II. There is another alfo defcribed by Aldro-
vandus, in which the face is beryl blue with a
bar of the fame colour above the eyes, which is
only a (hade different from the fpecics cf this
article. The crown of the head is alfo of a
paler yellow ; the upper mandible is red at the
bafe, bluifli in the middle, and black at the
end ; the lower mandible is whitifh. In all
other properties, the colours are precifely the
fame as in the Aourou-Couraou* It is found in
Guiana, Brazil, and Mexico, and alfo in Ja-
maica; and it rauft be very common in Mexi-
co, iince the Spaniards give it a proper name,
Catherina *. From Guiana it has probably been
carried into Jamaica, which is at too great dif^
tance from the continent to correfpond with the
excurfions of the Parrots. Labat fays that they
cannot fly from one ifland to another, and that

• Many beautiful kinds of Parrots are diftinguifhed in New
Spain; the cater inillas have their plumage entirely green j the loros
have it green likewife, except the head and the extremity of the
wings, which are of a fine yeliow ; the pericos are of the fame co-
lour, and are not larger than a thrulh." Hiji. Gen, det Voy. t. XlU
/. 626.

. . ' . . thofe

\\ )

AMAZON.

1S9

thofc of the difForent iflands may be diftiiiguirti-
ed. The Parrots of Brazil, Cayenne, and the
reft of the continent of America, which are feeii
in the iflands, have been tranfported thither,
and few which are natives of the iflands are
found on the continent, on account of the dif-
ficulty of the paflage ; for a ftrong current fets
out from the Bay of Mexico, fo that a veflel is
carried in fix or {even days from the continent
to the iflands, though it takes fix weeks or two
months to work back again.

HI. Another variety is the A'luru-Curuca of
Marcgrave. There is on the head a blue cap
mixed with a little black, in the midft of whicli
is a yellow fpot : this indication differs in no-
thing from the defcription which we have given.
But the bill is afli-coloured at the bafe, and
black at the end ; this is the only flight variation.

IV. Marcgrave notices another variety, and
remarks that it is like the preceding ; yet our
nomenclators have ranged them in different fpe-
cies, and even doubled thefe. The only dif-
ference is that the yellow extends a little more
on the neck.

V. The Tellow-fronted Amazon Parrot of Brif-
fon (PJittacus Amazonlcus front e lutea). The
only difference is that the face is whitifh, or pale
yellow, but in the other it is bluifh ; which is
by no means fufficient to conftitute a diftin<9:
and feparate fpecies.

t ^k

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CRICK.

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The CRICKS.

THOUGH there is a very great number of
birds to which this name is appUed, they
may be all reduced to {even fpecics, of which
the others are varieties. Thefe {even fpecies
are: i. The Yellow-throated Crick; 2. The
Mcunier or Mealy Crick ; 3. The Red and
Blue Crick ; 4. The Blue-faced Crick ; 5. The
Crick properly fo called ; 6.. The Blue-headed
Crick; 7. The Violet-headed Crick.

The CRICK with a YELLOW HEAD
and THROAT.

FIRST SPECIES.

Pfittacus Ochrapttrus, Gmel.

PJtttacus j^mazonicus gutlurt luteo, BriH'.

Pfittacus Virid'n Aliust capite luteo, Frif. and Klem.

The Tellow-iKinged Parrot^ Lath.

THE whole of the head, the throat, and the
lower part of the neck, are of a very fine
yellow ; the under fide of the body is of a (hin-
ing green, and the upper fide alfo green, but
with a little mixture of yellow ; the fan of the
wing is yellow, whereas the fame part is red
in the Amazons ; the firft row of the coverts
3 of

CRICK.

191

of the wing Is red and yellow ; the other rows

the quills of the wings and

of a i'\

are ot a tiiic green
of the tail arc varic

ated with green, black,
violet, yellow i(h, and red ; the iris is yellow ;
the bill aiiJ feet whitiih.

This bird is living at prefcnt with Father
Bougot, who has communicated to us the fol-
lowing account of its difpofition and habits.
*' It is very fufceptible of attachment to its
mailer J it is fond of him, but requires frequent
carefles, and feems difconfolate if neglected,
and vindictive if provoked. It has fits of obfli-
nacy; it bites during its ill humour, and im-
mediately laughs, exulting in its mifchief. Cor-
redlion and rigorous treatment only harden it,
and make it more ftubborn and wayward :
gentle ufage alone fucceeds in mollifying its
temper.

*' The inclination to gnaw whatever it can
reach, is very deftru£tivc in its efFedls ; it cuts
the cloth of the furniture, fplits the wood of
the chairs, and tears paper, pens, &c. And if
it be removed from the fpot, its pronenefs to
contradidlion will inftantly hurry it back. But
this mifchievous bent is counterbalanced by
agreeable qualities, for it remembers eafily what
it is taught to fay. Before articulating it claps
its wings and plays on its rood ; in the cage it
grows dejected, and continues filent ; never
prattles well, except when it enjoys liberty. It
chatters lefs in winter than during the fummer

months.

'"1

i ; ;-

'*ik ■■ ' #

H'^:^

,.1?

192

CRICK.

I J

m I

l.M

ffi

H '

111-'

months, forgetting its food, when it never
ceafes from morninor to nisiht.

'* In its cheerful days it is affe£lionate, re-
ceives and returns carefTcs, and liftens and
obeys; though a peevish fit often interrupts
the harmony. It feems afFedled by the change
of weather, and becomes filent ; the way to re-
animate it is to fing befide it ; it flrives by its
noily fcreams to furpafs the voice which excites
it. It is fond of children ; in which refpe6l it
differs from other Parrots. It contracts a pre-
dile<Slion for fome of them, and fufFers them to
handle and carry it ; it carefles them, and if
any perfon then touches them, it bites at him
fiercely. If its favourite children leave it, it is
unhappy, follows them, and calls loudly after
them. During moulting it is much reduced,
and feems to endure great pain ; and that flate
lafts near three months.

*' Its ordinary food is hemp-feed, nuts, fruits
of all kinds, and bread foaked in wine; it would
prefer fleih, but that diet makes it low fpirited
and inadlive, ?«nd, after fome time, occafions its
feathers to drop. It is altb obferved to keep its
food in bags under the chin, and to ruminate*.**

♦ Note communicated by the Rev, Father Bougot, Guardian of
the Cdpuchias of bcmur, who has long amufed himfelf with rear-
ing Parrots.

[A] Specific charadler of the PJittacus Ochropterus: ** It is green ;
its fi out and orbits whitifh; its top, its checks, its throat, and the
more remote coverts of its wings, fine yellow."

CRICK.

193

The MEALY CRICK.

le Meunier, ou Lt Crik PouJret BufF.
SECOND SPECIES.

PJittacus Puheiulenius. Gmel.
. i The Mealy Green Parrot, Lath, _ -.

NO naturalift has defcribed this fpecies dif-
tinOly ; only Banere feems to mention it as
large, whitifh, and powdered with gray. It is
the bisfffeft of all the Parrots of the new world,
except the Aras. It is called meunier, or the
miller^ by the fettlers at Cayenne, becaufe its
plumage, whofe ground colour is green, ap-
pears Iprinkled with meal: there is a yellow
Ipot on the head ; the feathers on the upper
lurface of the neck have a broad edginor of
brown ; the under fide of the body is of a light-
er green than the upper fide, and is not mealy;
the outer quills of the wings are black, except
a part of the outer webs, which are blue; there
is a large red fpot on the wings; the quills of
the tail are of the fame colour with the under
fide of the body, from their origin to three
fourths of their length, and the remaining
fourth yellowilh green. (^ - >

This Parrot is one of the mod efleemed, as
well for its magnitude and the fingularity of its
colours, as for the facility with which it learns
to fpeak, and the mildnefs of its difpofition.

VOL. VI. o There

U^':t.

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lit

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194

C R I C IC.

There is only one flight defeat in its appearance,
viz. its bill is like whitifh horn [A],

The RED and BLUE CRICK.

THIRD SPteCIES. . ~ ..

PJittacus Carukociphalust Linn, and Gftid.
Ffittacui Guianenjis cteruleut, BrifT.
PJittacus Verjicclor, Ray.
The Red and Blue Parrot, Will, and Lath.

THIS Parrot has been mentioned by Aldro-
vandus, and all the other naturalifts have
copied his account ; but they do not agree in
their defcriptions. According to Linnaeus, the
tail is green; Briflbn reprcfents it as rofe-co-
}oured. As neither of them has feen it, I (hall
quote Aldrovandus.

*' The epithet variegated (jTronci^oq) fuks it
well, confidering the diverfity and richnefs of
its colours; blue and foft red (rofeus) predomi-
nate ; the blue appears on the neck, the breads
and the head, vvhofe crown is marked with a
yellow fpot J the rump is of the fame colour j
the belly is green ; the top of the back light
blue ; the quills of the wings and of the tail are

[A] Specific charafter of the Pfittacus Pul'vert:len*.tt: *' It is
green, and above is fprinkled with mealy fpecksj i^. bright yellow
fpot on its head, and a red one on its wings."

4 all

bli
ye

C R I C IC.

'9S

ail rofe Colour *, the coverts of the former are
mixed with green, yellow, and rofe colour ;
thofe of the tail are green ; the bill is blackifli ;
the feet are reddifli gray." Aldrovandus does
not inform Us from what country this bird is
brought ; but as there is red on its wings, and
a yellow fpot on the head, we have ranged it
with the American Cricks.

We may obferve that Briflbn has confounded
with it the Violet Parrot mentioned by Barrcre,
but which is very different, and belongs neither
to tlie Amazons nor to the Cricks [A.]

j,,!,.

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The BLUE-FACED CRICK.

FOURTH SPECIES. ' '• ' -•■

Pjlttacus HavemenJiSf Gmel.

I, Pfittacu$ Amaxjonicus gutture caruUot Briff.
. l^Yic Blue-fronted Parrot t Lath.

# •

HIS Parrot was fent to us from the Havan-
na, and it is probably common in Mexico
land near the ifthmus of Panama ; but it is not
found in Guiana. It is much fmaller than the
Mealy Crick, its length being only twelve
inches* Among the quills of the wings, which

[A] Specific charafter of the P/flf/flff«Cafr«/Mf<?/>W«j; " Ft is
blue; its belly, its ramp, and its tail, are green; its top bright
yellow ; the (juill? of its wings and tail red."

'.■• ill

ii.n

O 2

are

196

CRICK.

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arc indigo colour, there are fome red ones ; the
face is blue ; the breaft and ftomach are of a
foft red or lilac, and waved with green ; all the
reft of the plumage is green, except a yellow
ipot on the lower part of the belly [A],

The C R I C K,

FIFTH SPECIES.

^Jittntu^ Jgilis, Linn. Gmel. and Bo;^,
Pjittacus Cayanenjisy BrifT.
The Little Green Panot, Edw.
The Jgile Parrot, Lath.

THE name Crick is beftowed on this bird at
Cayenne, where it is fo common that the
fame appellation is extended to a confiderable
tribe of Parrots. It is fmaller than the i\ma-
zons ; but we ought not, with the nomencla-?
tors, to range it among the Parrakeets * : they
have miftaken it for the Guadeloupe Parrakeet,
becaufe it is entirely green. They would h^ve
avoided this error, if they had cnnfultcd Marc-
grave,, who fays exprefsly that it is Lirge as 4
hen ; and this character is alone fufficient to exr
elude it from the Parrakeets.

This Crick has alfo been confounded with

fA] Specific charadler of the /^//flfaj WaTflWfw/ff.- " It is green ;
its front and throat a(h-blue } a large red fpot on iu breail \ its or-
bits cinereous."

t Willughby, Ray, Linpxus, and BriiTon.

the

the]
fcal

CRICK.

i$7

the T'ahuay or Tavoua^^ which is widely dif-
ferent ; for the Tavoua has no red on its wings,
and is therefore neither an Amazon nor a Crick,
but rather a Popinjay, of which we fliall fpeak
in the following article.

The Crick is near a foot long from the tip of
the bill to the extremity of the tail, arid its
wings, when clofed, extend a little beyond the
middle of the tail ; both the upper and under fuf-
face are of a pretty light handfome green, par-
ticularly on the belly and the neck, where the
green is very brilliant ; the front and the crown
of the head are alfo of a pleafant green ; the
cheeks are greenifli-yellow ; there is a red
fpot on the wings, and their quills are black,
terminated with blue ; the two middle quills of
the tail are of the fame green with the back,
and the outer quills^ being five on either fide,
have each an oblong red fpot on the inner webs,
and which fpread more aiid more from the inner
quill to the outer one j the iris is red ; the bill
and feet whitifh.

Marcgrave notices a variety in this ipecies,
which differs only in point of fize^ heing rather
fmaller than the preceding. The former he
calls Aluru-catlngay and the latter Aturu-apara^

* Barrere and BrifTon.

[A] Specific chara£ler of ^t Pfittacus AgilU i " It isgnen;
the coverts of its bluifli primary wing-quills are fulvous ; its tail
fcatcely elongated^ red below } its orbits cinereous.**

♦I \

r*' mi

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198

CRICK.

ii.li

Ki.^l i

' The BLUE-HEADED CRICK.

SIXTH SPECIES.

PJlttacits Autumnalist i ft Var. Gtnel.

The Blue-headed Creature, Bancr.

The Blue-faced Green Parrot ^ Edw. and Lath.

Tpiis is defcribed by Edwards ; it is found
alfo in Guiana. All the fore-iide of the
head and the throat are blue, which colour is
tern^inated, on the breafl, by a red fpot ; the
reft of the body is green, which is deeper on
the back than beneath ; the fuperior coverts of
the wings are green; their great quills blue,
thofe adjacent red, and the upper part blue at
the extremity; the quills near the body are
green ; the quills of the tail are green on their
upper furface as far as the middle, andyellowifli
green below ; the lateral quills are red on their
. exterior webs ; the iris is orange coloured ; the
bill is blackifh cinereous, with a reddi(h fpot on
the (ides of the upper mandible ; the feet are
jlelh coloured, and the nails black.

M: '';'!

VARIETIES of the BLUE-PIEADED

CRICK.

To this fixth fpecies we fliall refer the fol-
low uig varieties,

1. The

V, i;

CRICK. 199

I. The Cocho Parrot^ mentioned by Fernan-
dez, which differs in fo far only as it is varie-
gated with red and whitifli inftead of red and
bluiih ; in every other refpe£t it is the fame
with the Blue-headed Crick. The Spaniards
call it Catherina, which name they apply alfo to
the fecond variety of the Aouarou-couraou^ and
Fernandez fays that it prattles well.

II. The Lejfer Green Parrot of Edwards,
which is diftinguifhed only by its red face and
orange cheeks J its other colours, aad its fize, are
the fame with thofe of the Blue-headed Crick.

III. The Brqfilian Green Parrot of Edwards
is alfo another variety. Its face, and the top of
its neck, are of a fine red, whereas thefe parts
sre bluifh in the Blue-headed Crick; but, in
other refpe(fl:s, the refemblance is exadt. — We
cannot conceive why Briflbn ranges this bird
with the Dominica Parrot, mentioned by La-
bat ; for that author fays only that there are a
few red feathers in the wings, in the tail, and
under the throat, and that all the reft of its
plumage is green. But thefe charadlers are too
general, and will apply equally tp many other
Atna^ons and Cricks,

;'»•

"■■ ,.,'.

' ■■'11

' m

O 4

■ " ■,-■ ^M

100

crick:.

. i.' 'I

The VIOLET-HEADED CRICK.

i !'

; I " •',■ ♦ ' ^

I. 'i

If' :': '■■

■I !*

::J !*

SEVENTH SPECIES.

PJittacm Viol-aust Linn, and Gmel.
Pjittacus Ajuarum-Lupiarum In/ula, BrllH
't\\Q Ruf necked Parro', Lath.

THIS Parrot is found ia Guadaloupe, and was
firft delcribed by Father Dutertre. " Its
colours are fo beautiful," he fays, " and fo fin-
gular, that it defcrves to be fele(Sled from all the
refl for defcription. It is almoft as large as a
hen ; its bill and eyes are edged with carnation ;
all the feathers of its head, of its neck, and of
its belly, are violet, mixed with a tin£ture of
green and black, changing like the neck of a
pigeon ; all the upper fide of the back is of a very
brown green; the great quills of the wings are
black, all the others yellow, green, and red ;
on the coverts of the wings are two rofe-(haped
fpots of the fame colours. When it briftles the
feathers of its neck, it makes a fine ruff round
the head, on which it feems to pride itfelf, as
the peacock does on its tail ; it has a ftrong
voice, fpeaks very diftinclly, and is eafily taught,
if taken young *.**

Wc have not (ttw this Parrot ; it is not found
at Cayenne, and it mufl: now be very rare in
Guadeloupe, fince none of the inhabitants of

* Hijl, deiJntilkh t. II. p. 251.

this

CRICK*

aof

this ifland could give us any account of it. But
this is not extraordinary ; for as the iflands ad-
vance in population, the number of Parrots
gradually decreafes ^-nd Dutertrc remarks in
particular, that the French colonifts commit
great havock among the Violet-headed Cricks in
the feafon of the maturity of the guavas, cachi-
mans, &c. when their fle(h is excelfively fat and
juicy. He adds that they are of a gentle difpo-
fition, and eafily tamed : ** We have two," fays
he, *' which build their neft in a large tree a
hundred paces from our hut; the male and fe-
male fit alternately, and come one after another
to the hut for food, and bring their young ones
with them as foon as thefe can leave the neft."
We may obferve that, as the Cricks are the
moft common kind of Parrots, and at the fame
time fpeak the beft, the favages have amufed
themfelves in rearing thefe, and in trying to va-
ry their plumage. For that operation they ufe
the blood of a fmall frog, which is very differ-
ent from thofe of Europe ; it is only half the
fize, and of a fine azure colour, with lon<yi-
tudinal bars of gold : it is the handfomeft of all
the frogs, and feldom frequents marfhes, but
inhabits the fequeftered forefls. The favages
take a young Crick from the nefl, and pluck
the fcapular feathers and fome of thofe on the
back ; then they rub it with the frog's blood,
and the new feathers which grow are no ^onger
green, but fine yellow or beautiful red. Thefe

birds

" «1

1.1, III'

■''' 'Tfl

;■'';' Uii

202

CRICK.

l-il H

birds thus altered are called Tapired Parrots in
France. The operation mud: have been an-
ciently in ufe among the favages, for it is no-
ticed by Marcgrave ; thofe which inhabit Gui-
ana and the banks of the Amazons equally prac-
tife it *. The plucking of the feathers hurts
the birds greatly, and io many die of it, that
thofe which furvive are very rare, and are fold
much dearer than the other Parrots.

The Parrot mentioned by K lein and Frifch is
one of thefe artificial birds ; it would therefore
be idle to copy their defcription.

* Voy. de M. de Gennes au detroit de Magellan. Paris, 1698,

/■ 163.

[A] Specific chara£ler of the Pftttatm Violaceus: *' It is violetj
variegated with green, and a naixture of black ; its back partly
dufky grt.n; its greater wing-quills blacky the reft variegated
with yellow, green, and red; a rofy fpoton the coverts.'*

>-/

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THE ARTIFICIAL PARROT.

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POPINJAY.

ao3

The POPINJAYS.

Let Pafe^ais, BufF.

THESE are in general fmaller than the Ama-
zons, from which and from the Cricks
they are diftinguiihed by having no red on the
wings. They are all peculiar to the new world.
We are acquainted with eleven fpccies of Popin-
jays, to which we (hall fubjoin fuch as are
(lightly mentioned by authors without defcrib-
ing the colours of the wings, and of which we
cannot therefore decide to what genus they be-
long.

■I • Wi ¥

t ,;: /-It'c ,.5.
; *'!«■ • ■ '

1
i

: I

■ V 'm

The PARADISE POPINJAY.

FIRST SPECIES.

PJittacus-ParadiJit Linn. Gmel. and Klela..
PJitlacus Lutttts infula Cuite, Briff.
The Cuia Parrot, Brown and Catelby.
The Paradife Parrai* Lath.

/TpHis Parrot is very handfome. Its body is
■■' yellow, and all the feathers edged with
dark glofly red ; the great quills of the wings
are white, and all the others yellow, like the
feathers on the body ; the two quills in the
middle of the tail are alfo yellow, and all the
lateral oucs red, from their origin as far as two

thirds

a. i

\ 1-

It :i

«?■

204

POPINJAY.

thirds of their length ; the reft is yellow ; th^
iris is red ; the bill and feet white.

It would feem that this fpecies admits of fome
variety ; for in the fpecimen defcribed by Catef-
by, the throat and belly were entirely red^
though there are others in which thefe parts
were yellow, and the feathers only edged with
white. Perhaps the breadth of the red borders
differs according to age or icx, which would ac-
count for the diverfity. — The bird is found iii
the id and of Cuba [A]*

'I r.

\ I

I 'i

The MAILED POPINJAY, Buf.

SECOND SPECIES.
Pfittacus Acdpitrinus, Var. Gmcl.

THIS American Parrot appears to be the fame
with the Variegated Parrot of the old con-
tinent, and we prefume that thofe imported into
France had been carried from the Eaft Indies to
America ; and if fome are found in the interior
parts of Guiana, they have been naturalized,
like the canaries, and feveral other birds and
quadrupeds, introduced by navigators. No na-
turalift or traveller v/ho has vifited the new

[A] Specific charafter of the PJlttacus Paradiji: ** It is yellow j
its throat, its bell/f and the bafe of its tail-(|uills, are red."

world

M'J4d

ri'lf'' •;

• ill' "

( -i ' i" 1. ■

THE >JAlL.En P^VKKOT

-^:-^:

il'l?:|:! It

H i.

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t (-■(

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i ^ii

■I

POPINJAY. ao5

world takes notice of it, though it is well
known to our bird-fanciCiS. Its voice is dif-»
ferent from that of the other Parro^ of Ameri-
ca, and its cry is fharp and flirill. All thefe
circumftances confpire to prove that it is not
indigenous in the new world. / [

The top of the head and the faqe are fur-
rounded vi^ith narrow long feathers, white an4
radiated with blackilh, and which it bridles
when irritated, and difpofes into a fine ruff.
The nape and fides of the neck are of a fine
brown red, and edged with lively blue ; the
feathers on the breafl and flomach are clouded
with the fame colours, only more dilute, and
" ith a mixture of green; a more beautiful filky
? ruling green covers the upper fide of the body
and of the tail, except that fome of the lateral
feathers on each fide appear blue exteriorly, and
the primaries of the wing are brown, and alfp
the under ftirface of thofe of the tail.

.,f :, I 4' : *K>

•^ -k

'^:4'

The T A V O U A,

THIRD SPECIES.

PJtttaeus Fe^lvus, Linn, and Gmel.
The Ftjiye J'arrot, Lath.

THIS is a new fpecies, of which M. Duval
fent two fpecimens for the King's Cabinet.

■« t

■If

2o6

POPINJAY.

It k rare In Guiana ; yet it fometimes approaches
the dwellings. Bird-fanciers are eager to obtain
it, for of all the Parrots it fpeaks the beft, and
even excels the Red-tailed Gray Parrot of Gui-
nea; and yet it was not known till lately, which
is fomewhat fingular. But its talents are at-
tended with an elTential defe£l ; it is faithlcfs
and mifchievous, and bites cruelly when it pre-
tends to carefs : it would even feem to lay plans
of malice, and its phyfiognomy, though fpright-
ly, is dubious. It is an exceedingly beautiful
bird, and more nimble and agile than any other
Parrot.

Its back and its rump are of a very beautiful
red ; it has alio fome red on the front, and the
upper fide of its head is light blue ; the reft of
the upper fide of the body is a fine full green,
and the under fide of a lighter green ; the quills
of the wings are of a fine black, with deep blue
refledions ; fo that in fome pofitions they ap-
pear entirely of a very deep blue : the coverts
of the wings are variegated with deep blue and
green.

We have obferved that Briflbn and Brown
have confounded this Popinjay with our fifth
fpecies of Cricks.

[A] Specific chzrz&er o£ the Pjtttacus Fejivus : " It is green;
its front purplifh ; its e)'e«brows and throat blue i its back blood-
colourcd.'*

POPINJAY.

107

THE

RED-HANDED POPINJAY, Buff,

> FOURTH SPECIES.

PJittactts Dominicenjist GrxitX, ' • .'

; , The Red-handed Parrot , Lath, .

THIS Parrot is found in St. Domin'go. On the
front a fmall red band extends between
the eyes. This and the blue tinge of the pri-
maries of the wings are almoft the only inter-
ruptions in the colour of the plumage, which is
all green and dark compledlioned, and fcaled
with blackifh on the back, and with reddifh on
the ftomach. It is nine inches and a half
long [A]. , .

:'f

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THE

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PURPLE BELLIED POPINJAY, Buff.

FIFTH SPECIES.
• ^ PJlttacm LtucocepbaluSf Var. 3, Gmel.

^iTT^His Parrot is found in Martin ico. It is not

^ fo beautiful as the preceding ones : the face

is white ; the crown and fides of the head blue

cinereous; the belly variegated with purple and

[A] Specific charadler of the PJittaeus Domlnicen/is : " It is
green ; a red band on its front ; black ctefcents on its neck and
back; its wing-q^uills blue."

green,

't: >

li f

i' V

2o8 POPINJAY.

green, but the purple predominates; all the
reft of the body, both above and below, is
green; the fan of the wing white; the quills
variegated with green, blue, and black ; the two
middle quills of the tail are green, the others
variegated with green, red, and yellow ; the
bill is white ; the feet arc gray, and the nails
brown, ^- ^ ■1 .

f ' ''f

'%i

' 'i ! ;

The POPINJAY with a BLUE HEAD

' :--A ,,:■. and THROAT.

'y:: I ■

KM.

SIXTH SPECIES.

Pjittaeus Men" runs, Linn. Gmcl. and Scop, ,
The Blut bed 'ed Parrot, Cdw. and Lath. "^ •

'T^His Popinjay is found in Guiana, though
-*• rare ; and it is befides little fought after,
for it cannot be taught to fpeak. The h^ad,
neck, throat, and breaf^, are of a fine blue,
which receives a tinge of purple on the breaft ;
the eyes are furrounded by a fle(h- coloured
membrane, whereas in all the other Parrots
this membrane is white; on each fide of the
head is a black fpot ; the baqk, the belly, and
the quills of the wing are of a handlbme green ;
the fuperior coverts of the wings are yellowifh
green ; the lower coverts of the tail are of a fine
red; the quills of the middle of the tail are en^

3 tirely

i'.(, .1

POPINJAY. 209

tirely green ; the lateral ones are of the fame
green colour, but they have a blue fpot, which
extends the more the nearer the quills are to the
edges; the bill is black, vviJi a red Ijjot on both
. fides of the fuperior mandible; the feet are
gray [A]. ■ ......

We have obferved that Briflbn has confound-
ed this bird wifh Edwards's Blue-faced Green
Parrot y \ ici. owt Blue-headi ! Cick,

r tf^. \^ y .. •. -.!■» . ..■-

The VIOLET POPINJAY.

SEVENTH SPECIES*

PJitfatus Purpureus, Gmel. " '*' " '
The Little Dafij Parrot^ Edw. and Lath*

^TpHis is called, both in America and in France,
^■w*^'^ the Violet Parrot, It is common in Gui-
ana; and, though handfome, is not much
efteemed, becaufe it never learns to fpeak.

We have already remarked that Briflbn con-
founds this with the Red and Blue Parrot of
Aldrovandus, which is a variety of our Crick.
The wings and tail are of a fine violet; the
head and the borders of the face are of the fame
colour, which is waved on the throat, and
melted into the white and lilac ; a fmall red

[A] Specific charafter of the PJittactti Menfiruus: ** It is green ;
its head bluifh i its vent black.*'

VOL. VI. t ftreak

»r J-'illl

' ' ' ' Pm

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■ 11

SIO

POPINJAY.

ilreak edges the front ; all the upper fide of the
body is brown, obfcurely tinged with violet ;
the under llde of the body is richly clouded
with blue-violct, and purple-violet ; the lower
coverts of the tail are role colour, which alfo
tinges exteriorly the edges of the outer quills of
the tail, through their firft half [A].

mmmmu^^

li ' n

I!" I J

The S A S S E B E.

EIGHTH SPECIES.

TJittacui Collnrius, Linn, and Gmel.

PJittacus Jamaicenjis guUure rubro, BrifT.

Pfiltacus Minor collo miniaceo, Ray.

The Commm Parrot of Jamiica, Sloanc.

lYi^ ReJ-tbroattd Parrot t Lath. ^

/n^viEDo is the firfl who has mentioned this
^^ Popinjay under the name of Xaxebhj
or Sajfebe. Sloane make it a native of Ja-
maica. The head, and both the upper and un-
der furface of the body, are^ green ; the throat
and the lower part of the neck are of a fine red ;
the quills of the wings are fome green and others
blackifli. It is a pity that Oviedo and Sloane>
who faw this bird, did not defcribe it more
fully [B].

[A] Specific charafter of t\\e PJittacus Purptwtyf : ** Above it
is dark brown, below purple ; its top and its cheeks black ; its or-
bits blue : a collar with dirty points ; and the quills of its wkigs
and tail blue."

[B] Specific charafter of the PJttfacut Col/arita : *' It is green,
witii a reddifh throat."

If .11 ■

POPINJAY. 211

The BROWN POPINJAY,

NINTH SPECIES.

Pjittaeut SorJidus, Linn, and Gmcl.
Pjttlacus Nov/e Ui/paniee, Brifl*.
The Dujky Parrot ^ Edsv. and Lath.

^T^wis bird is defcribed, figured, and coloured,
•*• by Edwards : it is one of the rareft, and
of the lead beautiful in the whole genus of Par-
rots. It is found in New Spain. It is nearly
as large as a common pigeon ; the cheeks and
the upper fide of the neck are greenifli ; the
back is dull brown ; the rump is greenifh ; the
tail is green above and blue below ; the throat
is of a beautiful blue, which is about an inch
broad ; the breaft, belly^ and legs, are brown,
with a little cinereous ; the wings are green,
but the quills next the body are edged with yel-
low ; the under coverts of the tail are of a fine
red ; the bill is black above, its bafe yellow,
and the fides of the two mandibles ar4 of a fine
red; the iris is brown nut colour. >

[A] Specific charaA^r of the PfiUacux Sotdidut: ** It is brdwn-
iih ; its throat blue ; its wings and tuV green j its bill and venjt
red," ■;..,: n ■ ■ - ■..-.. ■-^■^'\

■ l-.VI!

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tJ2

POPINJAY.

THE

AURORA-HEADED POPINJAY.

TENTH SPECIES. ■

Pjiftacin Lud.v'cianus, Gmel.

Pjiitcicui VirUis, capite luteo, fnnte rubra, Fris.

"Y^e Orange-heaJid Parrot, L?rh.

DUPRATZ is the only perfoii who has de-
fcribed this bird. '* It is not," fays he,
" fo large as the Parrots which are commonly
brought into France ; its plumage is of a b?au-
tiful celadine-green ; its head is enveloped in
orange, which receives a red tinge near the bill,
and melts into the green on the fide of the body ;
it learns with difficulty to fpeak, and when it
has made that acquifition, it feldom difplays it.
Thefe Parrots always appear in flocks, and if
they are filent when tamed, they are very noify
in the air, and their fhrill fcreams are heard at a
diftance. They live on wahiuts, the kernels
of pine tops, the feeds of the tulip tree, and
other fmall feeds *.

».M

il f li

n it,

* Voyage a la LouiHane, par le Page Dupratz, t. II. p. 128.
[A] Specific charafter o5the PJittacus Ludovicianus: ** It is fca-
£rcen ; its head fulvous, irclining to reddiOi near the bill."

I H

P O P I NJ4Y.

213

The P A R A G U A.

ELEVENTH SPKCIES.

P fit Incus PiKigtanus, Gmel.

Lo'ius tirafihenfi , BriiF. • -

The Paraguan Lory, Lath.

^T^HTS bird, which is defcribed by Marcgrave,
-■' a;>pears to be found in Brafil. It is partly
black, and larger than the Amazon; the breaft,
and the upper part of the belly, and alio the
back, are of a very beautiful red ; the iris is
likewife of a fine red ; the bill, the legs, and the
feet, are deep afh colour.

The beautiful red colours would indicate a
relation to the Lory ; but as that bird occurs
only in India, while the other is probably indi-
genous in Brafil, I fhall not venture to pro-
nounce whether they are of the fame, or of dif-
ferent fpecies; efpecially as Marcgrave, who
faw the Parrot, only gives it the name Para'
gua, without faying that it is a native of Brafil.
It is perhaps a Lory, as Briflbn conceives. The
conjedture derives force from another circum-
ftance : Marcgrave fpeaks alio of a gray Parrot *
as brought from Brazil, which we fufpe^l to be
originally from Guinea -, becaufe none of thefe

• PJittacus Cinereus, Linn, and Gmtl.

Mara ana Prima, Marc, johnlt. WilL and Ray,
PJittacus Brafilienjis Cim-revs, BrifT.
Specific charafter: ** It is entirely blailh alh-colour."

p 3 o-rny

:,<ll

,<*\

'rf ^i\

'->!;' •if-''
■ ■'♦•v-v \i

|P sm

214 POPINJAY.

gray Parrots arc found in America, though they
are frequent in Guinea, from whence they are
often carried with the negroes. Indeed the
manner in which Marcgrave exprefles himfelf
fhews that he did confider it as an American
Parrot ; ji Bird evidently like the Parrot *.

* Avis pfittaco plani fimilis.

[A] Specific charaAer of the PJittaeus Paraguanut: *' It is fear-
let; its head, its neck, its venti its tail, its fiioulders, and iti
wings, black. '»

1 ; ■ ^

* .

M A I P O U K I. iij

The P A R R O Q_U E T S.

* ■

Let Ptr icbeSf BufF.

BEFORE we contidcr the great tribe of
PaiToqut'ts, we Ihall furvcy feparately %
little geiiui that appears to belong neither to the
Parroqiicfs n<»r to the Pv)puijays, and which is
intcniK'diAlc in regard to lize. It contains only
two rpecies, the Maipouri and x\icCaica\ which
laft was unknown till very lately. .

The MAIPOURI, Lu£\

FIRST SPECIES.

P/ittacus Mf/anoce/i/j/jfus, Linn, and Gmel.
PJittiiut Mtxicanus padore a!ho, BriiT.
PJi'tachs Atricabillus, Miller.
The iVbitebr$.!fitd Parrot, Ediv. and Lath.

THE name is very applicable ; for this Parrot
whillles like the tapir, which is called
maipouri in Cayenne ; and though there is a vaft
difference between that huge quadiuped and
this little bird, they utf^r founds fo exadlly fi-
milar, as not to be diltinguiihable. it is found
in Guiana, in Mexico, and as far as the Ca-
raccas ; it never comes nigh the fettlements, but
commonly lives ia woods furrounded with wa-

p 4 ter.

%:]

!! tMU\

ii:

W^' A,

■ ■ -y^k

2l6

M A I P O U R I.

!iM

ter, or even among the trees which grow in
the deluged favaniias. It has no other note
than the fharp whiftle, which it repeats often
while on the wing, and it never learns to
fpeak.

Thefe birds commonly aflbciate in fmall bo-
dies, but often without any tie of afFed:ion; for
they fight frequently, and with rancourors ob-
ftinacy. When any are caught, they reje£t
every kind of food, fo that it is impoffible to
keep them alive ; and their temper is fo ftub-
born that it cannot be foftened by the fmoke of
tobacco, which calms the moft froward of the
Parrots. The Maipourjs require to be bred
when young, and they would not repay the
trouble of educating them, were not their plum-
zcre fo beautiful, and their figure fo fingular :
for their Ihape is very different from thn.t of the
Parrots, or even of the farroquets ; their body
is thicker and iTiortcr,, their head much larger,
their aeck and tail extremely (hort ; fo that
thev have an heavy ivnvieldy air. All their
motions are fuitable to their figure ; even their
feathers are entirely different from thofe of other
Parrots ind Panakeets, being fliort, clofe, and
cohw'iny to the body; fo that they feem com-
prefL-d aiul glued artiHcially en the breaft and
on al! the lower parts of the body. — The Mai-
p;r.ni vd as la- i-c; as a {\ta\) Popinjay, and, for
>ta -V •.•,-afri Of MciDS, J ave Edvv'ards, Rnffon* and
Li AiX^6, cUileJ it with the Parrut& ; bin the

difference

C A I C A. 217

difference is fo great as to require a diftin£t ge-
nus.

The upper fide of the head is black ; there is
a green fpot below the eyes ; the fides of the
head, the throat, and the lower part of the neck,
are of a fine yellow ; the upper fide of the neck,
the belly, and the legs, are orange; the back,
the rump, and the fuperior coverts of the wings,
and the quills of the tail, are of a fine green ;
the breaft and belly are whitilh when the bird
is young, and yellowish after it is grown up ;
the great quills of the wings are exteriorly blue
on the upper fide, and blacki(h below ; the fol-
lowing ones are green, and edged exteriorly
with yellow ; the iris is of a deep chcfnut ; the
bill fle(h coloured; the feet a(h brown, and the
nails biackifii [A].

■i!:i'.

! 1 ' -T

The C A I C A.

Ii-it '3
> ■'.,;*
-^ SECOND SPECIES. >.■ < • I m,

' Tftttacus Pileatui, Gmcl. ''^ '■ " ' f ' '> M
The Hoodtd twrott Lath, j ,.i , 1. , , 'f

«... ' t

CAICA, in the Galibi language, is the name
of the largeft Pan roquet, aiui hence we huve

[A] Specific character of the Pjittacus 'MJanocephahs: " 'r Is
green, lelowyeilow; its cap biackj its Dreait wuitej its oruits
carnation."

applied

*ilr?nj

.i'* m

? e:
I

vt - -■■■.■

I'll J '•"■ ■ • "

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itiiiipM . ^.■

■ if'!,'' , ':. H

mii

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'■ 13:'

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C A I C A.

,i..

applied it to the prefent bird. It is of the fame
genus with the preceding ; for it has all the pe-
culiarities of the form, and alfo the black hood.
Its fpecies is not only new in Europe, but even
in Cayenne. M. Sonini deMononcour tells us,
that he faw it the firfl in 1773. Prior to that
date none ever appeared in Cayenne, and it is
ftill uncertain from what country they come.
But they have fince continued to arrive annu*
ally in fmall flocks, about the months of Sep-
tember and O(flober, and halt only a ihort time
during the fine weather, fo that they are only
birds of paflage.

The hood which envelopes the Caica is pierc-
ed with a hole, in which the eye is placed ; the
hood extends very low, and fpreads into two
chin pieces of the fame colour ; the cifcuit of
the neck is fulvous and yellowiih ; the beautiful
green which covers the reft of the body is in-
terrupted by an azure tinge, that marks the
edges of the wing from the (honlder, borders
the great quills on a darker ground, and tips
thofe of the tail, except the two middle ones,
which are entirely green, and appear rather
fhorter than the lateral ones.

[A] Specific charafter of the Pfittaem Pileatus: *' It is green ;
its head black ; its orbits white ; a iky*blue fpot on its (hodden ;
the tail tipt with blue."

P A R R O dU E T. 219

PARROQ^UETS

OF THE NEW CONTINENT.

TH E diftiiKaion of long and (hort tailed
Parrakeets obtains both in the new and
in the old continent. Of the long-tailed ones,
fome have the tail equally tapered, others un-
equally. We (hall therefore purfue the former
plan ; we fhall begin with fuch as have long
and equ tl tails, then confider fuch as have long
but unequal tails, and conclude with the fhort-
tailed ones.

PARROQUETS

WITH tONG AND JEQUALLY TAPERED TAIiS.

The PAVOUANE PARROQUET,

^ . FIRST SPECIES,

With a long and equal Tail.

Ffittacus Guianenfis^ Gmel. and Briflf.
The Pav$uaut Parrot^ Lath.

'TpHis is one of the handfomefl of the Parro-
* quets. It is pretty common in Cayenne,
and is alfo found in the Antilles, as M. de la
Borde affures us. It learns more eafily to fpeak
than any of the Parroquets of the new conti-
.8 nent;

, '.V

■»

; ^

' t i

i
« i

■■^1

, ('

1 1 -

■ji

' ^ '^1

i :

5* J<

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; .,

■1 .

■(*,;

220 P A R R O Q^U E T.

nent ; but, in other refpe£ls, it is indocile, for
it always retains its wild favage charadler. Its
afpfedl is angry and turbulent, but as it has a
quick eye and a flender adlive (hape, its figure
is pleafing. Our bird-fanciers have adopted the
liame Pavouane, which it ha^ in Guiana. Thefe
Parroquets fly in flocks*, perpetually fcreaming
and fquaUing ; and they range through the woods
and favannas, and prefer the fruit of a large tree,
called in that country the immortal, and which
Tournefort denominates the corallo dendron.

It is a foot long ; its tail is near fix inches,
and regularly tapered ; the upper fide of the
wings and tail of a very fine green. In propor-
tion as the bird grows older, the fides of the
head and neck are covered with fmall fpots of a
bright red, which become more and more nu-
merous ; fo that, in fuch as are aged, thefe parts
are almoft entirely covered with beautiful red
fpots. Thefe never begin to appear till the fecond
or third year. The fmall inferior coverts of the
wings are of the fame bright red, in every pe-
riod of its age, only the colour is not quite fo
bright when the bird is young. The great in-
ferior wings are of a fine yellow ; the quills of
the wings and tail are of a dull yellow below ;
the wing is whitifh, and the feet are gray.

• ** It is remarked that the Parrakcets never affociate with the
Parrots, but always keep together in great flocks." Wafers in
Dampier's Voyage.

u ■

P A R R O Q.U E T.

221

The BR OWN -THROAT ED
PARROQ^UET.

SECOND SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

PJittocus ^^fuginojttt Linn, and Gmel.

FjUtaca Ma"tinicai:a, Briff. ; ' , -

The Brown throated Parr ahct, EJw. and Lath. „'^

DWARDs is the firfl; who dcfcribed this Par-
rakeet. It is found iti the new world;
Brifli)n received a Ipeciiiien from Martinico.

The front, the fides of the head, the throat',
and the lower part of the neck, are of a brown
gray ; the crown of the head is bluilh green ;
all the upper part of the body yellowifh green ;
the great fnpcrior coverts of the wings blue ;
all the quills of the wings blackifli below, but
the primaries are blue above, with a broad
blackifli border on the under fide; the middle
ones are of the fame green with the upper fide
of the body ; the tail is green above and yellow -
ilh below ; the iris is chefiiut ; the bill and feet
afli coloured [A].

[A] Specific chafcu^cr of the Pfittacus u^ruginojis : It is green;
its top and iis primary wing-quills blue ; its orbits cinereous."

;:i

'•it

(.:¥'■■'

■ i V

»:iiri|.'1:;^ I

:i:H|'1 !;>,]' I

-■>

Z22

P A R R O CLU E T.

4fi .

The PARROQUET with a VARIE-
GATED THROAT.

THIRD SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail*

'T^His Parroquet is very rare and handfome ; it
•*' is not frequently feen in Cayenne, nor do
we know whether it can be taught to fpeak.
It is not lb large as a blackbird ; the greatef):
part of its plumage is of a fine green, but the
throat and the fore-fide of the neck are brown,
with fcales and mails of rufty gray*; the great
quills of the wings are tinged with blue ; the
front is water-green ; behind the neck and a
little below the back, is a fmall zone of the
fame colour ; on the fold of the wing are fome
feather s of a light vivid red ; the tail is partly
green above and partly dun-red, with copper
refledions, and below it is entirely copper co-
loured ; the fame tinge appears under the
belly. r. - .

f .'■

P A R R O dU E T.

aij

The PARROQITET with VARIE-
GATED WINGS. :/\.

FOURTH SPECIF S, '

With a long and equal Tail,

VJittacHi Firefcent, Gmel.
* TJlttaca C.oyanenjlsy BrilF.

The Tellovj -winged Parraket, Lath.

'"T^His fpecies is called the Common Parrakeet
■*' in Cavenne. It is not lb larcre as a black-
bird, being only eight inches and four lines
long, including the tail, which is three inches
and a half. Thefe Parroquets keep in numer-
ous flocks, refer the cleared grounds, and even
refort to th fettled fpots. They are very fond
of the buds of the hmnortal Xxqc^ and when in
blofibm they perch on it in crowds. One of
thefe large trees planted in the new town of
Cayenne draws the vifits of tliefe birds ; they
are frightened away by firing upon them, but
they fooii return. It is difficult to teach them
to ipeak. . - -

In this Parroquet the head, the whole body,
the tail, and the fuperior coverts of the wings,
are of a fine green ; the quills of the wings are
variegated with yellow, bluifh green, white,
and green ; the quills of the tail are edged with
yellow i(h on the infide; the bill, the feet, and
the nails, arc gray.

1)1 I.

\^\

^!f(j

fit

2*4 P A R R O Q,U E T.

In the female the colours are not fo bright,
which is the onlv difference.

Barrere confounds this bird with the Jnaca
ofMarcgrave; but thefe two birds, though of
the fame genus, are of different fpecies.

The A N A C A. ■

FIFTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail.

PJittaeus Jho, Gmel.

Pjittacula BrafiUenfu Fufca, Brifl*.

The Che/nut Croiuned Parrakeet, Lath.

'T^HE Anaca is a very handfome Parroquet,
-*- which is found in Brazil. It is only of
the fize of a lark ; the crown of the head is
chefnut ; the fides of the head brown j the
throat cinereous ; the upper fide of the neck
and the flanks green ; the belly is rrfty brown ;
the back green with a brown fpot ; the tail
light brown; the quills of the wings green,
terminated with blue, and there is a fpot or ra-
ther a fringe of blood colour on the top of the
wings ; the bill is b»*own ; the feet cinereous.

Briflbn has ranged this Parrakeet among thofe
which have a (hort tail, but Marcgrave never
mentions that property ; and as that author ne-
ver omits, in his defcriptions, to note when

they

]o|
pal

P A R R O dU E T. 225

they have a (hort tail, and yet ranges the pre-
fent between two long-tailed ones, we pre-
fume that belongs to that tribe. We have
drawn the fame inference with regard to the
following, which Marcgrave names Jendayaf
without faying that it has a (hort tail [A].

The J E N D A Y A.

SIXTH SPECIES,
With a long and equal Tail. >

P/tttacus-Jana'ayat Linn, and Gmel. .
Pfittaculu BraJtUenfis Lutea, BrilT.
The Yelkw-btadtd Parrot ^ Lath.

'TpHis Parroquet is equal in bulk to the black-
-■• bird. The back, the wings, the tail, and
the rump, are of a bluifh green, inclining to
that of beryl ; the head, the neck, and the
breaft, are orange yellow ; the extremities of
the wings blackilh ; the iris of a fine gold co-
lour ; the bill and feet black. It is found in
Brazily but no perfon has feen it except Marc-
grave, and all the other writers have copied his
account [B]. ,

[A] Specific charafter of iYlc Pjittacus jlnaca : ** It is green, be-
low brown rufous ; its top bay ; a fpot on its back, and its tail
pale brown ; the margin of its wings red."

[B] Specific charafter of the Pfittacus Jandaja: " Above ?.t is
green, below bright yellow ; its head and neck bright yellow.*'

VOL, VK Q

j. ■■:!

' '■ ■ / 'a

'■;;if

r 'i

i "i

*:i' -If

■ ' ''■>

226

P A R R O CLU E T.

f 1

The EMERALD PARROQUET.

SFVENTII SPECIFS, ,,

With a long and equal Tail.

Pftttncut Smaragdinin, Gmcl.
The Emerald Parrot t Lath.

- •■' ^.:i.»*Mi«»»^ •

THE rich and brilliant green that covers the
whole of the body, except the tail, which
is chefiiut with a green point, leems to entitle
this bird to the name of Emerald Pnrroquet.
The appellation o^ Magellanic Parrakcct^ which
is given in the Planches Enlum'mcei^ ought to be
reje6ted ; for no Parrot or Parroquet inhabits lb
high a latitude. It is not likely that thefe would
pal's the tropic of Capricorn in quert: of regions
-which are colder than thofe at an equal diftance
on the northern hemifphere. Farther, is it cre-
dible that birds which live upon tender and juicy
fruits would wing their courfe to frozen tradls,
which yield nothing but a few llarved berries ?
Yet fuch are the lands which border on the
Straits of Magellan, where fome travellers are
iuppofed to have feen Parrots. This aflfer-
tion, which is preferved in the work of a re-
f "peclaHe author *, would have appeared extra-
ordinary, had we not found, in tracing it to its
fource, that it rells on an evidence which de-

* Hift. des Navig. au^ terres Aaflrales> /. /. /. 347. • ^-' ■

5 A fli-^ys

P A R R O dU E T. 227

ftroys itfelf ; it is tliat of the navigator Spilberg,
who places the Parrots in the Straits of Magel-
lan, near the flime place where, a little before,
he fancied that he faw Oftriches *. For a fi-
milar reafon, perhaps, we ought to reje«£l the
relation that Parrots are found in New Zealand
and in Diemen's Landf, in the 43d degree
of fouth latitude.

We fhall now proceed to enumerate and de-
fcribe the Parroquets of the new continent,
which have a long tail unequally tapered.

* Hin. Gen. des Voy. /. XI. pp. iS If? 19.

f Captain Cook's fccond Voyage.

[A] Specific charaAer of the Pfiitacm Smaragdinus : " It Is
brilliant green ; the hind part of it^ belly, i:s rump, and its tail,
ferruginous chefnut."

'♦ ,«i

t I

1 12

"tl "ST

■■:% S

Q. Z

:3t:f

328

P A R R O Q.U E T.

PARROQJUETS

WITH A LONG TAIL UNEt^L'ALLY I'Ai'LRED.

,H:

•I.

The S I N C I A L O.

FIRST SPFCIES, ' •

With 4I long and unequal 'I'ail.

Pfiitacut Rujirojlrii, Linn. Gmcl. and Ocrini.
The Lott^-lailiJ Giten P^rrakcet, EJw. and Lath.

^TpHis bird is called Slncialo at St. Domingo.
-■' It is not larger than a blackbird, but is
twice as long, its tail being feven inches, and
its body five. It is difpoled to chatter, and
eaiily learns to fpeak, to whiftle, and to mimic
the cries of all the animals which it hears : thcfe
Parroquets fly in flocks, and perch on the cloleft
and moft verdant trees ; and as they arc green
themfelves, they can hardly be perceived. They
make a great noile among the trees, many at
cnce fcreaming, fqualling, and chattering ; and
if they overhear the voice of men or other ani-
mals, they cry the louder *. This habit is not
peculiar to the Sincialos, for almoft all Parrots
that are kept in the houfe babble with more vo-
ciferation when a perfon fpeaks high. They
feed like the other Parrots, but are more lively

• Dutertre, /. //. /. 252.

and

,„,

P A R R O Q.U E T.

229

and cheerful : they are fooii tamed ; they fcem
fond of being taken notice of, and they fcldom
are filent, for whenever a perfon talks, they
fcrcam and chatter likewife. They grow fat
and delicate to eat, during the maturity of the
feeds of Indian wood, which principally fup-
ports them.

The whole plumage of this Parroquet is yel-
lowish green ; the inferior coverts of its wings
and tail are almoft yellow ; the two quills in
the middle of the tail are longer, by an inch and
nine lines, than thofe contiguous on either fide,
and the other lateral quills contra«5l gradually,
fo that the outermoft are five inches (hortcr
than the mid-ones. The eyes arc encircled by
a flefh coloured Ikin ; the iris is fine orange ;
the bill is black, with a little red at the bafe of
the upper mandible ; the feet and nails are flefli
coloured. This fpecies is fcattered through al-
moft all the warm parts of America.

The Parroquet mentioned by Labat is a va-
riety of this*; the only difference being that
there are fome fmall red feathers on the head,
and the bill is white. — We muft obferve that
Briflbn has confounded this laft bird with the
AiurU'Catinga of Marcgrave, which is one of
our Cricks.

* Perrique tie la Guadaloupe, Labat.
Vjittaca jiquarum Lupiarum, Brifl*.
[A] Specific character of the PJittacus Rufiroftris: ** It Is green;
its bill and feet are red ; its tail-quills, tipt with bluifli ; its orbits
carnation."

0^3

■^ a

, .'I

230

P A R R O Q.U E T.

THE

RED-FRONTED PARROQUET.

SECOND SPECIES, - • '

' ^ With a long and unequal Tail. ' ^'■f ; '

PJittacus Canicular is, Linn, and Gme?» ' ' - •-' _

Pjittacus Brafilierifii fronte rubra, BriiT.

ThQ Red and Blue headed Parrakeet, £dw. and Lath.

'TpHis bird is found, like the preceding, in al-
•^ mod all the warm parts of America. It
was £rfT: defcribed by Edwards. The front is
' of a bright red ; the crown of the head of a fine*
blue; the back of the head, the upper fide of
the neck, the fuperior coverts of the wings and
thofe of the tail are deep green ; the throat and
all the under fide of the body are a little yellow-
ifh ; fome of the great coverts of the wings are
blue; the primaries are dull a(h colour on the
infide, and blue on the outfide, and at the ex-
tremity; the iris is orange; the bill cinereous;
and the feet reddifh.

We muft obferve that Edwar(3s, ahdLinnieus,
who has copied him, confound this Parroquet
with the ^ui-apute-juba of Marcgrave, which
conftitutes a different fpecies, as will appear
from the following defcription. ^

[A]. Specific character of the PJittacus Caniculiiris : *' It i(
green, with a red front ; the back of its head and the outermoil
quills of its wings, are blue; its orbits fulvous."

u -m

i ■■

' :

., . ]

■'

l'J»H

;|»j '*"!-.

Sir*

• i'

:i- 5f

r i

M'j4-9

^■

THE ILLIJfOIS £ARltOT.

% % ■ 'f

P A R R O Q.U E T. 231

The APUTE JUBA.

THIRD SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

Pfittacui Pertinax, Linn. Gmel. and B^r.

Pfittaca llliniaca, BrifT.

Pfittacm Viridii malis croceis, Klein.

'The Tello-iv-faceci Parrot, Edw.

The ////«o/V /'^r/rrs/, Penn. and Lath. '

•"TpHE front, the fides of the head, and the top
-*- of the throat, are of a fine yellow ; the
crown and back of the head, the upper furface
of the ner!v and of the body, the wings and the
tail, are of a fine green. Some of the fuperior
coverts of the wings, and the great quills, are
edged exteriorly with blue ; the two quills in
the middle of the tail are longer than the lateral
ones, which continually (horten, infomuch that
the mid-ones exceed the outermoft by an inch
and nine lines ; the lower belly is yellow ; the
iris deep orange; the bill and if;et cinereous.

From this defcription alone it Is manifeft that
this fpecies is not the fame with the preceding,
and is even widely different. Befides, it is very
common in Guiana, where the former is never
found. It is vulgarly called at Cayenne the
Wood-ltce Parrah'ct, bccaufe it generally lodges
in the holes where thefe infe£ts neflie. It re-
mains the whole year in Guiana, and trequents
the favannas and the cleared lands. It is very

0^4

impr

obabl

1 >r

•; |ll(H|

■it

'''^'^i^l

•■;.

C.i. fj^l

'1 Wm

'^^H

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-^1 g^^gH

^i|H|

!'iwH

■ 1^ im^M

' ' *'W^

■|

yiffl

■'' 'flu

■jI^M

1; jljiP^^

■1' j^^Hu

;

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iii^

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*' ' 'f wun9

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i^i^M

'ii^lHB

'l^^R

232 P A R R O CtU E T.

improbable that this fpecies extends to the coun-
try of the lUinois, or roams fo flir north, as
Briflbn aflerts ; efpecially as no fpecies of Par-
rot is found beyond Carolina, and only one fpe-
cies in Louifiana, which we have before de-
fcribed [A].

/Tp]

The GOLDEN-CROWNED
PARROQ^UET.

FOURTH SPECIES,
With a lorg and unequal Tail.

P/ittacus Aureus, Linn, and Grael. >

Pjittaca Brafilienjis, BrifT.

^His name was beftowed by Edwards, who
took the bird for a female of the preceding
fpecies. What he defcribed was really a female,
fince it layed five or fix fmall white eggs in Eng-
land, and lived fourteen years in that climate.
But the fpecies is different from the foregoing,
for though both are comrr.on in Cayenne, they
never aflbciate together, but keep in great fepa-
rate flocks ; and the males refemble the females.
The Golden-crowned Parroquet is called in
Guiana the Parrakeet of the Savannas', it fpeaks
extremely well, is very fondling and intelligent ;

[A] Specific charafler of the Pftttaeus Pertinax: *' It Is green ;
its cheeks fulvous; the quills of its wings and tail fomewhat
hoary.'*

whereas

P A R R O Q.U E T.

233

whereas the preceding is iiot efteemed, and ar-
ticulates with difficulty. . - ; , ,

This handfome Parroquet has a large orange
fpot on the fore part of the head ; the reft of the
head, all the upper (ide of the body, the wings,
and the tail, are of a deep green ; the throat
and the lower, part of the neck, are of ayellow-
i(h green, with a (light tinge of dull red ; the
reft of the under fide of the body is pale green ;
fome of the great fuperior coverts of the wings
are edged exteriorly with blue ; the outer fide
of uie feathers of the middle of the wings is alfo
of a fine blue, which forms on each wing a
broad longitudinal band of that beautiful colour;
the iris is vivid orange ; the bill and feet black-
'i(h[A].

The GUAROUBA, or YELLOW
PARROQJJET.

FIFTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail.

TJittaciii-Guaroulay Linn, and Gmel.
fjittaca BrafMenJit Lutea, Brifl'.
^i "Juba Tut, Marc. Ray, &c.
The Br.ifilian Yellov) Parrot, Lath.

ARCGRAVE and De Laet are the firft who
take notice of this bird, which is found in

[A] Specific charafter of the Pftttacus Aureus: *' It is green ;
its cere and its orbits bluili carnation ; its top golden ; an oblique
blue ftripe on the coverts of its wings."

Brazil,

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234

PARROQ.UET.

imw!

I"' 4

Brafil, and Ibmetimes in the country of the
Amazons, where however it is rare *, nor is
it ever fecn near Cayenne. This Parroquet,
which the Brazilians call Guiaruba, that is.
Yellow Bird, does net learn to fpeak at all ;
and it is nfielancholy and folitary. Yet the fa-
vages hold it in great eftimation for the fake of
its plumage, which is very different from that
of the other Parrots, and on account of its be-
ing eafiiy tame-^. It is almofl: entirely yellow ;
only there are lome green fpoto on the wings,
whofe Imall quills are green, fringed with yel-
low; the prin?.aries are violet fringed with blue;
and the fame mixture of colours appears on the
tail, whofe extremity is blue-violet ; its middle
and rump are green, edged with yellow ; all
the reft of the body is pure yellow, and vi-
vid fafFron, or orange. The tail is five inches
in length, which is that of the body; it is much
tapered, fo that the laft lateral feathers are one
half fhorter than tbofe of the middle. The
Yellow Mexican Parrakeet, given by Hriflbn
from Seba, appears to be a variety of this ; and
the little pale red which Seba reprel'ents on the
head of his bifl Ccc/jo, and which was perhaps
only an oiuige tiui, does not form a fjpeciflc
character.

• <* The rareft of the Parrots are thofe which are entirely yel-
low, with a little green at the extremity of the wings: I never faw
any of this fort but at Para." La Condaniine, Foyage a Riviere
des Jmazoues, /. 173,

f h'

P A R R O Q,U E T.

23s

I ';.

THE

YELLOW-HEADED PARROQUET.

SIXTH SPECIES,
With a long and nnequal Tail.

PJittacus Carolinenfis, L.inn. and Gmel.

Tfittaca Qarolinenjist BrifT.

The Carolina Parrot^ Catelby, Penn. and Lath.

'T^His Parroqnet appears to be one of thofe
^ which travel from Guiana to Carolina, to
Louifiana*, and even to Virginia. The front
is of a beautiful orange ; all the reft of the head,
the throat, the half of the neck, and the fan of
the wing, are of a fine yellow ; the reft of the
body, and the fuperior coverts of the wings,
are light green ; the great quills of the wings
are brown on the inner fide ; the outer fide is
yellow, as far as one third of its length, it
then grows green and blue near the extremity;
the middle quills of the wings, and thofe of the
tail, are green ; the two middle ones of the tail
are an inch and half longer than thofe adjacent
on either fide ; the iris is yellow ; the bill is
yellowifti white.; and the feet are gray.

* " I faw alfo that day, for the firft time, Parrots (in Louifiana) ;
they appear along the Teakiki, but in fammer only : tnel'e were
ftray- birds, which repaired to the Miffifiippi, where they occur in
all feafons. They are fcarccly largcfthan black-birds; their head
is yellow, with a red fpot on the middle ; on the reft of tiicir plum-
age green predominates." Hiji. de U Nou'v. France, par Charle-
voix Paris, 1744, t. lir. p. 384.

Thefe

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236

P A R R O Q.U E T.

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Thefe birds, fays Catefby, feed upon the
feeds and kernels of fruits, particularly apples,
and the grains contained in cyprefs cones. In
autumn they refort fo the orchards in great
flocks, and as they tear and mangle fruits to
obtain the kernel, which is the only part that
they eat, they do much injury. They pene-
trate as far as Virginia, which is the mod
northern colony, fubjoins Catelby, where I
heard of Parrots being feen. This is alfo the
only fpecies found in Carolina, where a few
breed; but moft of them retire font Awards in
the love feafon, and appear again during the
harveft ; being enticed by the fruit trees, and
rice crops. The colonies between the tropics
fufFer greatly from the influx of Parrots on their
plantations. In the months of Auguft and Sep-
tember of 1750 and 1 751, a prodigious number
of Parrots of all kinds arrived in Surinam, and
fpread in flocks among the ripe coffee; they ate
the red huiks, without touching the beans,
which they fuffered to fall to tne ground. In
1760, about the fame feafon, new fwarms of
thefe birds appeared, and, extending along the
coaft, did much injury, though it cculd not
be conjeclured whence they came*. In ge-
neral, the ripenefs of fruits, the plenty or
fcarcity of food in different countries, compel

• Piftorius. Befchriving 'vanceUnie van Surinaamtn, Amfterdam,
1768.

certain

P A R R O Q.U E T. 237

certain fpecies of Parrots to Ji'it from one tra£t
to another*.

'!'■>'

The ARA PARROQJLJET.

SEVENTH SPECIES,
With a long and unequal Tail,

P/ittaeus-Maka'wuaHna, Gmel.
The Parrot MaccaiA;, Lath.

ARRERE is the firft who has noticed this
bird. It is however frequently feen in Cay-
enne, where it is reckoned njigratory. It haunts
the overflowed favannas, like the Aras, and alfo
fubfifts on the fruits of the palmetto. It is
called the j4ra Par roquet, becaufe it is larger
than the other Parroquets ; its ti.il very long,
being nine inches, and its body the fame ; like
the Aras alfo, it has a naked Ikin from the cor-
ners of the bill to the eyes, and pronounces dif-
tin<flly the word j^ra, though with a raucous
voice, and lower and fhriller. The natives at
Cayenne call it Makavouanne,

• ** In the j^ntis are found Parrots of all fizes and colours. Thefe
birds iiTue from the country of the Antis, when the cara or maize
is fown, of which they are very fond ; and accordingly they make
great havock. The Guacamayas alone, on account of their unwieldi-
nefi, never fally from the country of the Antis ; they all fly in
flocks, yet one fpecies intermingles not with another." Garcilajfof
Hift. des Incas. Parist 1744. t. II. p. 83.

[A] Specific charadler of the Pfittacus CaroUnen/t} : *• It is
green ; its head, iu neck, and its knees, yellow."

The

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I'-,.-,

238 P A R R O dU E 1.

The quills of the tail are unequally tapered ;
all the upper fide of the body, of the wings, and
of the tail, deep green, with a dark cart, ex-
cept the great quills of the wings, which are
blue, edged with green, and terniiiuted with
brown on the outfide ; the upper part and the
fides of the head are green mixed with deep
blue, fo as, in certain pofitions, to appear en-
tirely blue ; the throat, the lower part of the
neck, and the top of the breaft, have a deep
rufty caft ; the reft of the breaft, the belly, and
the fides of the body, are 9f a paler green than
that of the back ; laftly, on the lower belly
there is fame brown-red, which extends over
fome of the lower coverts of the tail ; the quills
of the wings and of the tail are yellowifli- green
below.

We have only to defcribe the fhort- tailed
Parroquets of the new continent, to which we
have given the generic name of Tout, by which
they are known in Brazil.

T o in.

a3f

The TO U IS, or SHORT-TAILED
PARROQUETS.

THESE arc the fmalleft of all the Parrots
which inhabit the new continent : their
tail is fhort, and their bulk exceeds not that of the
fparrow, and mod of tliei,; are incapable of be-
ing taught to fpeak ; foi o th^ five fpecies with
which we are acquainted l1 ore are only two
which can acquire thai talent. The Tuis ap-
pear to be found in both continents, and, though
not exadlly of the fame fpecies, they are ana-
logous and related, becaufe they have been
tranfported, as I formerly mentioned. Yet I
am inclined to think that they are all originally
natives of Brazil, whence they have been in-
troduced into Guinea and the Philippine iflands.

" ' .^ '"Uf,

ii'

The YELLOW-THROATED TOUI.

FIRST SPECIES
Of fhort-tailed Toui.

; Pfittacus-Tovi, Gmel.

Pfittacula gutture htio, Brifl".^

The Y'el/ow-/l!>roate(i Parraieef, L^ih,

THE L. vl and all the upper fide of the body
are of a fine green ; the throat is of a fine
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24^

TOUI.

orange colour; all the under fide of the body
yellowiih green ; the fuperior coverts of the
wings are variegated with green, brown, and
yellowi(h ; the inferior coverts are fine yellow ;
the quills of the wings are variegated with
green, yellowilh, and deep cinereous ; thofe of
the tail are green and edged internally with yel-
lowiihs the bill, the feet, and the nails, arCj
gray [A]. >

The S O S O V E.

SECOND SPECIES
OfTouior (hort-taiicd Parroqnet.

Pfittaeut'Sefovet Gmel.
The Cayenne Parrakeett Lath*

QosovE is the Galibi name of this charming
^ little bird, which is eafily defcribed, fince,
it is entirely of a brilliant green, except a fpot'
of light yellow on the quills of the wings, and
on the fuperior coverts of the tail ; the bill is
white, and the feet gray. r-

This fpecies is common in Guiana, efpecially
near Oyapoe, and the river Amazons. It can
eafily be tamed, and taught to fpeak. Its voice
is like that of Punch in the puppet-fhews ; and
when well trained it chatters perpetually ^B].

[A] Specific charafter of the Pfittacus Tovi: " It is green; a
pale orange fpot on its throat ; a broad chefnbt bar on its mngi*.
with a green gold laftre."

[B] Specific charadler of the P/tttacus So/ove : •* It is green, with
a dilate yellow fpot on its wings and the covert of its tail."

■ i

*>■■ .V

TOUI.

241

.;l»^'

The T I R I C A. .mM^i

• THIRD SPECIES * . M

OfToui, or ihoit-tailcd Parroqueta. i^^^ S 7 r./o

Pfittacula Brafilitnjist Brifl*.

The GrMa Parrahit, Lath, / ' •

•jiyTARCGRAVE fiift defcribcd this bird. Its
^"-'" plumage is entirely green ; the eyes are
black ; the bill carnation ; and the feet bluifh.
It is foon tamed and taught to fpeak, and is
very gentle, and ealily managed.

The /ma/i Chatterer of the Planches Enlumi-
flies feems to be of the fame fpecies : it is alfo*
entirely green ; its bill fle(h coloured, and of the
ufual (ize of a Toui.

The T^Mf^ of Jean de Laet* does not mean
any particular fpecies, but comprehends all the
Parroquets in general ; and therefore we ought
not, with Briflbn, to refer it to the Tui-tirica
of Marcgrave. * t» J ''• > =" ^ , ' - - .

Sonnerat mentions a bird which he faw in
the iiland of Lu^on, and which much refembles
the Tui-tirica of Marcgrave. It is of the fame
bulk, and its plumage wholly dyed green, though
deeper above, and lighter below. But it is dif-
tinguiflied by the gray colour of its bill, which
is carnatior in the other, and by the gray caft

,.»?

* Defer ipticn ties Indes OLcid$Htalhp /• 490.
VOL. VI, R

US5 \%v^

242

T o o t;

of its feet, which are bluifti in the former: thefe
differences would be infufiicient to conftitute a
fpecies, if the climates were not fo diftant. It
is podible, and even probable, that this bird was
carried from America to the Philippines, where
it might undergo thofe fmall changes [A].

.1. i. /:■

The ETE, or TOUI-ETE. V

- FOURTH SPECIES

Of Toui, or fhort-tailed Parroquet.

*'-'.■■ *
FfittacuiPaJferinutt Linn. Gmel. and Bor. .,,V •"'

* PJittaca Brafilienfis uropygio cjanothtiSCm '' '

7«/rt, Ray and Will. ' : •. '.

. ; ' The Sborl-tailtd Crctn Parraieet, Bancroft.

The Leajl Blut and Green Parraktet, Edw. and Lath.

WE are likewife indebted to Marcgrave for
the account of this bird. It is found in
Brazil ; its plumage is in general light green ;
but the rump, and the top of the wings, are of
a fine blue ; all the quills of the wings are edged
with blue on the outlide, which forms a long
blue band when the wings are clofed ; the bill
is flefh- coloured, and the fee 'nereous. ^ *
^' To the fame fpecies we uiay refer the bird
denominated by Edwards the heajl Green and
Blue Parrakeetj the only difference being that

[A] Specific charader of the PJittacus Tiriea : ** It is
its bill carnation t its feet and nails bluiih." ,- ^ "

green;

its

SV., Mi ,

T O U I.

a*S

'ii »

its wing-qullls are not edged with blue, but
with yeliowi(h-green, and that the bill and feet
are fine yellow [A]. • i; ^jro.qf w

j,i*/J«t , f ____— .«^

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I • j: •■ 1

The GOLDEN-HEADED TOUI.

1 J *'?*'..

.1 h

FIFTH SPECIES

Of Ihort-tailed Parroquet, > .. ^

P/!ttaeut-Tui, Ginel. :; ; :

- ; Pfittacida BrafilitHfii l£leroeephaloSt BrUH :

The GolflhtadParraktett Lath.

-'.. t 1'.' . ' ( 1.-'. i x'j <'." i' <.t '. •\ ^-. I - •' .■> •• ■ -' ' ;■-*■■ »M^

r|^His bird is alfo found in Brazil. All its
•*• plumage is green, except the head, which
is of a fine yellow ; and, as its tail is very {hort, •
we muft not confound it with another Parro-
quet which has alfo a gold colour, but, at the
fame time, a long tail [B].

A variety, or at leaft a contiguous fpecies, is
delineated in the Planches Enluminhs, where it
is denominated the Little Parrakect of the ijland
of St, Thomasy becaufe the Abbe Aubry, Redor
of St. Louis, in whofe cabinet, the fpecimen was
lodged, faid that it came from that ifland. But
the only difference between it and the Gold-

[A] Specific charadler of the PJittaeus Pafferinuti •* It is yel-
low-greenifh;^ a fpot on its wings, and their under furface blue.''

(B] Specific charafter of \\vt PfittacKi-Tui : ** Itisgrtien; its
front orange ; its orbits bright yellow.*'

R :$ head

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TOUT.

head Toui is that the yellow tinge is much ,
paler. >

Thefe five fpecies are all the Touis of the
new world that we are acquainted with ; nor
are we certain whether the two fmall (hort-
tailed Parrakeets, the firf): noticed by Aldrovan-
dus, the fecond by Seba, ought to be claffed
with the reft, for the defcriptions are very im-
perfe^:. That of Aldrovandus feems rather to
be a Cockatoo^ by reafon of the tuft on its head,
and that of Seba appears to be a Lory^ becaufe
its plumage is almoft entirely red. But we
know none of the Cockatoos or Loris that re-
ferable them clofely, or with which we Cp^ld
venture to dafs them.

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THE CITRUO 171*1.

h 111

C U R U C U I.

245

'The C U R U C U I S. '

Let Couroueeut, ou Ceurouceaitt BufT.

SUCH is the name which thefe birds bear in
their native climate of Brazil. This word
imitates their cry fo exadly, that the natives of
Guiana have omitted only the firft letter, and
call them Urucoos. Their charadlers are thefe :
Their bill (hort, hooked, indented, broader
than it is thick, and much like that of the Par-
rots ; it is furrounded at its bafe by ragged fea-
thers, projecting forwards, but not fo long as
in the bearded birds, which we (hall afterwards
defcribe ; the legs alfo are very (hort, and fea-
thered within a little of the infertion of the toes,
which are placed two behind and two before.
We know only three fpecies, and thefe may
perhaps be reduced to two, though nomen-
clators reckon (ix, fome of which are varieties,
and others belong to a different genus. ,,.; ,

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The RED-BELLIED CURUCUI.

g<i '

Li Counueou a Ftntrt Reugt, BuiF.
FIRST SPECIES.

■ I

TrogoH-Cttrucuf, Edw. and Lath.

TrogoH Brafilltxjii Viridij, Bri/T. , •

Txiaitziant Fernand. Johnft. Will, and Ray.

'■;r.

THIS bird is ten inches and a half long ; the
head, the whole of the neck and the rile
of the bread, the back, the rump, and the co-
verts of the upper fide of the tail, are of a fine
brilliant green, but changing, and, in a certain
pofition, blue ; the coverts of the wings are blue
gray, variegated with fmall black zig-zag lines ;
and the great quills of the tail are black, except
their (hafts, which are partly white; the quills
of the tail are of a fine green, like the back, ex-
cept the two outer ones, which are blackifh,
and have fmall tranfverfe gray lines ; a part of
the breafl, the belly, and the coverts of the un-
der (ide of the tail, are of a fine red ; the bill is
yellowifh, and the legs are brown. -•

Another fubjed, which appears to have been a
female, differed in no refpe£t, except that all the
parts, which were of a fine brilliant green in the
firf\, arc blackilh-gray in this, and without any
reflections ; the fmall zig-zag lines are much
more indiftindi:, becaufe the dark brown predo-
minates, and the three outer quills of the tail

7 have,

c u R u r u I. 34;

havt, on their exterior webs, alternate black
and white bars ; the upper mandible is entirely
brown, and the lower yellowi(h ; ladly, the
red colour is much lefs fpread, occupying only
the lower belly, and the coverts of the under
furface of the tail. • _ ..,. jI. ;

There is a. third fubjedt in the King's Cabi-
net, which differs chiefly from the two pre^
ceding in thefe refpeds : the tail is longer, and
the three outer quills on each (ide have their outer
webs and their tips white ; the three exterior
quills of the wing are marked with tranfverfe
fpots, that are alternately white and black at
their margin ; there is alfo a gold-green (hade,
waving on the back and on the quills in the
middle of the tail, which has not place in the
preceding. But the red tinge is difpofed in the
fame way, and begins only at the lower belly,
and the bill is (imilar in its (hape and colour.

The Chevalier Le Febvre Deftiayes, corref-
pondent of the Cabinet, whom we have often
had occafion to quote as an excellent obferver,
has fent us a coloured drawing of this bird, with
excellent obfcrvations. He fays that it is called at
St. Domingo the red drawers *, and in many of
the other iflands it is termed the Englijh lady +.
*' Thij bird retires," he adds, '* into the depths
of the forefts during the feafon of its amours ;
its melancholy and even difmal accents feem to

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CaJffpH rguge.

f Dcmoiftlk ou Dame jingloiji.

R 4 cxprefs

C U R U C U I.

»(:#'

exprefs that profound fenfibility which carries it
into the defert, to enjoy in folitude the tender-
nefs of love, and that languor, which is more
delicious perhaps than its tranfports. This cry
alone reveals its retreat, which is often inaccef-
fibie, and difficult to difcover.

** Their loves commence in April : they
choofe the hole of a tree, and line it with the
duft of worm-eaten wood ; and this bed is as
foft as cotton or down. If they cannot find
fuch duft, they break frefh wood with their
bill, and reduce it to powder ; and their bill,
which is indented near the point, is fufficiently
ftrong for that purpofe : it alfo ferves to enlarge
the hole, when not fufficiently wide. They
lay three or four eggs, which are white, and
fomewhat fmaller than thofe of a pigeon.

*• While the female hatches, the employ-
ment of the male is to bring fupplies of food, to
keep watch on a neighbouring bough, and to
fing. At other times he is filent and rcferved }
but during incubation, he fatigues the echos
with thofe languifhing founds, which how in-
fipid foever they may appear to us, undoubt"
edly footh the tedious occupation of his dear
companion. ^ .'^ ! v;, ,. j.iv..<f ,,>>*. ;;;^

'* The young, at the moment of their exclu-
fion, are entirely naked, without any trace of
feathers, but which begin to fprout two or
three days after. Their head and bill appear
uncommonly thick, compared with the reft of

their

grc

> <

C U R U C U I.

their body ; their legs too fccm exceflively long,
though they are very (hort when the bird 13
grown. The male becomes filent the inflant
that the brood are hatched ; but he again re-
fumes his fong, with his loves, in the months
of Augufl and September.

•• They feed their young with worms, ca-
terpillars, and infedts. Their enemies are the
rats, the ferpents, and both the nodturnal and
diurnal birds of prey ; fo that the fpecics of the
Ooroocoais is not numerous, mod of them fall-
ing a facrifice to depredation.
- •* After the young ones are flown, they re-
main' not long together ; they yield to their fo-
litary inftinft and difperfe. ^^ "

" In fome individuals the legs are reddifli, in
others they are flaty blue. It has not been ob-
ferved whether this diverfity is occafioned by
age, or refults from the difference of fex."

The Chevalier Defhayes tried to raife fome of
the preceding year, but his attempts were fruit-
lefs ; and, either from a languid or a lofty tem-
per, they obftinately refufed to eat. *' Per-
haps," fays he, •' I fhould have fucceeded bet-
ter, if I had taken them juft after hatching ; but
a bird, which lives fo remote from us, and
which feeks felicity in the freedom and filence
of the defert, feems not adapted for (lavery, and
muft continue a ftranger to all the habits df the
domeftic ftate.**

[A] Specific chara£ler of the Tregon-Curucui : " It is gold-
green, below fulvous; its throat black."

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C U R U C 15 I.

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THE

YELLOW-BELLIED CURUCUL

iline Zt Cturcucou h Vtntrt Jaunt, Buff.
SECOND SPECIES.

••:,>

PJittacus Viridist Linn, and Gmel.
Tng9» Cafatunjii Viridity Brifl*.

Pi'^-iiiVJ; >-'^i

THIS bird is about eleven inches long; the
wings when clofed do not reach quite to
the tall; the head and the upper fide of the
neck are blackiih, with reflexions of handfome
green in fome parts ; the back, the rump, and
the coverts of the upper fide of the tail, are bril-
liant green, like the thighs ; the great coverts
of the wings are blackifh, with fmall white
fpots ; the great quills of the wings are black-
ifh, and the four or five outer ones have a white
Ihaft ; the quills of the tail are of the fame co-
lour with thofe of the wings, except that they
have fome reflections of a brilliant green ; the
three outer ones on each fide are radiated tranf-
verfely with black and white ; the throat and
the under fide of the neck are dark brown ; the
breafl, the belly, and the coverts below the
tail, arc of a fine yellow ; the bill is indent-
ed, and appears dark brown, as well as the
legs ; the nails are black ; the tail is tapered,
the feather on each fide being two inches
4 (horter

C U R U C U I.

*Si

ihorter than the two middle ones, which are
the longeft[A]. - V-^-v - * ^ . .t *

Between the Red-bellied Curucui and the
Yellow-bellied Curucui lie fome varieties, which
our nomenclators have taken for different fpe-.
cies. Such, for inftauce, is the one denomi-
nated, in the Planches Enlupiinhsy the Guiana
Curucui^ which is only a variety of the Yellow-
bellied Curucui, occafioned by age ; the fole
difference being, that the upper fide of the back,
which in the adult is fine azure, is alh-coloured
in the young one. ' ' " " - '

Further, the bird reprefented in the Planches
Enluminees by the name of the Rufous-tailed Cu-
rucui of Cayenne^ is a variety of the fame Yel-
low-bellied Curucui, produced by moulting ;
fince the only difference is that the feathers of
the back and tail are rufous inftead of blue *.

There is alfo a variety of this Yellow-bellied
Curucui : it is the bird termed by Briflbn the
White-bellied green Curucui of Cayenne. The
only difference lies in the colour of the tail, which
may be owing to age, for the feathers were not
completely formed. It might alfo be an acci-

[A] Specific chara£lcr of the Tlrc^M ^/r/V«; ** It is gold -green,
below yellow ; its throat black ; a gold-green bar on its breaft."

^^■■m • rrogon Rufus. Gmcl. ^ .'t ,j^|)_ i^^Bdw^^'iar

J ' The ^»/o«; C«r«f«/V Lath.

\ Specific charafter: " It is rufous; its belly, its vent, and its

thighi), yellow; the coverts of its wings ftreaked with black and

gray ; its wing-quills and the middle quills of the taui tipt with

black."

dental

252

C U R U C U I.

dental diverfity ; but certainly none of thefe
three birds can be regarded as a diftindl and fe-
ffarate fpecies *.

We have feen another individual whofe bread
and belly were whitifh, with a tinge of citron
in many parts ; which made us fufpedt that the
White-bellied Curucui, juft mentioned, was
only a variety of the Yellow-bellied Curucui.

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mi *

The VIOLET-HOODED CURUCUI.

It Coureucou a Chaperon Violet t BufF.
THIRD SPECIES.

»/

trogon Violaceust Gmel.

The Violet-beaded Curucui^ Lath. >'

■f.i/N

?:'/;itr!-!. mi-

THE throat, neck, and breafl:, are of a very
duiky violet ; the head is of the fame co-
lour, except that of the front, and of the fpace
round the eyes and ears, which is blackifh ; the
•eye-brows yellow ; the back and rump of a deep
green, with gold refledions; the fuperior co-
verts of the tail are bluilh-green, with the fame
gold reflections : the wings are brown, and their
coverts, as well as the middle quills, are dotted
with white ; the two central quills of the tail
arc green, verging on bluifh, and terminated
with black ; the two adjacent pairs are of th?

I-

• ^roion FiriJii, Var. Linn, and Gmel.

fame

hi
fl

C U R U C U 1.

2SI

fame colour in the uncovered part, and blackilh
in the reft; thi^ ree lateral pairs are black,
flriped and terminated with white ; the bill is
lead colour at the bafe, and whitiih near the
point ; the tail exceeds the wings when clofed,
by two inches and nine lines, and the total
length of the bird is nine inches and a half.

M. Koelreuter calls this bird Lan'tus * ; but it
is of a genus very different from that of a (hrike,
a lanner, or another bird of prey. A broad ftiort
bill, and briftles around the lower mandible ;
fuch are the chara(St«rs which it has in com-
mon with the Curucuis. But the properties
wherein it refembles the cuckoos, that the legs
are very (hort and feathered to the nails, which
are flender and difpofed in pairs, the one before
and the other behind ; that the nails are fhort,
and (lightly hooked ; and laftly, the want of a
membrane around the bafe of the bill : all the{c
differ from the characters of the rapacious tribe.
,. The Curucuis are folitary birds which live in
the heart of damp forefts, where they fubfift on
infe(^s ; they are never obfcrved to confort in
flocks ; they generally (it on the middle branches,
the cock and hen on feparate but adjacent trees,
and call each other alternately, by repeating their
hollow monotonous cry, ooroocoais. They never
fly far, but only from tree to tree, and feldom even
do that ; for they remain during the greateft part

* Comment, Petropol, 1763,

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C t R U C U 1.

of the day in the fame fpot, concealed beneath
the thickefl boughs ; where, though their voice
is continually heard, yet, as they are motion-
lefs, they can hardly be diicovered. They are
clothed fo thickly with plumage, that they ap-
pear larger than in reality ; they would fcem to
equal the bulk of a pigeon, though they have
not more flefti than a thrulh. But if their
feathers be numerous and clofe, they are
weakly rooted, for they drop with the leaft
j-ubbing ; fo that it is difficult to prepare fpeci-
mens for the cabinet. Thefe birds are among
the moft beautiful of South America. Fernan-
dez fays that the fine feathers of the Red-bel-
lied Curucui were ufed by the Mexicans in
making portraits, a gaudy kind of paintings,
and other ornaments which they wore at fefti-
vals, or in battle [A]. : i ?>t;yOi: vjhiv ; tm::

There are two other birds mentioned by Fer-
nandez, which Briilbn fuppofes to beCurucuis;
but they undoubtedly belong not to that genus.

The fir ft is what Fernandez compares to the
ilare, and which we have formerly noticed *. I
am aftonilhed that Briflbn could fancy that it
was a Curucui, fince Fernandez himfelf refers
it to the genus of the ftarcs, and their figures
are fimilar. But the (hape of the bill, the dif-

[A] Specific chsirSiCieT of the Trogon f^iolaceus: "Itisvldet; its
eye-brows bright yellowr; its back and rump gold-green ; its wings
brown; its intermediate tail-quills blaiih-green> tipt with black.**

* TrtgoM MtxicMust BrifT.

pofition

C U R O C U 1.

«SJ

poHtion of the toes, the form of the body, every
property of the bird in (hort, is To widely dif-
ferent from thofe of the Curucuis, that they ne-
ver with propriety can be aiibciated.

The fecond bird which Briiion has taken for
a Curucui is one which Fernandez* fays is ex-
ceedingly beautiful, and of the fize of a pigeon ;
that it frequents the fea fhore ; and that its bill
is long, broad, black, and a little hooked : this
form of the bill is very different from what obtains
in the Curucuis, a circumftance alone fuliicient
to exclude it from this genus. Fernandez fubjoins
that it does not (ing, and that its fle(h is unfit
for eating ; that its head is blue, and the reft of
its plumage blue, variegated with green, black,
and whitifh. But thefe indications are not pre-
cife enough to determine the fpecies.

^j->*^^>j.ai

Tregon Mexieanus Variust BriflT,

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156

CURUCUCKOO.

The CURUCUCKOO.

llvV-;

Cuculut Brafiliinjist Liiln. and Gmel. 1 >^
Cuculus BrafiUtHJlt Crijiatus Ruber » Brifl*. ti'ii^^ :;«!';

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The Red'tbttkid Cucioo, Lath.

iu*>jj'?f.' ") r

BETWEEN the extehfive family of the
Cuckoo and that of theCurucui, we (hall
place a bird which feems to participate of both ;
fuppofing that the indication of Seba is lefs faulty
than moft of thofe inferted in his bulky work :
his account is as follows — " The head is of a
pale red, bearing a fine tuft of brighter red, va-
riegated with black. The bill is pale red ; the
upper fide of the body is bright red ; the coverts
of the wings and the under fide of the body are
pale red ; the quills of the wings and thofe of
the tail are yellow, (haded with a blacki(h tiht."

This bird is not fo large as the magpie, its
total length being about ten inches.

We muft obferve that Seba takes no notice of
the difpofition of its toes, and in his figure they
are difpofed by three and one, not by two and
two. But the af!erting the bird to be a Cuckoo^
implied the latter.

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THE TOT7RACO CUCKOO

t 6 U R A C Oi

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b y

the T O U R A C O.

Cucuius-Pet-Ja, Linn, and Gniel.
Cueti/as Guineen/tt Crijiatus Firidis, Brifl*.
The Croivfi BirJ/rom Mexico, Alb.

THIS is one of the moft beautiful of the
African birds; for befides that its plum-^
age is brilliant and its eyes fparkle with fire, it
has a fort of crefl: on the head, or rather a
crowH) which confers an air of diftin£lion. I
cannot conceive, therefore, why our nomencla-
tors range it with the cuckoos, which, every
body knows, are ugly birds ; it is alfo difcrimi-
nated by its tuft, and by the (hape of its bill, of
which the upper part is more arched than in the
cuckoos. Indeed the only common character is
that it has two toes before and two behind ; a
property which belongs to many birds.

The Touraco is as large as a jay ; but its long
broad tail feems to increafe its bulk : its wings
are however very fhort, not reaching to tha ori-
gin of the tail. "The upper mandible is convex,
and covered with feathers relieved from the
forehead, and in which the noftrils are Conceal-
ed. Its eye, which is lively and full of fire, is
encircled by a fcarlet eye-lid, which has a great
number of protuberant papilla of the fame co-
lour. The beautiful tuft, or rather mitre^ that
VOL. VI. s crowns

iif

158

T O U R A C O.

crowns its head is a bunch of bridled feathert;^
which are fine and lilky, and confift of fiich
delicate fibres that the whole is tranfparent.
The beautiful green which covers all the neck,
the breaft, and the (boulders, is alfo compofed
of fibres of the fame kind, and equally fine
and filky.

We know two fpecies, or rather two varieties,
of the genus ; the one termed the AbyJfimanToti'
raco, and the fecond the I'ouraco from the Cape
of Good Hope,

The only difference lies in the tints, for the
bulk of the colours is the fame. The Abyfli-
nian Touraco has a blackifh tuft, compacfl like
a lock, and refle£led backwards : the feathers
on the forehead, the throat, arid compafs of the
neck, are meadow green ; the breaft, and top
of the back, are of the fame colour, but with
an olive tinge, wliich melts into a purple brown,
heightened by a fine green glofs ; all the back^
the coverts of the wings, and their quills next
the body, and all thofe of the tail, are coloured
in the fame way; all the primaries are of a fine
crimfon, with a black indenting on the fmall
v/ebs, near the tip : we cannot conceive how
BriflTon faw only four of thefe red feathers. The
under fide is dun gray, (lightly (haded with
light gray.

The Touraco of the Cape of Good Hope dif-
fers not from the Abyffinian one, except that

the

T O U R A C O.

llie twft is of a light green, and fometimea
frihged with white. The neck is of the fame
green, which melts on the (houlders into a
darkifh tint, with glofly green reflections.

We had a Touraco alive from the Cape, and
were afllired that it lived upon rice. No other
food was offered to it at firft, and this it would
not touch, but grew famiihed, and, in that ex-
tremity, it ate its own excrements. During
three days, it fubfifted only on water and a bit
of fugar. But obferving grapes brought to
the tablej it (hewed a ftrong appetite for them ;•
fome were given to it, which it fwallowed
greedily. It difcovered in the fame way a
fondnefs for apples, and afterwards for oranges.
From that time it was fed on fruit for feveral
months. This feemed to be the natural food.
Its curved bill not being in the leaft adapted for
coUedling grain. The bill is wide, and cleft as
far as under the eyes ; the bird hops, but does
not walk ; its nails are fliarp and ftrong, its
hold firm ; its toes are ftout, and inverted with
thick fcales. It is lively, and buftles much ; it
continually utters a weak, low, and hoarfe cry,
creu, creUf from the bottom of its gizzard,
without opening its bill. But fometimes it has
a very loud fcream, cd, cd, c6, cS, c6, co, co;
the firft notes low, the others higher, rapid, and
noify, with a ihrill and harih voice. It vents
this cry of its own accord, when it is hungry;

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T O U R A C O.

but it may be made to repeat it at pleafure, i(
one prompts it by imitation.

This beautiful bird was given to me by the
Princefs of Tnigri, to whom my mod refpe£l-
ful thanks arc due. It is even handfomer than
at firft, for it was in moult when I made the
foregoing defcription. At prefent, which is
four months fince that time, the plumage is
reftored with frefli beauties ; there are two
white ftreaks of fmall feathers, or Ihort filky
hairs, f:he one pretty near the inner corner of
the eye, the other before the eye, and extend-
ing backwards to the outer corner ; between
thefe two is another ftreak of the fame down,
but of a deep violet caft; the upper furface of
the body ai>d of the tail fhines with a rich pur-
plifh blue, and the creft is green aiul not fring-
ed. Thefe new characters difpofe me to think
that it docs not refemble the Touraco from th«
Cape of Good Hope fo much as I at firft fup-
pofed ; it fcems alfo to differ in the fame pro-
perties from the Abylfinian Touraco. We
have therefore three varieties ; but we cannot
determine whether the diverfity belongs to the
fpecies or to the individual, whether it is pe-
riodical or conftant, or only fexual.

It does not appear that this bird is found in
America, though Albin gives it as brought from
Mexico. Edwards affirms that it is indige-
nous in Guinea, from whence the individual

mentioned

T O U R A C O.

261

mentioned by Albin was poflibly tranfportcd
into the new world. We arc unacquainted
with the habits of the bird, when it tiijoys its
native freedom ; but as it is exceedingly beau-
tiful, we may hope that travellers will obferve
them, and communicate their remarks.

[A] Specific clnraftcr of the Cuculus Ptr/a: •* Its tail is
lequal ; its head crcfted ; iti body bluiih green ; its wing-quills
jjlood coloured." !

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CUCKOO.

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The CUCKOO*.

X« Coiicou, BufT.

Cuculus Canorus, Linn. Gmcl. and Muller. ,

C««/w, Gefner, Will. Johnft. BrilT. &c.

IN the age of Ariftotle it was generally fald
that no one had ever (ttn the hatch of the
Cuckoo: it was known that this hird lays like
the reft, hut makes no ne(t ; that it drops its
eggs, or its cg^^^ (for it leldom dcpofits two in
the fame place) In the neds of other birds, whe-

• In Hebrew, according to the difFt-rent authors, K'-.ath, Kii,
Kakik, KrJi.iia, Schalac, Schrrfjynpb, Kcre, Ban'hem, Euchem: In
Syriac, Coco: In Greek, Koxv.il: In Lacin, Cualus : In Italian,
Cucculo, Cuccot Cuco, Cucho: In Spanifn, Cua'i'Io : In German,
Kukkuk, Gucker, Gtit:^gauch,Ciigcku/<r : In Fleinilh, Kockok, Kockutit,
Kockirunt: In Swedilh, Giofk : In Norwegian, Couk : In Danifh,
Gkfg-Kukert, Kuk, Kukmanden : In Lapponic, Geccka : In old Eiig-r
lifh and in Scotch, Goiik.

A paflage from an Italian author, Gerini, will illultrate the mlf-
applicaiion of the name Cuckoo. " It lay its eggs in the neft of
the curruca (pettychaps) ; and hence a fottilh hufband, indiflerent
to the dilhonour of his marriage-bed and the inip»fition of fpari-
ous children, has been called curruca : and aflerwards that name
was corrupted, from ignorance, into ccrnuto (horned). Formerly,
and tven at prefent, this word, as well as Cuckoo (cuckold), is
beftowed on a fot, who is infcnfible to fliame."

The Latins applied the word cuculus to a hulband who was un-
faithful to his bed ; and among the Greeks, it was beltowcd on
thofe caught in any difgraceful aftion, or on perfons lazy and floth-
ful. In general, the term conveyed an imputation of indolence
and Ilupidity ; in which fenfe it is ftill ufed among fome nations in
Europe. {SUly Gorvi is an expreflion of reproach among the po-
pulace in Scotland.)

ther

CUCKOO.

263

ther larger or fmaller than itfelf, fuch as the
warblers, the green-finches, the larks, the wood
pigeons, &c. ; that it often fucks the eggs which
it finds, and leaves its own in their Head, to
be hatched by the ftranger ; that this ftranger,
particularly the pettychaps, acls the part of a
tender mother to her fuppofititious brood, fo that
the young ones become very fat and plump * ;
that their plumage changes much when they
arrive at maturity; and lallly, that the Cuckoos
begin to appear and are heard early in the fpring ;
that they are feeble on their arrival ; that they
are filent during the dog-days •, and that a cer-
tain fpecies of them build in craggy rocks -f.
Such are the principal fa^its in the hi(i:ory of the
Cuckoo : they were known two thouland years
ao;o, and fucceedino; ages have added nothins: to
the ftock. Some circumftances had even fallen
into oblivion, particularly their breeding in holes

• It is faid even that the adults arc riOt bad eatinp- in autumn ;
but there are countries where, at no period of their age, in no con-
dition of their flcfli, at no feafon of the year, they arc ever eaten,
being regarded as birds unclean and unlucky : in ethers they are
^eld propitious, and"enerated as crqcles : and fomc countries there
are, where it is imagined that the foil under the perfon's right
foot, who firft hears the Cuckoo's note, iz a certain prefervativc
againft fleas and vermin.

t May not this be the Andalufian Cuckoo of Brifron, and the
Great Spotted Cuckoo of Edwards? The fubjedl mentioned by the
latter was killed on the rock of Gibraltar, and its fellows might
have; been bred in Greece, whofe climate is fo nearly the fame:
laltly, might not thefe have been fparrow-hawk>, miicaken for
Cuckoos by reafon of the refemblance of their plumage ; and it is
^novv^ that fparrow hawks breed in the holes of craggy rocks.

S 4 of

'Am

■4 n

?64

g U C K Q Q,

of precipices. Nor have even the fiibvilous fto-»
ries related of this fingular bird undergone any
alteration : error has ifs limits as well as truth,
and, on a fubjedl of fo great celebrity, both
have been exhaufted.

Twenty centuries ago it was aflerted, as at
prefent, that the Cuckoo is nothing elle than a
little fparrow-hawl^ metamorphofed ; that this
change is efFe^led every j^ear at a certain ftated
feafon ; that when it appears in the fpring, it is
conveye4 on the (boulders of the kite, which,
to affifl: the weaknefs of its wings, is fo oblig-
ing as to carry it (remarkable complaifancc in a
bird of prey like the kite); that it difcharges
upon plants a faliva which proves pernicious to
them by engendering infects ; that the female
Cuckoo takes care to lay into each neft fhe can
difcover, an egg like thofe contained in it *, the
better to deceive the mother ; that the mother
iiurfes the young Cuckoo, and facrifices her
own brood to it, becaufe they appear not fo
handfome-f ; that, like a true ftep-mother, flie
negleds them, or kills them, and directs the
intruder to eat them ; fome fuppofcd that the

• See uElian, Salerne, &c. The true egg of the Cuckoo is
larger than that of the nightingale ; of a longer fhape, of a gray
colour almoll whitifli, fpotted near the large end with violet- brown,
very obfcurc, and with deeper and more apparent brown; and
laftly, marked in the middle with fome irregular ftreaks of chef-
nut.

t Obferve that the Cuckoos are frightful when firft hatched,
and even many days after.

4 female

I" ?\

q u c K o o. ftfi|

female Cuckoo returned to the neft where flie
had depofited her egg, and expelled or devoqrecj
the other young, that her own might fare the
jbetter : others fancied that the little pretcndep
fieitroyed its fofler-hrothers, or rendered tbein
vidtims to its voracity, by fei'.:ing excluiivcly
pll the food provided by their common nurfe,
Elian relates that the young Cuckoo, fenfible
that it is a baftard, or rather an intruder, and
afraid of being betrayed by its plumage and
treated as fuch, flies away as fooii as it can ule
iis wings, and joins its real mother '*. Others
pretend that the nurfe difcovers the fraud from
the colours of the plumage, and abandons the
intruder. Laftly, others imagine that the young
bird, before it flies, devours even its fecond pa-
rent-f*, which iiad given it every thing bnt
life ; and the Cuckoo has been made the sreat
fymbol of ingratitude j. — But it is abfurd to
impute crimes that are phyfically impolfible.
How could the young Cuckoo, which can
hardly feed without affiftance, have ftrength
fufficient to devour a wood-pigeon, a lark, a
yellow bunting, or a pettychaps ? It is true,
that, in fupport of the poffibility of the fa(ft,
the evidence of a grave author, Klein, may be

* Niit. Anim. Vh. III. 30. It is alfo faid, by running into an
oppofite extreme, that the Hen-cuckoo, ncgleding her own eggs,
hatches thofe of others. See Acron, in Sat. f^JI. Horat. Lib. 1.

f Linnaius, and others.

% " Ungrateful as a Cuckoo," fay the Germans. Melandlhon
has left a fine harangue on the ingratitude of this bird.

adduced,

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CUCKOO.

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adduced, who made the obfervation at the a^o
of fixteen. Having: difcovered in his father's
garden a pettychaps* neft with a fingle egg,
which was fuTpecfled to belong to a Cuckoo, li^
luffered the incubation to proceed, and eve;i
waited till the bird was feathered. lie then
fliut both it and the ncft in a cage, which he
placed (;:i the fame fpot. A few days after he
found the Iven-pettychaps entangled in the wires
of th'j Ca'jje, and its head (lickino; in the throat
of the young Cuckoo, which h-.d Avallowcd it
through millake, while catching greedily at a
caterpillar that was probably too near. To
fomc accident of this kind the Cuckoo owes its
bad name. But it is not true that it devours its
inirfe, or its foller brothers : for, in the firft
place, its bill, though large, is too weak ; tho
one mentioned by Klein could not crufli the
head of the pcttychaps, and was choked by it ;
in the fecond place, to remove all objections
and fcruples, I have decided the point by expe-
riment. On the 27th of June, I put a young
Cuckoo, which had been hatched in the fpring,
and was already nine inches long, in an open
cage, with three young pettychaps, which
were not one quarter feathered, and could not
eat without afliflance. The Cuckoo, fir from
devouring them, or even threatening them,
fcemed eager to jepay its obligations to the i'pc-
cics. It ibfTered the little birds, which were
not in the kaft afraid, to warm themftlves iin^

der

CUCKOO. 167

der its wings. On the other hand, a yonngj
owl, which had as yet only heen fed, began
of itfelf to eat by devouring a pettychaps,
which was lodged with it. I know that
Ibme qualify the account by faying that the
Cuckoo fwallows the chicks juft as they burft
from the fhell ; and as thefe little embryos
might be regarded as beings intermediate between
eggs and birds, they might therefore be eaten
by an animal which habitually feeds on eggs,
whether hatched or not. But though this fbte-
ment is lefs improbable, it ought not to be ad-
mitted till it is evinced by obfervation.

With refpe£t to the faliva of the Cuckoo, it
is nothing elfe than a frothy exudation from the
iarva of a certain kind of grafsfhopper *. Per-
haps the Cuckoo was obfervcd to feek tiie larva
under this froth, which might give occafion to
its being fuppofed to depofit its faliva; and as
an infedl was perceived to emerge, it would be
imagined, that the faliva of the Cuckoo engen-
dered vermin.

IH,ii.-,i

llbMii'^f

• This infeft is the Cia^Ja Spumaria of Linnaeus. It inhabits
Europe, and is frequent on brambles, withies, and grafs ftalkb; it
fettles in the forking of the (talks, and evacuates nuuierous veii-
cles, rcfembiing froth, under which the larva lies concealed. This
fpittle, fo frequent in the fields, is termed in French ccume fri»t-
annlere, or fpring froth, and the infedl which emerges ij; dt-ncmi-
x\-iXt'di Jautcrclle-puce (grafshopper flea), or lignk heitu.nii, 1 his in-
feft, it is faid, kills the Cuckoo by pricking it beneath the wing ;
which at bell is only fome mifreprefented faft. — This frothy iub-
ftance is well known in England by the name of Cuckoo-J'pittle, or
iKood/are*

I will

t€9

CUCKOO.

I will not ferioufly combat the notion, that
the Cuckoo is annually metamorphofed into i\
fparrow-havvk *, It is an. abfurdity which ne-
ver was believed by the real naturaliils, aocj
Ibme of them have confuted it. I fhall only ob-
ferve that the opinioi> feems to have taken rife
froni the following circumftances : the two birds
are fejdoni found in our climates at the fame
time ; they refemble each other jn their pluni'
age -f , in the colour of their eyes and legs, if)
the length of their tail, in having a membrauT
ous ftomach, and a long tail, in their li^e, \t\
their flight, and in their little fecundity ; both
live folitary, and have long feathers that delcen4
from the legs on the tarfus, &c. ; their plum-
age is alfo fubje(5l to vary, fo that a bird which
was taken for a beautiful merlin from its co-
lours, was found on difl'etflion to be a female
Cuckoo |. But thefe q^ualities j^re not what

* 1 have juft witnefled an odd enough fcene. A fparrow^
hawk alighted in a pretty populous court yard; a young cock of
this year's hatching inftantly darted at him, and threw him on his
back: ; in this fitiiationthe hawk,(hielding himfelf with his talons and
his bill, intimidated the hens and turkies, which fcreamed tun)ultu>
oully round him : when he had a little recovered himfelf, he rofe
tnd was taking wi;ig, when the cock rufhed upon him a fecond time,
overturned him^ and held him down fo long that he war, caught.

t Ffpecially fecn froi» below when they fly. The Cuckoo
rulUes with its wings in rifing, and then flioots along like the
tiercel falcon.

:|: See Salcrnc, ////?. (/cs Oifciux, p. 40. M. HerlfTant faw mmy-
Cuckoos which, by their plumage, refembled different kinds of
n^ale hawks, and one that refembled a wood pigeon. Man. rife
I'jicad. deiSciiiice', 1752, p. 4:7.

conftitute

C U C K o d.

2d^

Conftitute a bird of prey; there are wanting the
proper bill and talons, and the requifite courage
and ftrength, in which the Cuckoo, confider-
ing its bulk, is very deficient *. M» Lottinger
has obferved that Cuckoos of five or fix months
old are as helplefs as young pigeons ; that they
remain for hours in the fame fpot, and have fo
little appetite, that they muft be affifted in fwal-
lowing. It is true that when they grow up,
they aflume a little more refolution, ahd may
fometimes pafs for birds of rapine. The Vifcount
de Querhoent, whofe teftimony has the greateft
weight, faw one which, being apprehenfive of
an attack from another bird, bridled its feathers,
and raifed and depreffed its head flowly and re-
peatedly, and then fcreamed out) fo that in this
manner it often put to flight a keflril, which
was kept in the fame houfe f .

The Cuckoo, far from being ungrateful,
feems confcious and mindful of its obligations.
On its return from its winter retreat, it eagerly

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* Ariftotle juftly obfetves that it is a timid bird ; but I know
not why he cites, as a proof of this timidit) , its laying in the nelt
of another. De Gensratione, Lib. III. i.

f An adult Cuckoo, raifed by M. Lottinger, charged all other
birds* the ftrongeil equally as the wcakeil, thofe of its own kind
ur thofe of another, aiming preferably at the head and eyes. It
raihed even upon ftuffed birds« and, though roughly repelled, it
would never defift from the attack. For my «wn part, I know
from experience that the Cuckoos menace the band extended to
catch them, that they rife and fink alternately, bridling their fea-
thers, and that they even bite in a fo#t of anger, though with lit-
tie efFea.

haflens,

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276 G U C K O f):

haftens, it Is fald, to the place of its blrth^ ztA
if it finds its nurfe or fo{ler-brothers, they all
join in mutual gratulations, each venting its joy-
in its own manner*. Thefe different expref-
fions, thefe reciprocal carefTes, thefe falutations
ofgladnefs, and thefe fportive frolics, arc what
have no doubt been millaken for battles between
the fmall birds and the Cuckoo* A real com-
bat, however, may fometimes take place, as
when the birds furprife a Guckoo about to de-
ftroy their eggs, in order to depofit its own "f^
This well-alcertained fadl, that it lays in an-
other's neft, is the chief fingularity in its hif-
tory, though not altogether unexampled. Gef-
iier ipcaks of a certain bird of prey, which is
much like the gofs-hawk, that lays in the neft
of the jackdaw : and though this unknown
bird (hould be fuppofed to be nothing but the
Cuckoo, efpecially as this is often taken for one
of the raf acious tribe ; it at leaft cannot be de-
nied that the wry- necks fometimes raife their
numerous progeny in the neft of the nuthatch,
as I myfelf have afcertained ; that the fparrows
fometimes occupy the fwallows' nefts, &Ci
Thefe inftances, however, are very rare, and

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* Frifch.
f Arlftotle, Pliny, and thofe who have copied or amplified from
them, agree that the Cuckoo is timid ; that all the fmall birds an>
noy them, and that it can put none of thefe to flight : others add,
that this perfecution originates from its refemblance to a bird of
prey; but when did the fmall birds ever purfue tlie birds of
prey i

the

CUCKOO.

J7I

ttie condudl of the Cuckoo mufl be regarded as
an extraordinary phenomenon.

Another fingularity in its hiftory is, that it
drops only one egg, at leaft in the fame neft.
It may indeed lay two eggs, as Ariftotle fup-
pofes, and which appears poffible from the dif-
lbd:ion of females, of which the ovarium fre-
quently contained two eggs, well formed and
of equal fize *.

Thefe two fingularities feem to imply a third:
it is that their moulting is flower and more com-
plete than in moft birds. Sometimes in the
winter feafon we find, in the hollows of trees,
one or two Cuckoos entirely naked, infomuch
that they may be taken for real toads. Father
Bougaud, whom we have often quoted with
that confidence which he merits, avers that he
faw one in that ftate, which was taken out of
a hollow tree about the end of December. Of
four other Cuckoos raifed, the one by Johnfon,
as mentioned by Willughby, the other by the
Count de Buffon, the third by Hebert, and the
fourth bymyfelf; the firfl languifhed on the
approach of winter, grew fcabby, and died; the
fecond and third cafl the whole of their feathers
in November, and the fourth, which died to-
wards the end of Odober, had lofl more than
half. The fecond and third alfo foon died ;
but, previous to their death, they fell into a

* LinnMUs and Salerne.

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kind

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CV CKO Oi

kind of numbnefs and torpor. Many otter fi-
milar fadls are adduced ; and though it has been
crroneoufly concluded that all the Cuckoo?
which made their appearance in fummer re-
main torpid during the winter*, concealed in
hollow trees or under ground, difrobed of their
plumage, and, according to fome, with an am-
ple proyifion of corn (which this fpecies never
eats) : if thele conclulions ought not to be ad-
mitted, we may at leafl: fafely infer that thofe
which, on the moment of their departure, arefick
or wounded, or too young, or in fhort too weak,
from whatever caufe, to perform their dillant re-
treat, remain behind, and pafs the winter iheltered
in the firH: hole they meet with which has a good
afpe^li as do the quails f : 3. That, in general,
thefe birds are very late in moulting, and con-
fequently flow in refuming their plumage, which
^ hardly reflored on their appearance in the be-

• Thofe who fpeak of thefe Cuckoos found in wihtei* lodged in
holes, agree that they are ahfolutely naked, and refemble toads*
This account makes me fufpeCl that the fuppofed Cuckoos were of-
ten toads Of frogs, which really pafs the winter without food, their
mouth being then fhut, and their jaws, ds it were, glued together.
— Arilloile pofitively aflerts that the Cuckoos never appear during
winter In Greece.

f In winter, fportfnien fometlmes meet with quails fquatted un-
der a luge root, or in fome other hole facing the fouth, with a little
provifion of grain and heads of different forts of coin. I mud
own that the Marquis de Piolenc and another perfon affured me
that two Cuckoos which they reared and kept feveral years did not
drop all their feathers in the winter: but as they remarked not the
time, nor the duration, nor the quantity of the moult, we can draw
no condufion from thefe two obfervations.

ginninor

c u c k: o o.

.273

ginning of fpring ; accordingly, their wings are
then very weak, and they feldom perch on lofty
trees, but ftruggle from bu(h to bu(h, and
Ibmetlmes alight on the ground, where they
hop like the thru flies. \Vc may therefore fay
that, during the love feafon, the furplus food is
almoft entirely fpcnt on the growth of the fea-
thers, and can furnifli very little towards the
reprodu£lion of the fpecies ; that, for this rea-
fon, the female Cuckoo never lays above one
egg, or at mod two ; and that, as the bird has
little abilities for generation, it has alfo lefs ar-
dour for all the fubordinate functions, which
have the prefervation of the fpecies as their ob-
je£t, fuch as neftling, hatching, and rearing
their young, &c. which all originate from the
fame fource, and are proportioned to it. Be-
fides, as the male inftindlivcly devours birds'
eggs, the female muft be careful to conceal
hers; (he muft not return to the fpot where
(he has depofitcd one, left the male difcover it ;
(he muft therefore choofe the moft concealed
neft, and which is alfo the moft remote from
his ufual haunts J and if (he has two eggs, (he
mi^ft entruft them to different nurfes : and thus
(he takes all the precautions fuggefted by con-
cern for her progeny, and yet carefully avoids
betraying it through indifcretion. Viewed in
this way, the condu^l of the Cuckoo will coin-
cide with the general tule, and imply in the
mother an affedlion for her young, and even a
VOL. VI. T rational

'^% m

*74

CUCKOO.

!ii V.

rationnl klnc^ of coivjcni, which prefers their
intcrcfl: to the tender lati^fdv^ioii of fondling and
aflKlinr- them hy her ofFiccs. The difpertion
too of the eggs in diiferent nefts, whatever be
the caufe, whether the iiccefRty of conceahng
them from the male, or the finaUnefi> of the
neft ^, would alone render it impofTiblc for the
female to hatch them. This hO: is the more
probable, as two eggs are often found completely
formed in the ovarium, but very fcldom two
eggs in the lame ncil:. Bclides, the Cuckoo is
not the only bird which never builds ; many
fpccies of titmice, woodrpeckers, king-fiQicrs,
&c. come under the flime defcription. We have
already fccn that it is not the only one that lays in
other's nefls ; there is aUo another example of a
bird which never hatches its eggs ; the oftrich,
in the torrid zone, depofits its eggs in the fand,
and the heat of the fun accomplilhes the deve-
lopement of the embryos. It never lofes fight
of them indeed, and guards them ailiduoufly ;
but it has not the fame motives as the Cuckoo
to conceal its attachment, and therefore does
not take all the precautions which might ex-
empt it from farther folicitude. The conduct
of the Cuckoo is not then an abfurd irregularity,
a monftrous anomaly, a deviation from the laws

* Perfons of veracity have told me that they twice faw two
CjcIcoos in a Tingle neil, but both times in the neit of a throftle :
bill the th oille's nefl is larger than that of the pettychaps, of thu
wiiiow-wren, or of the red-breaft.

• - of

CUCKOO.

a7S

5 tbelr
ng and
perrion
;ver be

icealing
of the
for the
\e more
npletely
:)m two
Lickoo i.-i
; niauy
;-ri(hers,
Ve have
at lays in
Tiple of a
oft rich,
he fand,
he deve-
fes fight
duoufly ;
e Cuckoo
jfore does
light ex-
; conduct
egularity,
1 the laws

wlce faw two
of a throftle :
tychaps, of the

•' of

of nature, as Willughby expreflos it ; it is the
necefliiry confcquencc of eftablifliecl priiiciplos,
and the want of it would occafion a void in tiie
general fyftem, and iuterru[)L the chain ofpha:-
nomena.

What feems to have aAonifhcd fomc natu-
ralifts the moll, is that attention which they
term unnatural in the nnrfe of the Cuckoo,
which neglects its own eggs to chcrifli thofc of a
foreign, and even hoftilc bird. One of thefe, an
excellent ornithologifi:, (truck with the appear-
ance, has made a feries of obfcrvations on this
fubjeft : he took the eggs of feveral fmall birds
out of their nefts, and in their place fubftituted
a lingle egg of a bird of a different kind, and
not a Cuckoo; and he inferred from his expe-
riments that, in fimilar circumftances, birds will
hatch no fingle egg but the Cuckoo's, which is
therefore favoured by a fpccial lavvof the Creator.

But this conclufion will appear rafli and pre-
carious, if we attend to the following confider-
ations ; i. the aflertion being general, one con-
trary fa£t is fufficient to overturn it ; and for
this realbn, forty-iix experiments made on twen-
ty fpecies are too few : 2. It would require
many more, and thofe performed with greater
nicety, to eftablifli a propofition which is an ex-
emption to the general laws of nature : 3. Ad-
mitting the experiments to be fufficiently nu-
merous and accurate, they would beinconclufive,
if not made precifely in the fame manner, and

T 2 in

■It-

m &

m
M

. h3

Wi ^^

476 CUCKOO.

ill like circumftances. For inftance, the cafe 15
not (imilar when the egg is left by a bir^ of
dropped by a man, efpecially by one who is bi-
afled to a favourite hypothefis; nay the fref-
quent appearance of a perfon will difturb the
moft eager brooder, and even caufe her to aban-
don the education of a Cuckoo, though far
advanced *, as I have myfelf experienced :
4. The fundamental aflertions of this author are
not quite accurate *, for, though it feldom hap-
pens, the Cuckoo fometimes lays two eggs in
the fame neft. ^Further, he fuppofes that the
Cuckoo fucks all the eggs in the neft, or dc-
flroys them fomehow, leaving only its own ;
but this is hardly fufceptible of proof, and is
improbable. But I have often received neils,
in which were feveral befides the Cuckoo's
egg which properly belonged to thefe nefls i-,
and even maiiy pf thefe eggs hatched, as well

• A meadow green-finch, whof? neft was on' the ground under a
thick root, abandoned the education of la. young Cuckoo, merely
fron^ the inquietude occafioned by the repeated vifits of fome cu-
rious perfons,

t 16 May, 1774, five eggs of '^ ' titmobfe Vriih One of the
Cuckoo; the eggs of the titmoufedifappeared by degrees J ^,

19 May, 1776) five eggs of tlieredbi-eaft with, one egg of the

Cuckoo. . , I. . it.',.

10 May, 1777, four ^SS* ^^ ^^^ nlgllfth'^'ale With one egg of the
Cuckoo.

17 May, i777> two eggs of the titmoufe under », young Cuckoo,
but which did not fucceed. Some incident of thts fort might have
' given occafion to fay that the young Cuckoo charges itfelf with
hatching the eggs of it» nurf^ {SeeGefaer, p. 365.)

- ' as

CUCKOO.

277

as that of the Cuckoo * : 5. But, what is no
lefs decifive, there are inconteftible fa£ls ob^
ferved by perfons attached to no hypothefis t,
which are diredtly oppofite to thcfe related by
the author, and entirely overturn his inconclufive
indu(ftions.

, . . FIRST EXPERIMENT,

A hen canary, which fat on her eggs and
hatched them, continued to fit when two black-
birds* eggs, brought from the woods, were put
under her, though eight days afterwards ; and
the incubation would have fucceeded if they
had not been removed.

SE'CONP EXPEIRIMENT.

'Another hen canafy fat four days on feven
eggs, five of which were her own, and two
thole of pettychaps ; but, the cage being car-

/f' 14 June, 1777, a Cuckoo newly Jiatcln^d in a throllle's neft,
with two young throttles, began to fly.

8 June, 1788, a young Cuckoo in the neft of a nightingale, with
two young nightingales, and an addle egg* >

16 Jppe^ 1778, a ypung Cuckoo in the neft of a red-breaft,
with a little red-breaft that feeme4 to have been hatched before it.

M. Lottinger, in a letter darted 17 O&ober, 1776, I'.as related
to m^ a faft, which he proved hlmfelf: in the month of June, a
Cuckoo newly hatched in the neft of a blackcap, with a young
blackcap that already flew, and an addle egg. 1 could cite many
other fimilar examples. " "'i

t I owe the greateft part of thefe fails to one of my relations,
Madame Potot dq Montbei}lard, who his many years ufefully
amufcd hqrfelf with birds, has ftudied their habits, and traced their
purfuits ; and fometimes has been fo obliging as to make obferva-
tions and try experiments relative to the fubjefts in which I was

. ' * T 3 ried

'I'iil

v.;

278

CUCKOO.

Utii I

If''

' il' I.

liui,

ried to the lower ftory, (he forfook them all.
Afterwards (he laid two eggs, but did not fit,

THIRD EXPERIxMENT.

Another hen canary, whofe mate had eaten
her i'eveii firfl: eggs, fat on the two laft, along
with three others, the one a canary's, the fe-
cond a linnet's, and the third a bulfmch's ; but
all thefe happened to be addle. '

FOURTH EXPERIMENT.

A hen wren hatched a blackbird's egg ; and
a hen tree-fparrow hatched a magpye's egg,

FIFTH EXPERIMENT.

A hen tree-fparrow fat on fix eggs which fhe
had laid ; five were added, and fhe flill fat ;
five more were added, and finding the number
too large, fhe ate feven of them, and continued
to fit on the refl ; two were taken away, and a
magpye's egg put in their place, and the fparrow
hatched it, along with the feven others.

SIXTH EXPERIMENT,

There is a well-known method of hatching
canaries' eggs, by putting them under a hen
goldfinch, taking care that they are previoufly
as far advanced in their incubation as thofe of
the goldfinch.

SEVENTH EXPERIMENT.

A hen canary having fitten nine or ten days
on three of her own eggs and two of thofe of
the blackcap, one of the latter was removed^;
in which the embryo was not only formed,

but

•..vr

CUCKOO.

279

but living; two young yellow buntings, jiiil:
h:itched, were entrufted to her, and (he treated
them ^^'ith the fame attention as (lie would do
her own, and dill continued to fit on the four
eggs that were left, but they turned out to be
addle.

EIGHTH EXPERIMENT.

About the end of April 1776, another hen
canary having laid an egg, it was taken away ;
and three or four days after, it being replaced,
the bird ate it. Two or three days afterwards,
fhe laid another egg, and fat on it ; two chaf-
finch's eggs were then put under her, and (lie
continued to fit, though Ine had broken her
own eggs ; at the end of ten days the chaf-
finch's eggs were removed, being tainted. Two
newly hatched yellow buntings were given,
which ihe reared very well. After which fiie
laid two eggs, ate one, and though the other
was taken away, (he continued to brood as if
(lie had eggs ; a fingle egg of the redbreaft was
put under her, which fhe hatched fuccefsfully.

NINTH EXPERIMENT.

Another hen canary, having laid three eggs,
broke them almoil immcdiatclv; two chaf-
finch's eggs, and one of the blackcap, were
fubftituted, on which (he fat, and on three
others, which (he laid fuccefiively. In four or
five days, ihc cage having been carried to a room
in the lower ftory, the bird forfook them. A
llicrt time afterwards, (he laid an egg, to which
• ' T 4 w:is

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vim

rx );:

■l 'I. i

280

CUCKOO.

was joined- one of the nuthatch, and then two

others, to which a linnet*s egg was added,,

She fat on theoi all {even days, but preferring [

the two Grangers, fhe, th^ew put her o\ya luc-

cefiively on the three following days, and on the

eleventh fhe alfotofled out that of the nuthatch,

fo th:it the linnet's was the only one that fuc-

cceded. If this lad: egg had been that of a

Cuckoo, what falfe inferences might have beeU '

drawn, .-. ; ,. '. " ' "' "

li: i/ua Dial's

::)l|i.

TE N T H ' kx PE RIME N T .

On the 5th of June, a Cuckoo's egg was
placed under the hen canary mentioned in the
I'eventh ejcperiment, which (he hatched, along
with three of her own. Oii' the 7th, one of
thefe eggs difappeared ; ahothey on the 8th,'
and the third and laft on tlie ibth; oiVthe
nth, fhe alfo ate the Cuckoo's' egg. '.",

Laftly, , a hen red-breall^ ardently bent oil
broodinof, has been feen to unFte with her mate
in repelling a female Cuckoo from the neH ;
they fcreamed, attacked furioufly, and hotly
purlued her *.

• See Obf>.rvations fur I'inftinfl des Anjmaux, t. 1. p. 167, note
32. The author oFth?it note adds feme details relative to the hii-
tory of our bird : *' While one of the red-brealls was Ilrikingwith
its bin the lower belly of the Cucl:oo, thiii bird fhivered its wings
with an almoft irfenfible quiver, opened its bill fo wide that an-
other red-breaft, which afl'ailed it in front, drove its head feveral
times into the cavity, without receiving; any injury ; for the Cuckoo
was no way irritated, but fcemed to be in the condition of a fe-
male under the necefllty of laying. In a little while the Cuckoo,

being

CUCKOO.

all

'MA

It follows from thefe experiments; i. That^
the females of many fpecies of fmall birds which j
hatch the Cuckoo's egg, hatch likewife other
eggs along with their own : 2. That they often
fit on thefe eggs in preference to their own, '
which they fometimes entirely deftroy : 3. That'
they will hatch a fingle egg, though it be not a
Cuckoo's : 4. That they boldly drive off the fe-
male Cuckoo, when they furprife her dropping'
the egg in their neft : 5. Laftly, that they fome-
times eat this favoured egg, even in cafes where
it is (ingle and alone. But a more general and
important confeqiience is, that the inftin6l of
hatching which fometimes appears fo powerful
in birds, is not determined by the kind or qua-
lity of the eggs; fince they often eat or break
them, or fit on addle ones ; they iit even on
balls of chalk or wood, and fometimes brood in
the empty neft. When a bird hafches the egg
of a Cuckoo, or of any other bird, (lie follows
therefore the general inftinft; and it is \lnne-
cefTary to recur to any fpecial appoihtitidrit of

being exhaufted, began to totter, loft its balance, and turned on the
branch, from which it hungf by the feet, its eyes half-Hiut, its bill
open, and its wings expanded. Having remained about two mi-
nutes in this attitude, conftantly harafTed by the two red-breafts.
it quitted the branch, Hew to perch at a diftance, and appeared no
more. The, female red-breaft refuraed her incubation, and all her
eggs were hatched, and formed a little family, that long lived at-
tached to this diftri^." M. le Marquis de Piolenc alfo tells me in
his letters of a C^ckoo being repelled by buntings.

■ . the

i:!hi:' 'i

!i! Ill

'Ml

282

CUCKOO.

m »

t. 'r"

iff u

the Author of Nature in r.ccountin^ for the
conducl of tlie fenjal'; Cuckoo''.

I alk my rea']er*s pardon for tliis lon;^ difcuf-
fion, of the importance of which ho miy not be
convinced. The bird which is tlie iubjcdt of
this article has given rife to fo many errors, that
I have thought it ncceflary? not only to extir-
pate thefe from natural hiftory, but to oppofe
the attempts of thofe who endeavour to convert
them into metaphyiical principles. Nothing
is more inconfiftent with found philoibphy, than
to multiply the laws of the univerfe ; a phas-
nomenon appears lingle and unconnected, be-
caufe it is not accurately known ; and it re-
quires an attentive comparifon of the works of
nature, a clofe inveftigation of the relations
which fubfift, to enable us to penetrate into
her views. ; < . <

I know more than twenty fpecies of birds, in
the nefts of which the Cuckoo depofits her eggs ;
the pettychaps, the blackcap, the babbhng
warbler, the wagtail, the red-breaft, the com-
mon wren, the yellow wren, the titmoufe,

* Frifch fuppcfcs another particular law, to explain why ths
prcfcnt Cuckoos never hatch their eggs ; it is, he fays, becaufe a
bird never hatches unlefs itfeif has btcn hatched by a female of its
own fpecies. He admits indeed that the fiiil female Cuckoo emit-
ted from Noah's ark muft.have laid in its own neft, and muft itfcif
have taken the trouble of hatching its eggs. He might have (pared
this exception, for there are many inftances of fmall birds fuccced-
ing with their own eggs along with that of the Cuckoo.

the

CUCKOO.

283

the nightingale, the red-tail, the Iky-lark, the
wood-lark, the tit-lark, the linnet, the green-
finch, the bulfinch, the thrortle, the jay, the
black-bird, and the (hrike. The Cuckoo's eggs
arc never found in the nefts of partridges or
quails, at lead they never fucceed in them, be-
caufe the young of thefe birds run almoft the
inftant they are hatched. It is even fingular
fhat the young Cuckoos, which, when bred in
the cage, require feveral months before they cat
without afliftance, can ever be raifed in the ncfts
of larks, which, as we have feen in their hif-
tory, beftow only fifteen days on their educa-
tion. But in the flate of nature, necefHty, li-
berty, and the proper choice of food, will con-
fpire to unfold their inflindt, and haften their
growth*; and may not the attention of the
nurfe be proportioned to the wants of her adopt-
ed child ?

We (hall perhaps be furprifed to find ma-
ny granivorous birds, fuch as the linnet, the
greenfinch, and the bulfinch, in the lift of the
Cuckoo's nurfes. But many of thefe, it fhould
be remembered, feed their brood with in-
fc(Sls ; and even the vegetable fubftanccs mace-
rated in their craw, may fuit the Cuckoo for
a certain time, till it can pick up caterpillars,

! -i-J

a*-;

\. I

• I muft own that Salerne fays, that this bird is fed whole
months by its adoptive mother, which it follows crying inccllantly
for food. But this fa£l would be difficult to obferve.

ipiders,

2$^.

CUCKOO,

fpidersy and beetles, &c. \yhich fwarm abput ita..
man lion.

.f4

When the neft, where it is lodged, belong? to
a fmall bird, and confequently is conftn,i<5ted on
a, yarrow fgale, it is ufually found (o much flat-^
tened th^t.i^can hardly be recognifed ; the na-
tural ;i;ife(3; of the bulk aqdi weight of the young
Cuckoo, Another cpnfqquence is, that the eggs
or young birds are frequently thruft out of the
neft; byt, though ej^pell^d fron? their paternal
abode, they fometimes furvive ; for if they be
fomewhat grown, if the neft be npar the ground,
and if the afpe£l is fayonrz^ble ^nd the ;ieafou
mild^ they find ihelter under the, ^ipi$ or fo-
liage, and the parents,' withpV^ fPf%Hi"g; th<2|
intruder, continue to fped aw watch thenv .,, v
,j AH the inhabitants, .of /pf pfts . , aUert^ , . ,^h^^
when the femaJe Cuckpp, ha^ pijpe deporitedhep;
egg in the neft which (he has fele£lecj,ij^e rp-r
tires to a diftance, .^i^d fepms toi ^orgetiher^o-
gei^y; and th^t t\iQi rn^\ej}py\er '(^}f^
fmalieft con(;^rt> in t,\^p ^i^attef ^ , . But JS/^^ , Lot-:
ting^r has obferved ^fiat,; though the, .parent
Cuckoos do not vifit their offspring, they ap-f
proach within a certain diftance pf the fpot,
calling, and feem to liften and reply toxach
other. He adds that the young Cuckoo con^
ftantly anfwers to the call, whether in the woods
or in a volery, provided it be not difturbed by
the fight of a perfon. It is certain that the old

C 0 C K O 0.

»«J

'6titi dan be enticed by imitating their call, and
that they fom6times chant in the vicinity of the
neft ; but there is no prc^i that thefe are the
pareints of the young bird. They never render
thdfe tender offices which mark parental at-
"tachttient, and their calls proceed only from
the fympathy common between birds of the
^iinVefpeci^sv^^^^ ^-^'^i-^'^^-^-^ -\ ''' --' ''-^^
- '' EVety body knows \ht ordin?/ry fong of the
Cuckoo * ; it is fo diftin£tly formed, an(} fo of-
ten repeated, that, in alihoft all languages, it
' has given name to the bird. It belongs ex-
clufively to the i:hale, and is heard only during
the fpring, the fbafon of love, and either when
he fits on a dry branch, or while he moves on
the wing i fometiiiies it Is interrupted by a dull
rattling found, cfQU<t crou^ littered with a hoarfe
. lifpiiig voice. There is alfo another bccafional
cry, which is loiid' but rather qusiycring, and
cbmobfed of feveral notes, like that of the llt-
i tie diver : it is heard when the male and female
* purfue each other in amorous frolic -f. Some
..'haye alfb i*ufpe<^e4 it t;6 be, the cry of the fe-
oi! maki ! . When Che is animated llie has beUdes a

!;' jai

;'iii*i:l

iil^Nv il

■'■^'' •■'Cfftf'VaW, ftfu/ffffi cnu ctu couf ton coucoa fooy in 'Frenchi" pro-
nounced 00 J. This frequent repetition has given rife to' two modes
v^'of ^rdverbld exppeinon«: when a perfon dwells' upon the: fame
'^ fubjeftj lie is faid in German to fing the CuehoU/ong^ ■ The fafme
• " phrafe is applied to a fmall body of people, who, by. their tumultu-
^' aryi vociferationi foem to form a numerous alTembly,
1.' •f-jThoi« who have heard it exprefs it thus; go, gOt guet, gugt,
guet, ^ ■ *'.H\.iii.:i. -.nom ri)i;d ■■>\i.rr\ avft n:.i3

■ 1 '

a86

CUCKOO.

fort of clucking, glou^ glou^ which is repeated
five or fix times with a rtrong clear voice, while
Ihe flies from tree to tree. This would feem
intended to incite the male ; for as foon as he
hears the call he haftens to her with ardour,
uttering tou^ couj cou^. But notwithftandingthis
variety of infle*^ion, the long of the Cuckoo
ought never to be compared with that of the
nightingale, except in the fable -j-. It is very
uncertain whether thefe birds ever pair; they
are Simulated by appetite, but they (hew no-
thing like fentiment or attachment. The males
are much more numerous than the females, and
often contend for them J ; yet the obje£l of the
itruggle is a female in general, without any
lymptom of choice or prediledtion ; and when
their paiRon is fatisfied> they defert her with
the coldeft indifference. They difcover no fo-
licitude, and make no provifion, for their off-
fprlng. The mutual attachment between pa-

• Note communicated by the Count dc Riollet, who makes a
laudable amuferaent of obferving what fo many others only look at.

t It is faid that the nightingale and the Cuckoo difputed the
merits of the fong in prefence of the afs, whicli adjudged the prize
to the Cuckoo ; but that the nightingale appealed to man, who
pronounced in its favour, iince which time the nightingale fings as
foon as it fees a man, in gratitude for his decifion, or in j unifica-
tion of it.

X Seldom or never do perfons kill or take any but the finging
Cuckoos, and, by confequence, the males. 1 have feen three or
lour killed in a fmgle excurflon, and not one female among them.
*< In a trap, which we placed on a tree frequented by Cuckoo*,"
fays the author of the Brit fh Zoology, " wc caught not lewer
than five male birds in one feafon."

rents

CUCKOO. 287

rents is fomuled on the common tcndcrnefs to
their young.

The yoiinj Cuckoos, foon after their exclu-
fioii, have allv) a call not fluillcr than that of the
pettychaps niul rcdbreafh, their nurfes, whofo
tone ihey alilinic from the force of im'tation * :
iHid as if fenfibk' of the necefhtv of folicitiii'T; and
imijortunlng an adoptive mother, who cannot
havv*^ the companion of a real parent, they Con-
tiiuiaily repeat their entreaty ; and, to remove
amoi^^rvilty, their hroad hill is opened to its ut-
moft width, and the exprellion is rendered ftill
more fi^jnificant by the clapping of their wings.
After their wings have acquired fbme ftrength,
they purine their nurfe among the neighbour-
ing branches, or meet her when fhe brings food.
The young Cuckoos are voracious -f, and can
hardly be maintained by little birds, fuch as
the red-breaft, the pettychaps, the common
and yellow wrens, which have belldes a fa-
mily to fupport. They retain their call, ac-

• *♦ The fin^ular ftruft^ire of their noftrils contributes perhaps,"
fays M. Fvifch, " 10 produce this Ihiirp cry." It is trae that tlie
noftrils of the Cuckoo h;ive, with regard to their exterior, a pretty
ftngular ftrufture ; but 1 aiii convinced that they contribute not in
the leaft to rcod'ty this cry, which continued the fanae after I had
ftopt the noilriis witii w;;x. I have difcovered, by repeating this
experiment upon other birds, and particularly upon the wren, that
the cry remains r.rvaried, whether the noftrils be flmt or left open.
It is befides iinown iha: tlic voice of l)irds is formed not in tlie nof-
trils, or at the gkttis, but at the lower part of the trachea arttria,
near its forking.
•^ V f Hence the proverb to/waUo'w like a Cuckoo. '-' * 1 1.^' ;

c:> " ' cordins:

I hi

i'lijii

Si*.

I;-

I--

■ .i

:;-i-; n

J 41 1."

■H*.*!

i P

l»,

C U C I^ o o.

nit «,

^:'

cording to Frifch, till the fifteenth or twentieth
of September ; it then begins to grow flat, and
is foon loft entirely.

Moft ornithologifts agree, that inlc^ts arc the
chief part of the Cuckooes food, and that, as I
have already remarked, it is peculiarly fond of
birds' eggs. Ray found caterpillars in its fto-
mach ; I have alfo perceived veftiges of veget-
able fubftances, fmall beetles, &c. and fome-
timcs pebbles. Frifch aflerts that the young
Cuckoos ought, in every feafon, to be fed in
the morning and evening at the fame time as
in the longeft days of fummer. That author
has alfo obferved the way in which they eat the
infe6ls alive : they lay hold of the caterpillar
by the head, and, drawing it into their bill,
they fqueezc the juicy matter through the anus,
and then fhake it feveral times before they fwal-
low it. They alfo feize butterflies by the head,
and, preffnig with their bill, they crufli the
brcaft, and fwallow the whole together with
the wings. They likewife eat worms; but they
prefer fuch as are alive. When infeOs could
not be had, Frifch gave a young Cuckoo which
he raifed, Iheep's liver, and efpecially kid-
neys, cutting them into fmall ftrips like the in-
fe£ls for which they were fubftituted. When
thefe were too dry, he foaked them a little,
that they might be eafily fwallowed. The bird
never drank unlefs its food was top dry, and
then it drank awkwardly and with reludancc.

^ 4 In

Ill

cuckoo. 289

fn every other cafe it rcje<flcd water, and (hook
ofF the drops which were forcibly or artfully in-
troduced into its bill* ; in (hort, it is habituallj
under the impreflion of a hydrophobia.

The young Cuckoos never fing during their
firft year, and the old ones ccafe towards the
end of June, at lead their fong is then unfre-
quent. But this filcnce does not announce
their departure ; they are found in the open
country until the end of September, and even
later-)-. It is the fcarcity of infcfts, ho doubt i
which determines them to retire to warmer
climates : they migrate foi the moft part into
Africa, fince the Commanders of Godeheu and
des Mazys reckon them among thole birds whicK
are feen twice a year pafling and repafFing the
iflahd of Malta |. On their arrival in our cli-
inates they approach neareft our dwellings; dur-
ing the reft of their ftay they fly about among
the woods, the meadows, &c. and wherever they
can difcover nefts to plunder or depolit their
egg, or find inledts and fruits. Towards au-
tumn the adults, and efpecially the females, are
excellent food, and as fat as they were lean in the

fc'/# .'c.

, 'r,

: * I hnrve reinarked this {z&, a$ well as the Carthufian of Sa>
lerne. May not this be the reafon why a decoction of the Cuckoo's
dung in wine has been recommended as a fare remedy for the hy-
drophobia ?

f Q^erhoent and Hebert. '

t Salerne relates, from Voyagers, that the .Cuckoo$ fomatimei
alight in great numbers on fiiips.

VOX. VJ, V

■'Kk '

T-u^l I"

!!■;

111?.;'".

'■! 1!^

t;"'

i U

fpring.

St >i

290

CUCKOO.

fpring*. Their fat is colle£ted chiefly under
the neck-f, and is the moft delicate morfel of
the bird. They are commonly (ingle J, reft-
lefs, and perpetually changing their place ; and
though they never fly to any great diftance,
they range over a confiderablc tra£t during the
courfe of the day. The ancients watched the
times of the appearance and difappcarance of the
Cuckoo in Italy. The vine-dreflers who had
not lopped their vines before its arrival were
reckoned lazy, aiid held the objedt of public
deriflon. The by-paflers who faw the back-
ward ftate of the vineyard, mocked the owner's
indolence by repeating the call of that bird,
which was itfelf, and with much propriety, re-
garded as the emblem of floth, fliice it difpenfes
with the facred obligations of nature. It was
an ufual expreflion alfo, crafty as a CuckoQ (tor
cunning and indolence may iubfift ^ together) ;

* It is in this feafon onTy that the proverb, lean as u Cuckoo, is
juft.

f I obiecved the fame thing in a young rock ouzel, which I
brought up, and which died in the month of Odober.

t In the month of July were a dozen Cuckoos on a large oak ;
fome fcrcamed with all their might, others were iilent; a fowling-
piece was difcharged at them, and one dropt, which was a young
one. This would give room to fuppofe that the old and young
gather together in fmall bo lies, to migrate.

Note commuttieated by M. U Camli ie Rialltt.

* Init natam txprthationtm fadatn putantium wtts per imitationem
eantus alitis temporarii qu:m cueulum veeanti iedecus enim hahttut
, . ,fateem ai ilia 'valuere in wte Jeprehendit ut ob id petulantia falei
etiam cum primo vere ludaatur. Pliny* Lib* XVU* 26.

either

C ty C K O O.

291

either becaufe^ declining the talk itfelf, it con-
trives to make other birds hatch its eggs ; or
for another reafon furnifhcd by the ancient
mythology*. ' ' '-' -^ ; • .'• - " ■• -• -'. ■ ': • ^'
Though fubtlei though folitary, the Cuckoos
are fufceptiblc of a fort of education. Many per-
fons of my acquaintance have reared and tamed
them ; they are fed with minced meat, either
cooked or raw, with infe£ls, eggs, foaked bread,
fruits, &c. One of the Cuckoos thus bred
knew its mafter, . anfwered his call, followed
him to the fport, perched on his fowling-piece,
and if 'it found a black cherry tree on the road,
it flew to it, and returned not till fatiated with
the fruit ; fometimes it did not join its mafter
again the whole day, but foUovved him at a dif-
tance, fhifting from tree to tree : when at home
it was permitted to run about, and to rooft at
night. The dung of this bird is white and
abundant, which is a great inconvenience in its
education ; it muft be carefully guarded againft
the cold during ths tranfition of autumn
into winter : this a critical period for the
Cuckoo; at Icaft x loft at this time all thofe

• Jupiter having perceived thit his fiftei' Juno was alone on the
Bidean mount, or Thronax, raifed a violent dorm, and came in
Ihape of a Cuckoo, and alighted on the knees of the goddefs, who
feeing it drenched and beaten by the tempelt, pitied it, and che-
riflied it under her robe : the god then refumed his proper form,
and became the hufband of his filter. From that moment the
Di£tean mount was called Ceccyglan, or Cucieo-motitttain ; and kencc:
the origin of the Jupittr-cuculut, Stt Gefner, p. 368.

u 2 which

'i'd

igz

C! U C K O O.

l-'4

which I tried to rear, and indeed many of other

kinds. ; u .:.;;;;;; ..., < r-r--^ • ^ • .; . ■ - •

' Olina Tays that the Cuckoo may be trained
for the chafe like the fparrow-hawks and the
falcons ; but he is the only perfon who makes
that aflbrtion, which* perhaps, as well as many
other errors in the hiftory of this bird, has its
fource in the refemblance of its plumage to that
of the fparrow-hawk.

. The Cuckoos are generally diffiifed in the an-
cient continent ; and though thofe of America
have different habits, many of them ftill retain
a certain ^mily likenefs. The common kind
appear only during fummer in the colder tempe-
jrate climates, fuch as thofe of Europe ; and they
re(ide in the winter only in the warmer coun-
tries, fuch as thofe of the north of Africa : they
feem to (hun both extremes alike^

When the Cuckoos alight on the ground,
they hop, as I have remarked ;. but this feldom
happens : and even though it were not a(cer-
tained by experience, , we might infer it from
the (hortnefs of their legs' and thighs. A young
Cuckoo, which I had occafion to obfcrvc in the
month of June^ made no ufe of its legs in walk-
ing, but crept on its beUy, aifif^ing its^ motioA
by means of its bill, like the parrot in climbing.
When it clambered in its cage, I perceived
that the largef^ of the hind toes was turn-
ed forwards, but was lefs ufed than the two

other

f 'J

C tJ C !C O O.

093

•Other anterior ones *. It affifted its progreflive
fldotloQ by flapping its wings^

I have already faid that the plumage of the
Cuckoo is very fubje6l to vary in difFerent indi-
viduals; and coniequently, in defcribing the
bird, we can do nothing more than give an idea
of the colours and their diftribution, fuch as
they are moft commonly obferved. The greater
number of the full-grown males, which were
brought to me, refembled much the one de-
fcribed by BrilTon ; in all of them, the upper-
fide of the head and body, including the coverts
of the taili the lifnall coverts of the wings, the
great < .es next the back, and thtf three quills
covert V them, are of a fine a(h -colour : the
great ^o verts of the middle of the wing are
brown, fpotted with rufous, and terminated
with white; the moft remote on the back, and
the ten tirft quills of the wing are deep cine-
reous, the infide of the latter being fpotted with
rufty white ; the fix contiguous quills brown,
and marked, on both furfaces, with rufous fpots,
terminated with white; the throat and the fore*
part of the neck are light cinereous ; the reft of
the underfide of the body is radiated tranfverfely
with brown, on a dirty white ground; the fea-

* If this habit be common to the fpecies, what becomes of the
cxpreffion, di^iti fcanfarii, applied by many naturalifts to the toes
difpofed* a» in the Cuckoo, two before and two behind ? Beftdes,
do not the nut-hatches, the titmice, and the creepers, excel in
climbing, though their toes ^re placed in the ordinary way, three
^•fem an4 one behind ?

V 3 therg

294

CUCKOO.

thcrs of the thighs the fame, and falling oi^
each fide on the tarfus, like ruffles; the tar?
fus clothed exteriorly with afli-colpured fea-
thers as far as the middle ; the qpijls of the
tail blackiHiy and terniinated with white ; the
eight intermediate ones are fpotted with white
peai* the (haft on the infide ; the two middle
ones are fpotted in the fame manner on the
outer edge, and the lad of the lateral quills is
barred tranfverfely with the famie colour ; the
iris is chefnut, forpetimes yellow ; the internal
rpembrane of the eye is very tranfparent ; the
bill is black without, and yellovy within j the
^"torners of the bil' are orange ; the legs yellow,
and a little yellow appears alfo at the bafe of the
lower mandible.

I have feen feveral females which were very
like the males ; and in fome I perceived, oa
the fides of the neck, traces of thofe brown
ftreaks mentioned by Linnaeus. ,:,, jM

,.Dr. Derham fays, that, in females, the neck
is variegated with rufty, and the upperfide of
the body is of a darker caft * ; that the wings
alfo are of a rufty hue, and the eyes not fo yelt
low. According to other obfervers, the plum-

• A perfon of veracity a/Tured me that he fawfome of thefe in-
dividuals of a browner caft, which were alfo larger: if they were
females, this would be another point of analogy to the rapaciou«
birds. On the other hand, Frifch remarks, that of two young
Cuckoos of different fexes, which he raifcd« the male was the
browned.

age

CUCKOO.

age of the male is always darker than that of
the female ; but the variation is fo great, that
no certain difcrimination can be drawn. •

In young Cuckoos, the bill, the legs, the
tail, and the underfide of the body, are nearly
the fame as in the adults, except that the quills
are more or lefs retained in their tubes : the
throat, the forepart of the neck, and the un-
derfide of the body, are barred with white and
blackifh; in fuch manner, however, that the
blackiih predominates on the anterior parts more
than on the pofterior (in fome fubje€ls there is
hardly any white under the throat) ; the upper-
fide of the head and body is beautifully varie*^
gated with blackifh, white, and rufty, diftri-
buted {o that the rufty appears more on the
middle of the body, and the white on the ex-
tremities; there is a white fpot behind the head,
and fomctimes above the face ; all the quills of
the wings "are brown tipped with white, and
fpotted more or lefs with rufty and white ; the
iris is greenifli gray, and the ground of the
plumage is a very light afli colour. It is proi^
bable that the female fo handfomely mottled^ of
which Salerne fpeaks, was hatched the fame
year. Frifch tell us, that young Cuckoos rear-
ed in the woods have a plumage lefs variegated,
and more like the plumage of thofe which are
bred in the houfe. If this be not the cafe, we
(hould at leaft expe£l it ; for domeftication in
general alters the colours of animals, and we
! y 4 roight

i^S

€ U C K O O.

jnight prcfume that thofe fpecies of birds which
participate of that flate, undergo a proportional
change of colours. At the fanae tinne I muft
own, that I could perceive no difference be-
tween the young wild Cuckoos which I have ieen
(and I have feen many of them) and thofe which
I reared. Perhaps what Frifch examined were
older tb''.!! the domeftic ones with which he
compared them. The fame author adds that
the young males have a darker plumage than
the females, and that the in fide of their mouth
is redder, and their neck thicker *.
- The weight of a full grown Cuckoo, weighs
ed on the 1 2th of April, was four ounces
two gros and a half; that of another, on the
1 7th of Auguft, was about five ounces. But
they are heavier in the autumn, being then
much fatter, and the difference is not inconii-
derable. I weighed a young one on the zid of
July, whofe total length was near ni^ie inches,
and found it two ounces two gros ; another al-
moft as large, though much leaner, was only
pne ounce four gros, that is near one third lefs
than the firft.

In the full grown male the inteftinal tube is
about twenty inches ; there are two caca of un-
equal length, the one fourteen lines (fometimes

f Frifch fufpefls that the thicknefs of the throat,' which is pecu-
liar to the male, may have fome relation to the cry of the males.
Yet I muft obferve that, in the numerous diiTedions which 1 have
made, I could not perceive that the organs of voice were larger in
^he males thai> in the females.

twenty-

CUCKOO.

agj

twenty^-four), the other ten (fometimes eigh-
teen;, both directed forwards, and adhering all
along to the great inteftine, by means of a thin
tranfparent membrane ; there is a gall bladder ;
the kidnies are placed on each fide of the fpine,
divided into three principal lobes, and thefe fub-
divided into others fmaller, fecreting a whitifli
liquor ; the two tefliclr*' are of an oval fhape,
and of unequal fi^ an hed to the upj.^ j>art
of the kidnies, and feparated by a membrane.

The oefophagus dilates, at its lower part, into
9 fort of glandular fac, parted from the ftomach
by a contraftion ; the ftomach is (lightly mufcu-
lar on its circumference, membranous on its
middle, and adhering by means of fibrous net-
work to the mufcles of the lower belly, and to
the different parts which furround it. It is be-
fides much fmaller and better proportioned in a
young bird reared by a red-breaft or petty chaps
than in one bred and tamed by man ; in the fet-
ter, the ftomach, being diftended by exceflive
feeding, is as large as a common hen's egg, and
occupies all the anterior part of the cavity of the
belly, from the fternum to the anus, and fome-
times ftretches under the fternum five or fix
lines*, and, at other times, it conceals the

l''Hl,

3 ' n'-fi

• See Memoires de rAcademie Royale des Sciences, annee, 1752,
/. 420. The Cuckoo of M. Heriffant was domeflic, to judge by
the quantity of flefti with which its Uomach was filled. In the
nutcracker the ftomach is alfo very bujky, fituated likcwife in the
middle of the belly> and not covered by the inteAines.

whole

,i:!i.:

f9S

CUCKOO.

whole of the inteftines ; whereas in the wild
Cuckoo, which I dire<fted to be killed the in-
flant they were brought to me, it never ex-
tended quite to the fternum, but left uncovered,
betvyeen its lower part and the anus, two cir-
cumvolutions of the inteftines, and three on the
right lide of the abdomen. I fhould add, that
in moft of the birds which 1 difleded, nothing
was required to be comprefled or difplaced in or-
der to perceive one or two circumvolutions of
iriteftines in the cavity of the belly on the right
fide of the ftomach, and one between the lower
part of the ftomach and the anus. This differ-
ence of conformation, therefore, confifts but in
degree, fince, in the greater number of the
winged tribes, not only is the pofterior furface
of the ftpmAch leparated from the fpine by a por-
tion of the inteftinal tube which is interpofed,
but the left fide is never covered by any portion
of thefe inteftines ; and this fingle difference is
far from proving that the Cuckoo is incapable
of hatching, as an ornithologift alleges. It is not,
probably, becaufe the ftomach is too hard, fince
the fides being membranous, its tenfenefs pror
ceeds from accident or repletion ; nor is the rea-
fon becaufe the bird avoids cooling ;ts ftomach,
which is lefs ftiielded than that of other birdo ;
for it is evident, that it would be much lefs li-
able to be afFe^led by cold, if employed hatch?
ing than in fluttering and perching on trees.
The nut- hatch has the fame ftru^urc, and yet

•

e u c K o o.

•99

r •

* >

it (its. Beddes, not only the flomach, but the
whole of the lower part of the body^ rcfts upoa
the eggs, otherwife moft birds which, like the
Cuckoo, have a long fternum, could not cover
above three or four at once, which falls much
fhort of the ufual number.

I found in the ftomach of a young Cuckoo,
which 1 reared, a lump of raw flefh almod dry,
and which had not pafled through the pylorus ;
it was decompofed, or rather divided into exceed-
ingly fi^Qfbrilla, In another, which was picked
lup dead in the woods about the beginning of
Auguft, the internal membrane of the ventri-
cle was hairy, the briftles being about a line in
length, ^nd diredled towards the orifice of the
oefophagus: \n general, one meets with very few
pebbles in the fllomach of young Cuckoos, and
there are hardly any which have not fome vef-
tige of vegetable matter in their ftomach. Per-
haps thefe have been bred by the greenfinches,
the larks, and other birds, whi h neftle on the
ground ; the flernum forms a n -entrant angle.

Total length thirteen or fourteen inches ; the
bill thirteen lines and a half; the edges of the
upper mandible fcolloped near the point (but
not in all the young ones) ; the noftrils ellipti-
cal, encircled by a projedling margin, and in
the centre there is a Imall whitifh fpeck which
rifes almoft as high as the margin ; the tongue
is white at the point, and not forked ; the tar-
fus ten lines ; the thigh lefs than twelve ; the

^■m

r'.tj.r

H tl

inner

$99

tV CKOO.

T
I

inner one of the hind nails is the weakeft and the
Icaft hooked ; the two fore toes are conncifled
together at their bafe by a membrane ; the un-
der fide is of a very fine texture, like fhagrccn ;
the alar extent about two feet ; the tail is feven
inches and a half, confifting of ten tapered
quills*, and exceeding the wings by two
inches [A]. • -• < , ,-. .

VARIETIES of the CUCKOO.

' It might be regarded as fingular that the fi-
gure and afpe£k of a bird, which lives in the
flate of nature, ftiould be fo inconftant and va-
riable. But as the Cuckoos never pair, they
are Simulated only by vague and general ap-
petite unreftrained by perfonal attachment, and
contradt irregular alliances; which has given
rife to diverfity in the bulk, in the fhape, and
in the plumage, and which, in the opinion of
many, has converted them into falcons, mer-
lins, gos-hawks, fparrow-hawks, &c. But,
not to enter into a detail of thefe exhauftlefs va-
rieties, which appear to fluduate, I fliali only

* Ray reckon» only eight in one whici he •bferved in 1693 ;
but aiTuredly two were wanting.

[A] Specific charafter of the Cucului Canorus: ** Its tail is
rounded, blackifh, and dotted with white/' In England it arrives
about the middle of April, and retires in the end of July; its ap-
pearance is a month later in the cold climate of Sweden. Its re-
treat is abfolutely unknown.

obferve

CUCKOO.

301

obfcrvc that in Europe Cuckoos are found dif-
fering greatly in fizc; that the colours, a(h-
gray, rufous, brown, and wliitiHi, are diftri-
buted differently in different individuals, fo that
each of thcle predominates more or lei's, and,
by the multiplicity of their Ihades, increafes the
variations of the plumage. With regard to the
foreign Cuckoos, 1 find two which Teem to be
varieties of the European kind, occafioned by
the influence of climate ; and perhaps I fliould
add feveral others, if I had an opportunity of
furveying them more clofely.

I. The Cuckoo from the Cape of Good
Hope* refemblcs that of Europe both in its
proportions and iu the tranfverfe bars be]o>v
the belly, and in its fize, which is not much
fmaller.

The upper (ide of the body is brown green ;
the throat, the cheeks, the fore part of the
neck, and the fuperior coverts of the wings,
are deep rufous ; the quills of the tail are of a
lighter rufous, terminated with white; the
breaft, and all the reft of the under fide of the
body, are barred tranfverfcly with black on a
white ground ; the iris is yellow ; the bill deep
brown ; and the legs reddifh brown. The total
length is fomewhat Icfs than twelve inches.

May not this be the tird known at the Cape
of Good Hope under the name of edolio^ be-

• Cuculut Caperjist Gmel.
The Cafe Cuckovt Lath^

i: '11

Hjl.

■M\* till

'IIP ^H

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•■%■■ ?'»<

'i-

;r^^

lii

caufe

•yJi

Soa

CUCKOO.

1^
I

'ii

eaufe it repeats that word ia a low melancholy
tone ? It has no other fong, and many inha-
bitants of that country, not Hottentots but
Europeans^ believe that the foul of a certain
ihlp-mader, who often pronounced the fame
word, entered into the body of this bird j for
modern ages have alfo their metamorphofe^.
This is no doubt as true as the ftory of Jupiter
cuculusy and yet we probably owe to it ouf
knowledge of the bird's cry. It were fortunate
if every error conveyed fome truth;

II. Travellers fpeak of a Cuckoo of the king*
dom of Loango in Africa, which is rather
larger than ours, but having the fame colours,
and differing chiefly in its fong ; this mud be
underAood of its tone, for it pronounces cuckoo
as ours does. The cock begins, it is faid, with
founding the gamut, and fings alone the three
£rfl notes ; then the hen flrikes in, and accom-t
panics him through the reft of the odtave. She
differs from our female Cuckoo, which calb
much lefs than the male, and in a different
manner. This is ftill another reafon for dif--
tinguifhing the Loango Cuckoo from our fpc-
cies, and confidering it as a variety.

. \

. ')'■'.

CUCKOO.

303

The FOREIGN CUCKOOS.

THE principal characters of the Europeaa
Cuckoo arc, as we have fcen, a large
head, a broad wide bill, the toes placed two
before and two behind, the legs feathered and
Ihort, the thighs ftill ihorter, the nails flcnder
and flightly hooked, the tail long and con-
fifting of ten tapered quills. It is dilcriminated
from the curucuis by the number of tail-quilb,
thefe being twelve, and particularly by the
greater length of its bill, and the greater con-
vexity of its upper mandible : it is alfo dif-
tinguilhed from the barbus, by having no
briftles round the bafe of the bill. But the
whole muft be received with a degree of lati-
tude, nor muft we cxpe<St to find all the cha-
racters exactly combined in e3ch bird that ought
to be clafled with the Cuckoo of Europe. The
various tribes of animals melt into each other,
and no nbfolute limits can be alfigned. It is
enough if the birds which we fliall rd^v to the
genus of the Cuckoos be more clofely related to
it than to any other genus. Our object is to
trace nature as (he adually e^dls, not to form
artificial arrangements ; and to facilitate the pro-
grefs of knowledge, by condenfing and abridg-
ing the detail of fa£ts, which lerves as the
foundation. Among the foreign Cuckoos,
ci ... } ^ therefore,

'.^l

u m

:'' ■' <

-i.fi

i I

■ i

1 '4

304 c u c K d a

therefore, we (hall meet with fome fpecies that"
have even tails, as the Ipotted Cuckoo of Chi-
na, that of the iOand of Pannay, the vourou-
driou of Madagafcar, and a variety of the
brown Cuckoo fpottcd with rufous, from the
Eaft Indies ; with fome^ that are in fome de-
gree forked, fuch as the Cuckoo which has
two long (hafts inftead of the two outer quills ;
with others, which have the tail exceedingly
tapered, like the widow birds, fuch as the fan*
hia of China, and the crefted collared Cuckoo j
with others, wherein it is only partly tapered,
as the old- man with rufous wings from Caro*
lina, which has only two pairs of quills taper-
ed, and as a variety of the crefted jacobinc froni'
Coromandel, which has only the outer pair ta-
pered, that is, fliorter than the four othet pairs,
which are equal to each other in length ; witb
others, which have twelve quills in the tail,-
fuch as the honey- guide of the Cape; with
others, which have only eight, as the guira-
cantara of Brafil, if Marcgrave was not deceived
in counting them ; with others, which fpread
their tail even when in a ftate of repofe, as the
Madagafcar caua, the gold-green and white
Cuckoo of the Cape of Good Hope, and the fe-
cond coukeel of Mindanao; with others, which
have all the quills clofe t^nd imbricated, both the
lYiiddle and lateral ones ; with others, which
have fome hairs about the bill, as the fanhia,
the honey- guide, and a variety of the greenifh
; ^ 8 Cuckoo

CUCKOO. 305

Cuckoo of Madagafcar; with others, which
have a proportionally longer and flenderer bill,
as the tocco of Cayenne ; with others, wherein
the internal and poflerior toe is arnfied with a
long Ipur, like that of our larks, as the houhou
of Egypt, the Cuckoo of the Philippines, the
green Cuckoo of Antigua, the toulou and the
rufty- white ; and laftly, with others, wherein
the legs are more or lefs Ihort, more or lefs
feathered, or even without any feather or dov/n.
Even what is regarded as the mofl fixed and
certain character, I mean the difpofition of the
toes, two placed before and two behind, is alio
liable to vary ; fince I have obfervcd, in the
Cuckoo, that one of the hind toes fometimes
turns forwards, and others have found, in the
owls, that one of the anterior toes fometimes
turns backwards ; but thefe flight differences,
far from confounding; the sienus of the Cuckoos,
difplay the true order of nature ; as they fliew
the richnefs of her plans, and the eafe with
which they are executed; exhibiting the end-
lels variety of (hades, the infinite diveriity of
features which diftinguifh the individual, and
vet without obliteratino; the e:eneral family like-
nefs.

It is a remarkable circumftance with refiard

to the tribe of Cuckoos, that the branch fettled
in the new world feems lefs fubjecl to the va-
riations which I have mentioned, and retains a
greater refemblance to the European fpecies
VOL. VI. X confidcred

IV I

ifM

II i

.J'J

m 4

3o6

CUCKOO.

confidercd as the common trunk, and from
which it was perhaps later leparated. In fadl,
the European Cuckoo vifits ihc northern coun-
tries, and pufhes its excurlions as far as Den-
mark and Norway, and confequently might
crofs the narrow ftraits which divide the con-
tinents at thefe high latitudes : but it could
much more eafily pafs the ifthmus of Suez, or
forae narrow inlets, to fpread through Africa ;
and nothing could oppofe or retard its progrefs
into Alia. In thefe countries, therefore, the
fettlement mud; have been more early, and a
greater deviation from the primitive ftock may
be expedcd. Accordingly, though there are .
fcarcely two or three exceptions or exterior ano-
malies in fifteen fpecies or varieties found in
America, there are fifteen or twenty in thirty^f'
four (pccies that occur in Aiia and in Africa ;
and no doubt there are more, if all the Cuckoos
were known, which is fo far from being the
cafe, that it is llill undecided whether, among
fo many, there be one that drops its eggs in the
ncils ototiicr birds ; we know only that many
of thefe foreign kinds build their nefl:, and hatch
their own eg-xs. But though we are com-
monly acquainted with the lupcrficial differences
only, feme general and radical ones muft ob-
tain, cfpecially b;.'twecn the two branches fet-
tled in the old and in the new world, which
mull: undoubtedly receive an impreflion from
the climate. 1 have noticed that the American

fpecies

CUCKOO.

307

fpecles are in general fmaller than thofe of the
old continent, probably owing to the fame
caufes which check the growth and expanfiou
of quadrupeds in the new world, whether
thofe be indigenous, or introduced. There are
at moft two fpecies of Cuckoos in America of
nearly the fame (ize with ours ; but the others
exceed not our blackbirds and thrufhes. In
Africa and Alia, there are a dozen fpecies as
large as the European, or larger, and fome of
them equal to hens in bulk.

This ftatement will I hope juftify the plan
which I have adopted, of feparating the Cuckoos
of America from thofe of Afia and Africa. Time
and obfervation, the two great fources of inform-
ation, are ftill wanting to illuftrate the habits
and economy of thefe birds, and to point out
their true differences, external or internal, ge-
neral or particular*

''I

'Ml

1 m

X 2

3oJ

CUCKOO.

B I R D S

OF THE OLD CONTINENT^

V/HICH ARE HEiATED TO THE CUCKOO.

!Jii,

The Great SPOTTED CUCKOO.

Cuculus Glandarius, Linn. Gmel. and Bor.
Cuculus Aaddlujia, Briff,

I BEGIN with this Cuckoo, which is not
entirely foreign to Europe, fince one was
killed on the rock of Gibraltar. It would feem
to be migratory, wiufeering in A(ia or in Africa,
and appearing fometimes in the fouth of Europe.
Both this and the following fpecies may be coii-
fidered as intermediate between the common
and the foreign kinds: it differs, however, from
the common not only by its fize and plumage,
but by its proportions.

The moft remarkable ornament of this Cuc-
koo is a filky tuft of a bluifli gray, which can
be eredled at pleafure, but in the ordinary ftate
lies flat on the head ; there is a black bar on the
eyes, which gives it a marked afpe£t; brown
predominates on all the upper parts, including
the wings and the tail, but the middle quills,
and almoll all the coverts of the wings, the

four

CUCKOO.

309

four lateral pairs of the tail, and their fuperior
coverts, are terminated with white, which
forms a pleafant enamel ; all the under furface
of the body is brown orange, which is pretty
bright on the anterior parts, and duller on the
pofterior ; the bill and legs are black.

It is as large as a rnagpie ; the bill fifteen or
(Ixteen lines ; the legs fhort ; the wings not I'o
long as in the ordinary Cuckoo ; the tail about
eight inches, confiding of ten tapered quills,
and exceeding the wings about four iuGhes and
a half[A].

IT.

The BLACK- and WHITE CRESTED
CUCKOO.

Cuculus Pi/anus, Gmcl.

Cuculus ex nigra et albo mixtus, Gerlni.

The P//a* CuckoOf Lath.

'nr^His Cuckoo like wife muft be regarded as
■*• only half foreign, fince it was Teen once
in Europe. The authors of the Italian Orni-
thology inform us that in 1 739 a male and fe-
male of this fpecles nefHed in the vicinity of
Pifa, and that the hen laid four eggs, which

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus Glandarius: " Its tail is
wedge-fhapcd, its head fomewhat crefted, with a black bar on its

eyes.

X 3

fho

<!"

i'' -'(J

•4 L

3»o

CUCKOO.

fhe hatched, &c *. It muft, therefore, be very
different from the ordinary Cuckoo, which un-
doubtedly never recur to incubation in our cli-
mates.

The head is black, and ornamented with a
tuft of the fame colour, which lies backwards;
all the upper (ide of the body, including the fu-
perior coverts, is black and white ; the great
quills of the wings rufous, terminated with
white; the quills of the tail are blackifh, ter-
minated with light rufous ; the throat and breaft
are rufous ; the inferior coverts of the tail are
rufty ; the reft of the under lide of the body
white, and even the feathers on the lower part
of the thigh, which defcend to the tarfus; the
bill is greenifh-brown, and the legs green.

This Cuckoo is rather larger than the ordi-
nary kind, and its tail is proportionally longer;
its wings are alfo longer, and its tail more ta-
pered than in the Great Spotted Cuckoo, which
it refembles in other lefpedls [A].

• Thefe authors fay exprefsly that neither before nor fince that
time have thefe birds bi^cn fecn in the neighbourhood of Pifa.

[A] Specific charader of the dculu.' Pjanm: " Its tail is wedge-
fhaped ; its body variegated with black and white above, and
white below i its head crelled witl. black j its throat and breaft,
rufous,'*

CUCKOO.

III.

The GREENISH CUCKOO of
MADAGASCAR.

Cueulns Madrgafcarienjis., Gmel.
The Great Madagafcar Cuckovu, Lath.

'T^His Cuckoo is chiefly diftitiguifljed by its
'■' magnitude : all the upper lide of the body
is deep olive, variegated with waves of a darker
brown ; fome of the lateral quills of the tail are
terminated with whiter the throat is XvAvt olive,
ihaded with yellow ; the bread, and the top of
the belly, fulvous ; the lower belly brown, and
alfo the inferior c verts of the tail ; the tliighs
are of a gray wine jolour ; the iris orange ; ihe
bill black ; the leg yellowilh brown; the tarfus
not feathered.

Total length twenty-one inches and a half;
the bill twenty-one or twenty-two lines ; the
tail ten inches, and compofcd of ten tapered
quills, and extep.ding more than eight inches
beyond the wings, which are not long [A].

I find a note of Conimerfon on a Cuckoo from
the fame country, and very fimilar to the pre^
fent: — I fliall only remark the differences.

It is nearly as large as a hen, and vveigb.s thir-

[A] Specific charafter of the Cv«/a/ A/«//(7g-/7/f«r/V'yr' : " It is
olive, waved with brown; below fulvous; the throat olive, dilutcii
with yellow."

X 4 teen

J- :

311

CUCKOO.

hi
In

Ik
t*

?■■«'
•1

teen ounces and a half ; on the head there is a
naked fpacc, furrowed flightly, tinged with
blue, and encircled by fine black feathers ; thofe
of the head and neck are foft and lilky ; there
are feme briftlcs around the bafe of the bill,
Nvhofe inlide is black ; the tongue is alio black
and forked ; the iris reddifli ; the thighs and
the infide of the wing-quills blackifti ; the legs
black.

Total length twenty-one inches and three
quarters ; the bill nineteen lines, its edges
fharp ; the noflrils like thofe of the gallinaceous
tribe ; the outer of the two hind toes can turn
backwards or forwards (as I have obferved in
the European Cuckoo) ; the alar extent twenty-
one inches, and each wing contains eighteen
quills. • -

All that Commerfon fays with regard to the
habits of this bird is, that it aifociates with
the other Cuckoos. It would appear to be a
variety of the greenilh Cuckoo ; perhaps it dif-
fers only in fex, in which cafe I (hould reckon
it the male.

2l'l32

■ •^^^ii

V.^-^. -«!=

«te-

If^

1 % -^^^

\% '\ .1

<i ■

THE M.AJXA.GA.IS f '.AH CRE S T£D CUCKOO .

CUCKOO.

3«3

The

IV.
C O U A.

Cueulus Crifiatus, Linn, and Gmel.

Cucu/us Madc^a/caritn/ls LriJIatus, Briff. and Gcr.

The Maaagajcar Cttjjtd Cuckoo, Lath.

T RETAIN the name given by the inhabitants
*• of MadaiTafcar, becauic it certainly denotes
the bird's call. It has a tuft which reclines
back. vN iiole feathers, and alio thole of the reft
of the head a'.d of .Jl the upper fide of the body,
nre ^ eeniih jinereous ; the throat and fore-
part of tiie neck arc cinereous ; the breaft red
wine colour; the refl: of the under fide of the
body whitifli; the legs barred almoft imper-
ceptibly w*i;h cinereous ; what appears of the
quills of tho tail ind of the wings is light green,
changing into blue and (hining violet, but the
lateral quills of the tail are terminated with
white ; the iris is orange ; the bill and legs
black ; it is rather larger than the ordinary
Cuckoo, and is difFerently proportioned.

Total length fourteen inches ; the bill thir-
teen lines ; the tarfus nineteen lines ; and the
toes are alfo longer than in our Cuckoo j the
alar extent is feventeen inches ; the tail is fe-
ven inches, confifting of quills that are a little
tapered, and exceeds the wings fix inches.

Commerfon made this defcription in the

month

i
I

■•Mj
'' ■' 1

' ■ j ''. 'ill

3r4 CUCKOO.

month oC November, from the living fubjj 'I.
and in its native chmate; he acIJs that its tnii
diverges, or rather expands, that its throat is
fliort, its noflrils obHque aiul uncovered, that
its tongue terminates in a cartailglnous tip ;
its cheeks naked, wrinkled, and bluilh.

The flefti is excellent. The bird is found in
the woods near Fort Dauphin [A].

V.
The HOUHOU of EGYPT.

Cuculut ^gyptius, Gmel.
The Egyptian Cuckoo, Lath.

/T^His Cuckoo has named itfelf ; for its cry,
-*' hoUi houy is repeated feveral times fuccef-
fively, in a hollow tone. It is feen frequently in
the Delta ; the male and female feldom feparatc
from each other ; but it is more rare to find fe-
veral pairs coUedled together. They are acri-
dophagites * in the full fenfe of the word ; for
they feem to fubfift moftly, if not entirely, on
grafs-hoppers. They never alight on large
trees, siid far lefs on the ground ; but perch on
buflies near fome brook. They have two un-

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculut dijlatus: '* Its tail is
rounded; its head crcfted ; its body of a glofly greenifh afh-cor
lour."

* i. e. locuft-tattrs, from uxfth^, 'omjla,

common

CUCKOO.

31S

common chara(fters: tlic firft is, that all the
feathers which cover the head and neck arc
thick an<l hard, while thole on the belly are foft
and loofe ; the fecond is, that the nail of the
inner hind toe is long and ftraight, like that of
the lark.

In the female (for I have no certain account
of the male) the head and upper fide of the neck
are dull green, with polifhcd fteel refledtions ;
the fuperior coverts of the wings are grecnilh
rufous ; the quills of the wings rufous, termi-
nated with fhining green, except the two lall,
which are entirely of that colour, and the tvvo
or three preceding thefe, which arc mixed with
it ; the back is brown, with greenilh reH.^c-
tions ; the rump brown, and alio the lupenor
coverts of the tail, whofe quills are fhining
green, with the glofs of burnifhed fteel ; the
throat and all the under lulc of the body are rufty
white, which is lighter under the belly than on
the anterior parts, and on the flanks ; the iris is
bright red; the bill black, and the legs blackilh.

Total length from fourteiMi inches and a half
to fixteen and a half; the bill fjxteen or leven-
teen lines ; the nol^rils three lines, and very
narrow ; the tarfus twenty-one lines; the inner
hind nail nine or ten lines ; the \. Ings fix or le-
ven inrbc^^ ; the tail eight iines. confiding of
ten tapered quiil:, and t 'ceeuiiig the wings five
inches.

M. de Sonini, to whom I am indebted for the

account

H 7

' Ik

3i6

C U C K O D.

account of this bird, adds that the tongue is
broad, and fiightly cut at the tip ; the ftomach
is like that of the European Cuckoo ; the intef-
tines are twenty inches, and there are two ca^ca,
of whicl. the (horteft is an inch.

After attentively comparing the defcription
of this female, in all its details, with the bird
reprefented No. 824, Planches Enlum'mees, un-
der the name of Philippine Cuckoo^ 1 am of
opinion that it is the male, or at leafl a variety,
of that fpecies : the fame fize, the fame propor-
tions, the fame lark's fpur, the fame ftiffnefs in
the feathers of the head and neck, and the fame
tapered tail ; only the colours are duller, for, ex-
cept thofe of the wings, which are rufous, as
in the Houhou, all the reft of the plumage is
glofly black. The bird defcribed by Sonnerat
in his Voyage to New Guinea, under the name
of the green Antigua Cuckoo^ refcmbles the pre-
ceding fo much, that what I have faid equally
applies to it : the head, the neck, the breaft,
and the belly, are of a dull green verging on
black ; the wings are of a deep brown rufous ;
the nail of the inner toe is more flenJer, and
perhaps rather longer ; all its feathers are in ge-
neral hard and ftifF; the webs are ragged, and
each fibre is a new (haft, to which fliortcr fibres
are attached. The tail does not indeed appear
tapered in the figure, but this was perhaps an
overfight. This Cuckoo is hardly larger than
that of Europe.

8 Laftly,

,, v-;^. -*.• • -- - '

ic is

■

nach

ntef-

a:ca^

)tion

bird

UIl-

■n of

iety,

els in

V^^f.'

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2^J^3

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Hi ^s t

Ki'^ '^

w i '\

'?ii 1 ■■ ^

ml i '^

3 hi ' ■"-

TJIE r.OA'Cr UT.KI.KI) CirOKOO .

CUCKOO.

3^7

Laftly, the Madagafcar bird, called TouIoUj
refcMTibljs the female of the Egyptian Houhoa
ill the fame properties as the Cuckoo of the
Philippines; its plumage is not fo dark, efpe-
cially on the anterior part, where the black is
foftened by fpots of light rufous ; in fome indi-
viduals the olive aflumes the place of the black
on the body, and it is fprinkled with whitifli
longitudinal fpots, which appear alfo on the
wings. I (hould therefore fuppofe that they
are young ones of the year's hatch, efpecially
as, in the birds of this genus, the plumage un-
dergoes confiderable change, it is well known,
at the fu'fl moultin^j [A].

•i'Mfll

■'i •• .'

'i '*':

^•^V':?lri

VI.
The RUFOUS- WHITE CUCKOO.

Le Rufalhin, BjiT.

Citculus Sij.--jra/e»Jis, Linn. Gmel. BriiT. an^. Tsor.

The Straight-heeUd CuckoOt Lath.

*TpHE twp prevailing colours of its plumnge
-■• are rufous and white. Whj.i it perches,
the tail fpreads, as that of the Coiia^ like a fan ;
it is almoll: perpetually in motion ; its cry is pre-
cifely the found made by two or three jerks of

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus JEgyptius : «* It Is brown,
below rufous white ; its head and neck dull green ; its tail wedge-
thaped, and bright green ; its wing-quills rufous."

the

III

\> iiV.145]3

3i9

CUCKOO.

■3'..

ffl. ' y
V'1h

1 •# '

the tongue upon the palate. Like the two
preceding, it has a ftraight long nail on the
inner hind claw, fimilar in form to that of the
lark's ; the upper furface of the head and neck
blacki(h ; the fides of each feather deeper co-
loured, and yet more brilliant; the wings ru-
fous, and their coverts rather darker near the
tip J the back is of a very brown rufous ; the
rump and the fuperior coverts of the tail barred
tranlverfely with light" brown on a deeper browu
ground; the throat, the fore part of the neck,
and all the under fide of the body, are dirty
white, only the feathers of the throat and neck
have a more brilliant Ihaft, and the reft of the
under fide of the body is radiated tranfverfely
"with delicate (Iripes of a lighter colour ; the tail
is blackifh; the bill black, anc' the legs gray
brown ; the body is fcarceb; larger than that of
a blackbird, bat it has a much longer tail.

Total length fifteen or fixteen inches ; the
bill fifteen lines ; the tarfus nineteen ; the nail
of the inner hind toe is above five lines ; the
alar extent a foot and {even or eight inches ;
the tail eight inches, confifling of tea tapered
quills, and exceeding the wings about four
inches [A]..

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculut Senegalenjis: '* Its tail Is
wedge-lhaped ; its body gray, white below ; its cap and its tail-
^uills blackifh."

il:*.

tail i»
tail-

CUCKOO.

vir.

3^9

The BOUTSALLICK, Buff.

Cuculiis Scolopaccus, Linn, and Gmel.
Cuculus BengaUnJis 'Naviusy Brifl". and Klein.
The Brovm and Spotted Indian Cuckoo, Edw.
The Indian Spotted Cuckoo, Lath.

T?DWARDS perceived (o much refemblance be-
■■-' tweeii this Bengal Cuckoo and the Eu-
ropean, that he particularly marked the points
of dilparity, which, in his opinion, were luf-
ficient to conftitute a diftincl fpecies. I fliall
here (late thele differences.

It is above one third Imallcr, though it has a
longer fhape, and though its body meafures,
between the bill and the tail, half an inch more
than that of the ordinary Cuckoo. Irs head is
larger, its wings fliorter, and its tail longer in
proportion.

The prevailing colour is brown, which is
deeper and fpotted with a lighter brown on the
upper part, more dilute and fpotted with white,
orange, and black, on the lower part ; the light
brown or rufty fpots form, by their arrange-
ment on the quills of the tail and wings, a tranf-
vtrfe barring, which is a little inclined towards
the point of the quills; the bill and legs are
yellow ifh.

Total length thirteen or fourteen inches ; the
bill twelve or thirteen lines ; the tarlus eleven

■•■'■' I '\»3i, _

320

CUCKOO.

k t

i .,

i 1

or twelve ; the tail about feven inches, com-
pofed of ten tapered quills, and exceeding the
wings by near five inches [A],

VIII.

The VARIEGATED CUCKOO of
MINDANAO.

Cufulus MindanenJtSt Gmel.
The MhtdauM Cuckoo, L:ith.

#-r^His bird is fo much variegated, that, at firfi
*• fight, we might tak^^ its coloured figure
as defigned for the young Cuckoo of Europe.
Its throat, head, neck, and all the upper part
of the body, are fpotted with white or rufous,
which is more or lefs dilute on a brown ground,
which is itfelf variable, and verges on a gold
green more or lets brilliant on all the upper part
of the bodv, including the wings and tail; but
the diipofition of thele fpots is changed on the
quills of the wings, where they form tranfverfe
bars of pure white externally, and tinged inter-
nally with rufous, and on the quills of the tail,
where they form ranfverfe b ;s of a rufty co-

[A] Specific charader oi t\\c Cuculus Scolopaceus: *' Its tail is
wedge-rtiaped i its body clouded on both fides with gray and
brown."

lour;

,? '-\

^i:,

co-
tail is
and

CUCKOO. 321

lour ; the breaft and all the under fide of the
body, as far as the extremity of the lower co-
verts of the tail, are white, barred traniVerlely
with blackiih; the bill is alio blackifh above,
but rufty below, and the legs are, brown g«ay.

This Cuckoo is found in the Philippines ;
and it is much larger than the European kiiid.

Total length fourteen inches and a half ; the
bill fifteen lines ; the longeft toe feventeen lines ;
the Ihorteft feven lines ; the alar extent nine-
teen lines and a half j the tail feven inches, con-
fiftingof ten quills, which are nearly equal, and
exceeds the wings four inches and a half [A].

IX.
The GUI L.

CkcuIus Hanoratuit Linn, and Gmel.
Cuculus Malabaricus Navius, BriiT.
The Sacred Cuckoo, Lath.

THE name Cuil is applied to this bird by the
inhabitants of Malabar. It is a aew fpe-
cies introduced by M. Poivre, and d^tfers from
the preceding by its fmallnefb, by the Ihortnefs
of its bill, and by the unequal length of its tail
quills.

[A] Specific charatfter of the Cuculut Mindamnjii: " Its tail la
rounded ; its body greon gold, fpoUed with brown white ; btiow
waved with white and blackifh.'*

VOL. VI. y The

fer

^"^i•i..

^'1

'mm

'pi

322

CUCKOO.

i.,^

<« 1.

ji ;i •!

The head and all the upper fide of the body-
are blackiih ci-icieous, fpotted regularly with
white ; the throat and all the under fide of the
bt)dy w iiitc, barred traniVcrfely with cinereous;
the quills of the wings blacki(h, thole of the
tail cinereous ; and both are barred with white;
the iris light orange ; the bill and legs of a di-
lute a(h colonr.

The Cuil is rather linaller than the ordinary
Cuckoo ; it is held I'acred on the Malabar coaft,
becaufe, no doubt, it deftroys the pernicious in-
fects. General iuperftition originates from er-
ror; but fome particular ceremonies and obferv-
ances mar have their foundation in rcafon.

Total length eleven inches and a half j the
bill eleven lines ; the tarfus ten ; the tail five
and a half, confiding often tapered quills, the
outer pair being fcarcely half the length of the
inner, and it exceeds the wings three inches and
a half [A].

[A] Specific charadcr of the Cuculuj Ilonoratus : " Its tail is
wedge-Ihaped ; its body blacidlli, ipotted wiilx wliite ; below
ftriped with while and cinereous."

CUCKOO.

323

The BROWN CUCKOO, variegated
with BLACK.

Cuculus T'ahitius, Gmcl.
Cuculus Taitcfijts, L:uh. Ind.
The Society Cucho, Lath. Syn.

A LL that we know of tliis bird befide what 13
^^ contained in the appellation, is that it has
a long tail, and that it is found in the Socicry
Ifles, and there called the ara wereroa. The
only account given of it is contained in Capt.
Cook's fecond voyage, fnmi which we have
extra«5ted thii fliort indication with the viow of
inducing travellers addicted to natural hiftory
to procure fuller iuformatioii concerning this
new fpecies [AJ.

■"'■•■5 i
ill

XI.
The RUFOUS SPOTTED CUCKOO.

Le Ctucou I'ruK Piquete de Roux, BufF,
Cucu/us PunilRtusy Lhui. and Gmel.
Cucului Inuicu! iJ^vius, Briff.

npHis is found in the Eafi Indies, and as far
^ as the Phdippines. The hcad raid all the

[A] Specilic ch.mclcrof thu CucuIi.sT'-'hit.'o : " Iris brown,
below wnite, ftripeJ witli brown ; its eyc-browa wiiite i its vving-
quilla fpotted with ferruginous."

Y 2 upper

VMSTSI

:-' ' 'rl. (

V t

■I

'■.'i-i^HSA

i\M

in'l

3*4

CUCKOO.

upper part of the body are dotted with rufous on
a brown ground, but the quills of the wings and
tail, and its fuperior coverts, are barred tranf-
verfcly; all the quills of the tail are terminated
with liciht rufous ; the throat and all the liiider
fide of the body are barred tranfverfely with
blackifh brown, on a rufous ground ; there is an
obl(;ng Ipot of light rufous below the eyes ; the
eyes are yellowifh rufous, the bill horn co-
lour, and th '. legs brown gray.

In the female the upper fide of the head and
neck is lefs dotted, and the under fide of the
body is of a lighter rufous.

This Cuckoo is much larger than the or-
dinary kind, and almofl equal to a Roman pi-

geon.

Total length fixteen or feventcen inches ; the
bill feventc-^ii lines ; the tarfus the fame ; the
alai extent twenty- three inches ; the tail eio-ht
inches and a half, confiding often tapered quills,
and exceeding the wings four inches and one
third.

The fubje<n: defcribed by Sonnerat * had not
the rufous fpot under the eyes, and what is ftill
more different, the quills of the tail were equal,
as in tlie fpotted Chinefe Cuckoo; fo that it

• Cuculus PanayuSf Linn, and Gmel.
The Panajan Spotted Cucha, Lath.

Specific charafltr: " It is black brown, with fpots of rufous
yellow; below rufous, with black tranfverfc ftripes; its throat
black } its tail etjual."

0\lght

CUCKOO.

325

ought perhaps to be viewed as a variety ol" the
above fpccies [A].

XIT.
The CHINESE SPOTTED CUCKOO.

Cucului Maculatus, Gr.jcl

TxrE know nothing more of tuis bird than its
^^ external ftiape and its plumage : it is one
of the fmall number of Cuckoos in which the
tail is not tapered ; the upper fide of the head
and neck is of an uniform blackifli, except
a few whitifh fpots that occur on the front and
above the eyes ; all the upper fide of the body,
including the quills of the wings and their co-
verts, is of a greenifti deep gray, variegated with
white, and enriched by brown gold refledlions;
the quills of the tail are barred with the fame
colours ; the throat and breaft variegated pretty
regularly with brown and white ; the reft of
the under furface of the body and the thighs are
variegated with the fame colours, and alfo the
feathers which fall from'thc 1 .wer part of the
thigh on the tarfus and as far as the origin of the

[A] Specific char?^^'- of the Cuculut PunHatus : ** Its tail is
wedge-fhaped ; its hou) blackiHi, dotted with rufous ; below ru'
fous, with black ftreaksi its tail quills barred with rufous."

Y 2 toes;

'.I :'.>■■'■

ill

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

US ^^ •■■
ut lii |2.2

Vi. Itt

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Photographic

Sdmces

Corporation

4'.

n WIST MAM STRHT

WniTm,N.V. 14SM

(71*) •72-4503

326

CUCKOO.'

toes ; the bill is blackifli above, yellow below,
and the legs ^yellow ifh. . ..,/>' a.'..

Total length about fourteen inches; the bill
fcventeen lines; the tarfus one inch; the tail
lix. inches and a half, confiding of ten nearly
equal quills, and exceeding the wings by four
inches and a half [A].

../-* '

* : I

4<J -.J

) V'-it

XIII. .

The BROWN and YELLOW CUCKOO,

With a radiated Belly.

' Cuculu! Rfidi itttS, Gmel. * r

: ,. The Panujaii Cuciow, Lath. ,, .

THE throat and the fides of the head referable
the colour of the lees of wine ; the upper
part of the head is blackilh gray ; the back and
the wings are of a dull dark brown ; the under
fide of the quills of the wings next the body is
marked with white fpots ; the tail is black, ra-
diated, and terminated with white ; the breaft
is of a dull orpiment colour ; the belly is light
yellow ; the belly and breaft radiated with
black; the iris pale orange ; the bill black, and
the legs reddilh. -"

'[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus Maeulatus : " Its tail is
wedge-fhapedj its body above greeniih gray, with white fpots ;
below variegated with brown and white."

This

CUCKOO.

32'/

This Cuckoo is found in Panay, one of the
Philippines ; it is almofl as large as the com-
mon Cuckoo, and its tail k compofed of ten
equal quills [A], t; '

fj tj

-c

XIV.

The CRESTED JACOBINE

, of COROMANDEL,

Cuculus Melaneleucus, Gmel.
; ,' ' The Coromaudtl Crefted Cuckoo, Lath.

npHis bird is termed Jacobine^ becaufe it is
■■' black above and white below; its creft,
confiding of feveral long narrow feathers, lies
on the crown of the head, and projects a little
backwards. It is probable that the bird erects
its creil: when excited by paflion.

With regard to the colours of its plumage,
we might lay that there is a fort of black hood
thrown over a white tunic; the whif.e on the
lower part is pure and unmixed, but the black
on the upper part is interrupted, on the edge of
the wing, by a white fpot immediately below
the fuperior coverts, and by Ipots of the fame

[A] Specific charafier of the C«rA/«i 7?<7</tA/«/: '< It is brown
black } below yellow, lineated with black ; its throat and cheeks
wine-'.olour ; its top blackifli gray."

. y 4 ' * r>« ' colour.

A 'A

1, fc^

3iS

CUCKOO.

colour, which terminate the quills of the tail ;
the bill and legs are black.

This bird is found on the coaft of Coroman-
del ; It is eleven inches in total length, its tail
is compofed of ten tapered quills, and exceeding
the wings by one half its length [A].

There is in the King's Cabinet a Cuckoo
brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and
pretty much like this ; the only differences are,
that is an inch longer, that it is entirely black
b6th above and below, except the white fpot on
the wing, which occupies its exa£t place, and
that, of the ten middle quills of the tail, eight
are not tapered, the remaining outer pair being
eighteen lines (horter than the reil. {t is pro-
bably a variety produced by climate. ,

XV.
The LITTLE CUCKOO,

with a Gray Head and Yellow Belly.

Cueu!us Flanui, Gmel.

The Teilow-Miit iM, Lath.

THIS fpecies is found in the ifland of Panay;
and we owe the account of it to Soiuierat :

[A] Specific character of the Cuculus Mtlamhucus: " It is
black, below white; its tail wedge-ihaped, tipt with white; a
white fpot on its wings ; its head fomewhat crefted."

the

ifc-=:

C U C K O^.

329

the upper fide of the head and throat is light
gray; the upper fide of the neck, back, and
wings, umber coloured ; the belly, the thighs,
and the inferior coverts of the tail, are pale yel-
low, tinged with rufous; the tail is black, ftrip-
ed with white ; the legs are pale yellow, and {o
is the bill, only blackilh at the point.

This bird is as large as a blackbird, not fo
bulky, but much longer, being eight inches and
fome lines, and the tail, which is tapered, oc-
cupies more than one half of this length [A].

The COU KEELS.

I FIND in fy items of ornithology, three birds
of different fizes, which are made into as
many didindt fpecies ; but they appear fo ana-
logous in their plumage, that I am difpofed to
regard them as the fame, only varying in bulk^
efpecially as they are all natives of the eaftern
parts of Afia. Edwards infers from the refem-
blance between their names, that the call of the
Bengal Coukeel muft refemble that of the Eu-
ropean Cuckoo.

[A] Specific charafter of th? Cuculus FJavus: " It is brick-co-
loured, below yellowifh ; its top and throat dilute gray ; its tail
wedge-fliaped^ and black, Uneated with white."

"'•■■'"-' The

4 -■

330

CUCKOO.

The firft aad largeft * of the three is very
near equal iri (ize to the pigeon ; its plumage is
entirely of a fliiuing black, changing into green
and alfo into violet, but only under the quills of
the tail ; the under and inner fide of the quills
of the wings black ; the bill and legs browa
gray ; and the nails blackifli.

The fecond comes from Mindanao, and is
hardly larger than our Cuckoo ; it is interme-
diate in regard to fize between the preceding and
the following one; all its plumage is blackifli,
verging on blue ; the bill is blackifli at the bafe
and yellowifh at the point j the firft of the
quills of the wings is almoft one half (horter
than the third, which is one of the longeft; the
tail is generally fpread.

The third Coukeel, and the fmalleft -f, is
fcarcely equal to the blackbird ; it is entirely
black, like the two foregoing, without mixture
of any other permanent colour ; but, according
to the various angles of the incidental rays, the
plumage glows with all the fugitive tints of the

i ii!

* Cuculus Orientalis, Linn, and Gmel.

Cuciilui Indtcus Niger t BrilT.
The Eajlern Block Cucktro;, Lath.
Specific charaAer : •* Its tail is rounded j its body gloffy green-
i(h black; its bill brown." , ; - t "> ;

f Cuculus Niger, Linn. Gmel. and Klein.
Cuchlus BengnU'Jis Niger, Briff. and Gerini.
The J!?/."ci Inaiai Cuchiv, Lath.
Specific charatccr: " It is wedgc-iliaped ; its body ihiniog
black ; its bill bright yellow."

rainbow.

.«iii

CUCKOO.

33»

rainbow. It is thus that Edwards, the original
obferver, defcribes it, and I know not why Brif-
fon ntientions only green and violet. As in the
firrt: Coukeel, the inner and under fide of the
quills of the \ying are black; the bill is bright
orange, rather (horter and thicker than in the
European Cuckoo ; the tarfus is thick and
Ihort, and of a reddifh brown, which is alfo the
colour of the toes.

We muft obferve that the name Coukeel, be-
ftowed in Bengal, is peculiarly applicable to this
bird, and therefore the inferences drawn be-
tween the fimilarity of names and the rcfem-
blance of calls, will be more conclufive with
regard to it than with regard to the other two.
The edges of the upper mandible are not ftraight,
but undulated.

In all the three the tail confifts of ten tapered
quills. Their dimenfions are as follow :

I.' ("r

its

FIRST COUKEEL.

Inches. Lines.

Total length
Bill - -
Tarfus -
Alar extent
Tail - .

- i6 o

- o 16

- o 17

- 23 o
8

Length beyond the wings 4 o

.fv:. J

^ tt'':

t I •■ .t,.u H

SECOND.
In. Lin.
14 o

7
3

»?..',

16
o
6

THIRD.
In. Lin.

9 o
o 10

o 7
wings pretty long.

4 3
Z 9

■'I

332

CUCKOO.

'. ■ I ■ 1 . I

ili

XVII.

The GOLD-GREEN and WHITE
CUCKOO.

Cuculus Auratus, Gmel.
' The G/AA</C«f/(w, Lath.

A LL that we know of this bird is that it is
^^ found at the Cape of Good Hope, and car-
ries its tail fpread like a fan. It is a new fpe-
cies.

All the upper furface from the bafe of the bill
to the end of the tail is gold-green, waving and
rich, whole uniformity is interrupted on the
head by five white bars, one on the middle of
the front, two others above the eyes, like eye-
browsy and ilretching backwards, and two
others, which are narrower and ihorter, below
the eyes ; moft of the fuperior coverts alfo, and
the middle quills of the wings, all the quills of
the tail, and its two largeft fuperior coverts, are
terminated with white ; the two outermofl of
the quills of the tail, and the outermofl of thofe
of the wings are flreaked with white on the
outfide ; the throat is white, and alfo the whole
under furface of the body, except fome green
flripes on the flanks, and the ruffles which fall
from the lower part of the thigh upon the tar-
fus; the bill is brown green, and the legs gray.

This Cuckoo is nearly of the fize of a thrufh ;

its

CUCKOO.

333

It IS

1 car-
r fpc-

le bill
g and
ti the
die of
e eye-
l two
below
b, and
nils of
ts, are
loft of
thofe
Dn the
whole
reen
ch fall
le tar-
gray,
inrufh ;
its

its total length about feven inches ; the bill fe-
ven or eight lines ; the tarfus the fame, clothed
with white feathers as far as the middle ; the
tail three inches' and a few lines, and conlifl-
ing of ten tapered quills, which in their na-
tural poiition diverge ; it exceeds by only fif-
teen lines the wings, which are very long in
proportion.

XVIII.

The LONG-SHAFTED CUCKOO*.

Cuculus Paradifeus, Linn, and Gmel.
Cucu/us Siamenjis Cnjiatus Firitfis, BrifT.
The Paradi/i Cucioe, Lzih.

-: '. :■:. . V • ■ ,\ r ■:■ ■-'^ ^--v > ■ ■ , ' »

npHE plumage of this bird is entirely of a dark
•*' green, which appears on the head, the
body, the wings, and the tail. Yet it has not
been negle£led by nature, but, on the contrary,
it is decorated by unufual feathers. Beld-j the
tuft which didinguifhes the head, the tail has a
remarkable form ; the outermoft pair of qifflls
is near fix inches longer than all the reft ; and
they have no webs except for the fpace of three
inches at their extremity. It was on account
of thefe two (hafts that Linnaeus gave the bird
the appellation oi Paradife Cuckoo: for the fame
reafon the two following might be termed /^7-

• This fpecies is new, and introduced by M. Poivrc.

dow

;V1

I* m

1 '?

i;'

Tilft,

■ •(

>• I

I,: J

■I

334 CUCKOO.

Jotv Cuckoos, The iris is of a fine blue ; the bill
blackifh ; and the legs gray : it is found at Siam,
where Poivrc favv it alive ; it is nearly as large
as the jay. i, ^^). / H'ff .yj;'?ff* ar:

Total length feventccn inches ; the bill four-
teen lines ; the tarfus ten ; the tail ten inches
and nine lines, and rather forked, and ejLceed-
ing the wings about nine inches [A], t'.;v

y"-\

:J^V.<- •'"' •> ':■

XIX.

The COLLARED CRESTED-
CUCKOO*. ;

Cucnlus Coromanelus, Linn, and Gmel.
Qucu'.us CoromanJelaneuJrs Crijiatuif BrifT.
The CcllartJ Cucko-M, Lath.

i < !

y.\'\

/TpHis bird is alfo ornamented with a crefl",
•*• and is remarkable for the length of two
quills of its tail ; but thefe are the middle ones,
which proje£l beyond the lateral ones, as alio
drains in fome fpecies of widow-birds.

AH the upper fide is blackifli, from the head
inclufively to the end of the tail, except a white
collar about the neck, and two round fpots of

[A] Specific charafter of the ^uculus ParaM/eus: ** The two
outermuft quills of its tail are very long, and dilated at the tip ;
its head crefted, and its body grt:en/'

* This fpecies is new, and was obferved and figured in its na-
tive country by M. Poivrc.

5 a gray

ID *-

alio

I head
'hite
)ts of

fhe two
jthe tip i

its na-

gray

c r c K o o.

33S

a gray colour behind the eyes, one on each fide,
which in Tome meafure relemble ear- pendants :
we muft alfo except the wings, of which the
quills and their middle coverts are variegated
with rufons and black ilh ; and To are the fhoul-
ders, though their ^reat quills and coverts are
entirely blackilh ; the throat and the thighs are
blackifh ; all the reft of the under fide of the
body is white j the iris yellovvilh ; the bill deep
cinereous ; the legs alio cinereous, but lighter
coloured. This Cuckoo is found on the coaft
of Coromandcl, and is nearly of the fize of the
red-uiiig.

Total length twelve inches and a quarter;
the bill eleven Unes ; the tarfus ten ; the winafs
fhort ; the tail fix inches and three quarters,
confiding of ten quills, th^ two middle ones
much longer than the lateral ones, which are
tapered ; and it exceeds the wings by five inches
and a half [Aj.

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus CoromanJus: ** Its tail is
wedgc-fhapcd ; its bod/ black, below white ; a bright white col-
lar." ■ ,^ . : .-. . ->,. -;..,, ■■; ; ,/;. . ■■ . ' ,

1^: :

il;

l.i;

336 CUCKOO.

The SAN-HIA of CHINA*.

■" ■%

Cutulut StHenfitt Linn, and Gmel.
CutuUi CerultHi, Biifl*.
The Chint/t Cuciinvt Lath 4

♦ •

/TpHis Cuckoo rcfembles the preceding Ipc*

•* cies, and coniequcntly the widow birds,

by the length of the two middle quills of the

tail ; its phimage is remarkable, though it con^

fifts of only two principal colours, blue on the

upper fide, and fnowy white on the under fide ;

but it would fcem that nature, happy always

in her carelefs mood, has fufFered a few drops

that are fnowy white to fall from her pallet

upon the crown of the head, where it forms a

Ipot through which the blue appeared in a thou-

fand points ; and alfo upon the cheeks a little

behind, where two forts of ear-pendants are re-

prefented, as in the preceding fpecies ; and upon

the quills and coverts of the tail, each of which

is marked by a round white fpcck near the tip :

befides, it appears melted into the azure of the

rump and of the bafe of the great quills of the

wing, and has confiJerably diluted the tinge;

the whole is fct off to advantage by the dark

blackilh colour of the throat and the fides of the

head ; and laftly, the beautiful colour of the iris,-

• This (pedes is new, and feen and figured by M. Poivre in its
native country.

■ • the

» •

A*.

ig fpc-
r birds «
of the
it con-
: on the
er Tide ;

always
w drops
;r pallet

forms a
[ a thou-

a little
s are re-
md upon
)f which

the tip ;

re of the

Is of the

he tinge;

the dark

es of the

if the iris,'

Poivrc in its

the

•■' ) >

' !ii

I '■

Yn'i
,1*

-^/^^

THE ISTATE CUCltOO.

■11 1

ft. > . I

CUCKOO. 357

the bill, and the legs, adds to the richnefs of
the garb. •

Total length thirteen inches ; the bill eleven
lines, and there are fome hairs about its upper
bafe ; the tarfus ten lines and a half ; the tail
feven lines and a half, confifting of ten very un-
equal quills, of which the two middle ones ex-
ceed the two adjacent lateral ones by three
inches and a quarter ; they exceed the outer-
moft by five inches and three lines, and the
wings by almoft their whole length [A],

\ ^'^rm

' ■ I *v

XXI.
The T AIT-SO U.

Cucufus Caruhus, Linn, and Gmel.

Cuculus Madagafcaritnjis Caruleus, firifl*.

The Blut Cuchot Lath. . ' ' ^

A s ufual, 1 retain the favage nan:ie, which is
^^ generally the befl and the moft charac-
teriftic.

The Tait-Sou, fo called in its native country,
is wholly of a fine blue, and the general uni-
formity is relieved by very dazzling tints of vio-
let and green, refle^led by the quills of the
wings ; and by tints of pure violet, without the

[A] Specific character of the Cuculus Sintnjis: ** Its tail is
wedge-ftiaped and long; its body blue, below white; a white fpot
on tiie tips of the tail-^uills," .- - •

VOL, VI. a ieaft

:rM

lit

'Ml

i !'■■

;' 1

!l! 14 !

j-i r

;;; .1

ii \i

3S8

CUCKOO.

lead cafl: of green, which are refle(5^ed by thq
quills of the tail ; laftly, the black colour of the
kgs and bill gives (hade to the picture.

Total length fe.'enteen inches ; the bill fix-
teen lines ; the tarfus two inches ; the alar ex-^
tent near twenty inches ; the tail nine inches,
and compofed of ten quills, of which the two
middle ones are a little longer than the lateral
ones ; it exceeds the wings fix inches [A],

XXII.

The POINTER CUCKOO,

Cueulus Indicator t Qtnel. and Bor,
The Honey-Guidt, S parr man.
'Xhc Htntj Cucitot Latlii.

IT is in the interior part of Africa, at fome dif-
- tance from the Cape of Good Hope, that this
bird is found, which is known by its fingular
inftin£t of pointing out the nefis of wild bees *.
In the morning and evening it utters its cry,
chrr, chrr^ chgrr^ which is very fhrill, and

[A] Specific charaQer of tKe CuchIus Cterulfus : " Its tail is
rouQded ; its body blue."

• According to fome travellers, the cry of this bird is nuitkl^
woieki ; and this word 'wieki fignifies honey in the language of the
Hottentots. It fometimes happens that the hunter in following the
call of this Cuckoo, is devoured by wild beads ; which has given
occafion to f^y that the bird concerts with them to conduft their

feems

t\ \

vmmmm

mmm

CUCKOO.

339

feems ^c ivite the hunters and' others, who
fearch t'.. honey in the wildernefs ; they an-
fwer it in a more hollow tone, and continue al-
ways advancing : as foon as it perceives them
it flies onward, and hovers over the hollow tree
where the fwarm is lodged ; if the hunters are
too tardy in following it, it redoubles its cries,
returns back to them, flops and flutters about,
to roufe their attention. It omits nothing to in-
duce them to profit by the little treafure which
it difcovers, but which it probably could not enjoy
without the afliftance of man ; either becaufe the
entrance into the neft is too narrow, or on ac-
count of fome other circumftances. While the
party are einployed in plundering the honey, the
bird fits in a neighbouring bufh, watching ea-
gerly and expelling its fhare of the booty,
which is commonly left for it, though never
in fufficient quantity to fatiate its appetite, or
extinguifh or blunt its ,;rdour in this kind of
purfuit.

This is not the idle tale of a common tra-
veller ; it is the obfervation of an enlightened
man, who affifted at the deftruftion of feveral
republics of bees, betrayed by this little fpy, and
who communicates an account of what he faw
to the Royal Society of London. I (hall add
the defcription of the female, which he made
from the only two fubjedts that he could pro-
pqre, ai>d which he fhot to the great fcandal of

Z 2 thQ

;i4

n^?

1 1-\

;i •:^'i

340

CUCKOO.

the Hottentots; the exiftence of a ufeful crea-
ture is every where precious.

The upper ficie of the head is gray; the
throat, the ft)re part of the neck, and the breall,
are whitifii with a green tinge, which grows
more dilute as it fpreads, and is Icarcely per-
ceptible on the breafl;; the belly is white ; the
thighs the fame, marked with an oblong black
fpot ; the back and rump are rufty gray; the
juperior coverts of the wings are brown gray,
thofe next the body marked with a yellow fpot,
which, on account of its fituation, is often con-
cealed under the fcapular feathers; the quills of
the wings are brown; the two middle quills of
the tail are longer and narrower than the reft,
and of a brown verging on ruft colour ; the two
following pairs are blackifti, their infidc dirty
white ; thofe which fucceed are white, ter-
minated with brown, and marked with a
white fpot near their bafe, except the laft pair,
where this fpot almoft vanilhes; the iris is
rufty gray; the eye-lids black ; the bill brown
at its bafe, yellow at the end,' and the legs are
black.

Total length fix inches and a half ; the bill
about fix lines, and there are fome briftles about
the bafe of the lower mandible ; the noftrils are
oblong, with a projedling margin, placed near
the bafe of the upper mandible, and feparat-
cd only by its ridge ; the tarfus is (hort ; the
8 nails

'■*'i

CUCKOO.

341

nails flender ; the tail tapered, and compofed of
twelve quills ; it exceeds tbe wings by three-
fourths of its length [A].

■,\fi

XXIII.
The VGUROU-DRIOU*.

Cucuius y^/er, Gmel.

Cueulus Madagafcarienjis Majors Briff.

The African CuckoiM, Lath.

^TpHis fpecies and the preceding differ from all
•*• the rert:, in the nunmber of quills in the
tail ; thefe amounting to twelve, though com-
monly they are only ten« The differences pe-
culiar to the Vourou-driou con fill: in the fhape
of its bill, which is longer, ftraighter, and. not
fo convex above ; in the pofition of the noftrils,
which are oblong, and placed obliquely near the
middle of the bill ; and in a character which
belongs alfo to the birds of prey, viz. that the
female is larger than the male, and of a very

[A] Specific charafler of tlie Cucuius Indicator : " It is ferrS-
ginous gray* below white ; its eye- lids naked and black ; a bright
yellow fpot on its ihoulders ; its tail wedge-fhaped and ferrugi-

i»

nous.

• The natives of Madagafcar call it Vouroug-driou* We are in-
debted to M. Briflbn for the account of this fpecies, which is not
the largeft in that ifland« witnefs the Greeniih Cuckoo already no-
ticed.

2. 2 (iifferent

!.l!

34*

CUCKOO.

different plumage. This bird is found in the
ifland of Madagafcar, and no doubt on the cor-
relponding part of Africa.

In the male the crown of the head is black-
ifli, with reflciftions of green and rofe copper;
there is a (Ircak of black placed obliquely between
the bill and the eye ; the reft of the head, the
throat, and the neck, are cinereous; the breaft,
and all the reft of the under fide of the body,
are of a handfome white gray ; the upper fide
of the body, as far as the end of the tail, is of
a green colour, changing into rofe-copper ; the
middle quills of the wing are nearly of the fame
colour ; the large ones blackifti, verging on
green ; the bill is deep brown j and the legs
reddifti.

The female is fo different from the male, that
the inhabitants of Madagafcar have called it by
a different name, Cromb* The head, the throat,
and the upper fide of the neck, are ftriped tranf-
verfely with brown and rufous ; the back, the
rump, and the fuperior coverts of the tail, are
of an uniform brown ; the fmall fuperior co-
verts of the wings are brown, edged with ru-
fous ; the great ones dull green, edged and ter-
minated with rufous ; the quills of the wing
are the fame as in the male, only the middle
ones are edged with rufous ; the fore part of the
neck, and all the reft of the under fide of the
body, are variegated with blackifti ; tine quills
of the tail are of a glofly brown, terminated

with

c ijr c tt: o o. 343

with rufous ; the bill and legs are nearly as ia
the male [A].

Their relative dimenfions are as follow :

MAL?.

Total length - - - -
Bill -.-...

Tarfus

Alar extent - - -

Tail

Excefs above the wings

Inch.

Lin.

fSMALB.

Inch.

Lin.

- 17

- 29

- 7

[A] Specific charader of the Cutuhu Afer: *' It is copper-
green, below (hining gray ; its head and neck cinereous ; its top
copper blackift ; its tail equal and gold green, below black."

» ^ '

\ :- - J';-

2 4

♦**.

344

CUCKOO.

AMERICAN BIRDS,

WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE CUCKOO.

iH: 'i

I. .

The OLD-MAN, or RAIN-BIRD.

Cuculus Pluvialis, Giriel. • ,,

Ci. cuius 'Jama cenjiii firiH'.
Picas ^lijor Leucophofust Ray. ■ "

Cuculus Jamaicenjis Major, Sloane> Brown, and Klein.
• The Rain Cuckoa, Lath.

1"^IiE name oi Old- Man has been given to
this bird, becaule, under its throat, there
is a fort of white down or beard, the attribute
of age : it is alfo called the Rain-Bird^ becaufe
it never calls, except before rain. It continues
the whole year in Jamaica, and haunts not only
the woods, but the ftraggling buflies : it fuffers
the hunters to approach very near before it
takes flight. Its ordinary food confifls of feeds
and worms.

The upper fide of the head is covered with
downy or filky feathers of a deep brown ; the
reft of the upper fide of the body, including the
wings and the two middle quills of the tail, is
olive cinereous ; the throat is white, and the fore
part of the neck the fame ; the breaft, and the reft
of the under furface of the body, rufous ; all the

lateral

CUCKOO.

345

•I'j

lateral quills of the tail are black tipt with white,
and the outermoft is edged with white; the up-
per mandible is black ; the lower one is almoft
white; the legs bluifh black: it is fomewhat
larger than the blackbird.

The ftomach of the one difleded by Sloane
was very large in proportion to the fize of the
bird, in which refpeft it refembles the Eu-
ropean fpecies ; it was lined by an exceedingly
thick membrane; the inteftines were twifted
like a (hip's cable, and covered with a quantity
of yellow fat. . . ,

Total length fix inches and three quarters ;
the bill one inch ; the tarfus thirteen lines ;
the alar actent equal to the total length; the
tail from feven and a half to eight inches, com-
pofed of ten tapering quills, and projedting al-
moft entirely beyond the wings [A J.

i.i(«!

t'Sti

VARIETIES of the RAIN CUCKOO.

I. The Rufous- winged Old Man*. The
fame colours as in the preceding appear on the

[A] Specific charafler of the Cuculus Pluvialis: ** It is cine-
reous olive, below rufous ; its throat white."

• Cucuitu Jmericanust Linn, and GnxeL
Cuculut CaroUnenJis, BrifT. and Klein.
The Carolina Cudow, Catelby, Penn. and Lath.
Specific charafter: " It is wedgc-lhaped ; its body cinereous
above, and white below ; its lower mandible yellov/."

upper

346 C U C K O Ok

upper furface and oa the tail, and almoH thd
fame on the bill ; but the white of the under
furface of the body, which in the Rain-bird was
confined to the throat and bread:, extends in this
bird over all the lower part : the wings have a
iufty Caft, and are longer in proportion; laftly^
the tail is (horter and of a different (hape.

This Cuckoo is folitary; it relides in the
darkeft forefts, and on the approach of winter
it leaves Carolina to find a milder air.

Total length thirteen inches.; the bill four-
teen lines and a half; the tail (ix inches, con-
fining of ten quills, of which the three middle
ones arc longer than the refl, but equal to each
other, and the two lateral pairs arc fhorter, and
the more fo in proportion to their diftance from
the centre ; the longeft projcd four inches be-
yond the wings.

II. The Little Old Man*, known at
Cayenne by the name of Mangrove Cuckoo
(Coucou des Palctuviers), This bird, the fe-
male efpecially, refembles the Jamaica Rain-bird
fo much^ both in its colours and in its general
conformation, that the defcription of the one
may ferve for the other; the only difference
eonfifts in the fize, the Cayeime bird being

* Cuculus Minor, Gmel.
Cttculus Seniculuii Lath. Ind.
The Mangrove Cuckow, Lath. Syn,

Specific charadler : " It is einereous olivcj below UWny, Its chiii
white."

much

C tJ C K O O.

34^

much fmaller, its tail is alio rather longer in
proportion ; but we may flill fuppofe that it is
a variety refulting from climate. It feeds on in-
feifts, and particularly on the larger caterpillars*
that gnaw the leaves of the mangroves ; and
hence it is fond of lodging among thefe trees,
where it renders an ufeful fervice.

Total length one foot ; the bill thirteen lines ;
the tarfus twelve ; the tail five inches and a
half, confifting of ten tapering feathers, and
exceeds the wings three inches and one third.

The T A C C Of.

Cuculus-Vetula, Linn. Gmel. and Bor,
Cucu.'us ^JamaicenftSf Brifl*. Klein, and Ger.
Picuit ftu Pluviit Avis can'/ctf/i, Ray and Sloao€f<
The Long-bellied Rain Cucho, Lath.

LOANE pofitively aflerts that, except the bil^
which in the Tacco is longer, more (lender^
and whiter, it refembles the Rain-bird precife-
ly ; he afcribes to it the fame habits, and ap-

* Thefe large caterpillars are four inches and a half long, and
feven or eight lines broad. In the years 1775 and 1776, they mul-
tiplied fo excclfively, that they devoured almoft entirely moft of the
mangroves and many other plants. It was thes that the iflanders
regretted their not having muUiplied this fpecics of Cuckoo.

f In the Antilles it is named Tiacco from its cry ; the negroe*
call it Cracra and Tacra'Bajo. In St. Domingo it is temled Celi-
vicou,

plies

^Ili.

I 1

I ,1

1 1 :
(

34« CUCKOO.

plies the fame names. But Briflbn, refting pro-
bably on this remarkable difference in the length
and conformation of the bill, has made this bird
a diftindt fpecics. This feparation is the more
proper, as it appears from clofer infpciflion that
the plumage is not the lame, and that even the
white beard is wanting, which gave name to
the preceding fpecies : befides, the Chevalier
. Lefebre Defhayes, who has obferved the Tac-
co with attention, 'finds that its habits arc dif-'
ferent from thofe afcribed by Sloane to the Rain-
bird.

Tacco is the ufual cry of this Cuckoo, but is
feldom heard. It pronounces the firfl fyllable
hard, and defccnds a whole odave on the fe-
cond ; it never utters this till after it has given
a jerk with its tail, which it commonly does
when it (hifts its place, or perceives any one
approach. It has alfo another cry qua, qua,
qua, qua, but which is never heard unlefs it be
alarmed by the fight of a cat, or fome other
dangerous enemy.

Sloane fays that this Cuckoo, like the one
which he terms Rain-bird, forebodes rain by its
Joud calls ; but the Chevalier Defhayes difco-
covered no fuch habit *.

Though the Tacco lives generally in culti-

' vated grounds, it alfo frequents the woods, be-

caufe it there finds its proper food, which con-

• To the Chevalier Dcfliayes I owe my information with regard
to the habits and economy of the Tacco.

fifts

■f

CUCKOO.

349

fifls of caterpillars, bretles, worms and vermin,
ravfts'*, wood-lice, an I other iiifcdls, which
unfortunately are too common in the Antilles,
both in the clearc I lands diid in the forcfts. It
alfo preys upon Imall lizards, called atw/ls "f^
imall fnakcs, frogs, young rats, and fometimes,
it is faid, upon I'mall birds. It (urprifcs the
lizards when they are eagerly watching on the
branches for flies, and therefore off their guard.
With regard to fnakes, it feizes them by the
head, and in proportion as the part fwallowed
digefts, it fucks up the rcfl: of the body, which
hangs out from the bill. It is thus ufeful, (ince
it deftroys the pernicious animals: it would
prove of ft ill greater utility, could it be domef-
ticated ; and this might be poffible, for it is not
(hy, but even fufFers the young negroes to catch
it in the hand, though it has a flrong bill, and
could make a flout defence.

Its flight is never lofty ; it begins flapping
with its wings, and, then fpreading its tail, it
fhoots along, or rather Ikims than flies. It
flutters from bufli to bufh, and hops from bough
to bough : it even fprings upon the trunks of
trees, to which it clings like the wood-peckers;
and fometimes it alights on the ground, and
hops about like the magpye, always in purfuit of

• A fort of cock- chaffers, very ofFenfive and pernicious, fre-
quent in the Weft indies. T.

t Written alfo anoulys. They have a fine, fleek fltin, and are
fometimes eaten by the people of the French Weft India iflands. T.

, infedts

( t

i -it

i;'..;

**■;,

■J.-;,

■i i

li'Ki!!

H*, I

350

CUCKOO.

jnfe£ls or reptiles. It is faid to exhale conti-^
nuatly a rank fmell, and that its flefli is unpa*
latable; which is very probable, confidering the
kind of fubftances upon which it feeds.

Thefe birds retire in the breeding feafon into
the depth of the forefts, and remain fo well con-»
cealed, that no perfon has ever feen their neft.
One might almoft be induced to fuppofe that
they have none, and that, like the European
Cuckoo, they lay their eggs in other birds*
iicfts; but if this were the ca(e, they would
differ from all the other American Cuckoos,
which themfelves build and hatch.

The Tacco has no brilliant colours in its
plumage, but it has always a neat and become
ing air : the upper fide of its head and body, in-
cluding the coverts of the wings, is gray, which
is pretty deep, with greenifli reflections on the
great coverts only ; the fore fide of the neck
and breaft is a(h gray, ^nd over all thefe (hades
of gray there is fpread a faint reddifh tint ; the
throat is light fulvous ; the reft of the under fide
of the body, including the thighs, and the in-
ferior coverts of the wings, are more or lefs of
a lively fulvous ; the ten firft quills of the wing
are of a bright rufous, terminated with green-
i(h brown, which, in the following quills, ap-
proaches conftantly to a ruft colour ; the two
middle quills of the tail are of the colour of the
back, with greeni(hrefle»Slionsj the eight others
are the fame about their middle, dark brown,
3 with

CUCKOO.

3S»

with blue refledtions, near their bafe, and ter-
rnitiated with white ; the iris is brown yellow;
the eyebrows red ; the bill blackifh above, atid
of a lighter colour below ; the legs are bluifh.
This Cuckoo is not fo large as the European
one ; it is found in Jamaica, in St. Domingo,
&c.

Total length fifteen inches and a half (feven-
teen and one-third, according to Sloaiie) ; the
bill is eighteen lines according to Sloane ; twen-
ty-one according to the Chevalier Defliayes, and
twenty-five according to Briflbn; the tongue is
cartilaginous, terminated by filaments ; the tar-
fas about fifteen lines ; th-c alar extent equal to
the total length of the bird; the tail eight
inches, according to Dcfliayes, and eight inches
and three quarters, according to Briflbn, and
confiding of ten tapering quills ; the inter-
mediate ones overlap the lateral ones ; it pro-
jeds about five inches and a half beyond the
wings [A].

[A] Speciiic charafler of the Cufulus Vetula: *' Its tail Is wedge*
ihape4; its body duf^iCh, belovv brick coloured; the eye-lids
red."

i-.i

. M^

352

CUCKOO.

III.

The GUIRA-CANTARA.

Cuculus-Guira, Gmel.
Cuculus Brafdienfis CriJiatuSt Briff.
Guira jicavga'ara, Ray and VVill.
The Brazilian Crefitd CuckaiUt Lath.

'TpHis Cuckoo is very noify ; it lives in the
^ forefts of Brazil, and makes them echo to
its cry, which is louder than pleafant. It has a
kind of tuft, whofe feathers are brown, edged
with yellowifh ; thofe of the neck and wings
are, on the contrary, yellowifh, edged with
brown ; the upper and under (ides of the body
are of a pale yellow ; the quills of the wings are
brown ; thofe of the tail brown alfo, but ter-
minated with white; the iris is brown ; the bill
dun-yellow ; the legs fea-green. It is as large
as the European magpye. . '^ » ;t

Total length fourteen or fifteen inches ; the
bill about an inch, a little crooked at the end ;
the tarfus one inch and a half, and clothed with
feathers; the tail confining of eight quills, ac-
cording to Marcgrave ; but were not feme of
them wanting ? they appear equal in the fi-
gure.

CUCKOO.

IV.

S5$

The QU APACTOL, or the LAUGHER.

Cuculus RidibunduSi Gmel. ■•

Avis Ridibunda ^apa:htotot!, Will, and Ray.
Cuculus Mexicanus, BriC
The Laughing CueicWf Lath*

THIS Cuckoo is called the Laughing-bird, on
account of its call ; and for the fame rea-
foii, Hiys Fernandez, it was reckoned unlucky
by the Mexicans before the true religion was
introduced among them. With regard to the
Mexican name ^apachtototl, which I have
contraded and foftened, it alludes to the fulvous
colour which is fpread over all the upper furface
of its body, and even on the quills of the wings;
thofe of the tail are alfo fulvous, but of a darker
caft ; the throat is cinereous, and alfo the fore-
part of the neck and bread ; the reft of the un-
der fide of the body is black ; the iris is white,
and the bill bluifh black. . '

The fize of this Cuckoo is nearly equal to
that of the European kind ; it is fixteen inches
in total length, and the tail alone occupies the
one half of this.

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus Ridibundus : *' It is ful-
vous ; its throat and bread cinereous ; its belly, its thighs, and the
lower coverts of its tail, black."

VOL. VI.

A a

354

CUCKOO.

i '

V. .
The HORNED CUCKOO,

Or the Atingacu of Brazil.

Cuctilus Cornuttis, Linn, and Gmel.
Cucutus hrafilicnjis Cormitus, Brifl*.
Atinga guacu mucut Ray and WiiU

/TpHE fingular property of this Brazilian Cuckoo
•*' is, that there are long feathers on the head,
which it can eretSt at pleafure, and form a dou-
ble tuft ; and hence the epithet of horned, which
has been beftowed by Briflbn. The head is
large, and the neck fhort, as ufual in this ge-
nus ; all ihc Upper furface of the head and body
is footy ; the wings are the fame, and even the
tail, though this has a darker caft, and the fea-
thers at its extremity are marked with a rufty
white fpot, fliaded with black, which melts in-
to a pure white; the throat is cinereous, and fo
is all the under fide of the body ; the iris is blood
coloured ; the bill yellowifh green, and the legs
cinereous.

This bird is diftinguifhed too by the length
of its tail ; for though not larger than a field-
fare or large thrulh, and its body only three
inches long, its tail is nine ; it confifts of ten
tapering quills, the intermediate ones overlap-
ping the lateral ones; the bill is a little hooked

CUCKOO.

355

at the end ; the tarfufes are rather fhort, and fea-
thered before [A].

VI.
The BROWN CUCKOO,

variegated with Rufous.

Cuculus NfcviiiSt Linn, and Gmel.
Cuculus Cayanenjit Nar<viust BrilT.
.;L,i The Spotted Cucke^f Lath. ., '■

'T^HE upper fide of the body is variegated with
•^ brown and with different {hades of rufous ;
the throat is light rufous variegated with brown ;
the refl of the under fide of the body is rufty
white, which afliumes a diftind light rufous on
the inferior coverts of the tail ; its quills and
thofc of the wings are brown, edged with light
rufous, having a greenifh caft, particularly on
the lateral quills of the tail ; the bill is black
above, rufous on the fides, f ufly below, and the
legs cinereous. It is obferved as a fingular pro-
perty, that fome of the fuperior coverts of the
tail extend almofl to two-thirds of its length.
With regard to fize, this Cuckoo is compared
to the red-wing.

Total length ten inches and two thirds ;
the bill nine lines ; the tarfus fourteen lines ;

[A] Specific charafter of the Cucvltn Cornutm: ** Its tail is
wedge-ftiaped ; its creft cleft ; its body foot/.'*

A a 2 the

' . -^^ii

IS n

, ,i™«.

3S6

CUCKOO.

the alar extent above an inch ; the tall about ilx
inches, confiftlng of ten tapering quills, and
exceedins; the wingrs bv four inches.

The Cuckoo known at Cayenne by the name
of the Barrier-bird is nearly as large as the pre-
ceding, and very fimilar in regard to plumage :
in general, it has rather lefs rufous, gray occu-
pying its place, and the lateral quills of the tail
are tipt with white; the throat is light gray,
and the nnder fide of the body white ; the tail
too is longjer. But notwithflanding thefe triflinor
differences, we muft confider it as a variety of
the preceding, perhaps only fexual. ' ' ,

The name Barrier-bird alludes to its habit of'
perching upon the palilades round plantations ;
in that fituation it continually Ihakes its tail.

Thefe birds, though not very wild, never
gather in flocks ; yet many live in the fame dif-
trid at once ; they feldom haunt the forefts :
they are more common, we are afl'ured, than
the Piaye Cuckoos, both in Cayenne and Gui-
ana, .^ «•• . .

[A] Specific chara(fler of the Cuculus Naviut: " Its tail is wcdge-
(haped; its body brown and fenuginoas; its thrgat marked with
brown furrows i its tail-qiiilh tipt with tawny."

) ■

.iikk.

CUCKOO,

357

VII.

The ST. DOMINGO CUCKOO.

Le CenJiillard* , BufF.

Cuculus Dominicus, Linn, Gmel, and BrifT.

THE prevailing colour of its plumage is a(h-
gray, which is more intenfe above, as far
as the two middle quills of the tail inclufively,
more dilute below, and intermixed with more
or lefs rufous on the quills of the wings ; the
three pairs of lateral quills in the tail are black-
i(h, terminated with white, and the outermofl
pair is edged with the fame white colour ; the
bill and legs are dun gray. This bird is found
in Louifiana and St. Domingo, in different fea-
fons, no doubt ; it is faid to be nearly of the
fize of the red wing.

I have feen in M. Mauduit's Cabinet a variety
named the Little Gray Cuckoo, which differed
not from the preceding, except that all the un-
der furface was white, that it was rather larger,
pud that its bill was not fo long.

Total length from ten to twelve inches; the
bill fourteen or fifteen lines, the two mandibles
bent downwards ; the tarfus one inch ; the alar
extent five inches and a half; the tail five inches
and one third, confifling of ten tapered feathers ;

* So termed by M. Montbelliard, on account of its cinereous
plumage.

r-:.J

A a 3

358 CUCKOO.

it exceeds the wings from two inches and a half
to three-inches [A],

mmmmm

. t

VIII.
The PI AYE CUCKOO.

Cuculus Cayamts, Linn, and Gmel, '

Cuculus Cayamniis, Brifl". ■ •, :'. . , . ;

T\\c Cayenne Cuckoo, Lath. ./,,., .,.

ADOPT the epithet Playe, applied to this
Cuckoo in the ifland of Cayenne; but I
adopt not the fuperftition which gave it birth :
Piaye iignifies ^m/ in the language of the na-
tives, and alfo^r/V/, that is among an idolatrous
people, mmijier or interpreter of the devil. This
obvioufly (hews that it is looked upon as an un-
lucky bird : for this reafon the Indians and ne-
Toes are faid to have an abhorrence of its flefh ;
but may not its perpetual leannefs and unpalat-
able quality account for their averlion ?

The Piaye is not (hyj it allows a perfpn to
get very near it, and does not fly away till the
moment he is about to feize it : its flight is
compared to that of the king-fifher; it com-
monly frequents the banks of rivers, and lodges

[A] Specific chtir&^er of ihe Cuculus DoMi'nicus : ** Its tail is
wedge-fhaped j its body gray -brown, below partly white; its three
lateral tail quills tipt with white."

beaeat!^

CUCKOO.

3:9

beneath the low branches of trees, where it pro-
bably watches the infeds which conftitute its
food; when perched it wags its tail, and pr ac-
tually (lilfts its place. . Perfons who have lived
at Cayenne and feen this Cuckoo feveral times
in the fields, have never yet heard its call. It
is nearly as large as a blackbird ; the upper fide
of its head and body is purple chefnut, includ-
ing the wings of the tail, which are black near
the end, terminated with white, and the quills
of the wings, which are terminated with brown ;
the throat and the fore part of the neck are alfo
purple-chefnut, but of a lighter tinge, and which
varies in different individuals i the breaft and all
the under fide of the body are cinereous 5 the
bill and legs are brown gray.

Total length fifteen inches and nine lines ;
the bill fourteen lines ; the tarfus fourteen lines
and a half; the alar extent fifteen inches and
one third; the tail ten lines, confifling of ten
tapered and very unequal quills ; it exceeds the
wings about eight inches. N. B. The fpeci-
men in Mauduit's Cabinet is rather larger.

I have feen two varieties of this fpecie. The
one nearly of the fame fize, but oF different co-
lours ; the bill was red ; the head cinereous ;
the throat and breafl rufous ; and the refl of the
under fide of the body blackifh afh-colour.

The other variety has nearly the fame co-
lours, only the cinereous of the under fide of the
body is (haded with brown ; it has alfo the fame

A a 4 ■ ' natural

a^'^rill^W

' C:i

36o CUCKOO.

natural habits, the only difference confiAiiig h\
the llze, which is ainnoft equal to that of the
red -vvi tiff.

Total length ten inches and a quarter; the bill
eleven Hnes j the tarlus eleven hnes and a half;
the alar extent eleven inches and a half; the tail
near fix inches, confifting of ten equal quills,
and exceeding the wings about four inches [A],

i'i

hi V!

'■4'

■I f

'i:.P

IX.
The BLACK CUCKOO of CAYENNE.

Cuculus Tranjuil/uSf Gmel.

ALMOST the whole plumage is black, except
the bill and iris, which are red, and the
upper coverts of the wings, which are edged'
with white ; but the black itfelf is not uniform,
for it is lighter below than above.

Total length' about eleven inches; the bill fe-
venteen lines; the tarfus eight lines; the tail
compofcd often quills, a little tapered, and ex-
ceeding the wings about three inches.

M. de Sdnini allures me that this bird has a
tubercle on the fore part of its wing. It lives,
folitary and tranquil, generally perched upon

[A] Specific charafter of the Cuculus Cayanus: ** Its tail is
wedge- (haped ; its body purpUfh-chefnutj below cinereous; al. its
tail-quills tipt with white."

3 the

CUCKOO.

3*f

the trees which grow on the fides of ciceks,
and it is by no means fo ^£t\ve as moft of the
Cuckoos : in Ihort, it may be regarded as the in-
termediate fhade between thefe and the barbets.

■I

The LITTLE BLACK CUCKOO

of CAYENNE * ,

Cucului Ttnebro/us, Gmel.

The Whitt-rumptd Black Cuckowi Lath.

THIS Cuckoo refembles the preceding, both
in the colour of its pkimage, and in its ha-
bits and economy. It does not frequent the
woods, yet it is no lefs wild ; it remains whole
days perched upon a detached branch in a cleared
fpot, without making any exertion beyond what
is neceflary to catch the infeds on which it:
feeds ; it neflles in hollow trees, and Tome-,
times in the ground, when it finds holes ready
formed.

This Cuckoo is entirely black, except on the
hind part of the body, which is white, and this
white, which extends to the legs, is feparated
from the back of the fore part by a fort of
orange cincture. In the fpecimen which I

• We are indebted to M. de Sonini for the account of thi»,
bird,

faw

-»....

«i>>.,i'j

361

CUCKOO.

fiw at Mauduits', the white did not ftretch la
fur.

Total length ci^ht indies and a quarter; the
bill nine lines ; the tarfus very fliort ; the tail is
not three inches, it is a little tapered, and pro-
jcds not much beyond the wings [A].

[A] Specific clifiraftcr of the Cucului TcHthri/us : *' It is black;
it* htllv and thighs ferruginous j its rump and creft vvliite j its taH

h '■ ^■

\r r

l|-

A N I.

3^3

^.:! :l.

The A N I S.

1 Iff .-

I^il

AN I is the name which the natives of Bra-
zil give to this bird*, and which we re*
tain, though the French travellers "f and our
modern nomenclators call it TohaccO'Cnd \^ a
ridiculous appellation beftowed on account of
the refemblancc of its plumage to the colour of
a tobacco roll. Father Dutcrtre ailerts, indeed,
as thereafon of that denomination, that it feems
to articulate the words petit bout de petun, which
is falfc and improbable; efpecially as the Creoles
of Cayenne have an appropriated defignation
for its ordinary warble, Canary boiler, becaufe
jt refembles the noife of a kettle boilinir. It
has alfo the name Devil, and one of the fpecies
is called the Savanna devil, and the other the
Mangrove devil \ the former living conftantly
in the favannas, and the latter frequenting the
fea fhores and the margins of fait marfhes,
where the mangroves grow.

Their generic characters are thefe : — Two
toes before and two behind, the bill (hort, hook-
ed, thicker than broad; the lower mandible
ilraight, the upper one raifed into a femicircle
at its origin, and this remarkable convexity ex-
tends over ajl the upper part of the bill till

* Marcgrave. f Dutcrtre,

X Beut dt Fiturii or Bout de Taiac*

'-4'iH

'.■Vlr'

within

3^4

A N I,

within a little diflance of its extremity, where
it is hooked ; this convexity is comprefl'ed ou
the fides, and forms a fort of (liarp ridge quite
along the upper mandible ; below and round
there rife fmall ragged feathers as fliffas hogs'
briftleg, about half an inch long, and all point-
ed forwards: this fingular conformation of the
bill is fufficient to dilcriminate thefe birds, and
fecms to conftitute a feparatc genus, though it
includes only two fpecies.

I. t

The SAVANNA ANI.

FIRST SPECIES.

Crotepbaga-Ani. Linn. Gmel. and Bor.

Ci-otoi'hagus, BriiT. and Gerini.

Pfittaco congener Ani^ Ray and Will,

Monedula tola nigra major, Sloane and Brown.

Comix garrula major, Klein.

The ^azor-bilitd Blackbird ^ Cstefby.

•J'he lejjir Aniy Lath.

THIS Ani is as large as a blackbird, but its
large tail gives it a longer form ; for this
is feven inches, which is more than half the to-
tal length of the bird : the bill is thirteen lines
Jong, and rifes nine lines and a half; it is black,
and fo are the legs, which are feventeen lines
in height. The defcription of its colours Ihall
be very fhort: all the body is black, faintly
(haded with fome violet reflexions, except a

fmall

A N f.

2^S

fmall edge of deep fhining green, which borders
the feathers on the upper part of the back and
the coverts of the wings, and which cannot be
perceived at a certain diftance, for then the bird
appears entirely black. The female differs not
from the male ; they conflantly keep in troops,
and are of fofocial a difpohtion that they lodge and
lay their eggs together in the fame nefl. They
conftrudl it with dry flicks, but ufe no lining ;
it is exceedingly wide, often a foot in diameter,
and its capacity is faid to be proportioned to the
number of fellow-lodgers which they intend to
admit. The females hatch in company, and
five or fix are often leen in the fame neft. Thia
inftindl, which would prove ufeful in the cold
countries, feems to be at leafl fuperfluous in the
fouthern regions, where the nell: will eafily pre-
ferve its heat. It originates entirely from the
impulfe of focial temper ; for they are conftantiy
together, both when they fly and when they
repofe and fettle on the branches of trees as near
as poffible to each other. In this fituation they
all warble in concert, and almofl through the
whole day ; and their fmalleft troops confift of
eight or ten, and they fometimes amount to
twenty-five or thirty. They fly low, and to
fhort diftances ; and hence they oftener alight
among bu(hes and thix:kets than upon trees.
They are neither timorous nor ihy, and never
make any remote retreat. 1'hey are hardly
feared by the report of fire arn.3, and it is eafy

'l'>?CJ{!

:,>;.! W

m mi

» iiiuja

3<56

A N I.

to kill many, one after another. But they arc?
in no requeft, for their fleih cannot be eaten,
and the birds have an offenfive fmell : they feed
on feeds and fmall ferpents, lizards, and other
reptiles ; they alfo alight upon oxen and cows
to feed on the ticks, maggots, and infe£ts,
which neftle in their Ikin [A],

I* • ■ i i

■ C;i

The Mangrove ani.

i 1

hi 1

VAni des Paliiuviersi Buff.

SECOND SPECIES^

. ^

Crotophaga. Major, Gmel. , ■ : .:

Crotophagus Major, BriflT* • , .
.'The Great A»i, Lath,

THIS bird is larger than the preceding, and
almoft equal to the jay; it is eighteen
iurhes long, including the tail, which occupies
the half of that extent : its plumage is nearly of
the fame brownifii black' colour as that of the
former, only it is fomewhat more variegated
with brilliant green, which terminates the fea-
thers of the back and the coverts of the wings ;
infomuch that if we refted our opinion folely on
the difference of fize and colours, we might re-
gard thefe two birds as only varieties of the fame

[A] Specific character of the Crotophaga- Ani: " It is fifr^llerj
its feet fcanfory."

fpecies.

THE jANZ,

fli, i»

,'s'JJ

.«I.Mm

■ U^

, «i|ii'',

■

;|iS

'•■»?, I

■*'■

Ni!f::i

I If

A N I. 367

fpecies. But what proves that they are really
two difthi£t fpecies is, that they never inter-
mingle ; the one kind conftantly inhabits the
open lavannas, the other lodges among the man-
groves only ; yet the latter have the fame na-
tural habits with the former ; they likewifc
keep in flocks; they haunt the brinks of fait
marfhes ; they lay and hatch, many of them
together in the fame neft, and feem to be only
a different race accuftomed to live in more wet
fituations, where the abundance of infe^fts and
reptiles affords an eafier fubfiftence.

Since writing the above, I have received a
letter from the Chevalier Lefcbre Defhayes con-
cerning thefe St. Domingo birds, and I fhall
here extract what he fays with regard to the
Mangrove Ani.

*' This bird," fays he, " is one of the mod
common in the ifland of St. Domingo ....
The negroes give it ditftrent appellations, 7&-

bacco end, Amangouay Black Parrot, &c

If we attentively confider the ftruiflure of the
wings of this bird, the Ihortnefs of its flight,
and the weight of its body compared 'o its bulk,
we (hall not hefitate to conclude that it is a na-
tive of the new world : how, with its feeble
narrow wings, could it traverfe the vaft ocean
that divides the two continents ? . . . The kind
is peculiar to fouth America. When it flies it
fpreads its wings ; but its motion is not fb quick
nor fo continued as the parrot's ... It cannot

withftand

'■■MM

i '!

i;j

^ I

I '■

1;; .i.

368 A N I.

withftand the violence of the wind, and thd
hurricanes deftroy numbers of thefe birds.

" They inhabit the cultivated grounds, or*
fuch as have once been in the ftate of cultiva-
tion, and they are never found in the lofty fo-
refts. They feed on various forts of leeds and
fruits, fuch as fmall millet, maize, rice, Scd
and when reduced to want, they eat caterpil-
lars and fome other infe£ls. We cannot fay that
they have a fong or warble ; it is rather a whif-
tling or chirping : fometimes, however, this
becomes more varied, but it is always harfh and
difagreeable ; it receives different inflexions ac-
cording to the paffions which incite it. If the
bird perceives a cat, or other dangerous animal,
it informs its companions by a very diftindt
Icream, which it prolongs or repeats until its
apprehenfions are quieted : its fears are moft re-
markable when it has young, for then it flut-
ters and beats about its neft. Thefe birds live
in fociety, though they do not form into fuch
large flocks as the flares ; they feldom part
from one another .... and even previous to
their hatching, we fee feveral males and females
working together at the conftru<5lion of the neft,
and afterwards the females hatch befide each
other, each fitting on her eggs and rearing her
young. This harmony is the more admirable,
fince love commonly diflblves all other ties but
what it forms . . . Their amours commence
early : in February the males ardently court

the

• • 1 ' '

A N I.

3^9

the females, and in the following month the
happy couple are bufy in collecting materials
for the neft .... Thefe birds are more lafci-
vious than even fparrows ; and, during the
whole feafon of their ardour, they are much
more lively and cheerful than at any other time
. . . They breed in (hrubs, Coffee-trees, bufhes,
and hedges ; and they place their nefts in the
cleft where the ftem divides into feveral branches
. . . When feveral females affociate together,
the one readiefl to lay does not wait till the neft
be completed, bat (its on her eggs while the
reft are employed in enlarging the fabric. They
employ a precaution which is unufual with
other birds, viz. to cover their eggs with leaves
and grafs-ftalks, as faft as they lay them ....
And during incubation, they cover the eggs in
the fame manner, if they are obliged to leave
them in queft of food .... The females which
thus hatch befide each other are not quarrel-
fome, like hens that breed in the fame crib ;
they take their ftations in order : fome, how-
ever, before they lay, make a partition in the
neft with ftalks of herbs, to contain their own
eggs ; but if the eggs happen to be jumbled to-
gether, one female hatches them indifcrimi-
nately ; (lie colle(fl:s them, heaps them, and co-
vers the whole with leaves, fo as to diffufe the
heat equally, and prevent its diffipation . . . Yet
each female lays feveral eggs . . . Thefe birds
build their neft very folid, though rude, with
VOL. VI. B b the

i'^J

■imk

=f:'^-

I ■'■; •.1¥'>I.

Wi,

5'*

v!'f?J4'

1* i

L.^4

370

A N I.

■

the fmall flems of filamentous plants, the
branches of the citron trees, and other (hrubs ;
the inlide only is covered with tender leaves
that foon wither ; and upon this bed the eggs
are depofited : thefe nefts are wide, and much
raifed at the margin ; fometimes the diameter
is more than eighteen inches, but its (ize de-
pends on the number of females which it is def-
tined to receive. It would be difRcult to decide
with accuracy whether all the females contained
in the fame neft have each their male ; perhaps
thefe birds are polygamous, in which cafe it
would, in fome meafure, be neceffary to enlarge
the nefts, and thus, even without any friendly
focial principles, they might be conArained to
Unite in performing the work . . . The eggs are
as large as thofe of a pigeon ; they are of an
uniform beryl, and have none of thofe little
fpots on the ends, which are ufual on moft
of the eggs of wild birds . • . It is probable
that the females hatch twice or thrice a year,
according to circumftances ; if the firft fuc-
ceeds, they do not make another till autumn; if
on the contrary, the eggs are robbed, or eaten by
fnakes or cats, they make a fecond, and towards
the end of July, or during the courfe of Auguft,
they hatch a third time : certain it is, that their
nefts are found in the months of March, May,
and Auguft . . . They are gentle, and eafily
tamed; and it is faiid, that if they are taken
young, they may be educated and taught to

ipeak,

...S tmkit

mmmm

A N I*

371

fpeak, though their tongue is fiat, and termi-
nates in a point, while that of the parrot is
flefliy, thick, and round . 4 *

*• The fame frie" !Aip and concord which
appears during incubation, continues after the
broods are hatched; when the mothers have
covered together, they feed fucceHlvely all the
little family . . . The males affift in bring-
ing fupplies ; but when the females hatch fe-
parately, they rear their young apart, yet
without (hewing any jealoufy or ill ;.temper ;
they carry the food by rotation, and the young
ones receive it from all the mothers. The
nature of the food depends upon the fea-
fon, fometimes confifting of caterpillars, mag-
gots, and infedts, and fometimes of fruits and
feeds, fuch as millet, maize, rice, and wild

oats, &c In a few weeks the young

ones are able to try their wings, but they do
not venture hr^ foon afterwards they perch
befide their parents among the buflies, and
then are expofed to the ravages of the birds of
prey » . . • ^ ■ '

" The Ani is an innocetit bird ; it does not
plunder the rice plantations, like the blackbird ;
it does not feed upon the nuts of the cocoa-tree,
like the woodpecker ; nor does it confume the
patches of millet, like the parrots or parra-
keets/*

[A] Specific charafter of the Crotophaga Major: *' It is '"trger;
its feet fcanfory."

B b 2

It r-i

!:■ l< '■

37^

H O U T O U.

The HOUTOU or MOMOT, Buff.

Ramphnjlos-Momcta, Linn. Gmel. and Bor.
Momotus B'rnjilienfist Lath. Ind.
Motmot y Tayaukquitoit, Fernandez.
M'>tmot ij -^vh Caudata, Nieremberg.
Guiraguainumbi Brajil'unjibus, Johnft. • '

J/pidicJeu Meropis affinis, Ray and Will,

. , The Brafilian/aw-bilhd Rolltr^ Edw. , i ! ' '

The Brajilian Motmot, Lath. Syn. . S ' •

WE retain the n?me HouioUy which has
been given by the natives of Guiana,
fince it is expreflive of the cry. Whenever the
bird makes a Ipi ing, it brilkly and diftindlly ar-
ticulates Houiou ; the tone is deep, and refem-
bles a man's voice : that character alone fuffi-
cientl} difcriminates the living bird, whether it
be in the ftate of freedom or of domeftication.

Fernandez, who firft noticed the HoutDu,
has inadvertently mentioned it by two difFer.jnt
names, and this miftake has been copied by all
the nomenclators: Marcgrave is the only na-
turalift who has not been mifled. It would
feem that Fernandez was deceived by the fight
of a mutilated fpecimen, which induced him to
admit two fpecies ; for the fingle naked quill
which he obferved could not be natural, fince
in all birds the feathers grow conftantly by pairs,
jud as other animals have two legs or two
arms.

4 The

JVMMIi

l.'Jdo

K •'

THF. BRASILIAX MOTMOT.

i ii<

1 '"'1

H O U T O U.

373

The Houtou is about thefize of the magpie; it
meaiures feveiiteeti inches and three line^ from
the poii>t of the bill to the end of the groat quills
of the tail ; its toes are placed as in the king-
fifhcrs, the manakins, &c. But it is diditi*
guilhed from thcl'e, and even from all other
birds, by the form of its bill, v\ hich, though
proportioned to the body, is conical and incur-
vated, and the edges of the two mandibles in-
dented. This chara^^er would difcriminate the
Houcou ; but it has another more fingular one
peculiar to itfelf ; to wit, near the ends of the
two long quills of the middle of the tail there
is a fpace of about an inch, abfolutely bare or
(haved, fo that the (haft is naked in that part.
This appearance, however, belongs to the adult ;
for when the bird is young thefe quills are, like
the other feathers, webbed their whole length.
It has been fuppol'ed that this naked fpace is not
a natural produ^^ion, and that it is perhaps ow-
ing merely to the caprice of the bird, which
plucks the feathery fibres. But it is obferved
that in young fubjeds the webs arc continuous
and entire, and as they grow up thefe become
Shorter by degrees, fo as at la ft to difappear.
We (hall not flop to defcribe more particularly
the plumage of this bird, for the colours are fo
much intermingled that it would be impofliblc
by words to convey a diilindt idea of them; they
arc alfo afFedled by age or lijx. <

:rn<v . B b 3 They

:V. «.■

■'•Ju,.!

'1'^ ii^

'.M

i .:

' -'r

-^1

37+

H O U T O U,

They are difficult to rear, though Pifo af-
ferts the contrary ; and as they feed upon in-
fe(Sls, it is not eafy to choofe what will fuit
their tafte. Thofe canght old cannot be bred ;
they are extremely Ihy, and refufe all fufte-
nance. The Houtou is a wild folitary bird, ne-
ver found but in the gloomy recefles of forefts ;
it aflbciates not in flocks, or even in pairs ; it
is almoft continually on the ground, or among
the low branches, for it never properly flies,
but leaps nimbly, pronouncing fmartly >&o«-
tou. It is early in motion, and its cry is heard
before the warble of the other birds. Pi-
fo was ill informed when he faid that it
builds on lofty trees ; for it never conftru^s
a neft, nor does it rife to any confiderable
height : it is contented with fome hole of the
armadillos, of the cavies, or of other fmall qua-
drupeds, which it finds on the furfice of the
ground ; it lines this with dry herb ftalks, and
there lays its eggs, which are generally two in
number. The Houtous are common in the in-
terior parts of Guiana ; but they feldam frequent
the neighbourhood of plantations. Their fle(h
is hard and unpalatable food. Pifo is miftaken
too, in faying that they live upon fruits. As
this is the third time he has been mifled, it is
probable that he has applied the attributes of
another bird to the prefent, which he defcribes
pnly from Marcgrave, and with whiph he was
• ^ ' . i perhaps

H O U T O U.

375

perhaps unacquainted ; for it is certain that the
Houtou is the fame bird with the Guira-guai-
numbi of Marcgrave, which is diHicult to tame,
which is unfit for eating, and which neither
perches nor neflles upon trees, nor feeds on
fruits.

[A] Specific character of the Ramphaftos-Momota : ** Its feet
are greflfory (; . /. the toes difpofed thi^e before and one be^
hind)."

• m

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'i.

^ 4

fH'

37^

H Q O P O E, &c;

The HOOPOES, the PR0MER0P3,

and the BEE-EATERS,

■ ,-*■.- ^

COMPARISON is the great fource of
knowledge. When objedls have many
commi)n properties, their contraft thrbvvs mu-
tual light ; it points out the real ditFerences
which obtain, and deftroys thofe falfe analogies
which are apt to be formed when they are
viewed feparately. For this reafon, I have
ranged in a fingle article the general fads with
regard to the three contiguous genera of the
fjoopoes, the Promerops, and the Bee-eaters.

Our Hoopoe is well known by its beautiful
double tuft, which is almoft unique in its kind,
Jince it refembles no other, except that of the
pockatoo; its bill is long, flender, and incur-
vated, and its legs are fhort. The black and
white Hoopoe of the Cape differs from ours in
feveral particulars, and efpecially becaufe its bill
is fhorter and more pointed, as will be found in
th^ defcriptions. But it ought to be referred to
that genus, being more related to it than to any
pther.

The Promerops refembles the Hoopoes fo
much that, were we for a moment to adopt the
principles of the fyftem-makers, we (liould fay
\\^2X they are Hoopoes without the crefl *, But

Huppts/ans Huppe,

the

HOOPOE, &c.

377

the fa£t is that they are rather taller, and their
tail is much longer.

The Bee-eaters refemble, in the fhortnefs of
their legs, the Hoopoe and king-fi(her, more
efpecially the latter, by the fingular difpofitiou
of their toes, of which the middle one adheres
to the outer as far as the third phalanx, and to
the inner o;ie as far as the firft phalanx only.
The bill of the Bee-eaters, which is pretty
broad and ftrong at its bafe, holds a middle
rank between the (lender bills of the Hoopoes
and Promerops on the one hand, and the long,
ftraight, thick, and pointed bills of the king-
fiftiers on the other ; but, on the whole, it ra-
ther inclines to the former, lince the Bec-
; cers live upon infe£ts like the Hoopoes and the
Promerops, and not upon fmall fi(h like the
king-fiftiers ; and it is well known how much
the force and conformation of the bill ferve to
regulate the choice of the food. - .. - . .

There are alio fome traces of analogy between
the genus of the Bee-eaters and that of the king-
fiihers. In the firft place, the beautiful beryl,
which is by no means common in the European
birds, decorates alike the plumage of our king-
fifher and of our Bee-eater. In the fecond
place, the greateft number of the fpecies of
Bee-eaters have their two middle quills of the
tail projecting far beyond the lateral ones; and
the sjenus of the king-filher contains alio fome
fpecies in which thefc two middle quills projedl
^ ■-^*^ allb.

■1 .■!

;''..)<:f!>«;l

"; w

I f %:

'^'

V'-i|

378

HOOPOE, &c.

alio. And in the third place, there are fomc
fpecies of king-fifhers in which the bill is a lit-
tle incurvated, which, in this refpedt, refem-
bles that of the Bee- eaters.

On the other hand, how clofe foever the Bee-
eaters and Promerops be^ related, nature, ever
rich and unexhauiled, has flill feparated them ;
or rather ihe has melted them into one another
by imperceptible (hades. Thefe intermediate
birds incline fometimes more to the one genus,
and fometimes more to the other ; I (hall deno-
minate them Merops, r ,«

All thefe different birds, which refemble each
other in fo many refpe£ts, are (imilar alfo in
point of fize. The largeft fpecies exceed not
the thrufhes, and the leaft are fcarcely fmaller
than the fparrows and the warblers. The ex-
ceptions are few, and obtain equally in the dif-
ferent genera.

With regard to climate, a difcrimination takes
place. The Promerops inhabit A(ia, Africa,
and America ; and never occur in Europe : if
they are natives of the old continent, they muft
have migrated into the new by the north of
Afia. The Hoopoe is peculiar to the old world,
and I may aflfert the fame thing of the Bee-eaters^
though there is a bird termed the Cayenne Bee*
eater: for ornithologifts who have frequently
vilited that ifland have never feen this bird.
And with regard to the two Bee-eaters depicted
by Seba, the one from Brazil and the other from

Mexico,

re fome

is a lit-

refem-

he Bee-
re, ever
I them ;
another
'mediate
i genus,
ill deno-

i 1-

ble each
- alfo in
:ecd not
r fmaller
The ex-
the dif-

on takes

Africa,

ope : if

ley mufl:

lorth of

d world,

e-eaters»

fine Bee-

equently

lis bird.

depicted

ler from
Mexico,

I '[i^'i

1,1

a'.*''

'. I

J^fj^7

■'\t

THE COMMOir HooroE.

HOOPOE.

379

Mexico, the authority of that compiler is too
fufpicious to have much weight ; particularly
as thefe would be the only two Ipecies of Bee-
eaters that are natives of the new continent.

HOOP

>^ LaOtppe, BufF.
.- Upupa Epopt, Linn, and Gmel.

Upufa, Frif. BrifT. Scop. Kram. Klein, Mul. Stbb. Sec.
The Dung-hirJt Hooper, or Hoopoop, Charleton. •

A RESPECTABLE omithologift, Belon, fays,
that this bird has derived its name from its
large beautiful tuft (huppe)\ but a little atten-
tion would have convinced him that it is really
formed from the Latin Upupa,
_ ;,..! . • ■■• • This

:•'• • ft ' ■

* In Arabic, M Hudud Gare/ol: In Egyptian, Cucufa: In
Hebrew, Kaath, Cos, Hakocez, jitaleph, Racha, Jtiapha, CbajU
da,Dukiphat: In Greek, Evov]/: In Latin, L^/a/a ; which name,
according to Plautus ^nd St. Jerome, was given alfo to girls of
pleaAire : In Italian* Bubat Upega, GaUo di Paradi/b, GalUtto di
Maggio, Puppula, Criftella, Putta: In Spanifh, Mubilla: In Portu.
gucfe, Popa: In German, Wyd-Hopff, IVtde-Hoppe, Kathaan : In
Flemifh, Hupetup: In Brabantiih, Hucron: In Norwegian, uEr-
fugl: In Danilh, Hvr-fugli In Swedilh, Hter-fogel: In Scanian,
Popp. y -■ ..-' V 1 ;

Varro, Lingua Lot. lib. IV. fays, that the Latin name Upupa is
formed from (he cry of the bird, poo, poo ; and a fable explains the
origin of this cry. Tereus, king of Thrace, having ravifhcd Phi-
lomela, the fitter of his wife Progne, the latter, in revenge, killed
her fon by him* and ferved up the flelh at h^r hulband's table.

Upon

lit,- MrJ"'!

f,;.i

|8o

HOOPOE.

I i

*•;. !« ;f

!■

r '

This tuft, ill its ordinary pofitioo, reclines
bjickvvards, both when the bird flies or feeds;
in (hort, whenever it is free from the agitation
of paflion *. I had occafion to fee a Hoopoe,
which was caught in a net, and which was old,
or at lead grown up, and confequently had ac-
quired its natural habits. Its attachment for its
ttiiftrefs was already Rn^ and ardent ; it feemed
Uneafy unlefs it alone enjoyed her company ; if
flrangers ha^^pened to break in upon its domef-
tic fociety, it erecfled its tuft, through furprife
or difquictude, and fled to the top of a bed which
was in the fame room ; fometimes it had the re-
folution to defcend from its afylum, but then it
fiewdireftly to its miftrefs, who enjoyed exclu-
fively all its regard and affedion. it had two very
different kinds of cries ; the one foft and tender,
flowing from fentiment, and direded to its mif-
trefs ; the other harfli and Ihrill, and exprefling
anger or fear. It was never confined in its
cage, either by day or night, but ran about the
houfe ; and, though the windows were often
open, it never fliewed any defire of effe^ling its
efcape. At laft, happening to be feared, it dif-
appeared fuddenly ; it flew but a fliort diftance,
and not being able to find its way back again, it

Upon the difcovery of this horrid repaft, Prop;.ie was changed inr
a fwallow, Philomeia into a nightingale, and Tereus into a Hoopc ,
who, ftill bemoaning his lofs, fcreams ^a, vrti, or ivhre, nubere ;
^voJxre^ >nyjhn.

* Ji is faid alfo to feek to get near the fire, and to be fond of
keeping before the chimneyt

threw

HOOPOE. 381

threw itfelf into a nun*s cell, where the wii\*
dow had been left open ; fo neceflary was hu»
man fociety become to its exiftence and com*
fort ! It died in this retreat, where it could only
be fed, and where its proper mode of treatment
was unktiown. Yet it lived three or four
months in its firft condition, its foxc fubfiftence
being a little bread and cheefe. Another Hoo-
poe was fed for eighteen months upon raw
flelh * ; it was exceffively fond of this, and
haftened to eat it out of the hand ; it reje6tc 1,
on the contrary, what had been cooked. This
prediledtion for raw flefli feems to indicate aii
analogy to the rapacious birds and thofe which
live upon in fed s.

The ordinary food of the Hoopoe is infe(5ts
in general, and efpecially fuch as grovel on the
furface-f*, either their whole hfe, or during a
part of it ; beetles, ants J, worms, wild bees,
and many kinds of caterpillars §, &c. Hence
• . ' w. '•>■•'?. '.■ ■ ■•'. .r - this

* Gefner fed one with hard eggs : Olina with worms, or vvith
the hearts of oxen and fheep, cut into little longifti ftireds, nearly
like worms ; but, above all, he advifes not to (hut it up in a eager

f The Hoopoe feldom perches upon trees ; but, when it does,
it prefers oziers, willows, and probably all fuch as grow in wet
grounds.'"' •'''' '■* '"•'' " '"' ' ' ■"' ' ' ■'-.■•

J Frifch fays that it digs with its long bill into the ant-hills, tqj
extract the eggs : and, in fa^t, the one fed by (jefner was very fond^
of the eggs or nymphs of ants, but rejefted the ants themfelycs,

§ Salerne adds that it clears the houfe of mice; but this ;s uiu
doubtedly by driving them away, for with a bill fo (lender, with

38a

HOOPOE.

f ,;.

! \

this bird haunts wet grounds*, where its long
and (lender bill can eaiily penetrate; and hence^
in Egypt, it follows the retreat of the Nile :
for, in proportion as the waters fubfide +, the
plains are left covered by a coat of (lime, which,
being heated by a powerful fun, quickly fwarms
with immenfe numbers of all kinds of infedls J.
Accordingly, the migratory Hoopoes are very
fat and delicious. 1 fay the migratory Hoopoes,
for there are others in the fame country often
feen on the date trees, in the neighbourhood of
Rofetta, which are never eaten : the <ame is
the cafe with thofe which are very frequent in
Grand Cairo §, where they breed with full fe-

claws fo weak, and with a throat (b narrow, it could neither feize
nor devour them, Aill Icfs fwallow them entire. It alio eats ve«
getable fubllances, and among others, myrtle -berries and grapes.
See Olina and the ancients. 1 found in the gizzard of thofe which
I difle^led, befides infects and worms, fometimes grafs, fmall feeds,
and buds, fometimes round grains of an earthy matter, fometimes
fmall ftones, and fometimes nothing at all.

* It is becaufe it runs thus in the mud that its feet are almoft
always bedaubed.

t Hence the appearance of the Hoopoe in Egypt announced the
retreat of the waters of the Nile, and confequently the feed time :
This bird is accordingly reprefented often in the Egyptian hiero-
glyphics.

X Among others a kind of infeA peculiar to Egypt, and which
refembles a wood-loufe. The Nile leaves alfo, in its retreat, the
yoimg and fpawn of frogs, which, in cafe of want, may fupply the
place of infers.

§ They are eaten in 6olo;;na, Genoa, and in fome other parts of
Italy and of France. Som; prefer them to quails. It is true that
all our Hoopoes are birds of palTage.

curity

HOOPOE,

383

curlty on the houfc-tops*. It is eafy, indeed,
to conceive that Hoopoes which live remote
from man, in foiiaken plains, are better food
than fuch as haunt the ftreets or the environs of
a large city : the former fubfift upon the in-
fects that lodge among the clay or mud ; the
latter prowl among all forts of filth, which
abounds wherever vaft numbers of men are col-
lected ; a circumi^ance which cannot fail to be-
get an averfion to the city Hoopoes, and even
communicate an otfenfive odour to their flefh •f*.
There is a third intermediate clafs, which fet-
tling in our gardens, live upon caterpillars and
earth worms l. It is univerfally agreed that
the flefli of the Hoopoe, which feeds fo naftily,
has no fault but that of tailing ftrongly of
mulk, which is perhaps the reafon that cats,
which are generally {o fond of birds, will not
touch it §.

In Egypt the Hoopoes gather, it is faid, in

• Thefe two laft notes were communicated to me by M. de So-
mni, in two letters* dated from Cairo and Rofcita, the 4tli and 5th
of September, 1777.

f It is to thefe ftationary, city Hoopoes that we mud refer what
Belon afferts, perhaps with too great latitude, " that their fleih is
good for nothing, and that no perfon in any country will tafte it.'*
They were alfo held to bs unclean by the Jews.

J Olina, Uccclhria. Albin fpcaks of a Hoopoe that lived in a
garden in the middle of Epping Foreft.

§ Several expedients are mentioned for removing this favour
of muflc i the moft general advice is to cut tho head from the bird
the moment it is killed : yet the hind parts tade more of muHc than
the fore parts.

fmall

'¥1.

1*.'

ill

» |<

3«4

HOOPOE.

fmall flocks, and if one happens to ftray, it calls
oil its companions with a very (hrill cry of two
notes, s/, zi'*. In moil other countries they
appear cither lingle, or at mod in pairs. Some-
times in the (caion of their paii'age numbers are
found in the fame diftrifl ; but thele are folrtary
individuals, unconneded by any focial tic, lu
that when they are hunted, one rifes after an-
other. Yet as they have all the fame organi-
zation, they muft be actuated by the fame views;
hence they direct their flight towards the fame
country, and follow nearly the fame rout. They
are fcattered through almoft the whole of the
ancient continent, from Sweden, where they in-
habit the great forefts, and even from the Ork-
neys and Lapland f , as far as the Canaries and
the Cape of Good Hope on the one hand, and
the iflands of Ceylon and Java J on the other.
They are migratory in every part of Europe,
and even in the delicious climates of Greece and
of Italy § : they are ibmetimes found at fea|| ;
and excellent obfervers 4- clafs them with thofe
birds which pafs the iile of Malta twice a year.
It muft, however, be confefied, that they do not
conftantly hold the lame courfe ; for it often
happens, that though they appear numerous in a

* Note communicated by M. de Sonini.

t Schoefitr. % Edwards. § Belon and Pllny.

II '* On the 1 8th of March, winle we were pafling through the
Canaries, a Hoopoe aligh cd on ourvcflel, and flew towards the
Weft." Voyage a lljle d? France l£ de Bourbon, par un OJicter da
Rat. Merlin, 1773* t. I.

4- Among others, Comamnder Defmazjs.

place

t~j

.'/J

HOOPOE.

3«J

jious 111 a

place one year, very few or none of them can
be found there in the following year. In fomc
countries too, fuch as England, they are very
rare, and never neftle ; in others, as in Bugey,
they never occur at all. And fince Bugey is
mountainous, it follows that theyare not attached
to mountains, at leaft not to that degree which
Ariftotle fuppofed *. But this is not the only
hQ. which contradifts the aflertion of that phi-
lofopher ; for the Hoopoes fettle in the midft of
our plains, and are frequently feer: on the ftrag-
gling trees which grow on Tandy iflands, fuch
as thofe of Camargue in Provence f . I' rifch
fays that they can creep on the bark of tree^
like the woodpeckers j which is perfe6l:ly co i-
liftent with analogy, iince, like thefe bir is> they
neftle in the hollow trunks. In thefe they
ufually lay their eggs, and alfo in the holes of
walls upon the mould or duft which is ufually
colledled at the bottoms of fuch cavities^ but do
not line it with ftraw, as Ariftotle fays. Yet
there are fome exceptions, at leaft what are ap-
parently fuch : of fix hatches that were brought

to me, four of them had no lit^T, but the two

others had a very foft bedding compofed of
leaves, mofs, wool, feathers |, &c. Thefe

feeming

* Hifl. Anim. Lii. X. i.

f Note communicated by the Marquis de Piolenc.
% In the bottom of one of thefe nefts was more than two litrons
ef mofs (a litron is a meafurC} the i5th part of a buihel) fragments

VOL. VI. C c ®^

I. ■■"■'lL*i,i

'M^

\:i

■vn

.oh:--

386

HOOPOE.

feemlng difparities may be reconciled ; for It la
very probable that the Hoopoe fometimes lays
her eggs in nefts that were, in the preceding
year, occupied by woodpeckers, wrynpcks, tit-
mice, and other birds, which had lined them
according to their different inilin£ls.
, It has been long iaid and often repeated, that
the Hoopoe befmears her nell with the excre-
ments of the wolf, of the fox, of the horfe, of
the cow, and of all forts of animals, not ex-
cepting man*; and that (he does this with the
view to defend her yoiuig by the loath fome
i^encht* But the facl is not more true than
the intention ; for the Hoopoe never plaflers the
mouth of its nelT: like the nuthatch. At the
lame time, the nefl is indeed very dii ty and of-
. , . . . fenfive,

of May flics, and fome worms that had nc doubt dropt from the bill
of the mother or of her young "i le fix trees in which thefc neib
were found were three black, cher^ .1 , two Oiiks, and a pr tr-tree;
the lowell of thefe nells was three or four leet above the ground,
the higheft ten.

* See Salerne, Gnini, &c. It is pretty fingular that the an-
cient:., whoregs"dei. the Hoopoe as an iiihabi;ant of the iriountains,
of the forefts, and of the defens, fliould impute to it the employing
hyman excrements for Us ne'l. This is another p-rrticilar fad in-
judicioufly generalized: the nn. her, in colli Hmg the inft;tts for
her young ampng filth, might dirty nfrfeli, and fo pollute lier
meil ; snd fuperfitial obfervers would thence conclude that thi,>i was
a habit common to the whole fpecies.

f It has alfo been faid that her objeft was to difpcl the chams
that migiit be c \ \ upon her brood ; for the Hoopoe was reckoned
very flcilfnl in this way. She knew all the plants that defeat faf-
clnaiions, thofe which give fi^ht to the blind, thofc which open

Li.r.icd

HOOPOE.

2^1

'■'#

for it 13
nes lays
receding
;cks, tit-
,ed them

ted, that
[le excre-
horfe, of
, not ex-
with the
loath fome
true than
lafters the
. At the
ty and of-
fenfive,

pt from the bill
ich thefc nelh
\d a pf ^r-tree ;
^e the gvound,

ir that the an-

the raountains,
the employing

rdc'ilar fa£t in-
rhe iiifetts for
fo pollute Ivcr

de that thih was

fpcl the charms
e was reckoned
that defeat faf-
ofc which open
Li.r.'cd

iTenfive, the neceflary confcquence of its great
depth, which is often twelve, fifteen, or even eigh-
teen inches : the young ones cannot tin ow out
their excrements, and therefore grovt 1 a long time
among filth *. Hence undoubted! v the proverb,
'* Narty as a Hoopoe." But it is only in rear-
ing its young that this bird can be acciifed of
naftinefs ; at other times it is very cleanly. The
one which I before fpoke of" never loiled its
miflrefs, nor the chairs, nor even the nuddle of
the room, but always retired to the top of the
bed, which was the remoteft and mod con-
cealed place. '. . .

The female lays from two to feven -j- egg^>

barred ^?^qs ; which laft is propped by a fab'e equally abfurd,
>^Iian gravely r^'lates that a man having three times in fliccciiion
cioied the neft of a Hoopoe, and having remarked the herb with
which the bird opened it, he empioye.1 ihe fame- l.erb .vi'u iuccefs
to charm the locks of the ilrongell cofters Lie 'ii even Jo'-s but
heighten its virtues, and give them new energy ; its h?art, its liver,
its brain, &c. eaten, with certain magical incantations applied, fuf-
pended to different parts of the body, occafionml ijkaf at or tr'ght-
ful dreams, &c. In England, it was formerly held an unlucky
bird J and even at prefcnt, the peoi>Ie of Sweden r<.gard its ap-
pearance as a prtfagc of war. Tne ancients had better reafon. me-
thiaks, to believe that when it was heard to fing before the time
when they ufually btgan to drefs the vine, it prr-milbd a gojd vin-
tage : in faft, its early fong wouM imply a mild >pring and a for-
ward feafon, which is ever favourable to rhe maturity of the vine,
and to the quality of its fruit.

* When Schwenckfeid was a child, he had his ringers dirted in
taking a brood of Hoopoes out ot a hoUow oak.

t Linnjeus and the authors of the Biiti% Zoology mention only
two eggs. But this cafe i. m rare, .:t leaft in unr climates, as that
of fev.ii eggs. In the more northern countries, fuch as that of
Sweden, th^ Hoopoe maybe Icfs prolific, ' "'

C c 2 but

,'t,.r>| _ _

■■iyiffacvi

■m

I -.^^^t-

:t.

■ ]■ 1

1 i

388 HOOPOE.

but more commonly four or five ; thefe eggs arc
grevHh, fomewhat larger than thole of the par-
tri«igc. They do not all hatch at the fame time;
for tliree young Hoopoes, taken out of the fame
iiefi", diifered very much in fize ; in the largeft
one, the quills of the tail had fproutcd feventeeu
lines, and in the fmalleft only feven lines. The
mother has often been feen carrying food to the
iieftlings, but 1 never heard that the father paid
them that attention. As thefe birds hardly ever
appear in knots, it is moft likelythat the family
difperfes as foon as the brood are fledged ; and
this is the more probable, if, as the authors of
the Italian Ornithology aflert, each pair makes
two or three hatches in the courfe of the year,
thofe of the firft hatch might fly as early as the
end of June. — Thefe are the few fa^Sts and con-
jedures that I am able to offer in regard to the
incubation of the Ploopoe and the educatioia; of
its young.

- The cry of the male is bou<t bon^ bou ; it is
moft frequent in the fpring, and may be heard
at a great diflance *. Thofe who have liftened
attentively to thefe birds, pretend to have no-
ticed different infleflions and accents, correl-
poiiding to their different circumftances : fome-

♦ Ariftophanes thus exprefles the cry of thefe birds : epopoe, popo^o,
popoe, pepoe* to, to, ito, ito, ito, ito. I fufpe£t he inclines to make
them fpeak Greek. Of all the names that have been given tu
them, that which imitates their fong the beft is hou, bou ; by whicii
they are known in Lorrain, and in feme other provinces of France.
Clevt^nv in Creek, from t7ro4', fignifies tofmg tiit a Ucopoi.

7 time

HOOPOE.

389

times a hollow moaning, which foreboded rain ;
fometimes a fhriller cry, indicating a fox in
fight, &c. This character bears fome analogy
to the two voices of the tame H(fe*poe men-
tioned above. That bird feemed fond of mu-
fic ; whenever its miftrefs played on the harp-
fichord or the mandoline, it kept as near the in-
ftruments as poffible during the whole time.

It is faid that this bird never drinks at fprings
or brooks ; and that, for this reafon, it is fel-
dom caught in fnares. It is true that the
Hoopoe killed in Epping Foreft in England
ihunned the numerous decoys laid for the pur-
pofe of taking it alive; but the one which I
have frequently mentioned had been caught
in a net, and drank, from time to time, by
plunging its bill with a briik motion, and with-
out repeatedly lifting up its head, like many
birds: it had probably a power of railing the
water into its gullet by a kind of fudion.
The Hoopoes retain that brifk motion of the
bill even at other times, when they neither eat
nor drink j this habit muft arife from their mode
of living in the favage ftate ; catching infeds,
cropping buds, boring into the mud for worms,
or perhaps for earthy liquor alone, and fearch-
ing ants' nefts for the eggs. If they be difficult
to enfnare, they are eafy to fhoot ; for they fuf-
fer a perfon to come very near them *, and.

fi.v)C9'i

though

• Thofe who have judged of the Hoopoe from mythology, have
r?pr?lcnte4 it as very fhy, and as feeking the heart of forelts and

c c 3 the

■'<■:■■■ ■'■'n

'■'.mi

■■Uf'^'

390

HOOPOE.

■I I.

■ 1

though they fly with fucJderi jerks and in a tor-
tuous courle, their motion is (low. They flap
their wiii^s in launching cit, like the lap-
wing*; arid when they alight on the ground
they walk with an even pace, like common
hens.

They leave our northern climate ahout the
end of Augull, or the beginning of autumn,
and never flay till the cold fets in. But though
they are birds of pifTige in Europe, it may hap-
pen in certain cafes that fome remain through
the winter ; fuch, for inftance, as are wounded,
or fick, or too young, or in (hort too feeble to
undertake the diftant voyage. Thefe Hoopoes,
which are thus left behind, will continue to lodsre
' in the fame holes where they neftled ; they will
pafs the winter in a half-torpid ftate, requiring
little food, and being hardly able to repair the
lofs of feathers occafioned by moulting. Some
hunters, difcovering them in that condition,
have afierted that all the Hoopoes winter in hol-
low trees, benumbed, and diverted of plum-
age-f, as has been faid of the cuckoo, with as
little foundation.

:'..(

■if,

,:u

t}ie fummits of mountains^ to avoid man. Sportfmen afiure mc
that this bird will not fufFer tiicm to get quite fo near it in autumn ;
it having then, no doubt, acquired a little more experience.

• Its refemblance, in its flight and in its creft and its fize, to the
lapwing, is certainly the caufe why the fame name Hoop has been
applied to both birds.

f Albertus, and Schwenckfeld. It is for this reafon, fays Agri-
cola, that they arc fecn in the fpriug almoft featherlefs. '»■' •

' ' According

common

: 1

HOOPOE. 391

According to fome, the Hoojioe was among
the Egyptians efteemed an emblem of filial
piety; they took care, it was faid, of their
aged parents, cherilhed them itnder their wings,
and in cafe of a tedious moulting, lent them af-
fiftance in plucking the old feathers ; they
blew into their fore eyes, and applied healing
herbs, and in a word repaid all the endearments
they had received in their tender infancy. Some-
thing of this kind has been alleged of the ftork.
Would to God that we could give the fame
amiable character of all other fpecies of ani-
mais. .-••■.•.'•. .....>, : . ..

• The Hoopoe lives only three years, accord-
ing to Olina ; but this muil be in'the domeftic
ftate, where the term of life is abridged by im-
proper food. It would be difficult to determine
the extreme age of the free wild Hoopoe, par*
ticularly as it is a bird of paffage.

As it has a great abundance of feathers, it
jippears thicker than in reality. It is about as
large as a thrufh, and it weighs from two ounces
and a half to three or four, more or lefs, ac-
cording to its plumpnefs *. *^ "■^^' ' ^ '

Its creft is longitudinal, confiding of two
rows of equal and parallel feathers ; thofe in the
middle of each row are longer, than the reft^
fo that when they are ered they form a kind of

• " With all its feathers/* fays Belon, " it loo'cs like a very
large pigeon, but when plucked it appears fcarce bigger than a

ibre."

c c 4

femi-

"■'f^^®'

■■i*

- 'A

Ji; i' ii

■'i

: 1

'"Hi

392

HOOPOE.

femi-clrcle of two inches and a hglf in height *.
All thefe feathers are rufous, terminated with
black ; the middle ones, and thofe next them,
have a ftiadp of white between thefe two co-»
lours. There are alfo fix or eight feathers be-^
hind, which belong to the creft, and which are
entirely rufous, and are (horter than the others.
The reft of the creft, and all the fore part of
the bird, are gray, verging fometinies on wine
colour, and fometimes on rufous ; the fore part
of the back is gray, and the hind part is ftriped
tranfverfely with dirty white on a dark ground;
there is a white fpot on the rump ; the fuperior
coverts of the tail are blackifli ; the belly and
the reft of the under fide of the body are tawny
white ; the wings and tail are black ftriped with
white ; the ground of the feathers is {late co-
loured.

All thefe different colours, thus fpread over
the plumage, form together a fort of regular
pi<£ture, which has a good effe6l when the bird
ere£ls its creft, expands its wings, and raifes
and displays its t^il ; the part of the wings next
the body then (hews on each fide a black and
white crofs ft ripe, perpendicular to the axis of
the body; the higheft of thefe ftripes has a
rufty caft, and joins a horfe-flioe of the fame
colour traced on the back, the convex part of
which approaches the white fpot on the rump ;

• Pliny, Lit. X, 29.

the

HOOPOE.

393

the loweft, which hems one half of the circum-
ference of the wing, runs into another broader
bar, which croiTes the fame wing two inches
from its tip, and parallel to the axis of the
body ; this laft white ftripe correfponds alfo to
^ crefcent * of the fame colour that interfedls
the tail at an equal diflance from the end, and
forms the frame of the picture : laftly, if we
conceive the whole crowned by a railed tuft of
gold colour edged with black, we (hall have a
much better idea of the plumage than could be
got by defcribing each feather feparately.

All the white bars which appear on the up-
per face of the wing appear alfo on the lower
face, fo that the bird has the fame afpeft when
feen flyin; over head, except that the white is
lefs tarnifl id or mixed with rufty.

I haye icen ^ female, difcovered to be fuch
by diffedion, which had all the fame colours,
^nd thofe equally diftinft ; perhaps it was of au
jidvanced age. It was rather larger than th^
male, though the authors of the Italian Orni*
thology affert the contrary.

Total length about eleven inches j the bill
two inches and a quarter (more or lefs accord-
ing to the age of the bird) llightly arched ; the
tip of the upper mandible projedts ^ little be-
yond that of the lower mandible, and they are
both pretty foft; the noftrils are oblong, and

f When the tail is entirely fpread, this crcicent changes into «
ftraight bar,

hardly

i''i.>fi"^ir

::R

'.Mi M

394

HOOPOE.

Ei^l

hardly fhadtd ; the tongue is very fliort, almoft
)ofl: ill the gizzard^ and forming a fort of equi-
lateral triat)gle, whofe fides are not three lines
in length ; the e;irs are placed five lines fronn
the opening of the bill, and in the fame conti-
nuation ; the tarfus is ten lines ; the middle toe
isjoinH to the outer toe by the fifft phalanx ;
the hind toe is longer and f^iaighter, efpecially
in old fabjetfls ; the' alar extent above feventeen
inches, the tail near four itiches, confifting of
ten equal quill"; (and not tw^elve, as Belon af-
ferts), and projeding twenty lines beyond the
M'ings, which have nineteen quills^ the firft be-
ing the (liortefl, and the nineteenth the longeft.
The inteftinal tube, from the gizzard to the
anus, is twelve or eighteen inches ; the gizsiard
is mufcular, lined with a loof^ membrane which
firoje£ls like a fcabbard into the duodenum ; the
great diameter of the gizzard is from nine to
fourteen lines ; the fmaller diameter from {^wQn
to twelve lines, and thefe parts are larger in the
young birds than in the old ones. They have
all a gall bladder, though but (light veftiges of
a ccecum ; at the angle of the bifurcation of the
trachea arterja, there are two holes covered by
a very fine membrane; the two branches of
the trachea arteria are formed behind by a limilar
membrane, and before bv cartilaginous femi-
circular rings ; the elevator mufcle of the crefl
is implanted between the crown of the head and
the bafe of the Liii ; when it is drawn back,

the

'■'■'•/i

I IV

HOOPOE-

391

the tuft rifes, and when drawn towards the bill
it collapfes, • " ' '' '.' ' ' ' ,

In the female which 1 opened on the 5th of
June, there were eggs of different fizes, the
largeft of which was a line in diameter [A].

,v f'1.

'^..r?

' VARIETIES of the HOOPOE.

The ancients faid that this bird was liable to
change its colour in different feafons, which
might be occafioned by moulting. But people
who have reared Hoopoes have not perceived
this alteration.

Belon mentions his knowing two fpecies,
though he does not aflign their difcriminating
qualities ; unlefs, perhaps, the handfome collar,
partly black and partly white, and the reverted
neck^ which do not belong to our fpecies, were
intended to mark the diftin£lion.

CommerfonandSonnerat have brought aHoo-
poe from the Cape of Good Hope very like ours,
and which the traveller Kolben had found long
before in the neighbourhood of the Cape. It has,
upon the whole, the fame plumage, the fame
Ihape, the fame cry, the fame gait, and eats nearly
the fame food ; but on a clofer infpeflion it will
be perceived that it is rather fmaller, its legs

[A] Specific char^fter of the Vpufa-Epo^t: *' It is variegated

and crcfted."

longer,

'."' i!ti'i

; 1 lil.'

111
1 1 ■'

111

396

HOOPOE.

longer, its bill fhortcr m proportion, itff tuft
lower, and that there is no trace of white on
the feathers that form the tuft ; and in general,
there is lefs variety in its plumage.

In another fubjedt brought from the fame
country, the top of the back was of a pretty
deep brown, and the belly variegated with white
and brown ; it was certainly a young one, for
it was fmaller than the reft, and its bill five lines
ihorter.

I^aftly, the Marquis Gerini faw at Florence,
and again on the Alps, near the town of Ronta,
a very beautiful variety, whofe tuft was edged
with Iky-bluc.

\ •

.V*;

1; 1:'

HOOPOE.

397

FOREIGN BIRD,

WHICH IS RELATED TO THB HOOPOB.

The BLACK and WHITE HOOPOE

of the Cape of Good Hope *.

Upupa Caftnfist Gmel.
i The Madaga/car Hoopett Lath.

THIS bird is diftinguiflied from our Hoopoe,
and its varieties, by its fize ; by its (hort?
and pointed bill ; by its creft, of which the fea-
thers are lower in proportion, and alfo loofe,
as in the tufted cuckoo of Madagafcar ; by the
nunnber of quills in its tail, of which there are
twelve ; by the (hape of its tongue, which is
pretty broad, and the extremity divided into
many threads ; and laftly, by the colours of its
plumage. The creft, the throat, and all the
under fide of the body, are white, without any
fpots ; the upper fide of the body, from the
creft exclufively to the end of the tail, is brown,
whofe fhades vary, and are much lefs intenfe
on the fore parts ; there is a white fpot on the

• The bird of Madagafcar, which Flacourt names Tivouci, feems
to have fome affinity to this : its head is ornamented with a beauti-
ful creft, and its plumage confills of two colours, black and gray ;
we mi^y fuppofe that this is light gray.

wing ;

:r:.

i.n.

1 I

t. !

"i i J!'

'! i(

398

HOOPOE.

wing; the iris is of a bluiOi bm-v" ; the bill,
the Ic^s, and even the nails, are y -J'o\v«(h.

This bird inhabits the great foreits of Mada-
gafcar, of the i(le of Hourbon, and of the Cape
of Ciood Hope. In its ftoniacU are found th»
feeds and berries of the fi/'euS-l> nx us; its weight
is four ounces, but varies much, and mufl be
more confiderable in the months of June and
July, at which time the bird is very fat.

Total length fixteeii inches ; the bill twentv
lines, very pointed, the upper mandible having
its edges fcollopcd near the tip, and its ridge
very obtufe ; it is longer than the lower mandi-
ble, which is as broad; on the palate, which in
other refpedls is very fmooth, there are fmall
tuberofities, varying in number ; the noflrils
are like thofc of the ordinary Hoopoe ; aud fo
are the feet, except that the hind nail, which
is the largeft of all, is very hooked; the alar
extent is eighteen inches; the tail four inches
fix lines, confilliing of nearly equal quills, but
the two middle ones are rather ihorter ; it pro-
jects about two inches and a half beyond the
wings, which have eighteen quills.

[A] Specific charailcr of the Upupa Cafenjis : ** It is crefied
and duflty, below white j a yvhite Ijpot 911 its wings." ■ ,< .

.J, 'J i i '. ■ . I ■■■' '> , i!"

:'■'.■ ru.. .4 . .

fROMERUPE.

399

The P R O M E R U P E.

t//«;'« Paradi/fa, Linn. CimeP. and Cor. .

Vpiifyi Manuco'iata, Klein. . „.,

Promo ops J^uicui Cnjlatus, DrilF.

Avis P irnd Jinca, crii'ata, or entul^t rarijjtmdt Seba.
The Crejltd Promero/s, Lath.

THIS fpecles naturally aiTui-nes a place be-
tween the Hoopoes and the rromerops,
fiiice it bears on its hciid a tuft of lonG: fea-
thers reclined, but which fcem c.ii able ot bein-^
eredled like tho(c of the Hoopoe; while, oii
the other hand, the cxceffive length of its tail
marks an affinity with the Promerops.

Seba fays that it comes from the caftern part
of our continent, and that it is very rare; its
thioat, its neck, its head, and its beautiuil larse
creft^ are of a fine black; its win^s and its tail
are of a light bay colour ; its belly light cine-
reous ; its bill and legs lead colour : and the
bird is nearly as large as a ftare.

Total Jepgth nineteea inches ; the bill thir-
teen lines, a little arched, and very fharp ; the
tarfus about nii^.e lines; the wings fhort; the
tail fourteen inches and a quarter, con lifting of
very unequal quills, the two middle ones ex-
ceeding the lateral ones by eleven inches and
the wings by thirteen.

[A] Specific char.ifter of the U^.jn Pciradl/ia: *' It is ere fled
andchefnut; ita two uil- quills vejy lon^;."

40«

PROMEROPS.

t HI

I' J,

The BLUE-WINGED PROMEROPS.

Vpupa Mexicattat Gmel.

Promeropi Mixicanus, BrifT.

jivis Ani Mexicana, cauda hngiffimat Seba.

The Mexican PremeropSt Lath.

THIS Promerops is attached to lofty moun-
tains : it feeds on caterpillars, fiies, bee-
tles, and other infedls. The prevailing colour
of the upper part of its body is dull gray, chang-
ing into fea-green and purplifli-red ; the tail is
of the fame colour, but of a deeper fhade, and
having fine gold reflexions; the quills of the
wings are of a light brilliant blue; the belly
light yellow ; the bill blackifli, edged with yel-
low. The bird is of the fize of a thrufh.

Total length eighteen inches and three quar-
ters; the bill twenty lines, fomewhat arched;
the tarfus eight lines and a half; the wings fhort ;
the tail twelve inches and a hair, confiding of
very unequal quills, the four middle ones being
longer than the lateral ones; it exceeds the
wings eleven inches.

i\.

i^ ''

PROMEROPS.

401

The BROWN PROMEROPS

with a Spotted Belly.

Upupa Promcrops, Linn, and Gmcl,
^lero^s C ife-, Linn, and Gmd.
Ptivni'o}!, BriiT.
The CjpePfjmerops, Lath,

THE belly is fpotted with brown upon a
whitifli ground, and the breafl: fj^otted
with brown upon an orange-bro\^'^ ground ;
the throat is dirty white, having cm each lide a
brown line, which rifes from the opening or the
bill, pafles under the eye. and dcfcctids upon
the neck; the crown of the head is brown, va-
riegated with rufty gray; the rump and the fu-
perior coverts "of the tail arc olive green ; the
reft of the upper fide of the body, including the
quills of .the tail and of the wings, are brown;
the thighs are brown ; tiie inferior coverts of
the tail are of a fine yellow ; the bill and legs
black.

The one figured, No. 637, Planches E?:Iu''
minxes, appears to be the male, iince it is more
fpotted, and its colours better contrartc^d ; there
is a very narrow gray ftripe on the wings, form-
ed by a fuccefiion of fmall fpots that terminate
the upper coverts. The fubjetfl defcribed by
Briffon wants this ftripe, its colours are feebler,
and the under fide of its body is Jefs fpotted ;
1 luppofc it to be a female ; it was an eighteenth

VOL. VI. D d part

■ •'.!•« 'I

■■'■ 'Sv I )() N'

" ' '' '.ir ■•.t

!y;-;.,''-k.;i'.;

tmi

I':. I

ii , iSi

I- '!

'* '" 'l

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iii

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1,1

!>..

i07.

PROMEROPS.

p:i.t lefs than the male, and was fcarcely larger
tha'i ;i ] irk.

Totil icn^ji;th of the male elofhteen inches;
the b li lixfeeii lines ; the tarfus ten lines and
two-thirds; th.; wm';s fhort ; the alar extent
thii t'cii incht;s ; the tail tlilrteen inches, con-
fjdinc'- of tvvelve nuills, of wiiich the Cii mid-
die Giles are much longer than the fix lateral

..J

onc9, which .i '::i tapered ; it exceeds the wings
elevcii inches [A].

The STRIPF.D-BELLIED BROWN
PKCMEROPS.

Merofs Fu/c<:, Gmel

The Neui Guinea Brcnvu PromtropSy Lath.

THIS bird was brought from New Guinea by
Sonnerat. In the male the throat, the
neck, and the head, are of a fine black, that
on the head glolFed like buniifhed (Icei; all the
upper part of the body is brown, with a tinge
of deep green on the neck, back, and wings;
the tail is of a more uniform and lighter brown,
except the laft of the lateral quills, which Is
bli^ck on the infide ; the bread and all the iincier
fide of the body arc ftriped tranfverfely witl.
black and white ; the iris and legs are black.

[A] vSpccyic chnniiJter of the V'.upa Vromtropi : " It has ik
tail-q'jilli, thv; middle ones very long."

I have

JiT.j^s

THE KII^^«-^KX.TJIKD FR.OJVUSK.Ol'S

:=;,.;,:flf]'H

hr.

■' 1/ .■'ill , . _

'•;..■>. «,,'!■ li
>■*:■,' iST.I.i'

'f ;■, ■■:•'* Mi"

1 ' 'i-

milt

J\«^,„||JU^

PROMEROPS.

403

I have feen one which had a rufous fhade on
the head. In the female, the throat, the neck,
and the head, are of the lame brown with the
vpper (ide of the body, and without any reflec-
tions; in every other relpedt it refembles the
male.

Total length twenty-two inches ; the bill
two inches and a half, ftraight, round, and very
much arched ; the tail is thirteen inches, con-
fiding of tv""'ve tapered quills, very unequal,
the fhorteft being four inches, and the longeft
exceeding the wings nine lines.

BRJiJUl

The GREAT PROMEROPS,

with Frizled Flounces*.

Upupa Magna, Gmcl.

Vpupa Superba, Lath. Ind.

The Grand Promerops\ t Lath. Syn.

'TpHE frizled flounces which at once decorate

* and characterize this fpeciesj, confifl- of
two thick tufts of frizled foft feathers, painted

* Paremens, i. c. Protuberant decorations in general.

t f^oyage a la Nouvelle Guinee, p. 166. The name oi four-iKing'
edy which has been given by voyagers to an African bird of prey,
would agree very well with this Promcrops.

X The whiftler, defcribed in a former part of this work, has alfo
a fort of flounces, but neither their form, nor the feathers of which
tbcy confift, are the fame ; and thofe of the fuperb paraJife bird
have a contrary direftion.

D d :? with

14^1

il Ij-;''^

'I V

rmw

■M:^

.■.'it: V-

I'll

W''!

-i^'^'dl

r..f?fc

it ii-

II.

->i{''^

•it

f-?

404

PROMEROPS.

with the mofl: beautiful colours^ which proje<^
0!) either fule of the boly, and give the bird a
dilVuiguiihed figure. Thefe bunches of plum-
age arc compolcd of the long coverts of the
wings, which are nine in nunriber, that rife
bc'iuiiiig on their up|)er fide, where the feathery
fibres are very fliort, and difplay with more ad-
vantage the long fibres of the under fide, which
now becomes the convex fide ; the middle co-
verts of the wings, of which there are fifteen,
and even fome of the fcapular feathers, partake
of this fingular arrangement, and rife into a fan-
Ihape, their extremity ornamented with an edg-
ing of brilliant green, changing into blue and
violet, which forms a kind of garland on the
wings, fpreading fomevvhat as it rifes to the back.

In all the refl: of the plumage the prevailing
colour is glofly black, enriched with blue and
violet rrtieclions ; and all the feathers, fays Son-
nerat, have the foftnefs of velvet, not only to
the eye, but to the touch : he adds that the
bodv, though of a long Ihape, appears fliort atid
exceedingly little, compared with the great ex-
tent or Its tail; the bill and le;js are black. Son-
nerat brou(;ht this Hid from New Guinea.

T'>tal '^ngth three fcct and a half (four ac-
cording to Sonneivt) ; the bill near three inches;
the vviu^s (liort ; the tail twenty-fix or tvver/v-
feven inches, confilHng of twelve tapered'q.iilld,
which are broad and pointed, the Ihortefi; Ivin^^
fix or feven inches, tlie lont>;eft excecdin"- the
wings about twenty inches.

r 'il

i -r

IPROMEROPS.

4^5

,1-'^

The ORANGE PR0MER0P3.

Upupa Aurantiat Gmel.

Promeropi harbadenfis, BriflT.

Avit Paradifiaca America-iu thgantijimat Scba,

'-T^iiE prevailing colour is orange, which re-
•■• ceives different tints in different parts ; a
gold tint on the throat, the neck, the head, and
the bill; a reddi(h tint on the quills of the tail
and on the great quills of the wings ; and laft-
\y^ a yellow tint on all the reft of the plumage;
the bafe of the bill is furrounded with fmall red
feathers.

Such, I conceive, to be the male of this fpe-
cies, which is nearly as large as the ftarc ; I
reckon the cochitototl * of Fernandez to be the
female, which is of the fame fize, inhabit* the
fame country, and whofe plumage differs not more
from the Orange Promerops than in many fpecies
the plumage of the male differs from that of the
female. The throat, the neck, the head, and
the wings, are variegated, without any regu-
larity, with -cinereous and black ; all the reft of
the plumage is yellow; the iris is pale yellow ;
the bill is black, flender, arched, very pointed ;
and the legs are cinereous. The bird lives wpon
feeds and infeds, and is found in the hottett

* Vpupa Aurarth, Var. Gmel.
Promercpi Mexicanus Luteus, BrllT.

D d 3 .

parts

^■%,

fey . *<:v,"|» I

•-.■If '4;

' !. ■ " ?•,

^4:^A^'.

4o6

PROMEROPS.

'■ :i i

parts of Mexico, where it is neither eftecmed
for the beauty of its fong nor the delicacy of its
flefh. The orange Promerops, which I fup-
pofe to be the male of the fame fpecies, occurs
in the north of Guiana, in the fmall iflands
formed at the mouth of the river Berbice *.

Total length of the bird about nine inches
and a half ; the bill thirteen lines ; the tarfus
ten ; the tail near four inches, confifting of
equal quills, and exceeds the wings about an
inch [A].

* Seba fays, in in/ulis Barbicenfibusy which I think ihould be
tranflated the iflands of Berbice, and noi 'he iflands of Barbadoes.

[A] Specific charafter of the U^upa Aurantia: «• It is fulvous^
US head and neck gold-coloured ; its tail e^ual."

\:i

ij:.

BAKER.

407

The BAKER,

/* Feurniir, Buff.

Meropj Ru/us, Gmel.

The Ru/huj Jlee-eaitr, Lath.

THIS is the name which Commerfon has
given to this American bird, which forms
the fliade between the Promerops and the Bee-
eaters. It differs from the Promerops, as its
toes are longer and its tail (horter : it differs
from the Bee-eaters, becaufe it has not, like
them, its outer toe joined and as it were foldered
into the middle toe almoft its whole length.
This bird is found in Bueiios Ay res.

Rufous is the prevailing colour of its plum-
nge, which is deeper on the upper parts, much
lighter and verging on pale yellow on the lower
parts ; the quills of the wing are brown, with
Ibme rufous tints, more or lefs intenfe, on the
outer edge.

Total length eight inches and a half; the bill
twelve ;>r thirteen lines ; the tarfus fixteen
lines ; the hind nail the ftrongeft ; the tail ra-
ther lefs than three inches, and exceeds the
wings about an inch.

[A] Specific charafter of the MtropsRufus: ** It is rufous;
its wing-quills brown« rufoius on their outer edge."

D d 4

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:*i

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M' ; i

t V

408 P O L O C H I 0 >?.

The POLOCHION*. '

Met ops Molucccnjts, Gmi'I.

The j\Inluc<a la-iaur, Lath. Syn,

■poT.ociiioN is the nnmc, and the iiiccfl'mt
•*• cry, of this Molucca bird ; it fits on the
higlicd branches and continually repeats it, and
this word, in the language of thole iflands, in-
vites to love and pleadire. I range it between
the families of the Promerops and of the Bee-
eater?, becaufe it has the bill of the latter, and
the feet of the former.

All its plumage is gray, but this colour is
deeper oii the upper parts, and lighter on the
under; the cheeks black; the bill blackifh ; the
eyes encircled by a naked Ikin ; the back of the
head variegated with white ; the feathers of the
tuft make a re-entrant angle on the front, and
thofe at the origin of the neck terminate in a
kind of filk. The fubje£t which Commerfou
defcribed came from the ifiand of Bouro, one
of the Moluccas belonging to the Dutch ; it
weighed five ounces, and was nearly as large
as the cuckoo.

Total length fourteen inches ; the bill very
pointc:!, two inches long, five lines broad at its

• This word. In the language of the Moluccas, figaifies let ut
kijs', and M. Commcribn therefore propofes to call it Philemon, or
fhi^edon, or Dco/culator, 1 think it better to retain the driginal
name, efpecially as it exprciTes the cry of the bird.

5 .. ba^e,

; 'i

M E R O P S.

409

bafc, two lilies at its mitldlc, aiul fcven lines
thick at its b:ifc, three and a half at the middle,
its edges fcallopped near the point ; the noftrils
oval and open, invefted by a niembranc behind,
and placed nearer to the middle of the bill than
to its bafe ; the tongue equal to the bill, ter-
minated by a pencil of hair; the middle toe
joined at its bafe to the outer toe ; the hind one
ilrongeft; the alar extent eighteen inches; the
tail five lines and two thir , coniifting of twelve
quills, which are equal xcjpt that the outer
pair are rather ihorter th he reft ; it projects
three inches beyond :hc wni^s, which confift
of eighteen quills ; the outer one is one half
(horter than the three following, which arc the
longeft of all [A].

The RED and BLUE MEROPS.

Merops Brafilienjis, Gmel.

Jpiajier Brafilienjis, Briff.

Pica PrafJieuJis ameenijjimis cohribiis, Seba.

The Brafilian Bee-eater, Lath.

QEBA, from whom we borrow the account of
^ this bird, feems to have been charmed with
its plumage. Ruby colour fparkles on its head,
on its throat, and on all the under fide of the

[A] S;p' "^ charadler of the "Merops Moluccenjts: ** It b gray ;
its orbits naked i its cheeks black j its tail nearly equal.'*

body;

^■;fe^

■'i'll'' 'in*!

.'v.

.ivS

■.''.1. i,p,*i

.-'li-'vLL'I

■¥mi

vii

If-*-'

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

A4v

4^'

1.0 ^1^ ta

1.1 I"'-"

PhotograiJiic

Sciebces

Corporatian

n W»T IMAM ITMIT

WnfllitN.Y. 14StO

( 71* ) •73-4509

■*

410

M E R O P S.

body ; it alfo appears on the upper coverts of
the wings, but of a deeper hue ; a light brilli-
ant blue is fpread on the quills of the wings and
on rhofe of the tail ; the luftre of thefe fine co-
lours is heightened by the contraft of darker
fhades, and by black and white fpaces fcattered
on the upper furface ; the bill and legs are yel-
low, and the wings are lined with the fame co-
lour ; the red feathers of the under fide of the
body are of a filky nature, as foft to the feel as
they are brilliant to the eye.

This bird is a native of Brazil, if we believe
Seba, who in oiatters of this kind can hardly
ever be relied on. It is nearly as large as the
Bee-eater ; its legs too are as (hort, but I can per-
ceive nothing cither in the defcription 6r figure
that (hews the toes to be placed in the fame
"U'ay : its bill is more analogous to that of the
Promerops, for which reafon I make it an in-
termediate fpecies.

[A] Specific charafter of the Mtrop$ BrafilUnJit: '* It is fire-
coloured, above variegated with brown and black ; its tail and

wing-quills pale blue."

overts of
rht briUi-
I'ings and
; fine co-
>f darker
fcattered
J are yel-
fame co-
de of the
iie feel as

'e believe
n hardly
je as the
[ can per-
or figure
the fame
It of the
it an in-

'* It is fire-
; its tail and

i^.i5

JCjs^

li 1

l<H t

THE COMMDir B£E-£AT£1R..

fv.'-n

,4t '

BEE-EATER. 411

The BEE-EATER,

LeGutpier*, BufF.
Merops A^itjitry Linn, and Gmel.
Merops, Gefner. Aldrov. Ray, &c.
■ Merops Galilaust Haffelquift.
Jiplafler, Briff.
• - ' •■ Jfpida cauda mollis Kram. •',•'•• .*'^- r"
; , ' Gnat-Snapptr, Kolbenf, *. _ .f^-

THIS bird feeds not only upon common
bees and wafps, but alfo upon humble-
bees, locufts, gnats, flies, and other infeds,
which it catches like the fwallows on the wing.
Such are the prey to which it is moft attached,
and which ferve the boys of the ifland of Can-
dia as baits for lines to fifh it in the air ;' they
pafs a b<:nt pin through the body of a living lo-
cuft, and faften to it a long thread ; the Bee-
eater flies at it, and fwallows it with the hook.
When infe£ls fail, it contents itfelf with fmall
feeds, and even wheat J ; and, in coUeding
• • - -■ ■■' . '• - •;■ ■■^•'■. . that

• 1. c. IvaJP'tatir.

t Ariftotle calls the Bee- eater Mipo^]/, which Pliny writes in Ro-
man characters Mtreps: it was alfo termed AipovV* ^bxufou Mi^icro-o^a;,
contracted for MtXio-oo^ayo? (honey-eater) , and in Latin Apiafler,
from Jph, a bee* In Italy it has the appellations, Dardot Dardare,
Barlaro, Gaulo, Jevolo, Lupo dell* Apt (bee-wolf) : In S icily » Piccia
Ferro (iron •bill) : In Spain, ^«r«fo; In Germany, Bientn-fnjftr
(bee-eater) ; HtU'Vogtl (hay-bird) ; and Gelber Bienen-Wolf (the
yellow bee wolf) : In Auftria, Meer-fchtualbe (the fea-fwallow) ;
In Poland, Zotna^ Zo/catva,

X The only one I had occafion to open with Dr. Remond had

five

'Ml

'■'•4

'^■^^M

4ia

BEE-EATER.

that food on the ground, it feems al(b to gather
fmall pebbles like all the granivorous birds, and
with the Tame view. Ray fufpe^ls, from many
analogies, both internal and external, that the
Bee-cater, as well as the king-fi(her, feeds
fometlmes on flefli.

The Bee eaters are very common in the ifland
of Candia, infomuch that Belon, who was an
eye-vvitnefs, fays that they are fecn flying in
every part of it. He adds that the Greeks on
the main land are unacquainted with it, which
he could accurately learn from his travelling in
that country ; but he aflerts, on too flight foun-
dations, that they are never feen in Italy ; for
Aklrovandus, who was a citizen of Bologna, af-
fures that they were common in the neighbour-
hood of that city, where they were ufually
caught both with nets and lime-twigs. Wil-
lughby faw them frequently at Rome, expofed
to fale in the public markets ; nor is it probable
that they are (Irangers to the refl: of Italy, lince
they are found in the fouth of France, where
they are not regarded even as birds of paflage *•
Thence they fometimes penetrate in fmall flocks

five large drones in its throat : BcIon found, in the ftomach of
thofe which he opened, rape, parflcy, and colewort feeds« wheatt
&c.

• Belon doubts whether thjv remain the whole winter in the ifle
of Candia, but he had no obtbrvation on that head. What 1 have
faid of thofe of Provence was coi.MDunicated by the Marquis de
Piolenc. I know not why Prifch layi that ihefe birds are fond of
deferts.

BEE-EATER.

4t3

of ten or twelve into the more northern pro-
vinces ; and we faw one of thel'e flocks that had
arrived in the vale of Sainte-Reine in Burgundy,
on the 8th of May 1776 : they kept conftantly
together, and called incefllintly on each other ;
their cry was very noily but agreeable, and re-
refembled fomewhat the whiftling that one
might make with a bored nut * ; they emitted
it both when perched and when on the wing ;
they preferred the fruit trees which were than
in bloflbm, and confequently frequented by the
bees and wafps ; they often dived from the
branch to catch the little winged prey ; they
appeared always very timorous, and Icarce fuf-
fered a perfon to get near them : however one
was (hot fepa rate from the others, perched upon
a fir ; the reft of the flock, which were in a
neighbouring vineyard, frighted at the report,
flew away all fcreaming together, and took
Ihelter among fome cheinuts that were at a lit-
tle diftance j they continued to harbour among
the vineyards, but in a few days they took their
final departure.

* Bclon compares it to ** the found that a man would make by
contracting his mouth into a round aperture and *vhiftling gniigru-
rurul as loud as an oriole." Others pretend that it I'eems to fay
(rou,crou. crou. The author of the poem Philomela reprefcnts its
fong as rcfembling much that of the gold creftcd wren and of the
fwallow.

Regulus atque Merops & rubro peftore Progne
Confimili moJalo zii'zibularj folent.
But it is wel! known that almoil .ilways the naturalift muft ia fome
meafure modify tiie exprcHions of the poet.

Another

'''^1

i't;i

I i'

414

B E E-E A T E R.

.¥i'

Another flock was fecu in June I777» ^'^ ^^^
vicinity of Anfpach *. Lottinger informs me
that thefe birds feldom appear in Lorraine, that
there are never more than two together, that
they fit on the longeft branches of trees and
ihrubs, and feem to feel embarrafled, as if they
had flrayed. They appear ftill feldomer in Swe-
den, where they haunt the fea-coaft-f. But
they hardly ever vifit England, though not fo far
north as Sweden, and to which they could eafily
pafs from Calais J. In the eaft, they are fpread
through the temperate zone, from India § to
Bengal II, and undoubtedly farther, though their
courfe has not been traced.

Thefe birds nedle, like the fliore fwallovv and
the king-fiflier, in the bottom of holes, which
they form with their (hort and ftrong feet and
their iron bill, as the Sicilians term it, in little
hillocks where the foil is loofc, and fometimes
in the (helving fandy brinks of large rivers -{- :
thefe holes are made more than fix inches deep,
and as wide. The female depofits, on a bedding
of mofs, four or five, or even fix or feven white
eggs, rather fmaller than thofe of the blackbird.
But their economy in thefe dark caverns cannot
be obferved ; we know only that the young fa-

• La Gazette d'Agriculture, No. 55, attaSe 1777.
•f- Fauna Suecica. J Charleton and Willughby.

§ M. Haflfelquift iays that they occur in the woods and plains
between Acre and Nazareth.

I) Edwards* 4. Ariftotle, and Kramer.

mlly

B E E-E A T E R.

4T5

mily does notdifperfe; indeed fcveral families
muft unite to forin thole nuitierous flocks which
Belon faw in the ifland of Candia, lettled among
the ridges of the mountains, where the abun-
dance of thyme affords rich pafture to the bees
and wafps.

The flight of the Bee-e?ter has been com-
pared to that of the fv\ allow, which we have
feen to refemble it in many other refpedts-,tt is
alfo analogous to the king fiflier, particularly in
the beautiful colours of its plumage, and in the
fingular conformation of its feet ; and Liilly Dr.
Lottinger, who is a clofe and accurate obl'erver,
finds that, in fome particulars, it is akin to the
goat-fucker.

A property which, were it well afcertained,
would diftinguifh this bird from every otiicr, is
the habit, afcribed to it, of flying backwards.
jElian mightily admires this * ; but he had bet-
ter called it in quelVion, for it is an error ariiing
from fome overlight. Such too is the filial piety
that has been fo liberally beftowed on birds, but
moft remarkably on the Bee-eater ; lince, >f
we believe Ariflotle, Pliny, ^Elian, and thole
who have copied them, the young ones do
not wait till the parents need their aifiltance ;
as foon as they are flown they give a cheerful
attendance, ami carry provifions to their holes.
It is eafy to fee that thele are tables, but the

moral at lead is good.

• De Nat» Anim* Lib. I, 49.

''\.

Th<

i,e

4i6

B K E - E A T E R.

■ '1'

1; I

f ii

IL : i

The male has fmall eyes, though of a viviti
red, and which derive additional ludrc from a
black bar; the front is of a fea-grecn ; the up-
per fide of the head is chefnut tinged with
green; the hind part of the head and of the
neck is chefnut, without any admixture, but
which grows continually more dilute as it ap-
proaches the back ; the upper fide of the body
is of a pale fulvous, with green and chefnut re-
fledlions, which arc more or lefs apparent, ac-
cording to the pofition; the throat is of a fhin*
ing goid-yellow, terminated in fome fubje£l3 by
a blackilh collar ; the fore part of the neck, the
bread:, and the under fide of the body, are of a
blue beryl, which grows lighter on the hind
parts ; the fame colour is fpread over the tail
with a light rufous tinge, and on the outer edge
of the wing without any admixture; it runs into
green, and receives a ihade of rufous on the
part of the wings next the back; almoft all the
quills are tipt with black, their fmall fuperior
coverts are tinged with dull green, the middle
ones with rufous, and the great ones (haded with
green and rufous : the bill is black, and the legs
reddifh brown (black according to Aldrovan-
dus) ; the fhafts of the quills of the tail are
brown above and white below. Befides, all
thefe different colours are very variable, both in
their tint and their diftribution ; and hence the
difference among defcriptions.

This bird is very nearly as large as the

redwing,

B E E.E A T E R.

4'7

redwing, its (hape longer, and its back rather
more convex. Belon fays that nature has made
it hunch-backed.

Total length ten or twelve inches ; the bill
twenty-two lines, broad at its bafe, a little
arched ; the tongue thin, terminated by long
threads, the noftrils fhaded by a fort of rufty
hairs; the tarfus five or fix lines, and pretty
thick in proportion to its length ; the outer toe
adheres to the middle one almoft its whole
length, and to the inner one by its firfl: pha-
lanx only, as in the king-fiflier; the hind nail
is the (horteft of all and the mod hooked ; the
alar extent fixteen or feventeen inches ; the
tail four inches and a half, confifting of fix pairs
of quills, of which the five lateral ones are
equal ; the middle pair projects nine or ten lines
beyond them, and about eighteen lines beyond
the wings, which confift of twenty-four quills,
according to fome, and of twenty-twQ accord-
ing to others : the one I obferved contained
twenty one quills.

The oefophagus three inches long, and dilates
at its bafe into a glandulous bag ; the Aomach
is rather membranous than mufcular, and of
the fize of an ordinary nut ; the gall bladder is
large and of an emerald colour; the liver is pale
yellow : there are two cceca^ the one fifteen
lines, the other fixteen and a half ; the intef-

£ e tinal

VOL. VI.

;

.Jl-

4»«

BEE-EATER.

tinal tube could not be meafurcd, being too
much injured by the Ihot [A].

'-■ V

1('

I-

♦•

T H 1 ■

YELLOW and WHITE BEE-EATER.

Mirops Flavicatttf Gmcl.

Manucotliata Sicunda AlJrovandi, Ray. and Will.

Apicfitr Flavicans, BriflT.

The Ttlltvn Btitattr» Lath<

ALDROVANDUS faw this fpecie3 at Rome; it
is remarkable for the length of the two
middle quills of its tail, and the proportional
fhortnefs of its bill ; its head is white, variegat-
ed with yellow and gold colour; its eyes yel-
low ; its eye-brows red ; its breaft reddifti ; its
neck, its belly, and the under fide of its wings,
are whiti(h ; its back yellow ; its rump, its tail,
and its wings, are of a bright rufous ; its bill is
greenilh-yellow, fomewhat arched, two inches
long; and its tongue is long, and pointed nearly
like that of woodpeckers.

This bird was much larger than the ordina-
ry Bee-eater, and its alar extent was twenty
inches ; the two middle quills projected eight
lines beyond the lateral ones. The Siguier
Cavalieri, to whom it belonged, was uncertain
what country it commonly inhabits.

[A] Specific charafler of the comtnoa Bee-eater, Mtroft Apiaf-
ttr : ** Its back is ferruginous, its belly and tail bluifh-green, two
of the tail-quills longer than the reft, its throat yellow,"

'f r

B E E.E A T E R.

419

uncertain

The GRAY- HEADED BEE-EATER.

^ftrop$ CiMtrtMs, Linn. Gmel. and Klein.
Ahiafitr MixicanuSf Brifl".
Aviiula Jc ^auhcilui, Scba.
The Citttrtoui Bet-tattr, Lath«

ERHAPS this bird has nothing elfe American
but the Mexican name quauhiciiui^ which
Seba has been pleafed to beftovv upon it. It 19
as large as the fparrow of Europe, and is in-
chided in the genus of the Bee-eaters on account
of the length and (liape of its bill, the length of
the two middle quills of the tail, and by the
thicknefs and Ihortnefs of its legs. It probably
rel'emblcs alfo in the difpofition of its toes.

Its head is of a fine gray ; the upper fide of
its body the llimc, variegated with red and yel-
low ; the two long middle quills of its tail are
pure red ; its breail and all the under fide of its
body are orange yellow, and the bill is of an
handlome green. '

Total leng;th nine or ten inches ; the bill and
tail occupy the one half of it.

[A] Specific charaftcr of ihtl^Jerops Cinereut: *• It is variegated
with red and yellow, below reddiih -yellow j. two of its tail-quills
ycry long and red." ' ' ,

V • i I > ':''

, , ', _\ i J

) ,t

n e %

420

BEE-EATER.

THE

GRAY BEE-EATER of ETHIOPIA.

Mtrop$ Cafir, Linn, and Gmel*

LiNNJEUS is the only naturalifl who has taken
notice of thiii fpecies, which he does from
a drawing of Burmann. His indication, to
which 1 can add nothing, is, that the plumage
is gray ; that there is a yellow fpot near the
anus ; and that its tail is very long.

;;■■ -A

;• I'

!■( « ;'
m.

'■)';

THE

CHESNUT and BLUE BEE-EATER.

Mtrops Badiutt Gmel.
Mp-ops Caftantust Lath. Ind..
Apiafter ex Francia In/ulat BrifT.
The Che/nut Bee-tatert Lath. Syn.

/^HESKUT predominates on the anterior parts
^^ of the upper fide of the body, including the
top of the back, and beryl on the reft of the up-
per fide of the body, and on all the lower part,
but which is much more beautiful and more
confpicuous on the throat, the fore part of the
neck, and the breaft, than any where elfe ; the
wings are green above, fulvous below, .termi-
nated with blackifli ; the tail is of a pure blue ;
the bill black ; and the legs reddifh.

This

««

'I * ■

B E E-E A T E R.

42 r

This bird is found in the Ifle of France : it is
hardly larger than the crefted lark, but much
longer.

Total length near eleven inches ; the bill
nineteen lines; the tarfus five and a half; the
hind toe the (horteft of all ; the alar extent four-
teen inches ; the tail five inches and a half, con-
fining of twelve quills, of which the two njid-
dle ones project two inches and two lines be-
yond the lateral ones;, and three inches and a
half beyond the wings ; thefe confift of twenty-
four quills, of which the fir ft is the (horteft*
and the third the longeft.

VARIETY.

The Chefnut and Blue Bee-eater of Senegal
is a variety produced by climate. No more
than thefe two colours are found in the whole
of Its plumage, but their diftribution is different
from that of the preceding. The chefnut is
fpread on the coverts and the quills of the wings,
except the quills next the back, and on the
quills of the tail, except the proje£ling part of
the two middle ones, which is blackifti.

This Bee-eater is found in Senegal, whence
it was brought by Adanfon. Its total length is
about a foot, and it has nearly the fame propor-
tions as that from the Ifle of France.

E c a

.'■r^'\V' ■>■■}■■ '

.■■■Mr:

ii ,>'

Mill"

■k hi:

•"•Jf*jfi:K;J

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'I- »*';■' I' M'

>.,■'■ ■■^f.l :

4a*

B E E-E AT E R.

t ;■'«

The P A T I R 1 C H.

Mereps Supercilio/us, Linn, and Gmel.
Aj.iaflir MaJnga/carienfis, BrifT.
The Suptrctlious Bet'eater, Lath*

THE natives of Madagafcar call this bird Pa^
tir'tch tirichi which is manifeftly formed

from its cry, and which I have (hortened and

retained. The principal colour of its plumage

is dull green, changing into brilliant chefnut on

the head, not fo dark on the upper fide of the

body, grovN-ing more dilute on the hind parts,

flill lighter on the lower parts, and continually

melting away towards the tail : the wings are

terminated with blackilh ; the tail is dull green ;

the throat is yellowifh white at its origin, and

fine clicinutatits lower part. But what beft

chara(5lerlzes this bird and gives it a fingular

afpe(fl, is a broad blackifh bar, edged round its

whole circumference with greenifh white; this

border bends about the bafe of the bill and grafps

the .irloin of the neck, affuming a yellowifh

ti:;ge, as 1 have before fatd; the bill is black,

and the leg^ . e brown. This bird is found in

A'l.idagalcar; v. is rather larger than the cheliiut

and blue Bee -eater.

1 otil length eleven inches and one-third ;
the bill r\ a^v ni]e lines; the tarfus five lines;
the iiiad toe the ihorteft; the alar extent fif-
teen

m it

BEE-EATER. 423

teen inches and two thirds; the tail five inches
and a h\U\ conliftiii;^ of twelve quills; the two
mi I lie ore jjroje<5l oiore than two inches be-
yond the h. :;ral ones, and two inches and three
quarters bevon 1 the wings, which confift of
twenty- four quills, of which the firfh is very
fhojt, and the twelfth is the longell:.

I have (c< n another Bee-eater from Mada-
gaicar, much like this in regard to the fize, the
colours of the plumage, and their diftribution,
thoUv^h lefs contraded ; the bill was weaker, and
the two middle quills of the tail exceeded not
the lateral ones. It was undoubtedly a variety
occafioned by age or fex ; its bar was edged with
beryl, and the rump and tail were of the fame
colour as in the fubjed brought home by Son-
nerat ; but in the latter, the two middle quills
of the tail were very narrow and much longer
than the lateral ones [A].

. [A] Specific charzdier of the Me opt Superci^io/us : ** It is green,
" a white line on its front above and below the eyes, its throa(
«• yellowifti, two of its tail quills elongated."

•up,

•It' Av

■'i.

•»«1

•■'■-■■■•■•«; 'Mi

•life

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'mi

J-<M' 1 r ■tl
.■*V:--:+::i!|

'-■; ' 'I'L 'I

E e 4

I. '

! J

424

B E E-E AT E R.

The GREEN BLUE -THROATED
BEE-EATER.

Mereps FirUis, Linn. Gmel. and Bor.
Jpiafier Madaga/carienjis Ton^uatuj, BriflT.
Tbe Indian JBee'Cater, Edw. Penn. and Lath.

LITTLE accident which happened to a bird
of this Ipecies, long after it was dead, af-
fords an inftance of the miftakes which are apt
to embarrafs the nomenclature. It belonged to
"Mr. Dandridge, and was defcribed, delineated,
engraved, and coloured by two Englifli natu-
ralifts, Edwards and Albin; a Frenchman,
well (killed in ornithology, and though he had
a fpecimen befide him, has fuppofed that thefe
two figures have reprefented two diftindt fpecies,
and has in confequence defcribed them fepa-
rately and under different denominations.

The bird of Mr. Dandridge obferved by Ed-
wards was one-third fmaller than the European
Bee-eater, and the two middle quills of its tail
were much longer and narrower; the front was
blue, there was a. great fpot of the fame colour
on the throat, included in a fort of black frame
formed below by a half-collar like a rcverfed
crefcent, and above by a bar which pafled over
the eyes and delbended on both fides of the neck,
ftretching towards the two extremities of the half
collar ; the upper furface of the head and neck was
orange; the back, the fmall coverts, and thelaft

quills

B E E-E AT E R.

425

quUiJ of the wings, were green, like the plumage
of the parrot ; the fuperior coverts of the tail
were beryl blue ; the breaft and belly were light
green ; the thighs reddifh brcvn ; the inferior
coverts of the tail dull green; the wings va-
riegated with green and orange, and terminated
with black ; the tail of a fine j^reen above and
dark green below ; the two middle quills ex-
ceeding the lateral ones by more than two
inches, and the projecting part deep brown and
very narrow ; the fhafts of the quills of the tail
very brown, and fo were the legs; the bill,
black above, and whitifli below, at its bafe.

In the fubje<Sl: defcribed by Briflbn, which is
alfo delineated in the Planches Enluminies, there
was no blue on the front, and the green of the
under fide of the body partook of the beryl
caftj the upper fide of the head and of the
neck was of the fame gold green as the back;
in general, there was a tint of gold yel-
low thrown loofely on the whole of the plum-
age, except on the quills of the wings and
the fuperior coverts of the tail; the black
bar did not extend acrofs the eyes, but be-
low them. BrifiTon has remarked befides, that
the wings were lined with fulvous, and that the
ihafts of the tail, which were brown above, as
in Edwards' bird, were whitifli beneath. Laftly,
there were feveral quills and coverts of the
wings, and many quills of the tail, edged near
the end and tipt with gold yellow. But it is

obvious

■■•>••■ ^. 1

1 ■ .:

■••.iii

x[m-

h '

\\-^

•■■I-;::-]

f ji

426 B E E . E A T E R.

obvious that all thefe minute differences are not
more tlian might be expected in individuals of
even the fame fpecies, but only diverlified by-
age or fex ; the flight Variation of lize may be
imputed to the fame caufes.

The bird called by Briflbn t/je little Philippine
Bee-eater^ is of the fame fize and plumage with
the collared Bee-eater of Madagafcar ; the chief
difference remarked between them is, that in
the former the two middle quills of the tall, in-
flead of being longer than the lateral ones, are,
on the contrary, rather fliorter. But Briflbn
himfelf fufpecls that thefe middle quills were
not yet fully grown, and that in thofe fubjcifls
where they were complete they projedled far
beyond the lateral ones : this is the more probable,
as thefe two middle quills appear, in the prefcnt
cafe, to be different from the lateral ones, and
even nearly akin to the projecling part of the
middle quills in the blue-throated green Bee-
eater. The other differences are thefe ; that
the bar was not black, but of a dull green, and
that the Icg^s were brown red: but flill it ought
to be referred to the fame Ipecies. This bird is
fpread from the coall of Africa to the mofl
eaftern of the Afiatic iflands; it is nearly as large
as our fparrow.

Total length fix inches and a half, (probably
it would be about eight inches and three quar-
ters, as in the blue- throated green Bee-eater, if
the two middle quills had beeu fully grown) the

bill

ones, are.

B E E-E AT E R.

427

bill fifteen lines; the tarfus four lines and a
half; the alar extent ten inches ; the ten lateral
quills of the tail two inches and a half, exceed-
ing the wings fourteen lines [A],

The GREEN and BLUE YELLOW-
THROATED BEE-EATER, Buff.

Merops Chryfocephalust Gmel.

The Tellow-tbroattd Bteeattr, Lath.

THIS is a new fpecies introduced by Sonnerat.
It is diftinguifhed from the preceding in
its plumage, its proportions, and above all, in
the length of the middle quills of the tail ; its
throat is of a tine yellow, which extends on the
neck under the eyes, and even farther, and is
terminated with blue in its lower part ; the
front, the eye-brows, and all the under part of
the body, are glaucous; the quills of the wings
are green, edged with glaucous from tiieir mid-
dle; their fmall fuperior coverts are dun green,
feme fnufF-coloured, the longefi: next tlic body
are of a light yellow ; the upper fide of ilie head
and neck is fnuA- colon red ; all the upper fide of
the body, gold green ; the fuperior coveits of the
tail green.

[A] Specific ch;<radler of the Merops Virldis: •« It is greenilh, a
black ilripe on it:. breaft« its throat and tail blue, two of its tail
quills elongated."

Total

-,■!>>■' \

.-.^'■^ IS,

'1I

•y^ ■■-•si:' I

■<■:, 'Is'!';

nt ■

.1,

) II

' i 'I

i^i

''^vi

428

B E E-E A T E R*

Total length ten inches; the bill twenty
lines; the tarfus fix lines; the hind nail the
fliorteft and moft hooked; the tail four inches
and a quarter, confifting of twelve quills, the
ten lateral ones nearly equal to each other ; the
two middle ones exceed the lateral ones by leven
or eight lines, and the wings by eighteen.

The LITTLE GREEN and BLUE
TAPER-TAILED BEE-EATBR.

Mtrops Angoltnjist Gmel. •
Jpiajlir AngohnJiSi BriiT.
The Angola Bee-eater, Lath.

TTS fmallnefs is not the only property that
•■• diftinguifhes this from the preceding; it
differs alfo in the colour of its head, in its pro-
portions, ai^d, above all, by the conformation of
its tail, which is tapered, and of which the
two middle quills do not project much. With
regard to its plumage, the upper furface is gold
green, the under beryl blue j the throat is yel-
low ; the fore part of the neck, chefnut; there
is, acrofs the eyes, a zone dotted with black;
the wings and tail are of the fame green as the
back ; the iris is red ; the bill black, and the legs
cinereous: — Thefe are the chief colours of this
bird, which is the fmalleft of the Bee-eaters. It

« :i?(

BEE-EATER. 429

is f md in the kingdom of Angola in Africa;
it is the only one of the genus that has a ta-
pered tail.

Total length about five inches and a half; the
bill nine lines ; the tarfus four lines and a half;
the hind toe the fhorteft ; tail two inches and
more, confifting of twelve quills; it exceeds
the wings about an inch.

The AZURE-TAILED GREEN BEE-
EATER, Buff.

Merops PbWppinus, Gmel.
Apiajhr Philifpinenjis Major, Brifl".
The Philippine Beeeatert Lath.

ALL the upper furface of the head and body
is of a dull green colour, changing into
rofe copper ; the wings are of the fame cojour,
terminated with blackifh, lined with light ful-
vous; the nineteenth and twentieth quills,
marked with glaucous on the outfide, and the
twenty-fecond and twenty-third, on the infide.
All the quills and coverts of the tail are of a
beryl blue, which is lighter on the inferior co-
verts; there is a blackifh bar on the eyes; the
throat is yellow ifli, verging on green and ful-
vous ; this laft tint is more intenfe below ; the
under fide of the body and the thighs are of a yel-
lowilh green changing into fulvous ; the bill is

blacky

'■•■A. j
i'l I'" IT

'•• ' r, ' ■' ■

; i>.{ ... v\
.-i-U'j-l'.il'

■■': MA

' .:t.\::*>v
« ■■'■■v''fc ■fi'''

w I

p ■f

430 B E E . E A T E R.

black, and the legs brown. This bird is found
in the Philippines, and is larger than the com-
mon Bee- eater.

Total length eight inches and ten lines ; the
bill twenty-five lines ; the angle of its aperture
at a confiderable diftance from the eye; the
tarfus five lines and a half; the hind toe the
fhorteft ; the alar extent fourteen inches and ten
lines ; the tail three inches and eight lines, con-
fifting of twelve quills nearly equal, and it pro-
jedls eleven lines beyond the wings, which have
only twenty- four quills, the firft being the
ihorteft, and the fecoad the longeft of all [A].

■ \U ■:Vi

THE

•a . : I .

mm,.,.,

mi -I IM:^

BLUE-HEADED RED BEE-EATER.

Merops NubictiSt Gmel.

1)\Q Blue-beaded Bte-tatir, Lath.

FINE beryl glows on the head and on the
throat, where it becomes deeper, aud alfo
on the rump and on all the coverts of the tail ;
the neck, and all the reft of the under liJe of
the body, as far as the legs, are crimfon, fhadcd
with rufous ; the back, the tail, and the wings,
are brick colour, which is dunner on the coverts

[AJ Specific cliaracler of the Merops Pbilippinuti ** It is £;reeni
below yeUowiih, its rump blue« its tail equal/'

BEE-EATER. 43,

of the wings ; the three or four quills of thq
wings iicarell the back are of a brown green,
with bluifh rcfleflions; the great quills tcrmi-
natt'J with bluifli gray, melted with red; the
middle ones are of a blackifh brown; the bill
black, and the legs light cinereous. This is a
new Ipccies found in Nubia, where it was de-
lineated by Mr. Bruce ; it is not quite fo large
as the European fpecies.

Total length about ten inches; thebill twenty-
one lines; the tarfus fix lines ; the hind toe the
fliorteft ; the tail about four inches, a little
forked, and it exceeds the wings about twenty-
one lines [A].

The RED and GREEN BEE-EATER
of SENEGAL *.

u; ;* >.'t'rl

huit "Itisjtyeen,

Merops Lrjthropterus, Gmel.
The Red-iuinged Bee-eater, Lath.

'"pHE upper furface of the head and body, in-
■*" eluding the fuperior coverts of the wings,
and thofe of the tail, is dun-green, browner on
the head and back, lighter oi\ the rump and the.
fuperior coverts of the tail ; there is a dark fpot

[A] Specific charader of the ytrops Nubtcus: " It is blue green,
below red; its back, its wings, and it^ forked tail, brick colour."

• We owe this fpecies to M. Adanfon. The defcription and
figure are at accurate as they could be made from the Ikia of the
bird dried and prepared between two leaves of paper.

S behind

f J.

i '

1'4 ^

43a

BEE. EATER.

behind the eye ; the quills of the tail and of the
wings are red, terminated with black ; the
throat is yellow ; all the under furface of the
body is dirty white ; the bill and legs black.

Total length about fix inches ; the bill one
inch ; the tarfus three lines and a half; the tail
two inches, and it exceeds the wings about one
inch [A]. ^

The RED-HEADED BEE-EATER.

Meropi Erythroctphalus , BriflT.
Aftajltr Indicus Erytbroetfhalus, Brifll

F the name, cardinal^ can ever be applied to
any of the bee-eaters, it certainly belongs to
the prefent ; for it has a foft of hood that co-
vers, not only the head, but alfo a part of the
neck : it has alfo a black bar on the eyes; the
upper fide of the body is of a fine green j the
throat yellow ; the under fide of the body
light orange ; the inferior coverts of the tail yel-
low i(h, edged with light green ; the tail is greeti
above, cinereous below ; the iris red, the bill
black, and the legs cinereous.

This bird is found in the Eafl Indies, and is

[A] Specific charadler of the Mtrops Etythrepttrus : ** It Is olive,
below partly whitifh, its throat bright yellow ; its wings and tail
red, tipt with black.'*

nearly

t ■ ,)

fiEE-EATER.

433

nearly as large as the blue- throated green bee-
eater.

Total length fix inches; the bill fixteen lines;
the tarfus five lines; the hin<l toe the fhortefl;
the tail twenty-one hues, confining of twelve
equal quills, and excjeding the wings by ten
lines [A].

The GREEN BEE-EATER with RU^
FOUS WINGS and TAIL.

Mtrops Cayantnfis, Gmel.
The Caytmt Beetater, L.ith.

THE dcnoniinstion which we have bedovvcd
on this fpecies almofl: defcribcs it : u c
need only to add, that the green is deeper on the
upper part of the body and lighter below the
throat than on any other part ; that the quills
of the wings are white at their origin ; that
their fhafts as well as thofe of the tail quills are
blackifh; that the firft arc of a yellowiih brown,
and rather longer than ufual in this genus of
birds, and the bill black.

This Bee-eater refembles much the yellow
and white-headed one in the colour of its tail
and wings; but the reft of its plumage is en-

[A] Specific charaftcr of \\\t Mtrops Erythrocephaltts : '* It is
grceo, below yellowiih, its head an3 neck red, its throat bright
yellow ; its wings and tail equal, and cinereous below."

VOL. VI. F ^' tirely

■ m

:■' V

,r .

\\A

r'i:!|''

it"'';

434

BEE-EATER.

tirely different. It is befides much fmaller,
and the two middle quills of the tail do not
proje(fl. '■ '

lam alTured that it is not found in Cayenne ;
and am the more inclined to think that this is
really the cafe, as the genus of the bee-eaters
appears to me peculiar to the ancient continent,
as 1 have already faid. But M. de la Borde, who
is at prefent in Cayenne, will foon fend me the
folution of this little problem.

:• ?

.i"

The ICTEROCEPHALE, or YEL-
LOW-HEADED BEE-EATER*.

Merops Congener, Linn, and Gmel.
jlp'ajier ISlsrocephalus, BrifT.
The othtr Bei-eattr o/AldrovanduSt Will.

npHE yellow colour of the head is only inter-
-*- rupted by a black bar, and extends on the
throat and all the under fide of the body; the
back is of a fine chefnut ; the reft of the
upper fide of the body is variegated with yellow
and green ; the fmall fuperior coverts of the
wings are blue ; the middle ones variegated with
ycllov/ and blue, and the great gnes entirely
yellow ; the quills of the wings are black, ter-

♦ In German it is called See-Schivahn, or fea-fwallow; which
name Is, in parts of Italy, given to ihe king-fifher: Nor is this
furprillng, when we c&nfider the analogy between that bird and the
j3«;e-eater^.

minated

ti'i

B E E.E AT E R.

435

minated with red; the tail has both colours,
black at its bafe and green at its extremity ; the
bill is black, and the legs yellov/.

This bird is rather larger than the ordinary
Bee-eater, and its bill is more hooked. It is
feen very feldom near Strafburg, according to
Gelher [A].

[A] Specific charafter of the Mtrops Congener: " It is yel-
lowifh, its rump greeniih, its wing-quills tipt with red, its tail-
quills yellow at the bafe."

fea-fwallow; which
g-fifher: Nor is this
en that bird and the

F f 2

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* V "'.'If

I .\&.

I'r

'Ai^

G O AT-S U C K E R.

The EUROPEAN GOAT-SUCKER*.

UEttgoulevent, Buff.

Cii/r.mulgus Europfsus, Linn. Gmel. &c. Sec.

The 2V/^/6/ ^«r*;;, Sib'oald.

The Dorr-havck, Goaf-fucking Oxvl, or Ni^ht "Jan,

Charletfin.
In Shropfhlre, the Fern-Ow/, and in Vorklhire, the

Cb:.rft-Ow/, Rav.
The N'gif Hawk, Edwards.
The Nocturnal Goat-Jlcker, Penn.

^I^IIE Goat-fucker feeds cbieHy on no(£turnal
JL infers -f*. It begins to wheel only a little

before

• Ariflotle calls it A»y*0>5X«{, from At|, a goat, and Cxa^w, to
milk : The name which Pliny bellows is a liteial tranflation of this,
Caprmulgus. Hence, too, are derived many of its defignations in
the modern languages: In Italian, Succhia Caprc\ in rreuch, Tctts-
Chet're i in German, Gei/s-Melcher, Miich-Zitgen Suger, Kinder-
Mehhery and in Norwegian, Gtde-MaUhtr. As it never appears
but in the twilight, this circumftance has alfo procured it a clafs of
names. In Greek, Ntxl»xo|!a|; in Latin, Fur NoSurnus; in Eng-
lifli, Nig^t-Raven ; in Italian, Nettela; in Germvin, Nadt-Scl'ade,
Nacht-Rueblin, Nucht-Vogel; in Danilh, Nat-Rann, Nat-^kc, ; in
S'.vdifti, Nattfiraefiva, Uattjkiarra, It is alfo called Co'va-Terra
(ground-hatcher) in Italian; Chajfe-Crapaud (hunter-toad) in
French ; Hacht - Sch^v^dbe (night - fwallow) and Grofs -Bartigt
Schwalbe (great-bearded fwallow) in German.

M. do Montbeillard, author of this article, remarks with great
juflict, that the w^m^s ^ Goat-fuchr, "^ FlyUig-toaii^ ^ Great Black-
bird, '^ Kight CroiAjy and ^ SqucirL-iaiied S-iL-allo'w, ought to be re-
jeftcd as founded on prejudice and inaccurate obfervation. The
firft of thcfc appellations, though ancient and generally admitted,

1 Tette-Cle'vrc ; * CrapauJ P'tlan: ; % Grand IdtrU \ 4 Corhcau tU Nuit j 5 //;•

rdJelli a y^eui Carr/c.

f Such as moths, gnats, dorrs or chaffers, beetles, mciy-bugs,
and no doubt night-Hies.

'^l

or Nl^ht "Jan,
1 Yorklhire, the

t, and £>]Xa^«, to
:raiiflation of this,
its defigntitions in

in rreiich, 7'ctts-
ren Stiger, Kinder'
s it never appears
Kured it a clafs of
'o(3uriius; in Eng-
un, Naclt-Schade,
Htt, Nat-Skc. ; in
called Cova-Ttrra

(hunter-toad) in
and Grofs -Bartigt

emarks with great
oad, 3 Great Black-
, ought to be re-
oblervation. The
generally admitted,

Zorhcau lU J<u\t\ 5 //;•

beetles, m:iy-bu2s,

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GOAT. SUCK? H.

437

before fun-fet *, apd it never takes wing in th^
middle of the day, except in dark cloudy wea-
ther, or when obliged to make its efcape. Its
eyes are fo delicate as to be dazzled and over-
powered by the meridian effulgence, and they
perform their office only in a weak light. But
we rnuft not fuppofe that it can dirtihguifli ob-
je£ls and fly in total darknefs ; the proper time
for its excurlions, and indeed for thoi'e of all the
other nocturnal birds, is the duik of the even-
ing.

The Goat-fucker needs not fhut its bill to fe-
cure the winged infers ; for a fort of glue oozes
from the palate, which entangles them "f.

The Goat-fuckers are widely fcattered, yet
in no place are they common. They are found
in almoft all the countries of our continent,

is highly improbable, and contradifted by fiift j for Schwenckfeld
made particular enquiries in a country whfre numerous flocks of
goats are kept in folds, but could never difcover that they were
fucked by any bird whatever. The pther names ought equally to
be rejefted ; it is furely not a toad, or a blackbird, or a crow, or
an owl. Nor is it even a fwallow, though n»uch akin to it; for
its external figure and its habits are different : its legs are fhort,
its bill fmall, its throat wide ; its fuojl too, ^nd its mode of prey*
ing, are not the lame. M. dp Mpntbeillard adopts the appella-
tion Enguhvent (guttler), given in fome prpvinces of France,
which, though vulgar, conveys a diftlndl idea of the bird in its ftate
of adivity ; its wings foread, its look haggard, its throat extended
to its utmoft width, and wheeling with a hoarfc buzzing noife m
purfuit of infcfts, yvJuch it feemi to guttle (tngouUr} by drawing
in its breath. * . . ,, ^

• Hence Arlftotle calls it a lazy bird,

•j" I^ote Qommunicatcd by M. Hcbert.

F f 3 ffom

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43«

GOAT- SUCKER.

from Sweden, and even the more northern
tradls, to Greece and Africa, on the one hand ;
and to India, and, no doubt, ftill farther, on the
other.' Sonnerat has fent a fpecimen for the
Royal Cabinet, from the coaft of Coromandel ;
which is certainly either a young one or a fe-
male, fince it, in no refpedl, differs from the
common kind, except that it wants thofe white
fpots on the head and wings which Linnaeus re-
gards as the peculiar chara£ler of the adult male.
The commander de Godeheu informs us, that, in
the month of April, the fouth weft wind brings
thefe birds to Malta* ; and the Chevalier Def-
mazis, an excellent obferver, writes to me that
they repafs in as great plenty in autumn. They
occur both in flat and in mountainous countries ;
in Brie, in Bugey, in Sicily -f, and in Holland,
and almoft always under a bu(h, or in young
copfes, or about vineyards ; they feem to pre-
fer the dry ftony trads, the heaths, &c. In
the cold countries they arrive later, and retire
earlier J. They breed on their progrefs, as the

♦ See Savans Etrangers, /. ///. 91.

•f" A well-informed traveller informs me, that on the mountains
of Sicily thefe birds appear an hour before fun-fet, and fpread in
fearch of food in company with the bee-eaters, and that fometimes
£ve or f'X fly together.

% In England they appear about the end of May, and retire
about the middle of Auguft, according to the Britifli Zoology.
In France M. Hebert (aw them in the month '^f November;
and a fportfman aiTured mc that he has met wuh 'ihem in win-
ter,

fituatlons

GOAT- SUCKER.

439

fituatlons invite * ; fometimes more foutherly,
at other times more northerly. They are at
little trouble in forming their neit ; they are
content with any Imall hole wiiich they hap-
pen to find in the earth, or among fmall (lones,
at the foot of a tree or the bottom of a rock.
The female lavs two or three e2;2:s, lar2;er than
thofe of the blackbird, and of a darker colour "f ;
and though the affeftiou of parents is in general
proportioned to the care beilowed in providing
for their accommodation, the Goat-fucker is
not wanting in tender attentions : on the con-
trary, I am aifured that (he hatches with the
greateft Iblicitude, and, when ftie perceives the
threats or keen obfervation of an enemy, (he
changes her fite, pulhing the eggs dexteroufly,
it is faid, with her wings, and rolling them
into another hole, which, though not better
fadiioned, will, (he imagines, afford a fafer con-
cealment.

The feafon when thefe birds appear moft fre-
quent, is autumn ; they fly nearly like the
woodcock, and they have the geftures of the
owl. Sometimes they tf^afe and difturb fportf-
men who are qn the watch, They have an odd

• TThe fowlers vyhqin I have confulted affirm that they never
breed in the canton of Burgundy which I inhabit (I'Auxois), and
that they appear there only in the time of vintage.

t Tiiey arp Qblong, whitiOi, and fpptted with hrown> fays M.
Salerne ; marbled with brown and purple on a white ground, fays
the Count Ginanni, in the Italian Ornithology : the latter adds,
that the (hell ii extremely thin.

F f 4 fort

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440

GOAT. SUCKER.

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fort of habit, which is peculiar to them ; they
wheel an hundred times in fucceflion round
fome large naked tree, with a very irregular
and rapid motion ; at intervals they dive briik-
ly, as if to catch their prey, and then rife as
fuddenly. In fuch cafes they are undoubt-
edly engaged in purfuit of the infe£ls that flut-
ter about the aged trunks ; but it is then difficult
to get within gun-(hot of them, for they quick-
ly difappear, nor can their retreat be difcovered.

As the Goat-fucker flics with its bill open,
and with conliderable rapidity, the air continu-
ally ftrikes againft the fides of its throat, and
occafions a fort of buzzing, like the noife of a
fpinning-wheel : this whirring infallibly takes
place whenever the bird is on the wing, but it
varies according to the celerity of the flight.
Hence the name of wheel-bird^ by which it is
known in fome counties of England*. But is
this noife generally regarded unlucky, as Belon,
Klein, and others who have copied them, af-
icrt ? Or is it not rather a miftake occafioncd
by confounding the Goat-fucker with the white
owl ? When it fits, it utters its true cry, which
is a plaintive tone repeated three or four times
in fucccfiion ; but we are not quite certain
whether this is ever heard while the bird is on
the vviiio;.

It feldom perches, and when it does, it is faid

* Our author means Wales, where this bird is called Aderjny
JrccU, which in fiidt fignifies ivhetl-lird. T.

not

G O A T-S U C K E R.

'441

not to cling acrofs the branch, like mod other
birds, but to fit lengthwife, refembling the pof-
ture of the cock in treading (cochant or c'-^Q'
chant) the hen ; and hence the name chauc,.^*
branches It is a folitary bird, and is, for the
moft part, fingle; feldom two are found toge-
ther, and, even then, they are ten or twelve
paces from one another.

I have faid that the Goat-fucker flies like the
woodcock ; their plumage alio is fimilar, for
all the upper fide of the neck, of the head, and
of the body, and even the under fide, is gaily
variegated with gray and blackifli, with more
or lefs of a rufty caft on the neck, the fcapular
feathers, the cheeks, the throat, the belly, the
coverts, and the quills of the tail and wings ;
but the deepefl fhades appear on the upper fur-
face of the head, of the throat, of the breaft,
on the fore part of the wings, and on their tips :
there is fuch variety that the ideas would be
loft in the minutlce of defcription ; I (hall there-
fore only add the charad^eriftic properties. The
lower jaw is edged with a white ftripe that ex-
tends behind the head ; there is a fpot of the
fame colour on the infide of the three firft quills
of the wing, and at the ends of the two or
three outmoft quills of the tail ; but thefe
fpots are peculiar to the male, according to
Linnaeus * : the head is large ; the eyes very

protuberant;

♦ Willughby obferved an individual in which thcfe fpots were

■I' !'"■•■• '

44*

GOAT- SUCKER.

'X r

i'^it^

I!'

protuberant ; the hole of the cars pretty confi-
derable; the aperture of the throat ten times
wider than that of the bill; the bill fmall, flat,
and fonicvvhat hooked; the tongue (lioit, point-
ed, not divided at tJAc tip ; the nollrils round,
and their edge projecting towards the bill ; the
Ikull tranfparent; the nail of the mid-toe in-
dented, as in the heron ; and laflly, the three
fore toes are connected by a membrane as far as
the firft phalanx. It is faid that the flcfh of the
young Goat-fuckers is tolerable food, though it
leaves a tafte of ants.

Total length ten inches and a half; fhe bill
fourteen lines ; the tarfus feven lines, feathered
almoft to the fole ; the middle toe nine lines ;
the hind toe the fhorteft of all, and it can be
turned forwards, and often has that pofition ;
the alar extent twenty-one inches and a half;
the tail five inches, fquare, and compofed of
ten quills only ; it exceeds the wings fifteen
lines [A].

of a pale yellow, tinged with purple, and obfcurely marked : I
perceived the fame thing in two fubjefls ; they are probably fe-
males, and the one, which is fmaller than the other, I judge to be
younger.

[A] Specific chara£ler of the common Goat -fucker, CaprimuU
gujEuropaus: *' It is black, variegated with cinereous, brown,
ferruginous, and white; its noflrils obfcurely tubulated." It is
moft frequent in the wooded and mountainous parts of this ifland.

':fv

GOAT- SUCKER.

♦43

'.j.i

Hm^

!^*:

FOREIGN BIRDS,

WHICH ARE RELATED To THE COAT-SUCKLR.

THERE is only one fpecies of this genus
fettled in the three divifions of the old
continent ; but ten or twelve are found in the
new. We might therefore regard America as
their original and chief abode, from which the
European Goat-fucker has been expelled by
fome fortuitous event : and as the colony ought
ever to be fubordinate to the mother-ftate, the
order of nature would require that the Ameri-
can fpecies (hould precede thofe of Europe. This
arrangement we would have followed; but a more
cogent reafon recommends a different plan. The
order of the underftanding is to proceed from
what is well afcertained to what is more ob-
fcure: we therefore begin with the European
birds, which are beft known to us, and which
will tend to illuftrate thofe of other climates ;
leaving to the American philofophers to begin
their natural hiftory (and would to God that
they would compofe one!) with the produce
tions of America.

The principal attributes of the Goat-fuckers
are thefe : the bill is flat at its bafe, the point
being flightly hooked, apparently fmall, but
having a gape wider than the head, according

1 ■ '"f I' "il'. (I

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444

G O A T. S U C K E R.

to fome authors ; large protuberant eyes, like
thole of iiu£lurnal birds; and long black vvhilk*
CIS about the bill : the cffeil of the whole gives
it a dull, ftupid afped, and declares it a floth-
ful, ignoble race, allied to the martins and the
i)0(rturnal birds, and yet fo nicely charaifleriltic,
that it iseafy at the firll fight to diftingul.li the
Goat- fucker from every other bird : their wings
and tail are long, the l:i*ter feldom forked, and
then in a very ilight degree, and is comprfed of
ten quills only: their legs are Ihort, and, for
the mod part, rough ; the three fore toes are
connected together by a membrane as far as the
firft joint: the hind toe is movc.ibl'^. and tuii]>
forward fometimcs; the nail of the mlMlc toe
is commonly indented on the Inner edge: the
tongue is pointed, and not divided at the end :
the noftrils are tubulated, th.it is, the projed-
ing brims form on the bill the beginning of a
fmall cyUnder; the opening of the ear is wide,
and probably its hearing is very acute ; and we
might even expect this to be thj cafe in a bird
which has a weak fight and hardly any fmell,
for, the ear being thus alone capable of intimat-
ing what paiTes at a diftance, the bird will na-
turally be led to improve that organ. The pro-
perties now enumerated are not, however, found
in all the Ipecies ; fome there are which have
DO whiikers ; others that have more than ten
quills in the tail ; others in which the middle
nail is not indented ; iu fome it is indented, not

G O A T- S U C K E R.

44f

on the Inn?r edge, but on the outer ; In others
the nullrils arc not tubulatc\l ; in others the
bird n:iil (eertis incapable o{ being turned for-
wards. But, what is common to all the fpc-
cics, their nr'jnns of li<i;ht arc too delicate to
fupport tt J light of day ; and from this Tingle
property arc derived the chiLf circnmftances
which difcriminatc the Goat-1'uckers from the
fwallovvs. Hence they appear not till fun-fet
in the evening, and retire in the morning a lit-
tle after fun-rife ; hence they live folitary, dif-
quieted by gloomy apprehenlions ; hence the
difference of their cry ; hence, too, in my opi-
nion, is owing their not building a neft, for the
weaknefs of their fight does not permit them to
choofe and arrange, and interweave, the mate-
rials, hi fa£t, I know not of any bird that
builds during the night, and the Goat-fucker
can, in our latitudes, have only three hours of
twilight, which is entirely confumcd in purfu-
ing their humble fugacious prey. Gf all the
owls the eagle one is faid alone to make a neft ;
and it the leaft dcferves the appellation of noc-
turnal bird, fince it can fly to cbnfiderablc dif-
tances in broad daylight. The little owl, which
hunts and catches fmall birds before the letting
and after the rifing of the fun, gathers only a
few leaves, or ftalks of herbs, and upon thelc
drops the eggs in the holes of rocks or of old
walls. Laftly, the long-eared, the white, the
aluco, and the brown, owls, which of all the
8 no(Slurnal

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446

G O A T- S U C K E R.

iiodVurnal birds are the leaft capable of fupport-
ing the light of the fun, lay alfo in fimilar cre-
vices, or ill hollow trees, but without any lin-
ing, or fometin\es in the nefts of other birds
which they find ready formed. And 1 might
affert the fame thing in general of all birds
whofe eye is excellively delicate.

Another confequence refulting from the too
exquifite mechanifm of the organ of fight, is that
the Goat-fuckers, like the other nodlurnal birds,
have no brilliant colour in their plumage, and
are denied even the rich varying glofs which
gliftens on the fober attire of the fwallow :
black, and white, and gray, arifing from the
mixture of thefe, and rufous, form the whole
garb of the Goat -fuckers, and thefe are fo in-
termingled that the general complexion is dulky
and confufed. They (hun the light, and light
is the fource of all the fine colours. Linnets,
kept in the cage, lofe that charming red which
glowed in all its beauty when in free air they
imbibed the dired influence of the folar beams.
It is not in the frozen trads of Norway, or in
Cimmerian (hades of Lapland, that we find the
birds of paradlfe, thecotingas, the flamingos, the
hummingbirds, and the peacocks; thofe dreary
negle£led climates never produce the ruby, the
fapphire, or the topaz. And laftly, thofe flow-
ers which are forced at great expence in the
hot-houfe, acquire but a fickty hue that cannot
compare with the brilliant colours which a ver-
nal

GOAT- SUCKER.

447

nal fun fheds on the fpontaneous growth of the
painted meadow. The night-flies, it is true,
are fometimes decked with charming tints ; but
this apparent exception feems even to corrobo-
rate my idea: for intelHgent obfervers* remark
that thofc of them which ft Jtter fometimes in the
day are more gaudily attired than fuch as app:,ar
not until evening. I have myfelf perceived,
that in thofe infe£l tribes which ifTue forth at
fun-fet, the colours refemble the dulky caft of
the Goat-fuckers; and, if among thevaft num-
ber there be fome with dazzling wings, we may
fuppofe that the tints were already formed in
their larvce, which enjoy the enlivening influ-
ence of the fun- beams in an equal degree as
thofe of the diurnal flies. Laflly, the chryfa-
lids of thefe, which are conftantly difclofed and
cxpofed to the open air, fiiine for the moft part
with brilliant colours, and fome of them appear
decorated with fcales of gold and of filver, which
we ftiould in vain expert to find in the chryfalids
of the nocturnal flies, enveloped, as they are,
with (hells, or buried in the earth. I conceive,
therefore, that I am warranted to infer, that if
a feries of obfervations were made upon the
plumage of birds, the wings of infe(fts, and per-
haps the hair of quadrupeds -j-, thofe fpecies

* Roefel. Infclicn belufiigungt t. I. Vorhcricht xu der rtcchii-'vot'
gci erjfen clojft,

t The plumage of the kitig»filher is much more brilliant be-
tween the tropics than in the temperate zcr.e, as wc learn from
Forfter, in Captain Cook's fecond Voyage.

would

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'Mm

44«

G O A T-SU C KE ft*

would be difcovered to have the richefl: and mod
brilliant colours, which, other circumftances be-
ing alike, were moil: expofed to the adion of
the light.

If my conjectures have fome foundation, the
intelligent reader will not be furprifed that dif-
ferent degrees of fenfibility in the fame organ
may produce confiderable differences in the na-
tural habits of an animal and in its properties
both external and internal.

•w

The CAROLINA GOAT-SUCKER.

Caprimulgus Carolinenjis, Gmt\, and Brifl*.

The Rain Bird, Brown. , ^

The Short-nuinged Goat-fucker, Penn.

I'J'j as in all probability, Europe owes its Goat-
-■• fuckers to America, this undoubtedly is the
fpecies which crofled the northern ftraits to
found a colony in the ancient continent. It in-
habits North America, and its lize and plum-
age are (imilar to thofe of the European kind :
its lower jaw is edge J with white, and there is
a fpot of the fame colour on the margin of the
wing. The chief difference confifls in this,
that the under part of the body is variegated,
not with fmall crofs lines, but with fm-^-li lon-

gitudinal

G O A T^ S U C K E R. 449

qitudinal ones, and hat the bill is lono-er. And
would not the oreat chana;e of climate be fut-
ficient to produce llich cha:ige in the ihapc and
plumage of the bird ?

Of the habits of this bird we learn the fol-
lowing particulars from Catciby: it appears in
the evening, but never fo frequently as in d.uk
cloudy weather, whence it derives the appella-
tion of Rain-bird 'y it purfues v^ith open jaws
the infedts on which it feeds, and it dies with
a whirrino; noife ; lalllv, it lavs on the ';irou[id,
and its eggs are like thofe of the Lipw ing. This
account correfponds exadlly with the hillory of
the European Ipecics.

Total length eleven inches and a quarter;
the bill nineteen lines, bcfet with black briilles;
the tarfus eight lines ; the middle nail indented
on the itilide ; the three fore toes connedled bv a
membrane which d')es not extend beyond the
firft joint; the tail is four inches, and exceeds
the wings fixteen lines.

[A] Specific charafter of the Cc.primuigus C.a olimnjls : *' It is
variejjaied above by tranivcrft- angled line,., alternately blfk; and
gray; below rufous gray, with b'aclcifli lon-TituJlnal lines; iis tail
gray, latticed with black." In Carolina u is ufually called Chuck^
ihuck '.Villus Ifiuoxv. It feenis to have the fame habits with the
Whip-poor Wtli of Virginia, Its egg is olive, with blacldlh fpots.

VOL. VI,

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450 G O A T-S U C K E R.

• II.

The WHIP-POOR WILL.

Caprlmulgus Ftrgiman'is, Brifi*. and Gmel.
The Long-'wlnged Goat-fucker, Penn.
The Virginian Goat-fucker^ Lath.

'TpiiESE birds arrive in Virginia about the mid-
-"- die of April, particularly in the back parts
of the country. There they cry the whole
niG^ht in a voice fo flirill and fo loud, and re-
peated and encrcafed to fuch a degree by the
echoes of the mountains, that one can hardly
fiecp in their neighbourhood. They begin a
iQ\w minutes alter fun-fct, and continue till
dawn. They feldom appear near the coaft, and
ilill feldomer during the day. They lay two
eggs of a dirty green, variegated with fmall
fpots, and fmall blackifh flreaks ; the femiile
drops them carelefsly in the middle of a path,
without forming any neft, without gathering
mofs or flraw, and even without fcraping the
ground ; and when ihe hatches, one may ap-
proach very near before ^fhe takes to flight.

Many believe theWhip-poor Will to be of ill
omen. The favages are perfuaded that the fouls
of fuch of their ancedors as were maflacred bv
the EngUfli have pafled into the bodies of thcfe
birds, and allege as a proof, their being never
{qqvl prior to the fettlcment of the colony. But

this

G O A T-S U C K E R.

451

this fad (hews only that the flrangers intro-
duced new fpecics of cultivation, which invited
new tribes of birds.

The upper fide of the head and of all the
body, as far as the fiiperior coverts and quilh
of the tail inclufively, and even the middle
quills of the wings, are of a deep brown, ra-
diated tranfverfely with a ligliter brown, and
fprinkled with fmall fpots of the fame colour,
with a very irregular mixture of cinereous ; the
fuperior coverts of the wings are the fame, only
fprinkled with a few fpots of light brown ; the
great quills of the wings are black, the five
firft marked with a white fpot near the middle
of their length, and the tv.'o outer pairs of the
tail are marked* fmiilarly near the end j the cir-
cle of the eye is li2;ht brov/n, vercrinj^: on cine-
reous ; there is a feries of orange fpots, which
begins at the bafe of the bill, paiTes above the
eyes, and defcends upon the fides of the neck ;
the throat is covered with a broad r'^vcrfed cre-
fcent, white at the top and tinged with orange
at the bottom, and whofe horns point on bot!j
fides to the ears ; all the refl of tlie lower part
is white, tinged with orange, and {Iripe^ acrols
with blackilh ; the bill is black, and the legs
fic(h coloured. This Goat-fucker is a third
fmaller than the European, and its wings are
longer in proportion.

Total length eight inches ; the bill nine lines
and a half, its bale befet with black bridles ;

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452

G O A T- S U C K E R.

the taiTiis five lines ; the nail of the mid-toe
h iiuleiited on its inner edge ; the tail three
inches and a quarter, and does not projedt at all
beyond the wings [A].

III.

The G U I R A - QJJ E R E A.

Cnjr.innlgus "Jamalcenjis, Gmel.
The M'oodO-wl, Sloane.
The Mountain Oxvl, Brown.
The 'Jamaica Coat/ucker, Lath.

♦-|~^iiouGii Brillbn makes no diftlnflion be-
-*• tvveen the ^uira defcribed by Sloane and
the one delcribed by Marcgrave, I conceive that
thcv ought to be diicriiinnated and regarded as
at Icafl varieties of climate : I fliall flate my
reafons when I treat of Marcgrave's Guira. In
that of Sloane the head aad neck are variegated
with the colour of Spanidi tobacco, and with

[A] Specific charafter of the Ca^rlmulgus Virginianus : " It Is
brown, variegated tranfverfcly with gray-brown, and here and
there with cinereous ; below it is ftriped tranfverfely with reddifli
white ; there is a triangular white fpot on its chin ; the fpace about
its eyes and its neck are variegated with orange fpots.'* It re-
ceived the name oiU hip-pocr Will on account of its note: but it
really founds IVi/eri-rwip, laying the flrefs on the laft fyllable, and
Hiding lightly over the fecond. It fits on the bufhes, the fence-
rails, or the Heps of houfes, where the infefts are moll abundant;
it makes a fpring at them as they pafs, and fettles again to renew
its fong. In the l^ate of New York it appears in May, and re-
tires in Auguft.

black ;

G O A T- S U C K E R.

453

black; the belly and the fuperior coverts of the
tail and of the wings, variegated with whltiHi ;
the quills of the tail and of the wings variegated
with deep brown and white; the lower jaw aU
moft featherlefs ; the head, on the contrary, is
over-charged with them; the eye-balls protrude
from the focket about three lines ; the pupil is
whitilh, and the iris orange.

This bird is found in Brazil ; it inhabits the
woods, lives upon infedls, and flies only in |[the

.jight.

Total length fixteen inches ; the bill two
inches, and of a triangular Ihape ; its bafe is
three inches, Ibmewhat hooked, and edged
with long whifkers; the noflrils are placed in
a pretty large groove; the throat is wide; the
tarfus three lines ; the alar extent thirty inches ;
the tail eight inches ; the tongue fmall and tri-
angular ; the ftomach whiti(h, (lightly muf-
cular, containing half-digefted beetles ; the li-
ver red, divided into two lobes, the one on the
right, and the other on the left ; the inteflines
are rolled into many circumvolutions.

The Guira of Marcgrave has two very ob-
vious charaders which are not found in the de-
fcription of Sloane, but which could not have
efcaped fo accurate an obferver. Thefe are
the gold collar and the two middle quills of
the tail, which are much longer than the la-
teral ones : befides, it h fmaller, for Marc-

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454

GOAT- SUCKER.

grave reckons it not to exceed the lark ; and
it is difficult to fuppofe that luch a bird
would meafurc thirty inches acrofs the wings,
as Sloane flates it. There are alfo fome dif-
ferences in the plumage, which confpirc to
fhow that it is a variety from climate. Its
head is broad, flat, and large; its eyes large;
its bill is fmall, with a wide aperture; its body
is round ; its plumage is afh-brown, variegated
with yellow and whitifli ; it has a gold col-
lar tinged with brown ; the edges of the bill,
near its bafe, are befet with long black w bilk-
ers ; the fore toes are conneft^d by a (hort
membrane ; the nail of the mid-toe is indent-
ed ; the wings have fix quills; the tail eight,
including the two middle ones, which projed
beyond the refl.

[A] Specific charafter oi xkt Caprimulgus yamaicenjis : "It is
variegated with longitudinal ferruginous and black llreaks ; the
fpace about its eyes clothed with a difk of plumules j its wings
brown and fpotted ; its tail cinereous, variegated with black fpots
find dark brown ftripes.'*

G O A T- S U C K E R.

455

Mf'Al

IV.
The IBIJAU.

Caprimufgus P' Cliatius, Gmel.
Caprimulgui LraJiUenJis Na:vius^ BrlfT.
Caprimulgus Americanus Minor, Ray.
The Brafilian Coat -fucker. Lath.

^TpHis Brafilian bird has all the chara£lers of
-■' the Goat- fuckers : its head is broad and
flat, its eyes large, its bill fmall, its throad wide ;
its legs fhort, the mid-toe indented on its inner
edge, &c. ; but what is peculiar to it, is the ha-
bit of expanding its tail from time to time. Its
head and all the upper fide of its body are
blackifh, fprinkled with fmall fpots, moftly
white, fome of them tinged with yellow ; the
under fide of its body white, variegated with
black, as in the fparrow-hawk, and its legs are
white.

It is nearly as large as the fwallow ; its
tongue very fiiiail ; its noftrils open ; the tarfus
fix lines ; the tail two inches, and exceeds not
the wings.

VARIETIES of the IBIJAU.

I. The Little Spotted Goat-sucker
OF Cayenne *. It bears a ilrong refemblance

• Ctiprimulgus Cayanenjls, Gmel.
The White-mked Goat-fucker, Lath.
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456

G O AT-S U C K E R.

to tlic IMjau in its lizc, in the length of its
wings, nnd in the prcipoi tions o^ its otlicr dinien-
liuni-i, iind in tlic blackiili call of its plunriagc
ipotb.d ^wiih a lighter colour; thcfb ipots arc
rufous or gray, except on the neck, whofc fore
part has a ibrt of w lute collar, not mentioned by
Maicgiave in his defcriplion of the Ibijaii, and
whicii chiefly diflinguiflies this variety ; the
under fide of the body is alio darker.

Total length eight inches; the bill fifteen
lines, black, befet with fmall briftles ; the tail
two inches and a half.

II. TiiK Great Ibijau *. The difference
of bulk is very confiderable, it being as large as
an vjwl, and its bill lo wide as to admit the
hand; in other refpe6\:s the colours and propor-
tions arc the fame as in the little Ibijau. Marc-
graves 'oes not inform us whether it alfo fpreads
its tail ; nor does he mention that there is a
horn on the fore part of the head and behind it
a fmall tuft, as his figure feems to reprelent.
But it is well known that IMarcgrave's figures
art inaccurate, and that more reliance ought to
be had on the text.

With this fpecies we fhould alfo range the
great Goat-fucker of Cayenne, both on account
of its bulk, and of its plumage, which is fpotted
with black, with fulvous and with white,

* Ctiprimi/lgus Grand! s, Gmel.
Cafrimulgus Brofilienjis Major Navins, BriiT.
The Grand Go.it-fucker, Lath. ,

principally

G O AT-S U C K E R.

457

principally on the back, the wings, and the tail ;
the upper lule of the head and ot the neck, and
the under lide of the body, are ftriped tranf-
verfely with dillcrent fliades of the fame co-
lours; but the general cad of the bread is
browner, and forms a fort of cin»5lurc. M. de
Soni li law one whofc plumage was darker, and
which had been found in the hollow of an ex-
ceeding large tree ; this is its ordinary abode,
but it prefers thofe trees which grow near water.
It is ai: once the largeft of the Cioat-fuckers
known in Cayenne, and the molt folitary.

Total length twenty-one inches ; the bill
three inches long, and as broad, the upper man-
dible has a deep fcalloping on both fides near the
point, the lower mandible fits into thefe fcailops,
and its edges are refleded outwards ; the noftrils
are flat and fliaded by the feathers of the bafe of
the bill, which grow forwards ; the tarfus is
eleven lines, feathered almoft to the toes; the
nails are hookea, hollowed below by a furrow,
w hich is parted into two by a longitudinal ridge ;
the mid-toe is not indented, but is very large,
and appears even more fo on account of a mem-
branous ledge on each fide; the tail nine inches,
a little tapered ; the wings proje<ft fome lines
beyond it.

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458

GOAT- SUCKER.

The SPECTACLE GOAT-SUCKER,
or the HALEUR.

Cal^rimul^tis /Imc^uanux^ Linn. Gmcl. and Dor.
, Cnpnmulgui Jomniitn/ii, Bri fi". .in J Ray.
Uirundj y tmaiif Jis, Klein.
The Soeccb-Ou/, Urown.
The Sma/I ff'o^J-Oui, Sloanc.
The American Goat/ucker, Lath.

V. iHflt'

/-|-VHE protuberant noflrils of this bird have
* fomc rcfcmblancc to a pair of fpcdlacles,
and hence its name of Spe^acle Goat/ucker (En-
joulevent ^ Lunettes) : that of Halcur evidently
alludes to its cry.

This Goat-fucker lifves upon infeds, like all
the others ; and, in its internal conformation, it
refembles the guira of Sloane, with which it
conforts : it inhabits both Jamaica and Guiana ;
its plumage is variegated with gray, with black,
and with the colour of ^• -ihered leaves; its bill
is black ; its legs brown ; .uid there is abund-
ance of feathers in the head and under the
throat.

The length, according to Sloane, is fcvea
inches; the bill is fmall but wide; the upper
mandible fomcwhat hookel, three lines long
(reckoning, no doubt, from the root of the
feathers on the front) edged with black whifk-

ers;

GOAT-SUCKER.

4S9

crs ; the tarfus, together with the foot, eigh-
teen lines; the ah\r extent ten inches [A].

'■I ■• V

' I

VJ.

The VARIEGATED GOAT-SUCKER
of CAYENNE.

Caprimulgus CayanninJIs, Gmel.
The IVhite-niclied Goat-fuchr» Lath.

ALL the birds of this genus arc variegated, but
this is more lb than the reH:; it is the moft
common in Cayenne ; it frequents the planta-
tions, the roads, and other cleared parts. When
on the ground it utters a feeble cry, attended
conftantly with a Ihivering of the wings, and
refembling the croaking of thr toad : It has alfo
another cry like the barking of a dog. It is not
fhy, and when feared, it never flies to any
great diftance.

The head is delicately ftripcd with black on
a gray ground, with fome (hades of rufous ; the
upper fide of the neck is ftriped with the fame
colours, but not fo nicely : on each fide of the
head are five parallel bars, ftriped with black
on a rufous ground; the throat is white, and

[A] Specific charafler of the Caprimulgut Americanm i "Its
noftrils are tubulated and projefting.**

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460

GOAT- SUCKER.

alfo the fore part of the neck ; the back Is flriped
acrofs with blackirti on a rufous ground ; the
breaft and belly are flriped alfo, but lefs regu-
larly, and Iprinkled with a few white fpots;
the lower belly and the thighs arc whitifli, fpot-
ted with black ; the fniall and middle coverts
of the wings are variegated with rufous and
black, fo that rufous predominates on the fmall
ones, and black on the middle ones ; the great
ones are terminated with white, which forms a
crofs bar of that colour; the quills of the wings
are black ; the five flril: marked with white
two thirds or three fourths of their length ;
the fuperior coverts and the two middle quills
of the tail are flriped acrofs with blackifh on a
gray ground, clouded with blacky the lateral
quills edged with white ; and this edging is
broader as the quill is more exterior; the iris
is yellow, the bill black, and the legs yellovvifli-
brown.

Total length about feven inches and a half;
the bill ten lines, befet with briftles ; the tarfus
five lines ; the tail three inches and a half,
and projeding about aa mch beyond the wings.

GOAT- SUCKER.

VII.

461

THE

SHARP-TAILED GOAT-SUCKER.

L*Engoule-vent Acutipenne de la Guyana, BufF.
Cafrimu/gus Acutus^ Gmel.

/T^iiis bird differs from the preceding not only
-■' in its dimeniion?, but iii the fliape of its
tail feathers, which are pouited. It is diftln-
guifhed alfo by the colours of its plumage. The
upper furface of the head and neck is flriped
tranfverfely, but not delicately, with tawny
brown and black ; the fides of the head are va-
riegated with the fame colours, only rufous pre-
dominates; the back is ll:riped with black on a
gray ground, and the under furface of the body
on a rufous ground ; the wings are nearly as in
the preceding fpecles ; the quills of the tail are
flriped acrofs with brown on a pale cloudy
rufous, terminated with black, but a little white
precedes this black tip ; the bill and legs are
black.

It is faid ti.at thefe birds fometimes afTociate
with the bats ; which is not very extraordinarv,
fince they leave their retreats at the fame hours,
and purfue the lame prey. Probably thefr are
the fame with the fniall Ipecies tnentioned by
M. de la Borde, which nclUe like the wood

pigeons.

■ '■ ir

462

G O A T- S U C K E R.

pigeons, the turtles, &c. in Oflober and No-
vember, that is, two or three months before
the rainy feafon, which begins about the fif-
teenth of December, and during which moft cf
the birds breed.

Total length about feven. inches and a half;
the tail three inches, confiding of ten equal
quills, and projedling a few lines beyond the
wings.

VIII.
The GRAY GOAT-SUCKER.

CatrhntJgus Gri/eus, Ginel.

I SAW in Mandult's cabinet a Goat- fucker from
Cayenne much larger than the preceding; it
had more gray in its plumage, and its propor-
tions were fomewhat different, and the quills of
the tail were not pointed. The quills of the
wings were not fo black as in the preceding
fpecies, and were llriped acrofs with gray;
thofe of the tail were ftriped with brown on a
gray ground variegated with brown, without
any white fpots ; the bill was brown above,
and yellowifti below.

Total length thirteen inches ; the bill twenty
lines ; the tail five hues and a quarter, and pro-
jeding a little beyond the wdngs.

GOAT- SUCKER.

463

IX.
The MONTVOYAU of GUIANA.

Cafrimulgus Guiane'^Jis, Gmel.
The Guiana Goct-Jucker, Lath,

MONTVOYAU is the cry of this bird, which
pronounces diftinclly the three iyliables,
and repeats them very often in the evening
among the bullies. Like the European Goat-
fucker, it has a white foot on each of the five
firil: quills of the win[!^, of which the ground is
black, and another white fpot or bar which rifes
from the corner of the bill, and flretches for-
wards, but extends alfo under the neck, in
• jih circumdance it diiters ; and befides it has
*t* general more of the fulvous and rufty co-
lours in its plumage, which is almofl: wholly
variegated with thefc two colours ; yet thefe
affume different (hades and modifications in dif-
ferent parts ; crofs (Iripes on the lower region of
the body, and the middle quills of the wings ;
longitudinal ftripes on the upper fide of the head
and neck; oblique flripes on the top of the back;
and laftly, there are irrepular fpots on the reft
of the upper fide of the body, v/herc the ful-
vous aflumes a gray caft.

Total length nine inches ; the bill nine lines
and a half, befet with briil:les ; the tarfus naked ;
middle nail indented on its outfide, the tail tiiree
inches, exceeding the wings one inch.

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464

GOAT-SUCKER,

The RUFOUS GOAT. SUCKER of

CAYENNE.

Caprimulgus Rufus, Gmel.

RUFOUS clouded with blackifli forms almoft
all the ground of the plumage; and black
varioufly intenfe conftitutes its whole orna-
ment : it is difpofcd in longitudinal, oblique,
irregular bars, on- the head and the upper lide
of the body ; it makes a fine irregular tranf-
verfe flriping on the throat, a little broader on
the fore part of the neck, the under fide of the
body, and of the lc<];s ; then a little broader on
the fuperior coverts and on the inner edge of
the wing near its extremity ; laftly, broadef!:
of all on the quills of the tall. Some fpots arc
fcattercd here and there on the body, both above
and below. In general, blackilh predominates
on the top of the belly ; rufous on the lower
belly, and ftill more on the inferior coverts of
the tail ; the middle part of the great quills of
the wings prefcnts fmall fijuares alternately ru-
fous and black, checkered almoft as regularly as
fpots on a chefs board ; the iris is yellow, the
bill light brown, and the legs fle(h coloured.

Total length ten inches and a half; the bill
twenty-one lines; the tail four inches and two
thirds, exceeding the wings lix hues.

5 I have

G O A T-S U C K E R.

46s

1 have feen atM.Mauduits' a Goatfucker, froi:n
Louifiana, of the fame fize with this, and very
iimilar, only the crofs (Iripes had more inter-
vening fpaces, and the rufous was lighter, which
formed a kind of collar ; the reft of the under
fide of the body was ftriped as in the preceding ;
the bill black at the point, and yellowifli at the
bafe.

Total length eleven inches ; the bill t\vo
inches, edged with eight or ten ftifF briftles,
bending forward ; the tail five inches, and pro-
jeding a very little beyond the wings.

VOL. VI.

H k

■ -I'f'i

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k'I:!

'^t

'«l

466

SWALLOW.

» . . -5 . .. „

The SWALLOWS*.

WE have feeii that the goat-fuckers may
be reckoned night Swallows, and that
the only efl'ential difference between them and
the real Swallows confifts in the exceflivc deli-
cacy of their eyes, and its influence on their
llru^lure and habits. In both tribes of birds
the bill is fmall, and the throat wide ; the legs
fliort, and the wings long ; the head flat, and
the neck fcarce vifible ; and both live upon in-
fe(5ls which they catch in the air. But, i. The
Swallows have no bridles about the bill ; the
nail of the mid-toe is not indented ; their tail
contains two more quills, and, in moll of the
fpecies, it is forked 5 and they are in general
fmaller than the goat-fuckcrs.

2. Though the colours are nearly the fame

• In Hebrew, jf^ur, Sus, Chauraf, T&artaf, Chatas, Chataf: in
Greek, the Swallow is denominated X^^K^i^*, derived perhaps f'ronv
;(;£t^of, toe check, and ^»k;w, to ivhirl\ alluding to their rapid flutter,
and the continual motion of their bill. It had the epithets xwliA/;,
chatterer i ehoXvym, moaner i ouw.vnU^-n^ fiuift-iMtnged. The Latin,
Hirundo, was firft written hehndo, and evidently borrowed from
yiK^^m. In Italian it is termed Rondina, Rondinelia, Cefila: In
Spanifti, Golondrina, Andorinha: In German, Schwalbe: In Swifs,
^chvjahn: In Flemilh, Suahve : In Swedifli, Sivala: In Poliih,
Jajkotka, The Englifh word Sivallo'w perhaps comes from the
verb, but more probably from the German Sc/j-wal3e, which is fof-
tened in the parent Saxon into Sava/e. The French HirouddU is
•vidently formed from the Latin Hirundo,

™lt ''T'^'im

S W A L L O W. 467

iu both, confifting of black, of brown, of gray,
of white, and of rufous, they are difpo^ed in
large fpots 011 the Swallows, and better con-
trafted ; and the plumage has a bright varying
glofs.

3. The goat-fuckers entangle the night-flies
with the vifcous faliva that trickles within
their mouth ; but the Swallows, and alio the
martins, fnrrn tl' 'inged inlccls, ■ ;;' the fud-
den clolins: ot tlieii i^dl occafions a fort of crack-
ing noife.

4. The Swallows are more focial than the
goat-fuckers ; they often gather in numerous
flocks; and in certain circumllanccs they lend
mutual affiftance, as in building their nefts,

5. Jn this conftruclion they generally dif-
play much attention and art ; and if a few fpe-
cies lay in the holes of walls, or in fuch as they
form in the ground, they choofe excavations of
a fufficient depth to afford protection for their
young, and they provide whatever will contri-
bute to convenience, warmth, and eafe.

6. The manner in which the Swallows fly
tllfFers in two principal points from that of the
goat-fuckers. It is not attended with that
whirring noife which I have before mentioned,
becaufe the bill is not kept open : and though
their wings feem not better calculated for mo-
tion, they wheel with much greater boldnefs,
celerity, and continuance ; becaufe the diftinCl-
nefs of their vifion permits them to exert all

Uh 2, their

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408

SWALLOW.

their force. They live habitually in the air,
and perform their various fun£lions in that ele-
ment. The flight of the fvv allow is perhaps
lefs rapid than that of the falcon, but it is cafier
and more unreftrained ; the one darts forward
with vigour, the other glides fmoothly through
the air : ihe (boots in every dire<5tion to furvey,
as it were, her aerial domain ; and her (brill
(lender notes exprefs the cheerfulnefs of her
condition : fometin:ies (he purfucs the fluttering
infe£ls, and nimbly follows their devious wind-
ing tracks, or leaves one to hunt another, and
fnaps a third as it paflTes : fometimes (he efcapes
the impetuofity of the bird of prey by the quick
flexures of her courfe. She can always com-
mand her fwifteft motion, and in an infl:ant
change its direction ; and (he defcribes lines fo
mutable, fo varied, fo interwoven, and fo con-
fufed, that they can hardly be pictured by
words.

7. The Swallows feem not to be peculiar to
either continent, and as many fpecies nearly
are diffufed through the old as through the new.
They are found in Norway and in Japan *, on
the coafts of Egypt and thofe of Guinea, and at
the Cape of Good Hope f. What country is
inacce(Iible to their eafy fwift courfe? But fel-
dom they remain the whole year in the fame
climate ; thofe of Europe continue only during

Ksmpfer.

t Villaut and Kolben.

the

SWALLOW.

4^9

the fummer months, appearing at the vernal
equinox, and retiring at the autumnal. Arif-
totle, who wrote in Greece, and Pliny, who
copied him in Italy, afl'ert that the Swallows
pafs into the milder climates to winter, when
thefe are not very diftant ; but that, in other
cafes, they feek a lodgment in the u .m fliel-
tered dales. Ariftotle adds that many of them
have been found thus concealed with not
a {ingle feather on their body *. This opi-
nion, countenanced by the authority of great
names, and fupported by fa£ls, became popu-
lar, infomuch that even poets drew their com-
parifons from it f . Several modern obferva-
tions feemed to confirm it| ; and, with fome
modifications, it might have been brought to
the truth. But a bilhop of Upfal, Olaus Mag-
nus, aad a Jefuit, named Kircber, amplifying
the aflertion of Ariftotle, already too general,
have afferted that, in the northern countries,
the fiftiermen often find in their nets heaps of
Swallows grouped together and clofe entan-
gled with each other, bill to bill, feet to feet,

• Arift. HiJi.Anm, Lib. VIII. 12 and 16. Plin. HiJi,Nat,
Xiib. X. 24.

•}• Fel quails gelidis, pJuma labente, pruinis
Arkoris i minor it ur trunco hrumalii hirundo.

Claud.
\ Albertus, Auguftinus Nyphus, Gafpar Heldclin, and fome
pthers, aver that they frequently found during wintei , in Germany,
Swallows torpid in hollow trees, and even in their nefts, y/hich is
not abfolutely impoilible,

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470

SWALLOW.

and wings to wings ; that when thefe birds arc
carried to ftoves they quickly recover from their
torpor, but die Toon after ; and that none fur-
vive the renovation of their vital powers, ex-
cept fuch as gently feel the growing warmth
of the leafon, and, rifing flowly from the bot-
tom of the lakes, arc, with all the fucccflive
gradations, reilored by nature to their true ele-
ment. This alicrtioii has been repeated, cm-
bellilhed, and loaded with more extraordinary
circumllanccs; and, as if it were not I'ufficient-
ly marvellous, fome have added that, about the
beginning of autumn, thefe birds plunge, in
crowds into the wells and ciftcrns*. 1 mud
confefs, that many authors and other perlbns,
relpcvflable by their chara^fter or rank, have be-
lieved in this phnenomcnon. Linnaeus himlelf
has given a fort of faiiclion to it by his autho-
rity ; only Lc retbidls it to the chimney Swal-
low and the common martin, but docs not impute
it to the fand martin, which was more natural.
On the other hand, the number of iiaturalilts
who reject the opinion is fully as great -f ; and
their proofs feem to be mucl"* more cogent. I
know that it is fometimes imprudent to judge
of a particular h&: by what are called the ge-
neral laws of nature j becaufe thefe, being fouud-

• /'. u9»t Tolentinus.
4- Marfipii, Ray, W'illiighby, Catefby, Collinfon, Wager, Ed-
ward^, Rcauniar, Adinifon, Frifch, Tc-rdorf, Lottingcr, Vallilnioi,
the authors of the Italian Ornithology, &c,

S W A L L O W.

47 »

ed oil obfervation, are true only fo far as they
comprehend all the fads; but the fubmcrnoii
of Swallows appears by no means afceitaincd ;
and I (hall here ftate my reaibns.

Moft of thofe who atteft this marvellous tale%
particularly Hevelius and SchoefFcr, who were
appointed by the Royal Society of Loudon to
examine and weigh the proofs, adduce nothing
but vague repoi:ts -j-, and a fufpicious tradition,
to which the v^'ork of Olaus Magnus might
have sfiven oriejin. Even thofe who aifert their
having feen the phicnomcnon, as EtmuUcr,
Wallerius, and fome others J, only repeat the
words of the bi(hop of Upfal, without joining
any circumftantial remarks which give proba-
bility to a relation.

If it were true that all the Swallows which

• SchocfFer, Hevelius, Aldrovandiis, Ncander and B;irtius, Ge-
rard, Schvvcnckfcld, Rxaczyiu'ki, Dorham, Klein, Regnard, EIUj,
Linnaeus, &c. We might enlarge the lill, bui the number of par-
tifans in reality weakens the opinion which they maintain ; fmce
among fo many obfcrvers not one can produce a fmgle circumltan-
tial and authentic fad.

t See Philofophical Tranfaftions, No. lo, and judge if the Royal
Society ever verihed the fa£l, as aflertcd by the journalills of Trc-
voux, the Abbe Pluche, and fonie others.

X Chambers cites Dr. Colas, who fays that he faw fixtecn fwal-
lows taken out of the lake Sameroth, thirty taken out of the Royal
Pool at Rofineilen, and two others at Schledeitcn, the moment
they came out of the water : he adds that they were very wet and
fec'blr, and that he had obfervcd that thefc birds are ufually very
weak on their firlt appearance. JJut this is contrary to daily ob-
fervation ; befides Dr. Colas mentions neither the fpecies, nor the
date, nor the circumftances, 6cc,

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471

SWALLOW.

inhabit a country plunge into the water or mud
annually iu Odober, and rife from their fub-
aqueous bed in the following April, there mufl
have been frequent opportunities of obferving
them, cither in the inftant of their immerfion,
or, what is much more curious, in the moment
of their cmerfion, or during their long repofe
at the bottom of the pool. The(e would have
been notorious fadts, confirmed by the united
teftimony of perfons of all conditions, by filher-
men, hunters, farmers, travellers, Ihepherds,
mariners, &c. No one doubts that the mar-
mots, the dormice, and the hedge-hogs, deep
benumbed during the winter in their holes ; no
one doubts that the bats pals that cold feafon in
the fame torpid ftate, clinging to the roofs of
fubterrancous caves, and muffled in their wings.
But it is hard to believe that Swallows can live
fix months without breathing, and all that time
under water. Their emerfion has never been
obfervcd*, though, if it were true, it mufl:
happen frequently in the feafon when the pools
arc filhed. The account is fufpedled even on
the (horcs of the Baltic : Dr. Halmann, a Ruf-
fian, and M. Brown, a Norwegian, who were
at Florence, affured the authors of the Italian
Ornithology that, in their northern climates, the
Swallows appeared and retired at the fame times

• I know that Heerkens, in his poem entitled Hirundo, has de-
fcribed in Latin verfes this emerfion; but ^t prcfent we have no-
tliiog to do with poetical defcfiptions.

SWALLOW.

473

as in Italy, and that their pretended fubmcrfiou
under water was a fable current only among the
vulgar.

M. Tefdorf of Lubcc, a man who joins much
philofophy to extenfive and various information,
has written to the Count de ButFon, that, not-
withftanding forty years attention to the fub-
jc»5t, he could never fee a fnigle Swallow drawn
out of the water.

M. Klein, who has been at fuch pains in fup-
porting the opinion of immcrfion arul emerfioii
of Swallows, confefl'es that he was never for-
tunate enough to catch them in the fadl *.

M. Hermann, a learned profefi'or of naiural
hillory at Stralburgh, and who feems even to
lean to Klein's idea, owns to me in his le vc*'\s,
that he was never gratified with a fight cf tiie
fuppofed phenomenon.

Two other obfervers of the mod: undoubted
authority, M. Hebert and the Vifcount Q^uer-
hoent, affure me that they knew the lubmer-
fion of Swallows only from hearlay, and could
never verify it by their own obfervatiotis.

Dr. Lottinger, who has much Ihidicd the
economy of birds, and who cir; > not always
coincide with me in opinion, regards this fub-
merfion as an incredible para<U)x.

In Germany, a reward of an equal weight of

• In Nivernois, Morvand, Lorraine, and many other provinces
where pools abound, the people have no idea of the immerAon of

the Swallows.

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filver

474

SWALLOW.

filler was ofFered publicly to whoever fliould
produce Swallows found under water ; yet no
perfon ever claimed the prize *.

Many perfons of learning or rank-f-, who be-
lieved in this ftrange phaenomenon, and wiflied
to perfuade others, offered to exhibit clufters of
Swallows ilflied up in winter, but never ful-
filled their promife.

Klein produces certificates ; but almoft ?ll of
them are ligned by a fingle perfon, and refer
only to one occurrence, which happened long
prior, and either founded upon mere report, or
feen when the obfervcr was a child. They
feem to be fer vilely copied from the text of Ola-
us, and want thofe little minute incidents which
mark an oriirinal relation ; and this uncertainty
alone is fufficient to overturn the aflertion j.

But it is not enougii that we invalidate the
proofs on which this paradox reds, we mud:
Ihew that they are inconfiftent with the known
laws of animal economy. When any quadru-
ped or bird has once breathed, and ihc for anuii
ovalc^ which in xhcfcctus formed the communi-
cation between the two ventricles of the heart,
is fliut, refpiration becomes ever after necefiary

• Frlfch.

f A Grand Mardial of Poland and an AmbafTador of Sardinia
had promifed them to M. de Reaumur ; the Governor of R. and
many others had promifed thtm to ?J. de Cuffon.

X The periodical p Micitions have alfo recorded obfcrvations fa-
vourable to the hypothecs of Klein; but the Icall examination of
them will convince us that they are incomplete und indecifivs.

S W A L T. O W.

475

to the continuance of life. Swallows kept un-
der water, with all the due precautions, die in
a few minutes*, and even when ihut up in an
ice-houfe f , do not furvive many days; how
then could they live fix months at the bot-
tom of a lake ? I know that in feme animcds
this may be poffible; but fliall we, as Klein has
done, compare the Swallo\\'s to infects t, to
frogs, or to filhcs, which have their internal
(lru6ture fo different ? Shall we infer that, if
marmots, dormice, hedge-hogs, and bats, con-
tinue, as wehavejuft (aid, torpid in winter, the
Swallows will alio in a fmiilar ilate outlive the
rigours of the leafons? But not to nucntion,
that thefe quadrupeds can be lupported bv re-
abforptioii of the fuperabundant fat with which
they are provided in the autumn, and which is
wanting to the Swallows ; not to mention the
low temperature of their bodies, as obferved by
the Count de Bufibn, in which refpc6t they
differ from the Swallow § ; not to mention, that

they

• See the Italian Ornithology, /. Ith p. 6. The authors affcrt
pofuively that all the Svvallows which they plunged into water,
even at the time of their difappearance, expired in a few minutes;
and though thefe recent drowned Swallows might have been recO'
vered, yet if they had lain fome days, and ftill more, fcveral weeks
or months, they would have been totally pall recovery,

t This experiment was made by the Count dc iiuftjn.

X Caterpillars die in water after a certain time, as M. de Reau-
mur prove-.l ; and the fame is prcbablv the cafe with other infeds
tliat have tr-ichs-s.

§ Dr. Martrn found the heat of birds, and particularly that

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476

SWALLOW.

they often perirti in their holes when the rigours
of the feafbn are of uncomnjon duration, and
that the hedge-hogs are alfo torpid in Senegal,
where the winter is hotter than our fineft fum-
mers, but where the Swallows are perpetually
a£live * : I Ihall only obferve, that thefe qua-
drupeds are in air, and not under water; that
they can ftill breathe, though numbed ; and that
the circulation of the blood and of other flu-
ids, though more fluggifh than ufual, goes on
m the fame manner. Nay, according to the
C'biei vations of Vallifnieri, thefe fun^ftions are
p^i formed ia frogs, which fleep through the
winter in the bottom of marfhes. But circula-
tion is effefted by a different mechanifm in am-
phibious animals from that in quadrupeds or in
birds "f-. In thefe, refpiration is eflential to life.

There

of Swallows, to exceed two or three degrees that of the warmcil
quadrupeds. See his Ejfay on '■Thermometersm

• Confult Aianfon's Voyage to Senegal.
'' f The circulation of the blood in quadrupeds and in birds is no-
thing but the perpetual motion of that fluid, determined by the
fyftolc (or contraftion) of the he:u't, to pafs from its right ventri-
cle, through the pulmonary artery, into the left ventricle ; to pnis
from this ventricle, which has alfo its fyllolc, through the truni; of
the arrfa and its hranches, into all the reft of the body ; to return
by the branches of their veins into their common trunk, which is the
*vena ca'vu ; and finally into the right auricle of the heart, where it
again begins to repeat its round. From this mechanifm it fol-
lows that, in quadrupeds and in birds, refpiration is neceflary to
open for the blood the paffage through the breaft, and conftcjuciitly
is necefl*ary to circulation ; whereas in the amphibious animals, as
the heart has only a fmgle ventricle, or fcveral ventricles which,

communicating

S W A L L O W.

477

There is a well-known experinfient of Dr.
Hook's : having ftrangled a dog, and having
made incifions in the rihs, in the diaphragm,
in the pericardium, and in the top of the wind-
pipe, he renewed or flopped, as often as he
plealed, the vital a6lion, by blowing into the
lungs or clofing the paflage. It is impoflible,
therefore, that Swallows or ftorks, for they alfo
have been ranked among the diver-birds*, could
live fix months under water without any com-
munication with the external air ; the more fo,
as this feems to be neceflary even for fifties and
frogs, which is evinced by feveral experiments
that I have lately made.

Often frogs, which were found beneath the
ice on the fecond of February, I put three of
the livelieft into three glafs vefl'els full of water,
where they could move freely, but not rife to
the furface, though a part of this even was

communicating with each other, perfofm the funftron of one, the
lungs afford not a paflage to the whole mafs of blood, but only re-
ceive a quantity fufficient for their nourifhment ; and by confequence
their motion, which is that cf refpiration, is much lefs neceflary
to that of circulation. This inference is confirmed by experiment :
a tortoife, which had the trunk of its pMlmonary artery tied, lived,
and its blood continued to circulate for the fpace of four days,
though its lungs were open and cut in feveral places. See Animaux
de Perrault, fart II. p. 1 96,

* i'w Schwenckfeld, A'viarium Sile^a, p. 181. Klein, Ordo Avi-
vm, pp. 217,226, 288, tsf229. St. Cyprian, foff/ra Bodi*ttm,p, 1459.
\jVX\izr,Cotnme7it. adGene/. cap. L But Haflelquift, when in the
neighbourhood of Smyiiia, faw about the beginning of March the
iiorks pafs in their way to the north.

immediateljr

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S W A L L O AV.

immediately in contact with the external air.
Three others were thrown, at the fame time,
each into an earthen pot half-filled with water,
and permitted to breathe at the furface ; and
the four remaining ones were placed together at
the bottom of a large open empty veflcl.

I had previoufly noticed their refpiration,
both in air and in water, and found it to be very
irregular*. When flittered to fwim about at
will, they often rofe to the furface, and even
protruded their nolTrils : I could then perceive
a vibratory motion in the throat correiponding
nearly to the alternate dilatation and contraction
of the noibils. As foon as they plunged again
into the water, both motions fuddenly ceafed.
If haftily forced to defcend, they (hewed a ma-
nifeft uneafmefs, and allowed a number of air-
bubbles to efcape. The vellel was filled with
water to the brim, and covered by a weight of
twelve ounces; yet the frog, to get air, pufhcd
off the cover. The three fro'jis which were
kept under water condantly flruggled hard to
gain the furface, and they all died, the one in
twenty-four hours, and the others in thecourfe
of two days f. But of the icvcn others, five

eicaped,

* •* Frogs, tortolfcs, and falamanJers, fomctimcs fwcll t\v:*n-
felvcs fuddenly, and i-emain in that ll.ite ... a full quarter of an
hour: fomctimcs they fuddenly make an entire expiration, and re-
main very long in that ftate." Animaux dt Pcrrau't, part II.
^. 272.

I It is proper to remark that frogs are very vivacious, that they

can

SWALLOW.

479

air.
imc,
ater,

and
ler at

ation,
I very
)Ut at

even
;rceivc
ending
raclion
1 asaln
ceafed.
I a ma-
I of air-
d with
fight of

pulhed
ii were

hard to
one in
couiTe

rs, iive

Heaped,

i\vcll thcra-
Irtcr of :m
Ion, and rc-
\'t, part IL

|s, that they
can

efcaped, and the remahihig two, which had
been allowed both air and water, are male and
female, and, at prelent (22d April, 1779) more
lively than ever ; fince the lixth the female has
layed about one thoufand three hundred, eggs.

The fame experiments were made with equal
attention on nine fmall fiflies of feven different
fpecies, viz. the gudgeon *, the 'bleak -f, the
barbel J, the minow §, the bull-head | , the
do2:-fi(h -[-, and another known bv the name of
bouziere in Burgundy. Eight of the firft fix
fpecies having been held under water died in Icfs
than twenty-four hours ** ; but thofe which
were kept in fimilar bottles, and permitted to
rife to the furfice, lived, and retained their
ufual vivacity. The bouziere indeed lived longer
under water than the reit, and I found that the

can endure a month's abftinence, and that they (how motion and
life feveral hours after their heart .ind bowels are detached fron;
their body. See Colleftion Acadcmique. Hiji. Kat. t. /. /. 320.
* Cjprinus-Gobio, Linn. f Cyprians /Hlmrnu?,

J Cypriniis Birhus, § C\pri/ius-P/joxifi!<s,

II Coitus Go!>io. 4- ^I't'ilus-Caniciila,

*• The bl«ak died in three hours, the two little barbels in £ix
hours and a half J one of the gudgeons in feven hours, the other
in twelve hours, the minow in feven hours and a half, the bull-
head in fifteen hours, the doa.fiih in twenty-three hours, and the
^a«s:/:;v in near four days. The fame filhcs, kept in air, die ia
this order : the bleahs in thirty-five or forty four minutes, the
louzicre in. forty-four, thedogfilh in fifty or fifty-two, the bar-
bels in fifty or fixty, one of the minows in two hours and forty-
eight minutes, tlic other in three liours, one of the gudgeotis in
an hour and forty-nine minutes, the other in fix hours and twen-
ty two minutes. Tlie biggert of thcfe iifli did not meafurc twenty
hnts from the eye to the tail.

one

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48o

SWALLOW.

one which was not confined appeared feldom at
the lurface j and it is probable that thefe fiflies
refide more conflantly than the others at the
bottom of brooks, which implies fome differ-
ence of ftru»5lure *'. However, it often tried to
reach the furface, and, on the fecoiid day, it
feemed uneafy and opprefled, its refpiration
grew laborious, and its fcales pale and whit-
iflif.

But it will appear more extraordinary, that
of two carps J equal in fize, the one, which
was kept conftantly under water, lived a third
fhorter time than the other, which was not put
into water, though in its flouncing it had fallen
from a chimney-piece four feet to the ground §.
And in two other experiments compared toge-
ther and made on larger barbels than employed
before, thofe kept in the air lived longer, and

* This , fifti was Tmalter than a little bleak ; it had feven fins,
die fcales on the upper fide of the body yellowifh, edged with
brown, and thofe of the under fide refembling mother of pearl.

f Such is the general appearance of fiflies dying under water j
but it is greatly inferior to thofe Angular changes of c6lour exhi-
bited at the death of a fifh, known formerly to the Romans by the
name oi Mullui (mullet), whofe hues afforded entertainment to the
gluttons of thofe days (proceresguLe). See Pliny, fliJL Nr' Lib. IX.
17, and Seneca, ^<eji. Nat. Lib, III. 18. [Nothing can be more
beautiful than the fucceflivc changing tints that appear on the fur-
face of the expiring dolphin, and the gradual progrefs of the final
livid hue, from the extremities to the head j a fpedacle which I
have frequently witnefled. T.]

{ CyprinuS'Carpio, Linn.

§ The firft lived eighteen hours under water, the fccond twenty-
feven hours in the air.

fomc

SWALLOW. 481

fome twice as long as thofe confined under wa-
ter*.

It may be objc^Sled, that, as frogs are found
beneath ice, they may fubfilt a confidcrable
time without air. But it is well known that,
v/hen water freezes, the air ul'ually contained
in it is difen gaged, and gatl^ers below the fuper-
ficial cruft ; fo that the frogs may fl:ill inhale
the vital breath.

If, therefore, the foregoing experiments evince
that frogs and fifh cannot exift without air, and
if the experience of all ages and nations proves
that, at certain intervals, at leaft, every amphi-

• Of the two barbels that were left to die out of the water in a
room without a fire, the thermometer being feven degrees above
nought (about 48° r 'arenlieit), the one was a foot long, weighed
thirty-three ounces, ad lived eight hours ; the other mcafured
a little more than nit inches and a half, weighed fevi^iiteen ounce.';,
and lived four heurs aud fcventeen minutes : when^is the two fillies
of (he fame fpecies lived underwater, the one only three hours and
forty-fix minutes, and the other but three hoars aad a quarter.
But fuch was not the cafe with the dog-fi(h, for the largelt, vvhich
was five inches and nine liiiBs long, l!^'ed only three hours in the
air; and the other, which was four inches nine lin.^s, lived three,
hours and three quarters under water. During tne courfe of thefe
obfervations, I thought that I could perceive the a^o^y of tlie fifli
marked by the ceffation of the regular notion of the giil.s and by
a periodical convulfion in thefe organs, whicii retuaned twi:e or
thrice in a quarter of an hour ; the large barbel had thiri; ;en of
thefe in feventy-feven minutes, and the la'i feemcu to kl;:notc the ia-
ftant of its death. In one of the frtiah ones, the final moment was
marked by a convulfion of the ventral hns ; but, in molt of tiiem,
that, of all the external and regular m!)tions, which lafted longeft,
was the mociou of the low er jaw.

VOL. VI. I i bious

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bious animal * whatever requires refpiration ;
how could Swallows, thofe daughters of the
air, which feem deftined to circle in that fub-
tile fluid, live iix mouths without breathing?

An animal which has been lufFocated by
drowning, may frequently indeed be recovered
by ftimulating the lungs, and applying gentle
warmth -f ; but the experiment never fucceeds
unlefs the immerfion is recent. And fuch in-
flances are not at all analogous to the fuppofed
refufcitation of Swallows from the bottoms of
lakes. Their appearance or difappearance has
no relation to the quality of the feafon ; they
leave us in autumn, when the weather is ge-
nerally warmer than in fpring, the period of
their return. In the memorable year 1740 J,
the Swallows made their appearance during the
fevere frofts, and many periftied for want of

* Beavers, tortoifes, falamanders, lizards, crocodiles, hippopota«
Vnufes, whales, as well as frogs, rife often out of the water in order
to refpire. Even fhell-fifh, which are, of all, the mod aquatic, feem
to require air, and mount from time to time to the furface, as in the
pool-mufcle. See Mery in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sci-
ences for 1710,

f 1 have thought it proper to infert this fentence, and omit the
long detail which ]^. de Montbeillard gives of his recoyering, by
the limple applt6ation of heat, a Swallow that had fallen into a ba-
fon of water and was taken out ftifF and apparently dead. The
methods ufed in this country for the recovery of drowned perfons
are well known : warmth, gentle motion, and fridion ; the ap-
plication of ilimulants to the noftrils, the InHation of the lungs,
&c. T.

X Coll. Acad, part, etran, t, XU Acad, ef Stock, /. 51.

food ;

SWALLOW.

483

food ; and in the nnild, and even warm, fpring
of 1 774, *the/" arrived no earlier than uCuah

The opinion that Swallows pafs the winter
under water feems to have ori2:inated in this
way: among the number which flock together
at night among the rufhes and aquatic plants,
on their arrival and previous to their retrcLit,
fome may have been drowned In' accident * ;
and the fifhermen, finding them in their nets,
would carry them to a ftove, and thus reflore
them to life. And a pafilige in Ariftotle in-
duced the learned to afcribe this fubmerfion to
thofeof the northern countries only +, as if the
diflance of four or five hundred leagues would
prove any bar to birds which can fly through
the fpace of two hundred leagues in a day, and
which, by advancing farther fouth, may always
find a milder temperature, and a more abuiidant
provifion of their infedl food. That philofo-
pher indeed believed that the Swallows and
fome other birds lay hid during the winter ; but
his aflertion was too general. There are in-
fiances, however, of chimney-fwallows, faiid-
martins, &c. being feen in mild Vvinters : two
fand-martins were obferved to circle about the
caftle of Mayac, in Perigord, the whole of the
27th of December, 1775, when there was a
foutherly wind, attended with light rain : ' I

* In futnmer they are fometimes found drowned in the meers.
t Hift. Anim. Lib, VIU. 12 ^ 16.

1^2 have

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SWALLOW.

have a certificate figned by many rcfpe£table
names to atteft this hd:. Thefe had, no doubt,
been detained by late hatching, or wcfw young
birds unable to perform the migration, but for-
tunate enough to obtain a convenient retreat, a
warm feafon *, and the proper food. Some
fuch occurrences, which are probably more fre-
quent in Greece than in the north of Europe,
might difpofe Ariftotle to think that all the fpe-
cies of Swallows remained concealed and dor-
mant, during the winter months. Klein af-
ferts, in fa£t, that the fand-martins lie torpid
in their holes -f- ; and thefe are often feen in the
winter at Malta, and even in France. M. de
BufFon conje£lured that the fand-martins are lefs
afFe6led by cold than the other Swallows, fince
they haunt the brooks and rivers; and that, as
they are probably of a colder temperament, and
conllru£t their holes like thofe animals which
fleep during the winter, they alfo undergo the

* In this year, 1 775, the autumn was fine and not cold in that part
of Burgundy where I live, which is two degrees more northerly
than Perigueux. Of ninety-five days till the 27th of December,
there were only twenty-feven in which the fun did not ihine : the
thermometer never funk more than five or fix degrees b^low
nought (20°* or i8°| Farenheit), and was often five or fix above
that point (43°^ or ^^°j[ F.), even at the end of December: on the
37th, at fun-rife, it was three degrees above. (sB"! F.)

f To thefe are added, the fwifts, the rails, the nightingales, the
warblers; and M. Klein would wilh to join many others. Were
his fyftem realized, the earth could not furnifh caverns enow, ror
the rocks holes. And the more general this hiding be fuppofcd,
tue more wi uld it be notorious. Ute Ordo Avium^ faj/m.

c . fame

SWALLOW.

485

.'.■.■ •
J •

fame ftate of ina^lion. BcGdes, they may find
infcifts in the ground at all fcafons, and can
therefore fubfift when other Swallows muft in-
evitably perifh. Inftances of this kind may
happen ; but we muft not infer that in winter
they generally lodge thus concealed. Collinfon
directed, in England, a bank which was quite
bored by thefe birds to be carefully dug, in the
month of Odober 1757, and ye^ not one could
be found. ,

If, therefore. Swallows (I might fay the fame
of all the birds of paflage) can never obtain un-
der water an afylum congruous to their nature,
we muft return to the moft ancient opinion,
and the moft confonant to obfervation and ex-
perience. When the proper infetls begin to
fail, thefe birds remove into milder climates,
which Itill afibrd that prey, fo neceflary to their
fubfiftence *. This is the general and direct-
ing caui'e of migrations : thofe which live upon
winged infe(fls are the firft to retire, becaufe
their provifions are fooneft deficient : thofe
which feed upon the /arvi:e of ants and other
crawling infeds, find a more lafting fupply, and
are later in difappearing, Thofe birds, again,
whicii eat berries, fmall feeds, and fruits that
ripen in autumn, and hang on the trees the
whole winter, do not arrive until autumn, and
fettle among us the great eft part of the winter.

^ ,.

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SWALLOW.

Thofe which confumc the fame pros If* a: with
man, aiul live upon his fuperfluitics, rt -' n ecu-
flaiitly in our vicinity. J^afUvy when a new
fpecics of culture is introduced into a country,
it in the end occafions new migrations. Thus
after barley, rice, and wheat, were begun to be
cultivated in Carolina, the colonills were fur-
prifed to Ice, regularly every year, numerous
flocks of birds arrive, with which they were
totally unacquainted, and hence denominated
them rice-birds^ wheat'birds *, &c. It is not
unuiual in the American feas to behold immenfe
troops of birds collc£ted to prey on thofe prodi-
gious fvvarms of winged infects which fome-
times darken the air-f. In all cafes, it would
appear, that neither the climate nor the feafon,
but the necefiity of procuring fubfiftence J, di-
rects the birds to migrate from one country to
another, to traverfe the ocean, or to fix their
permanent refidence. . ,

There is another caufe alfo, which influences
the migrations of birds, or at leaft prompts them
to return to their natal abode. Like* all other

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• Phllofophlcal Tranfa£lions, Al?. 483, art* 35.

+ Second Voyage of Columbus.

X It is probable that the migrations of fiflies, and even thofe of
quadrupeds, are fubjeft to the fame law, or rather to a law ftill more
general, which tends to the prefervation of each fpecies and of each
individual : for inllance, I fhould fuppofe that the flying-fifh would
never have employed their gills to fly, if they had not been purfued
by the bonitos, the dorados, and other voracious fifh ; and perhaps
the paflage of birds of prey, which takes place in September, has
fome influence on the departure of the Swallows.

fentient

SWALLOW.

487

fcnticnt beings, they cherifli a partial tcnder-
nefs to the place that gave them birth ; there
they felt their faculties firft expand ; there they
tailed the frefh pleafures of the morning of life:
neceflity compelled them to leave with regret
the delicious fpot ; but its image ftill dwells in
their bofom, and inceflantly awakens the ardent
craving to return and to renew the felicity of
their infant days *. But, not to enter into a
general difcuflion on the fubje^l, it appears that
our Swallows retire in the month of 0£lober to
the fouthern countries ; fince they arc obferved
about that time to leave Europe, and in a few
days are found in Africa, and have even more
than once been met with in their paflage on the
ocean. I know, fays Peter Martyr, that the
Swallows, the kites, &c. migrate from Europe
on the approach of winter, and fpcnd that fea-
fon on the coafts of Egypt. Father Kircher,
that advocate for the fubmerfion of Swallows,
but who confined it to the northern climates,
affirms, from the accounts c»f the inhabitants of
the Morea, that great numbers of Swallows
pafs annually with the ftorks, from Egypt
and Lybia, into Europe -f. Adanfon tells us

that

• In that part of Lybia where the Nile has its fource, the Swal-
lows and the kites are flationary, and remain the whole year. He'
rcdotui, Lib. II, The fame thing is faid of fome diftridb of Ethio-
pia. There may be migratory and flationary Swallows in th ; famo
country, as at the Cape of Good Hope.

f See the Mundui Subterraneus of this Jefuit. Thcfe two laft fads

I i 4. confirm

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SWALLOW.

that the Chimiie^^-fwallows arrive at Senegal

about the ninth or Ot£tober, and retire again in

the i'pring ; and that, on the 6th of 0(5i:ober,

when he was hi'tv leajues off the coaft, between

the iflaS'd of Guree and Senegal, there alighted

on his veiid four birds, which he found to be

real European Swallows ; and he adds that they

were latigued, and fuffered themfelves to be

caught. In 1765, nearly in the ^ame feafon,

the Company's ihip, Pcnthievre^ was over-

fpread, between the coaft of Africa and the Cape

de Verd iflands, by a flight of white rumped

Swallows (martins), which probably came from

Europe *. Leguat, who was on the fame feas

on the 1 2th of November, alfo obferved four

Sv/allows which followed his vefl'el feveii days,

as far as Cape Verd. We may .remark that this

is precifely the time when bees fwarm profufely

in Senegal, and when the gnats called marin-

gouins are moft troublefome : in fa£i:, this is the

end of the rainy feafon, when humidity and

"warmth at once favour the multiplication of

infedls, efpecially fuch as the maringouins,

which hover about wet places f . Chriftopher

confirm my notion, vhat, even in warm countries, there is a feafon
for the generation of infeifls, of thofe at leaft which fupport the
Swallows.

• Note communicated by the Vifcount de Querhoent,
f Confult Voyage au^enegaU par M. Adanfon> pp. 36, 82, 139,
141, 1 57. I fee alfo that clouds of graGIioppers fpread over thefe
countries in the month of February {ib. p. 88). Is the generation
of infers there fixed to a particular feafon I

Columbus,

SWALLOW.

489

Columbus, in his fecond voyage, faw one near
his veflels on th^ 24th of December, though
ten days before he difcovered St. Domingo *.
Other navigators have met with them between
the Canaries and the Cape of Good Hope-f*. In
the kingdom of Iffini, according to the miffion-
ary Loyer, multitudes of Swallows arrived from
other countries in O(flobcr and the following:
months J. Edwards allures us that the Swal-
lows leave England in autumn, and that the
Chimney-fwallow kind are found in Bengal §,
Swallows are feen the whole year at the Cape
of Good Hope, fays Kolben, but they are more
numerous in winter ; which fhews that fome
are there permanent fettlers and others migra-
tory, for it cannot well be faid that they fleep
under water or lurk in holes during fummer.
The Swallows of Canada, Father Charlevoix
tells us, are birds of paflage as well as thofe of
Europe. Thofe of Jamaica, according to Dr.
Stubbs, leave the ifland in the winter months,

• Herrera, Lib, 11. i.

t Voyage aux lies de France & de Bourbon. Merlin, 1773.

% Hitt, Gen. des Voyages, /. ///. /. 422.

§ Other obfervers, who have examined more particularly, affirm,
that the Swallows leave England about the 29th of September ;
that their general rendezvous is held on the coafts of Suffolk, be-
tween Orford and Yarmouth ; that they alight on the roofs of
churches, on old walls, &c. ; that they remain feveral days when
the wind is not fair for croffing the fea ; that if the wind changes
during the night, they all difappear at once, and not one can be
found next morning.

though

■'' '"11

490

SWALLOW.

n'<;J

though ever fo warm *. Every body knows
the lingular and happy experiment of Frifch
who faftened a dyed thread to the feet of fome
of thefe birds, and faw them the following year
with this thread not in the leaft difcoloured ;
a fufficient proof that thefe individuals, at leaft,
did not winter under water, and a ftrong pre-
fumption that none of the fpecies ever do. We
may exped that when Afia and certain parts of
Africa are better known, we fhall difcover the
different ilations not only of the Swallows, but
of r oft of the birds which the inhabitants of the
iflands in the Mediterranean perceive every year
advancing or retiring. They cannot under-
take their diftant voyages unlefs they be aflifted
by a favourable breeze ; and when they are fur-
prifed, in the middle of their courfe, by contrary
winds, they become exhaufted with fatigue, and
alight on the firft veflel they meet with, as fe-
veral navigators have witnefled in the fealbn of
migration t' They may fometimes chance to fall
into the fea and perifh in the waves ; and then-
if feafonably fiftied out and properly taken care

• Plulofophical Tranfaftions, No, 56.

t Admiral Wager thus writes Mr. Collinfon: " Returning
home in the fpring of the year, as I cr./.:. into Toundir.gs in our
channel, a great flock of Swallows came and fettled on all my lig-
ging; every rope was covered; they hung on one another like a
fvvarm of bees; the decks and carving v.cre filled with them. 1 hey
feemed almoft familhed and fj^cnt, and were only feathers and
bones ; but being recruited with a night's reftj took their flight in
the morning." The fame thing happened to Mr. Wright, mailer
of a ihip, on his return from Philadelphia,

of,

if'*'
It; y-:

SWALLOW.

491

of, they may be revived. But it is evident that
fuch accidents cannot happen in lakes or narrow
feas. In mod countries the Swallows are held
the friends of men, and very juftly, fince they
deftroy vaft numbers of pernicious infedts. The
goat-fuckers are entitled to the fame regard ;
but themfelves and their benefits are concealed
and neglecSted in evening (hades.

My firft idea was to feparate the martins frongi
the Swallows, and to imitate nature, which has
feparated them by implanting reciprocal antipa-
thies. They are never feen aflbciated together,
though the three fpecies of Swallows join fome-
times in the fame flock. The martins are diflin-
guifliedtoo by their fh. pe, their habits, and their
difpofitions. i. By their fhape : their legs are
(horter, and entirely unfit for walking or for
rifing on the wing from fmooth ground ; be-
fides, their four toes are turned forward, and
each of them has only two phalanges, includ-
ing the nail. 2. By their habits : they arrive
later and retire earlier, though tlicy feem to
Ihun more the heat ; they breed iti the crevices
of old walls, and as high as they can get ; they
build no neft, but line the hoic well with coarfe
litter, in which refpecft they refemble the bank-
fvvallows (fluid-martins) ; when they go a-fo-
raging, they fill their craw with winged infeils
of all kinds, fo that they need to feed their
young only twice or thrice in the day, 3. By

their

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492

SWALLOW.

their difpofitions : they are more (hy and timid
than the Swallows; the infledlions of their
voice are lefs varied, and their inftindt feems
more confined.

Such obvious differences, therefore, fubfift-
ing between thefe birds, I fhould not hefitate
to difcriminate them ; but there are many fo-
reign fpecies, which it would be difficult to
refer each to its proper clafs. It will be more
prudent, then, not to attempt the divifion, but
to arrange them as their exterior conformation
moft readily fuggefts.

Nor (hall we diftinguilh the Swallows of the
old and of the new world, becaufe they ex-
aftly refemble each other, and becaufe the
ocean can prove no barrier to birds that fly
fo fwiftly, and can equally endure every cli-
mate.

iS'v

SWALLOW,

493

The CHIMNEY, or DOMESTIC
' SWALLOW *.

HirunJo RuJ}ica, Linn. Gmel. Klein. &c. &c.
Hiruude Domepca, Ray. Will, and Briff. f

qpHE inftin£t of this bird is really domeftic ;
•*• it prefers the fociety of man ; it neftles on
our chimney-tops, and even within our houfes,
efpecially when thefc are quiet and ftill. If the
houfes be too clofe and the vents covered above,
as they are in Mantua and in mountainous coun-
tries, on account of the great falls of fnow and
rain, it changes its lodgment, without loling its
attachment, and it finds a retreat in the roofs.
But it never flrays far from the dwellings of
men ; and the weary forlorn traveller is rejoiced

• In Swedifti, Ladu-Swala, or Barn-fwallow.

f Aldrovandus <'uppofes that the Avowxia of Homer, O-fyJ/". I. 320,
which the commentators have been {o much puzzled to interpret, is
the common fwallow. The lines in which the word occurs, are
thefe:

*H fxiv «f' if liituT' 'airi0v yXavHaimt 'ASnm,
Cjvt; }'«; 'avonrata hiitlalt.

Euftathius fuppofes that ai-oiraja is a fpccies of eagle, and Mr;
Pope prudently alters the expreffion :

" Abrupt, with eaglc-fpeed flie cut the fky ;
»■' Inftant invifible Co mortal eye."

It is the HotxiAn Xt^iJs/i' (variegated fwallow) of Arlllophanes ;
the AxvT^iht Op)'t; (Daulian bird) of Plutarch; the Jrtdula of Ci-
cero i the vag^olucris of Ovid.

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SWALLOW*

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S'l"*'

to fee the harbinger of fafety. We fhall foon
find that the fwift is more roving in its ex-
curfions.

The common Swallow is the firft that appears
in our climates, and generally a little after the equi-
nox of fpring; but rather earlier in the fouthern
countries, and later in the nort.iern. And yet
though the month of Februar}' and the begin-
ning of March be unufually mild, or the end of
March and the beginning of April uncommonly
cold, they hardly ever arrive in any place be-
fore their ordinary time *, and fometimes they
glide through the thick flakes of defcending
fnow. In 1740, the fwallows fuffered ex-
tremely ; they gathered in great numbers about
a brook which Ikirted a terrace then belongins:
to Mr. Hebert, where every minute fome fell
dead "f , and the water was covered with their
dead bodies : nor was exceflive cpld the caufe of
their death ; it was evidently the want of food,
and thofe picked up were reduced to mere ikele-
tons ; the walls of the terrace were their laft

* Pliny, Lib.'XVIU. 26, fays that Caefar mentions fwallowsfeen
on the eighth of the Calends of March (^2 February) ; but this is
a fingle faft, and perhaps the birds were Sand Maruns,

f " In i; -', th '/ were found extended and lifelefs on the brink
of the pools .nd rivers of I orraine.'* Note communicated by M.
Lottinger. ''""itfe fadls render very fufpicious at leail the prefenti-
ment of temperatures which a paftor of Nordland and fome others
have thought proper to afcribe to the fwallows. See CoUec. Acad.
part Etran. T, XI. Acad, Stock. p> ^i.

refort,

\.mm\

••.(■■

SWALLOW.

♦• .

foon
:s ex-

495

refort, and they greedily devoured the dried
flies that hung from the old fpiders webs.

A bird, which announces the return of the
fmiling ftalbn, and which is innocent and evea
ufeful, might be treated with gratitude; and
by the bulk of mankind, it is venerated with a
degree of affection bordering upon fuperilition *.
Yet is tb.e 1 wallow often the fubjed of cruel
fport ; and the expert markfman is eager to dif-
play his ikill in (hooting it on the wing : and
what is fingular, the firing of the piece rather
attrads than fcares thefe harmlefs creatures ;
this war is worfe than ridiculous, and the vari-
ous mi'cdi tribes which prey in our gardens, in
our fields, and in our forefts, are thus fufFered
to extend their ravages f.

The experiment of Frifch 'I and other fimilar
ones, prove that fwallows return to the fame
haunts. They build annually a new neft, and
fix it, if the fpot admits, above that occupied'
the preceding year. I have found them in the
(haft of a chimney thus ranged in tires ; counted

• The Swallows have been fatd to be under the immediate pro-
teftion of the Dii Penates: When ill uf^d, they bit the cowb*
udders, it was alleged, and made them lofe their milk. Thefe
were ufeful illufions.

t See Journal de Paris, annec I'J'J'J. It is true tliat they fome-
times alfo deftroy ufeful inf^rts, fuch as bees ; but they can always
be prevented from building; their nells near the hives.

;^ In a caftle near Epinal in Lorraine, a few years ago, a ring
of brafs wire was faltcned to the foot of one of ihefo vSwailows,
which it faithfully brought b^ck on the following feafon. Heerkens
in his poem, Hirutidc, cites another fad: of this kind.

four

'iK 1'!'^

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fiir *

if ■■,.

:^:i.',i^*'^'

496

SWALLOW.

four one above another, and all of equal fize,
plafteied with mud mixed v/ith ftraw and hair.
There were fome of two different fizes and
ihapes : the largeft refembled a hollow half cy-
linder *, open above, and a foot in height, and
attached to the fides of the chimney ; the
fmalleft were ftuck in the corners of the chim-
ney, and formed only the quarter of a cylinder,
or even an inverted cone. The firft neft, which
was the lowed, had the fame texture at the
bottom as at the fides ; but the tv^o upper tires
were feparated from the lower by their lining
only, which confifted of ftraw, dry herbs, and
feathers. Of the fmall nefts built in the cor-
ners, 1 could find only two in tires, and I fup-
pofe they belonged to young pairs ; they were
not fo well compacted as the large ones.

In this fpecies, as in many others, it is the
male that fings the amorous ditty -f- : but the fe-
male is not entirely mute; in the love-feafon
fhe twitters more fluently, (he warmly receives
his careflTes, and fometimes, by her fportive
frifks, fhe routes and ftimnlates his paffion.
They have tu o hatches in the year, the firft

* Frifch fays, that the bird gives to its neft this circular or ra-
ther femicircular form, by making its foot the centre.

+ The Greeks exprefs this note by thefe words, "tih^^^m, Ttrtn
fii^nvf and the Latins by thefe other names, Drifr/are, or 'rrm/are,
ZtHzrlu/are, Frif:ntiire, Minurf/hre, M. Frifch telis us, that, of all
the fwallows, tije domeftlc one has a cry neareft rcfembling a fong,
though it confifts only of three tones, termiiatcd by z finale, which
j-iies to a fourth, and it is little varied.

containing

SWALLOW. 497

containing five eggs, the fecond three: thcfe
are white according to Willughby, and fpotted
according to Klein and Aldrovandus : what I
faw were white. While the female fits, the
male fpends the night on the brim of the ncft ;
he fleeps little, for his twittering is heard at the
earlieft dawn, and he circles till almoft the clofe
of the evening. After the young are hatched,
both parents perpetually carry food, and are at
great pains to keep the neil: clean, till the brood
learn to (iive them that trouble. But it is pleaf-
ing to fee them teaching their family to fly,
encouraging them with their voice, prefenting
food at a little diflance, and retiring as the
young ones ftretch forward : preliing them
gently from the ncfl, fluttering before them,
and offering, in the moft exprellivc tone, to re-
ceive and alfift them. Boerhaave tells us that a
Swallow returning with provifion to its nefl",
and, finding the houfe on fire, ruflied through
the flames to feed and protect her tender brood.
How ftrong the attachment to tlteir progeny !

It has been faid that when their young had
their eyes funken or even torn out, the mo-
thers cured them by the application of the herb
ihelldonia*^ or fw allow -wort t, deriving its

* From Xi.\iou)i, a Av.iHc'.v. The common Fnglifh name celnn^ijre,
iVems to be only fofioned from cheli.ionia. The plant is ranged by
Linnaus next the poppy. T.

f Ut qui4'im <volunt, et'am snitis oulit. Pliny, Hi/l. Nat. Lib.
XXr. 8. Diofcorides fays nearly the fame thing, Lii> II. 2(i.
-£lian rellrifts it to the white Swallows, Lib, XVll 20.

VOL. VI. K k name

p. •■>:

"!*:'!:

.yy

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• 1 ■•

498

SWALLOW.

„ . iii

'■'>;<-

name from that imaginary quality. But the ex-
periments of Rcdi and De la Hire prove, that no
iimplcs are needed, and that, in the infant brood,
the eyes, though burft and funken, foon fpon-
taneoufly recover *. Ariftotle knew this fadt -f-,
Celfus repeats it J, and the obfervations of Redi
and De la Hire, and fome others §, inconteftibly
prove it.

Befides the different inflexions of voice which
I have already noticed, the common fwallows
have their cry of invitation, their cry of pleafurc,
their cry of fear, their cry of anger, that by
which the mother warns her young of the dan-
gers which threaten, and many other expreflions
compounded of thefe ; a proof of their great fuf-
ccptibility of the internal fentiments.

Since the winged infedls fly higher or lower
according to the greater or lefs degree of heat,
the Swallows fometimes, in the purfuit of their
prey, Ikim along the furface, and gather it on
the ftems of herbs, on the grafs, and even on
the pavement 'of flreets. When the fcarcity is
great, they ravifh the flies from the fpider's
web, and even devour the fpiders themfelves ||.

• Redi made his experiments on pigeons, hens, geefe, ducks, and
turkies. See Coll. Acad. Part Etran. 7*. IV, p. 544. alfo T. IL
Part. Fran. p. 75. »

■f Hiji. Anim. Lib. IL 17, and Lib. VL 5, and De Generat'mi,
Lib. IV. 6. Ariftotle fays the fame thing of ferpents.

i Lib. VL De Re MeJica.

^ For inflance. Dr. J. Sigifmond Eliholtius. Coll. Acad. Part,
Etran, T. HI. p. 324,

11 Frifch,

Their

Coll. Acad. Port'

S W A I, L O W. 499

Their ftomach is found to contain fraoimcnts of
flies, grafshoppers, beetles, butterflies, and even
bits of gravel *, a proof that at times they catch
their prey on the ground : and in fad, though
the domertic Swallows fpend mod of their lives
in the air, they often alight on the roofs of
houfes, on iron bars, and even on the furface of
the earth, and on trees. In our climate, they
often pafs the night about t>^e eiwl of fummer
perched on alders that grow ^m the banks of ri-
vers ; and in that fcalon h nbers are caught,
which are eaten in fome ^ .luries +. They
prefer the loweft branches under the brinks, and
well fheltered from the wind | ; and it is re-
marked that the branches where they commonly
fit during the night wither away.

They alfo aflemble on a large tree previous to
their retreat ; the flocks then amount only to
three or four hundred, for the fpecies i'= far from
being fo numerous as the window Swallows
(martins). In this country they commence their
expedition about the beginning of Ot^ober, and
ufually fteal off in the night to avoid the birds of
prey, which feldom fail to haral's them on their

* Belon and Willugliby. Many abfurdliies have been told of
thefe fwallow-ftones and their virtues, as of eagle-ftones, cock-
ftones, and other bezoars, which feem ever to have been the fa-
vourite jewels of empiricifm and of credulity.

t At Valencia in Spain, at Lignitz in Silciia, &c. See Wil-
lughby and Schwenckfeld.

I Note of Heb" ' Lottinger affures me that they alfo Aequent
fomctimes the copp ;i.es.

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23 WAST MAW STRUT

WIISTIR,N.Y. t4StO

(71«)l79-4»03

5oa SWALLOW.

route. Frifch faw them frequently fet out hi
broad day, and Hebert, more than once, ob-
ferved, about the time of their retreat, parties
of forty or fifty gliding aloft in the air, and re-
marked that their flight was not only much
higher than ordinary, but more uniform and
fteady. They ftretch towards the fouth, tak-
*ing advantage, as much as poflible, of favour-
able winds ; and when no obftacles interfere,
they ufually arrive in Africa in the firft week of
Odtober. If they be checked by a fouth-eaft
wind, they halt, like the other birds of paflage,
in the iflands that lie in their track. Adanfon
faw them arrive on the fixth of O£tober, at half
pad fix in the evening, on the coaft of Senegal,
and found them to be real European fwall6ws ;
he afterwards difcovered that they are never
feen in thofe countries but in autumn and win-
ter. He tells us that they lie every night fingle,
or two by two, in the fand by the fea fhore * ;
and fometimes numbers lodge on the huts,
perching upon the rafters. Another important
obfervation he adds, that they never breed in
Senegal -(- ; and accordingly Frifch remarks that
young Swallows never arrive in the fpring. Hence

* This habit of lying in the fand is entirely contrary to what we
fee in Swallows in our climate ; it muft depend on fome particular
circumflances that cfcaped the obfsrver > or animals are more ca-
pable, than ufually fuppofcd, of varying their mode of life accord-
ing tf' their fituation.

f it IS alfo faid that no fpecies of Swallow nellies in Malta.

SWALLOW.

501

we may infer that thefe birds are natives of more
northern climates. *

Though the Swallows are in general migra-
tory, even in Greece and in Alia, fome will re-
main during the winter, efpecially in the mild
climates where infedts abound ; for example, in
the ifles of Hieres and on the coaft of Genoa,
where they fpend the night in the open coun-
try on the orange fhrubs, which they injure
greatly. On the other hand, they are faid to
appear feldom in the iOand of Malta.

Thefe birds have fometimes been employed to
convey important intelligence* : for this pur-
pofe, the mother is taken from her eggs and
carried to the place whence the news is to be
fent, and a thread is tied to the feet, with the
number of knots and the ^olour previoufly con-
certed. The affe(5lionate mother flies back to
her brood, and tranfports the billet with incre-
dible expedition.

The chininey Swallow has its throat and front
of an orange tint, and there are two ftreaks
above the eye, ^^ f he fame colour ; all the reft
of the under- ^^ of the bodv is whitifli, with
an orange caft ; all the reft of the^ upper part of
the head and body is of a brilliant bluifti black,
the only colour which appears when the feathers
are compofed, though they are cinereous at the
bafe, and white in the middle ; the quills of the

• Set Pliny, Naf. Hi/!, Lib. X. 24,
K k3

wings

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SWALLOW.

wings are, according to their different pofitions,
fometimes of a bluifh black, which is lighter
than the upper furface of the body, and fome-
times of a greenifli brown ; the quills of the tail
are blackilh, with green reflexions; the five
lateral pairs marked with a white fpot near the
end ; the bill is black without, and yellow
within ; the palate and the corners of the mouth
are alfo yellow, and the legs blackifh. In the
males the orange tint on the throat is more
vivid, and the white of the under fide of the
body has a flight caft of reddifli.

The average weight of all thofe which I have
tried is about three gros. They are apparently
larger than the window Swallows (martins),
and yet they are lighter.

Total length fix inches and a half; the bill
forms a curvilineal ifofceles triangle, whofe fides
are concave, and about feven or eight lines ;
the tarfus five lines, without any down ; the
nails thin, flightly curved, and much pointed,
and the hind one is the ftrongeft ; the alar ex-
tent, a foot ; the tail three inches and a quar-
ter, much forked, though lefs fo in the young
birds, confifyng of twelve quills, of which the
outer pair exceeds e next by an inch, and
the middle pair by fifteen or twenty lines, and
the wings by four of five lines ; it is generally
longer in- the male.

I have received, as varieties, fome in which

the

the
forki
A
folio
no c<
feen,
vand

SWALLOW.

503

the colours were all fainter, and the tail little
forked ; thefe were probably young ones.

Among the accidental varieties I place the
following. F/ry?, The white Swallows: there is
no country in Europe where thefe have not been
feen, from the Archipelago to Pruflia *. Aldro-
vandus tells how to obtain them of that colour;
according to him, we need only rub their egg
with olive-oil. Ariftotle imputes this whitenefs
to weaknefs of conftitution, want of food, and
the adion of cold. In a fubjedl, which 1 had
occafion to obferve, there were fome ihades of
rufous above the eyes and under the throat, and
fome traces of brown on the neck and the
breaft, and the tail was fliorter ; perhaps its
faint colours were owing to moulting, for
though white Swallows are frequently feen be-
fore their paflage, it is unufual to find fuch on
their return "f . Some are oblerved to be only
partly white, as was the one mentioned by AU
drovandus, which had its rump of that colour.

In th^fecond place, I conlider as an acciden-
tal variety, the rufous Swallow, of which the
orange tint of the throat and eye-lids fpreads over

^c-i

■ \.\\T

* At Samos, according to the ancients ; in Italy, in France, in
Holland, in Germany, according to the moderns.

t In a hatch of five young, at the Trinitarians of la Motte, in
Dauphiny, were two white Swallows which paffed the whole year
in the country, but returned not the following year. Note of the
M''l'<l»ii de Piolenc,

K Ic 4 almoft

:»:;>•,

■ . ,., 'V

'^i;.':j^'

504

SWALLOW,

almoft the whole of the plumage, but grows
more dilute, and verges upon pink*.

The chimney Swallows are fcattered through
the whole of the ancient continent, from Nor-
way to the Cape of Good Hope, and in the
Afiatic regions, as fiir as India and Japan -f.
Sonnerat brought a fpecimeu from the Malabar
coaft |, which differs only in being rather fmall-
er, owing probably to the contradion in dry-
ing. Seven other Swallows brought from the
Cape of Good Hope, by the fan>e gentleman,
were exa£lly fimilar in appearance to ours ; but
on a narrow infpe^lion, it was foun4 that the
under part of the body was of a finer white, and
the fcalloping, which, in the ten lateral quills
of the tail, divides the broad from the narrow
part, was larger.

I (hall now defcribe fuch a§ are to be regarded
as varieties of climate [A].

• The Count de Riolet aflurcd me that he fa\y two individuals of
this colour in a flock of chimney Swallows,

f Fdwards and Ksempfer.

% G. I, C imel had long before inferted the Swallow, under the
name of I .ayang-lnyangt in the catalogue of European bird? found
in the Philippines. Philof. Tranf. No, 285. Art. III.

[A] Specific charafter of the Common Swallow, Hirundo Domrf.
tica : " Its tail -quills, the two mid-ones excepted, are marked with
a white fpot." Mr. White has given a very accurate and diftinft
hiftory of this bird, Nahiral Hijlory of Selborne,fp. l67r-i 7 2.

>.;rj

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f IGl.THE CHIMyEYSWALLOWFIG.2.THE»(IARim.

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SWALLOW.

SOS .

VARIETIES of the COMMON SWALLOW.

'3-. 3

''dm

' ■ ; ' ■■'.
... ■' l-J

I. The Antigua Swallow, with a rufty-
coloured throat*. It is rather imaller than the
common S\\ allow; its front bears a band of
fufty yellow ; under the throat there is a fpot
of the fame colour, terminated below by a very
narrow black collar; the forepart of the neck
and the reft of the under furface of the body,
white; the head, the upper fide of the neck
and back, velvet black ; the fmall fuperior co-
verts of the wings of a changeable violet ; the
great coverts and alfo the quills of the wing and
tail, are coal black ; the tail forked and pro-
J€<£ls not beyond the wings.

II. The Rufous-bellied Swallow of
Cayenne +. Its throat is rufous, and this
colour extends over all the upper fide of the
body, gradually (hading off; all the reft of
the upper fide of the body is of a fine twining
black. It is rather fmaller than the common
gwallow. •

• Hirundo Vanayana, Gtnel.
The Panayan Swallow, Lath.
Specific charafter: " It is black, below white; a fpot on its
front and its throat, ferruginous yellow ; its collar black,
f Hirundo Rufa, Gmel.

The Rufous -belli ed SivaHoiv, Lath.
Specific charafter : *' It is glofly black, below rufous, its fi ^ it
whiiiau"

4 T<-\il

*•

\y]

5o6

SWALLOW.

Total length about five inches and a half;
the bill fix lines ; the tarfus four or five ; the
hind toe five.

Swallows of this kind alfo make their neft
in houfes; they give it a cylindrical form
with fmall flalks, mofs, and feathers, and fuf-
pcnd it vertically detached from the building ;
they lengthen the ftack in proportion as they
multiply ; the aperture is placed below in one
of the fides, and fo nicely conftruded that it
communicates with all the ftories. They lay
four or five eggs.

It is not improbable that fome of our fwallows
having migrated into the new continent, have
there founded a colony, which flill refembles
the parent breed,

in. The Rufous-cowled Swallow *.
This rufous is deepened and variegated with
black ; the rump is alfo rufous, terminated with
white; the back and the fuperior coverts of the
wings are of a fine black, verging upon blue,
with the glofs of burniftied fteel ; the quills of
the wings brown, edged with a lighter brown;
thofe of the tail blackifh ; all the lateral ones
marked on the infide with a white fpot, which
does not appear unlefs the tail is fpread ; the
throat is variegated with whitifh and brown :
laftly, the under fide of the body is fprinkled

♦ lUrundo Capenjts, Gmel.
The Cape SiAa/Ioiv, Lath,

with

SWALLOW.

507

v.*

with fmall longitudinal blacki(h fpots on a pale
yellow ground.

The Vifcount Querhoent, who had an oppor-
tunity of obl'erving this fwallow at the Cape of
Good Hope, informs us that it breeds in houfes
like the preceding varieties ; that it fixes its neft
againft the ceilings of rooms ; that it ufes earth
for the outer coat, and lines it with feathers ;
that the (hape of its neft is roundifh, with a fort
of hollow cylinder fixed to it, which is the only
aperture. He adds that the female lays four or
^ve dotted eggs.

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5o8

SWALLOW.

FOREIGN BIRDS,

WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE COMMON SWALLOW.

The GREAT RUFOUS - BELLIED
SWALLOW of SENEGAL.

llirundo Sentgafenjii, Linn. Gmel. and BriiT,
The Senegal Siva/Zo'w, Lath.

ITS tail is fhapcd like that of the common
Swallow ; and its plumage is marked with
the fame colours, though ditFerently dirtribut-
ed : it is much larger, and moulded after other
proportions; fo that it may be regarded as a dif-
tin(Sl fpecies. The upper fide of the head and
neck, the back and the fuperior coverts of the
wings, are of a brilliant black, with^ fteel
glofs ; the quills of the wings and of the tail
are black, the rump rufous, and all the lower
parts ; but the throiit and the inferior coverts of
the wings are much diluter, and almoft white.
Total length eight inches and fix lines ; the
bill eight lines ; the tarfus the fame ; the hind
nail and toe the longed next to thofe of the
middle; the alar extent fifteen inches three
r..zes; the tail four inches, forked, and confiit-

ing

S W A L L O W.

509

ing of twenty-fix quills ; it projeas an inch be-
yond the wings [A], •

II.

THE

WHITE-CINCTURKD SWALLOW.

HiruH'^o Fa/ciata, Gmd.

The pybitc-belLedSiuallow, Lath.

T has no rufons in its plumage, which is en-
tirely black, except a white belt on the bel-
ly, confpicuous on that dark ground : there is
alfo a little white on the thighs ; the quills of
the tail are black above and brown below.

It is a rare bird ; found in Cayenne and Gui-
ana in the ulterior parts of the country, on the
banks of rivers. It delights to fweep along
the furfacc of water, like the European Swal-
lows ; but, different from them, it alights on
the trunks that float down the (Iream.

Total length fix inches ; the bill black, and
meafures fix lines ; the tarfus alfo fix lines ;
the tail two inches and a quarter, and forked
near eighteen lines ; it exceeds the wings four
lines [B].

[A] Specific character : ** It is gloffy black, below rufcus ;
its rump rufous."

[B] Specific charadler ; ** It is black ; a crofs bar on its belly,
and an external fpot on its legs, white."

,j ,■.,.

,!• •'

^*:i|;v.

Sio

S W A L L O W.

III.

The AMBERGRIS SWALLOW.

Hirundo Amlrojiacot Gmel.
Hirundo Riparia Setiegalenjis, firifT.
Wrundo Marina Indigena, Seba.
Hirundo Ambram Grijeam reddens ^ Klein.

SEBA fays that thefe Swallows, like our fand
martins, repair to the beach when the Tea is
agitated, and that they were fometimes brought
to hiiii both dead and alive, and fmelt fo ftrong-
\y of ambergris, that one of them was enough
to perfume a room. He thence conjectures
that they feed on infe<fls, and other odorous
animalcules, or perhaps on ambergris itfelf.
The one defcribed by BrifTon was fent from
Senegal by Adanlon ; but the bird is fometimes
feen likewife in Europe.

All its plumage is of a fingle colour, which
is brpwn-gray, darker on the hc^d and on the
quills of the wings than on the other parts ;
the bill is black, and the legs brown ; the fize
of the bird exceedb not that of the gold-crefted
wren.

I have hcfitated whether I (hould not range
it with the find martins, which it refemblcs in
fome refpe£ls ; but, as its economy is unknown,
and as its tail is formed like that of the domeftic

, Swallow,

SWALLOW.

Sit

Swallow, I have meanwhile referred it to that
fpccies.

Total length five inches and a half; the bill
fix lines ; the tarfus three ; the hind toe the
fhorteft ; the alar extent above eleven inches,
forked about eighteen lines, and confiding of
twelve quills ; it projects four lines beyond the
wings.

[A] Specific charafler : *' It is gray-brown ; its bill blackiflu
its legs brown."

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512

MARTIN.

The MARTIN*.

VUirondeVe au Crouphn Blanc, ou VHirondelle de Fenttr?i BufF. |

Hirufido Uriica, Linn. Gniel. Kram. Frif. &c.

Hirundo Rujiictt,Ji've Agrejiisy Ray, Will, and Briff.

Hirtindo Sjlue/irist Gefner.

The Martin, Martlet ^ Qt Martinet, Will. Alb. Pcnn.and Lath.

THE epithet rural was by the ancients
juftly applied to this bird, which, though
much more famihar than the fand martin, is flay-
er than the domeftic Iwallow. It dehghts to
build its neft againft the crags of precipices that
overhang lakes J ; and it never breeds near our

• The Greek name, Xt^toin-, we are told by iEHan, iigniAed a
fig, and was transferred to the fwallow, becaufe the appearance of
this bird aiinounces the fenfon of fruits. It was alfo called

Pliny ftyles the Martin Hirundo Rujlica and Hirundo Agrefiii j
Lib. X. 43, &C.

Ill German it has a variety of names, Kirch-^chnxalhe, Mur.
Schivalbf, Berg-Sch-Jualhe, Dach-c-chwalhe, FenJler-Sch-waibet haii-
ben-Schwalbe^ Lcitn-SchTJcalbc (i, e. the church, wall, rock, roof,
window, leaf, lime Swallow), and Mur-Spyrcn, Munjler-^yren,
Wrjfe-Spyren (i. e. the wall, cathetlial, white Martlet). In Swed-
iih, HusSzvc/ii: In Daniih, Bye-S-vale, Tjg-Si/o'gs-Svale, Hvid-
Hvale, Rive-SkarJicans-^'vaie : In Norwegian, Huus-S'vaU.

f /. e. The White-rumped or Window Swallow.

J This obfcrvation is M. llcbcrt's. Thefe fwallows are well
known to ut'ftle on rocks. .9^? Gefner, Aves, p. 565. M. Guys,
of Marfeilles, has affured me of this failj but we muft abate from
the exaggerated accounts of the ancients, of a very folid bank, a
lladium in length, formed entirely by thefe nells, in the port of
Heracleum in Egypt; and of another fimilar bank conftruited alio
by thefc birds in an ifland facred to Ifis. See Plin. Lib. X. 33.

houfes,

MARTIN.

5'3

houfes, if it can elfewhere find a convenient
fituation.

The ne\. which I obferved in the month of
September, and which had been broken off from
a window, was compofed externally of earth,
particularly of the foft mould thrown up in the
morning by worms in new-delved borders ; the
middle was ftrengthened by an intermixture of
draw chips, and the infide was bedded with a
heap of feathers*; the duft in the bottom
fwarmed with hairy worms, which writhed
and crawled nimbly in all directions, and were
moft numerous where the feathers ftuck into
the fides; there were alfo fome fleas, bigger
and browner than ordinary, and feven or eight
bugs, creeping at large, though none of thefe
could come from the houfe. The three young
ones, which were able to fly, and the parents,
I am confident, flept together at night. The
neft refembled the quarter of a hollow hemif-
pheroid of a deep fhape, its radius four inches
and a half, flicking by its two lateral furfaces
to the jamb and the window frame, and by its
upper furface to the lintel ; the entrance was
near the lintel, placed vertically, very narrow
and femicircular.

The fame nefts ferve for feveral years, and
probably to the fame pair ; but this is the cafe
with regard to fuch only as are built in our

* I found four or five gros of thefe feathers in a neft that weigh-
ed in all but thirteen ounces.

VOL. VI. L 1 windows,

. t.i.11.

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5T4 MARTIN.

windows, for I am affured that thofe conftru^l-
ed againll: rocks are renewed annually. Sonae^
times five or fix days are fufficient for perform-
ing the work, and fometimes ten or twelve are
required ; the birds carry the mortar both with
their little bill and with their toes, but plafter
with their bill only. It often happens that fe-
veral Martins are fecn labouring at the fame
neft * ; either from their complaifance in af-
fifting each other, or bccaufe this fpecies copu-
lating only in the neil:, all the males which court
the fame female arc eager to haften the fabric,
and obtain the expe6led joy. Yet fome have
been obferved as aifiduous in pulling down the
flru6:ure as others were forward to rear it.
Perhaps it was a difcardcd lover, v/ho gratified
his malice by retarding the fruition of his more
fortunate rivals.

The Martins arrive fooner or later, according
to the latitude : at Upfal on the 9th of May, as
Linniiius tells us ; in France and England in
the beginning of April -f, eight or ten days af-
ter the domeftic fwallows, which, according to
Frifch, as they fly lower, can more eafily and
earlier procure their food : they are fometimes

furprifed

• I have counted five {landing within the fame neft or clinging
round it, without reclconing the comers and goers : the more nu-
merous tliey are, the more expeditious is the work.

f This year, 1779, the winter has b»en without fnow, and the
fpring very fine ; yet thcfe f.vallows arrived not in Burgundy till
(he 9th of April, and on the lake of Geneva till the 14th, It is faid

that

MARTIN.

515

furprifed by the fpring colds, and have been
feen (hooting through a thick fall of fnovv *•
On their firft arrival they haunt the wet places;
I never faw them return to the nefts which are
in my windows before the 15th of April, and
fometimes not till the beginning of May. They
build in all afpeds, but prefer fuch as look into
the fields, cfpecially when the fcene is inter-
iperfed with rivers, brooks, or pools. They

that a (hoemaker in Bafil, having put a collar on a Avallow with this
infcription, , :

Hirondelle,

^i es fi belle

Dis-moit l*hiver ou 'vas-tu !

(Pretty fivalloix}, tell me •tubitber tbougoejl in winter ?)

Received, the fpring following, by the fame courier, this anfvver :

A Athems
Chez Aafoine,
Pourquoi t^en infortnes-tu !

(To Antbony at Athens ; why dofl thou inquire ?)

The moft probable part of this anecdote is, that the verfes were
made in Switzerland. Belon and Ariftotle aifure us that the fwal-
lows live only half the year in Greece, and go to pafs the winter in
Africa.

* This proves that what Hoegftroem, the paftor of Nordland,
fays of the fore-knowledge of temperatures, which he aibribes to
the fwallows, is not more applicable to that of the window than to
that of the chimney, aiid mult be regarded as very doubtful. '* In
Lapland," fays he, " fwallows have been feen to depart, and aban^
don their young in \cry warm weather, and when there was no ap-
pearance of a change in the air. But this change fpeedily came,
and one might travel in a fledge by the 8th of September. In cer-
tain years, on the contrary, they have ftaid very late, though the
weather was not mild ; whence it might be initired that the cold
was diftant.'* In all this the reverend paftor leems to be only the
echo of popular rumour, and to have taken no pains to afcertain
the fatt, which is befides contradidcd by accurate obfervations.

L 1 2 breed,

M'''

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5.6

MARTIN.

breed, at times, within houfes ; but this is ex<*
ceedingly rare, and even very difficult to ob-
tain*. The young are fometimes hatched as
early as the 1 5th of June ; the cock and hen
may be feen toying v^^ith each other on the
brink of the half- formed fabric, and billing
with 2^ Ihrill exprelfive chirp -|- ; but they are
never obferved to copulate, ^yhich makes it
probable that this is done in the nefl, fince this
chirping is heard early in the morning, and
fometimes during the whole night, Their
firft hatch confifts pf five white eggs, with a
(dufky ring near the large end ; the fecond
hatch confifts of three or four, and the third,
when it does take place, of two or three. The
inale feldom or never renipves from his mate

♦ " It rarely builds in houfes," fays Ariftotle, which is con-
firmed by daily obfervation. The late M. Rouffcau, of Geneva,
af^er infinite pains, fucceeded to make them neflle in his chamber.
M, Hebert faw them build on the fpring of a bell ; the bottom of
the neft relied on this fpring, the upper brim, which was femicir-
pular, leaned againft the wall by it§ twp ends, thr?e or four inches
below the eave ; the coclc and hep, during the time they were em-
ployed in the conHrud\ion, paiTed the nights on the iron fpike to
\vUich (he ipring was faftened. The frequent concufllon given by
this fpring could not fail to diftijrb the adlion of nature in the de-
.yelopement of the little embryons j the hatch accordingly did not
fucceed : yet the pair would not forfake their tottering manfion,
but continued to inhabit it the reft of the feafon. '^he femicircu-
iar form vyhiph, on this occafion, they gave their neft, proves ihat
fhey can fometimes change their order of architedure.

t f rifch pretends that the males of this fpecies fmg better thao
^hofe of the domeftic fwallow ; but in my opinion i( is quite the re-

during

MARTIN. S17

during incubation ; he watches for her fafety
and that of the young brood, and darts impe-
tuoufly on the birds that chance to approach too
near. After the eggs are hatched, both pa-
rents frequently carry food, and feem to be-
ftow the moft afFe<^ionate care*. In fome
cafes, however, this paternal attachment ap-
pears to be forgotten : a young one which
was already fledged, having fallen out of the
nell: upon the fole of the window, the parents
look no heed of it; but, finding itfelf thus aban-
doned, it ftrove to eicape, flapped its wings,
and, after three or four hours exertions, it
launched at laft into the air. I broke off, from
another window, a nefl: containing four young
ones juft hatched, and fet it in the fole of the
window ; and yet the parents pafled and re-
pafled inceiTantly and fluttered about the fpot,
without regarding the imploring cries of their
progeny + : a hen fpanow would, in fuch cir-
cumftances, have fed and tended her offspring
a fortnight. It would feem, therefore, that the
altFe£lion of the Martins for their young depends

• When the young are hatched, their excrements are faid to be
enveiuped in a fort of pellicle ; which enables the parents to roll
ihem cafily out of the nelt. Fnj'ch.

f A wnole hatch having been put in the fame cage with the pa-
rents, tUefe pafTed the night fometimes on the bar of ihe cage,
fum.'iimes on the brim of the nclt, ahnoft aiways the one after the
other, and at lail one upon the other, without beiiowing the fmalU
«A attention to their young : but it may be faid, that in thij cafe
the paternal love was fwallowed up by the regret for the lofs of
liberty.

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5.8

MARTIN.

on the local fituatioii ; however they continue
to fetch them provilions for a long time, and
even after they have begun to fly ; thefe confift
in winged infe6):s, fnapped in the air, which is
fo peculiarly their mode of catching*, that if
they fee one fitting on a wall, they will fweep
pad it to flart the prey.

It has been faid that the fparrows often oc-
cupy the Martins* nefts, which is true. It has
been added that the Martins thus thruft out return
fometimes efcorted by auxiliaries, and, in an in-
ftant clofing up the aperture with the ufual mor-
tar, take vengeance on the ufurpers -f* : whether
this ever happened I cannot decide ; but the in-
ftances which have come under my obfervation
do not countenance the opinions. The Mar-
tins returned frequently in the courfe of the
fummer, quarrelled with the fparrows, and
fometimes circled about for a day or two, but
never attempted to enter the neft or to (hut it
up. Nor can we fuppofe any antipathy to fub-
fift between thefe birds J ; the fparrows will
lay wherever they find it convenient.

Though the Martins are (hyer than the chim-
ney fwallows, and though philofophers have

* This is the general opinion, and the moft confonant to daily
•bfervation ; yet M. Guys afTures me that thefe birds feek pine-
wood, in which they find caterpillars.

t Albertus firft broached this error ; R/aczyniki repeated it ; the
Jefuit Batgowlki aflerts his being a witnefs of the faA ; and Lin-
naeus gives it as a truth afcertained.

X Albertus afud Gefmrum,

believed

Martin.

519

Ivelleved that they were incapable of being tam-
ed *, yet is it very eafy to fucceed. They muft
be fupplied with the proper food, which confifts of
flies and butterflies f, and muft receive it often ;
above all, they niuft be foothed into the lofs of
liberty, a fentimcnt common to all animals,
but in none fo lively or fo acute as in the wing-
ed tribes ];, A tame Martin § was known to
grow extremely fond of its miftrefs ; it iat whole
days upon her knees, and, when (he appeared
after fome hours abfence, it uttered joyous ac-
cents, clapped its wings, and (hewed every fign
of lively feeling : it began to feed out of the hand,
and its education would probably have com-

* M. Rouffeau, of Geneva.

f Some authors pretend that they cannot exill on vegetable fub-
ftances ; yet wo cannot fuppufe that thefe prove a poifon to them :
bread was part of tho food of the tame fwallow which I {hall pre-
fcntly mention. But what is more Angular, children hav^ been
fcen to feed young fwallovvs with dung that has dropt from the ncft
of another fwallow of the fame fpccies. The brood lived very
well for ten days on this diet, and in all probability they would
have fubfilled longer, had not the experiment been interrupted by a
mother, who wis fonder of cleanlinefs than of gaining knowledge.

% '* I have often," fays M. Rouffeau, •' had the pleafure of fee-
ing ihem kept in my chamber while the windows were Ihut, and fo
tranquil as to chirp, frolic, and toy at their cafe, waiting till I Ihould
open for them, confident that I would not delay ; in fadl I rofe, for
that purpofe, every morning at four o'clock."

The voyager Leguat fpeaks of a tame fwallow that he had
brought from the Canaries to the ifland of Sal ; he let it cut every
morning, and it faithfully returned in the evening. Foyigeaux In-
dis Orifiitales, p. 13. Leguat does not fay what fpecies it was.
Other perfons have raifcd fwallows. See Volfgang Franzius, HijJ,.
■ ^nim, />. 456 ; and the Journal Je Paris for 1778.

§ In the noble Chapter of Leigneu:: in Fores.

h I 4 pletcly

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■^M:

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520

MARTIN.

pletely fucceeded, had it not efcaped. It did
not fly far ; it alighted on a young child, and
foon fell a prey to a cat. The Vifcount Quer-
hoent allures me, that he alfo trained, for fe-
veral months, fome young Martins taken out
of the neft ; but he could never bring them to
eat by themfelves, and that they always died
when he gave over feeding them. When the
one I have jud mentioned attempted to walk, it
moved ungracefully, on account of its fliort
legs ; and, for this reafon, the Martins feldom
alight but upon their nefls, and only in cafes
where necefli^y obliges them : for inftance,
when they gather mud for building with, or
when they fpcnd the night among the reeds to-
wards the end of fummer, at which time they
are become fo numerous as not to be all con-
tained in their former lodgments*; or, laftly,
when they afl'emble upon the ridges and corners
of houfes previous to their migration. Hebert
had a houfe in Brie, which was every year their
general rendezvous; the number congregated
was great, not only on account of their own
multiplication, but becaufe many others of their
kindred fpecies, the fand- martins and chim-

• About the end of fummer, they are cbferved in the evenings
circling in great numbers on the furface of water, almolt till dark :
it is probably in order to repair to fuch fttuations that every day
they afleniUle an hour or two before fun-fet. Add, that they are
much lefs frequent in towns about the evening than during the
courfe of the day.

ney

MARTIN.

521

ney fwallows, joined them : they h'ad a peculiar
cry, which feemed to call them together. It
was remarked that (hortly before they began
their voyage they exercifed themfelves in foar-
ing to the clouds, thus preparing to wing their
courfe through the lofty regions*; a fa£t
which agrees with other obfervations related in
the preceding article, and which explains why
the fwallows arc fo feldom feen in the air dur-
ing their paffage from one country to another.

The Martins are widely difFufed through the
ancient continent ; yet Aldrovandus ail'erts that
they are never feen in Italy, particularly in the
neighbourhood of Bologna. M. Hermann f
tells me, that in Alface they are caught with
the flares, by fpreading a net about the clofe of
the evening over a marfli full of rufhes, and by
drowning next morning the birds that are en-
tangled under it. Some of thefe drowned Mar-
tins may be reftored to life, and a fimple fact of
that kind might have given rife to the fable of
their annual immerfion and emerfion.

This fpecies appears to hold a middle rank
between the chimney fwallow and the black
Martin. It has little of the chirping and fami-
liarity of the former ; but it builds its neft fi-

• Note communicated by M. Lottinger.

t This profeffor aflures nr:^ that the White-rumps or Martini
grow fat in autumn, a;id are then very good to eat. Franziuti fays
nearly as much : yet I publlHi it with re^ret» as it tends to the de>
ftrudlion of an ufefui fpecies.

milarly,

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M A R T I 1^. '

milarly, and its toes confift of the fjime num-
ber of phalanges. It has the rough feet of the
black Martin, and its hind toe aUb turns for-
ward ; like that bird, too, it flies through heavy
rains, and then in larger flocks than ufual ; it
clings alfo to the walls, and feldom alights on
the ground, and, when it does fo, it rather
creeps than walks. Its bill is wider than that
of the chimney-fwallow, at Icaft apparently fo,
becaufe the mandibles open Suddenly as high as
the ears, and the edges form on each fide a pro-
jection: laftly, though it is fomewhat larger,
it feems rather fmaller, its feathers, and efpe-
cially the inferior coverts of its tail, being not
fo fully webbed. The average weight of all
that I have weighed was conftantly from three
to four gros.

The rump, the throat, and all the under fur-
face of the body, are of a fine white; the fide
of the coverts of the tail is brown ; the upper
furface of the head and neck, the back, thofe
of the feathers and of the primary coverts of the
tail, are of a glofly black, with blue refledlions ;
the feathers of the head and back cinereous at
the bafe, white in the middle ; the quills of the
wings brown, with greenifh refledlions on the
borders j the three lafl of thofe next the body
are terminated with white; the legs clothed as
far as the nails with a white down ; the bill
black, and the legs brown gray ; the black of
the female is lefs diftinft, and its white not fo

pure,

i? ' A

MARTIN.

523

pure, even variegated with brown on the rump.
In the young ones the head is brown, and there
is a (hade of the fame colour under the neck :
the refle£lions from the upper furface of the
body are of a lighter blue, which has a greenifh
caft in certain pofitions, and, what is remark-
able, the quills of the wings are of a deeper
tint. They frequently wag their tail upwards
and downwards, and the origin of the neck is
bare.

Total length five inches and a half; the bill fix
lines ; the infide pale red at the bottom, blackiOi
near the point ; the noilrils round and open ; the
tongue forked, a little blackifli near the end ;
the tarfus five lines and a half, covered with
down rather on the fides than before or behind ;
the middle toe fix lines and a half; the alar ex-
tent ten inches and a half; the tail two inches,
forked as far as fix, feven, or even nine lines;
in fome fubjedls this forking reaches only five
lines, but in others it does not occur at all.

The inteftinal tube fix or feven inches ; the
caca very fmall, and filled with a matter dif-
ferent from that contained in the true iiitcftines ;
it has a gallbladder; the gizzard is mufcular ;
the afophagus twenty fines, it dilates into a lit-
tle glandular bag before its infeition ; the tefti-
cles are of an oval Ihape, and unequal ; the
greater diameter of the bigcreft ones four or five
lines, the fmaller diameter three ; their furface
was marked with many circumvolutions, like

a fmall

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424 MARTI N.

a fmall veflcl twifted and rolled in all direc*
tions.

What is fingular, the young Martins are
heavier than the adults : five that were taken
from the neft while they were fcarcely covered
with down, weighed together three ounces,
which give three hundred and forty-five grains
to each ; whereas both the parents weighed cx«
adlly an ounce, or each was two hundred and
eighty-eight grains. The gizzards of the young
birds were diftended with food, and weighed in
all one hundred and eighty grains, which was
equal to thirty-fix each; but both the gizzards
of the parents, which contained hardly any
thing, weighed only eighteen, or they were
four times lighter than thofe of their brood.
This fad clearly proves that the parents neglect
their requifite fubfiftence in order to fupply their
young, and that, during infancy, the organs
concerned in nourifhment predominat?*, as in
the adult period thofe fubfervicnt to generation.
Some individuals of this fpecies have their
whole plumage white ; and of this I can produce
two relpcdable vouchers, Hebert and Hermann.
Tlie white Martin of the lad had red eyes, as
is the cafe with fo many animals whofe hair or
feathers are white ; its legs were not covered
with down, like the reft of the fame hatch.
We may regard the fulvous bellied fwallow

• I have obfcrved the fame difproportion both in the gizzards
and in the inteiUnes ofyuung fparrows, nightingales* fauvettes> Sec,

MARTIN.

525

of Barrere as a variety of this fpecles ; and the
whitifh breafted brown fparrow of Brown *, as
occafioned by the influence of climate.

* This author calls it a hvuft-fnuallonjut buv it is more analogous
to the white- rumped fwallow.

[A] Specific chara£ler of the Martin, hirundo XJrhka: " Its talU
quills are notfpotted, its back is bluifli black, and the whole of its
under fide is white." The reader will find an excellent account of
this bird by Mr. White in the Philofophical Tranfa^ions for 1774*
or in Ids Natural Hiftory of Selborne, pp. 157, 162. We ihall
extra£l the following paflage, as it further confirms the migration
of the fwallows,

*< As the fummer declines, the congregating flocks inqreafe in
numbers daily by the condant acceflions of the fecond broods ; till
at laft they fwarm in myriads upon myriads round the villages on
the Thames, darkening the fac^ of the (ky as they frequent the
^its of that river, where they rooft. They retire, the bulk of them
X mean, in vaft flocks together about the beginning of Odluber;
but have appeared of late years in a coniiderable flight in this
neighbourhood, for one day or two, as late as November the 3d and
6th, after they were fuppofed to have been gone for more than a
fortnight. They therefore withdraw with us the lateft of any fpe-
cies. Unlefs thefe birds are very ihort lived indeed, or unlefs they
do not return to the diflridl where they have been bred, they muft
undergo yafl devaflations fomehow and fomewhere ; for the birds
that return yearly bear no manner of proportion to the birds tha(
f€tirct'*

i' i

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5^6

SAND-MARTIN.

The SAND-MARTIN*

Hirondelle de Kivage, Buff.

hirundo Riparia, Linn. Gmel. Kram, Frif. KIein> &c,

Dardaneliit Aldrov.

The Sand-iuejlern or Bank-nutfternt Charleton.

The Sand-martin f Bani-martin, or Sbore-birdt Will.

WE have feen that the two preceding fpe-
cies beftow much induftry and labour
in conftru6ling their little manfion; the two
following fpecies, we (hall find, breed in holes
in the ground, in walls or in trees, and are at
little pains to form thefe, flrewing coarfely fome
litter.

The Sand-martins arrive in our climates, and
retire, nearly at the fame time with the common
martins. Towards the end of Auguft they gra-
dually come nearer thofe fpots where they af-
femble, and about the end of September He-
bert tells us that he faw a great number of both
fpecies collected together on the houfe which

* Ariflotle, Hiji. Anim. Lib. I. I, calls it A^iwan?, from l^titxmt
a hook ; probably bccaufe of its forked tail : In Greek, it had alfo
the name of Xi^tofcn 0a^aTT»«, or fca fwallow.

Pliny terms it Hinado Riparia, Nat. Hift. Lib, XXX. 4.

In lt.iliairit has the names DardaueW, Rondoni, Tartan : In Ger-
man, Rhyn-vogel (Rhine-bird), Rhyn-Schifialme (Rhine-fvvallow),
Wafer -J'cbnualme (water fwallow), Erd/chiualme (earth-fwallow),
Ufer Sch^albe (fhore-fwallow) ; In DaniHi, D'g-fvaJe, "Jord-fvale,
Blint'fvale, Sol-bakke : In Norwegian, Sand tonne, Sirand-fvak,
Dig-fulu, Sand-fulu: In Swedifti, Strand Jwaia, Uack-frwaia : In
Poliili, Jajkotka : In Siberian, Strejihif.

.■■'i|

gra-

/allow) ,
\d-/vate,
nd-fvaky
\aia: In

SAND-MARTIN. 527

he poffefifed in Brie*, and particularly on the
fide of the roof that faced the fouth; and when
the flock was formed, it entirely covered the
building. But all the Sand-martins do not
migrate. The commander Defmazys writes
me that they are always to be found in Malta
during the winter, and efpecially when the
weather is inclement -t : and, as that fmall
rocky ifland has no lake or pool, we cannot
fuppofe that in the interval of ftornis they
plunge under water. Hebert has feen them
as often as fifteen or fixteen times in the
mountains of Bugey J, in the diiferent winter
months : it was near Nantua, in a pretty high
fituation, in a glen of a quarter of a league
in length and three or four hundred paces in
width ; the fpot was delicious, with a fouthern
afpe£l, and (heltcred from the north weft hy
vaft lofty rocks ; it was clothed in perpciual

• This houfe was fituated in the fkirt of a fmall town, its princi-
• pal afpedt was towards a river, and it communicated with the coun-
try on feveral fides.

+ " In St. Domingo/* fays the Chevalier Lefebvre Defhayes,
" the fwallows are feen to arrive on the approach of a Ilorm ; if the
clouds difperfe, they alfo retire, and probably follow the fhower.'*
They are, in fadl, very common in that ifland during the rainy fea-
fon. Axidotle aflcrted, two thoufand years ago, that the fliore-
fvvallow appeared not in Greece "feut when it rained. Laftly, on all
feas birds of every kind repair in ftorms to the iflands, and fome.
times feelf Ihelter aboard veflels, and their appearance is almoft
always the portent of fome furious guft.

X According to the fame oblervcr, it is much more unufual to fee
them during winter in the plains. Thefe birds feem to be the fpe-
cics to which Ariflotlc alludes when he fiys, •' ?Jany fwallows
are feen in the narrow pafTes of mountains." Lib. Vlil. 16.

4 verdure,

I iij'tt';' ■-!'!;!

rftft

if'

528

SAND MARTIN.

verdure, its violets flowered in February, and,
in that lovely recefs, winter wore the fmiles of
fpring. There thefe fwallows might play, and
circle, and catch their infect food^ and if the cold
becomes exccflively fevere, they could retire into
their holes, where the froft can never penetrate,
and where they may find earth -infc£ts and cry-
falids to fupport the.Ti during their (hort con-
finement ; or perhaps they pafs into a torpid
flate, to which Gmelin and many others aflert
they are liable, though that they are not always
fo is proved by the experiments of CoUinfon *.
The country people told Hebert, that they ap-
peared after the Ihovvs of Advent were melted,
if the weather was mild.

Thefe birds arc found in every part of Europe ;
Belon obferved them in Romagna, where they
breed with the king-fifhers and bee-eaters in the
brinks of the Marifla, anciently the Hebrus.
Koenigsfeld found in his travels through the
north, that the left bank of a brook which runs
befide the village of Kakui in Siberia, was bored
into a great number of holes, which ferved as
retreats to fmall gray birds called Strefchls^ which
mufi: be Sand-martins : five or fix hundred may
be feen flying confufedly about thefe holes, en-
tering them or coming out, but conftantly in

• Klein. Orio Awum^ P* 202, 204. Philof. Tranf. Vol, HIT,
p. loi. Gazette Litteraire, f. V. /• 364. Magafin de StraU
fund, &c.

motion

SAND-MARTIN.

529

iiiotion like flies *. The fwallovvs of this fpe-
cies are very rare in Greece, according to Arif-
totle, but they are pretty common in fome dif-
tri£ls of Italy, Spain^ France, England, Hol-
land, aud Germany f . They prefer fteep banks,
as affording the fafeft lodgment ; the margin of
jftagnant water, which abounds moft with in- -
fedsj and a fandy foil J, where they can more
cafilyform their little excavations, and fettle them-
felves in them. Salerne tells us that on the fides of
the Loire they breed in the quarries, others fay in
grottos ; and both accounts may in part be true.
The nefl: is only a heap of ftraw and dry grafs,
lined with feathers, on which the es:ors are
dropt ||, Sometimes they make their own holes,
and at other times they take polTeffion of thofe
of the bee-eaters and king-fifliers ; the entrance
of the cavity is eighteen inches in length. It
has been alleged, that they can forefee inunda-
tions, and make a timely efcape § : but the fadl
is, that they always dig their hole a little above
the highefl mark of the ftream.

The Sand-martins only hatch once a year,

• Dellfle's travels into Siberia.

f In the banks cf the Rhine, of the Loire, of the Saone, &c.

% Lottinger and Hebert,

II Schweiickfcld fays that this neft is of a fpherical form ; but
this feems to be true rather of the holes than of the neft built in
them. ** They make no nefts," fays Pliny. Aldrovandus is of the
fame opinion : Edwards fays, that thofe which CoUinfou caufcd to
be dug out were complete, but he does not fpecify tlieir form.
Laftly, Belon doubts whether they excavate the holes thcmfelves.

§Plin. Lii. X. }}.

VOL. VI. M m according

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SAN D-M A R T I N.

"ccortliiig to Frilch ; they lay five or fix eggs,
femi traiiipareiit and without fpots, fays Klein ;
the yoiip.g ones grow very fat, a' -J may be com-
pared for delicacy to the ortcuans. Tiie rea-
son is, becaiile they nre able to procure a rich
fupplv of food, lince, bcfides the nnnaerons tribe
of vviii^' d infcds, they find reptiles and chry-
fdids in the ground, In fome countries, as in
Val-ncia in Spain, there is a great confumptiou
of Sand-martins*; which would induce me,
notwithflanding the aflertion of Frifch, to fup-
pofe that in thole parts they hatch oftener than
once a year.

- The adults hunt their prey on the furfice of
the water with fuch adivity that we might
imagine them to be fighting; they often run
upon each other in the purfuit of the fame flies,
and {lru2;2;le with (hrill cries -f to obtain the
plunder: but this conducl arifes entirely from
emulation.

Were we to judge from its manner of breed-
ing, we fhould conclude, that this bird is the
wildeft of the Europeaii fwallows ; yet is it
tamer than the black martin, which live:; indeed
in towns, but never mingles with any kindred
fpecics, whereas the Sand-martin aflociates with
the commoix martin, and even the chimney
fwaliov/ : this happens particularly about the
time of migration, when the utility of uniting
is moll fenfibly felt, -it differs from thei"' tv,o

• See WillugViby. The young birds are however fubjcd to v.'ood-
lice, which iniinuate, under the Ikin, but never to bugs,
f Gefner,

fpecies

SAND-MARTIN,

5ii

fpe:ies iri Its plumage, in its voice, and, as we
have all cad V leen, in fomc oF its natural habits.
It nev'jr perches, and it arrives much earlier ia
the Ipring than the black martin. I know not
on what '.{round (Jefner pretends that it cliiii;s
and hangs by the feet when it fleeps.

All the upper turface is of a moufe gray;
there Is a fort of collar of tiie fame colour at the
lower part of the neck ; all the reli of the under
furface is white ; the quills of the tail and of
the wings are brown ; the inferior coverts of
the wings, gray ; the bill blackilh, and the legs
brown, clothed behind as far as the toes with a
down of the fame colour.

The male is, according to Schwenckfeld, of a
darker gray, and there is a yellowifli tint at the
rife of the throat.

It is the fmallefl: of the European fwallows.
Total length four inches and nine lines i the
bill a little more than five lines ; the tail forked ;
the tarfus five lines ; the hind tec the (hortell ;
the alar extent eleven inches ; the tail two
inches and a quarter, forked eight lines, and
"confiftiug of twelve quills ; th'- wings contain
eighteen, of which the nine inner ones are equal;
they proje^Sl five lines beyond the tail [A].

[A] Specific charaftcr of the Sand-martin, Hirnvdo Riparla:
'* It is cinereous, its throat and belly white.'' Thcle birds are
not frequent in England. Thev are much fmaller than thofe of
their kindred fpecies, and are moufe-colourcd. They jiave a pe-
culiar manner of flying; reeling and wavering, with odd jerks:
Hence the peafants in Spain term them Payiliones de Montagna, or
Mouutun butterflies.

M m 2

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53*

CRAG-SWALLOW.

The CRAG-SWALLOW.

VHirontleUt Gri/i de Reebirt *, BufT,
Hirundt Montana, Gmel f.

npHESE Swallows conftantly neftle in the
•■• rocks, and never defcend into the plains,
but in purfuit of their prey. It commonly rains
in a day or two after their appearance ; becaufe,
no doubt, the ftate of the air then drives ^the
infedls from the mountains. The Crag-fwal-
lows aiTociate with the common martins, but are
not fo numerous. Both fpecies are often feen
in the morning, wheeling about the caftle of
Epine in Savoy; the Crag-fwallows appear the
firft, and are alfo the firft to retire to the
heights; after half pad nine o'clock none is
found in the vale.

The Crag-fwallow arrives in Savoy about
the middle of April, and departs by the fifteenth
of Augult; but fome loiter till the tenth of Oc-
tober. The fame may be faid of thofe which
inhabit the nwuntains of Auvergne and of
Dauphiny.

This fpecies feems to be intermediate to the
common martin, whofe cry and geftures it has,
and the fand-martin, which it refembles in its

• i. e. The Gray Rock-fwallow.

f My information with refpefl to this fpecies was received from
the Marquis de Piolenc^ who fent me two birds.

colours :

CRAG-SWALLOW. 533

colours: all the feathers 011 the upper furface of
the head and body, the quills and coverts of the
tail, the quills and fuperior coverts of the wings,
are of a dun gray, edged with rufous ; the mid-
dle pair of the tail is lighter ; the four lateral
pairs, included between this middle and the
outermoil one, are marked on the inlide with a
white fpot, which is not vifible unlefs the tail
be fpread ; the under furface of the body is
rufous ; the flanks rufous, tinged with brown ;
the inferior coverts of the wings brown ; the
legs clothed with a gray down, variegated with
brown ; the bill and nails black.

Total length five inches ten lines ; the alar
extent ten inches and two-thirds ; the tail twenty*
one lines, a little forked, confifling of twelve
quills, and exceeding the wings feven lines.

The only thing which appeared to me worth
noticing in its internal flruflure is, that inflead
of a coecum there was a fingle appendix of a line
in diameter, and a line and a quarter in length.
\ have obferved the fame in the night-heron.

I4«

M fA

534

SWIFT.

The SWIFT*.

«?•

Le Marlhet Noir-f, Buff.

}iiru>i({ Jpuit Linn. Gmcl. &c.

T\\c H'ufe martin, Charlcton.

The Bluck-n.artin, or Swift, Will, and Penn.

'T^HE Swifts are real fwallows, and poflefs
-* the chara^eriftic qualities even in a higher
degree : their neck, their bill, and their legs are
fliorter ; their head and throat l;'rgei ; their
wings longer; their flight more lofty and rapid J.
They are continually on the wing, and when
they happen to fall by accident, they can
hardly rile if the ground be flat ; they muft
clamber up lome clod or ftone, that they may
have room to wield their long pinions §, and

♦ Ariftotle, Uip.Anlm. Lib. L i . applies to It the g^.eral name of
AffSf, or footlefb, meaning only tliat its feet are (hort and fcldom
ufed : It was alfo called Kf\|/«Xo?, from xy^vJ/i^Ki a bee's cell, on ac-
count of its mode of neRl-ng ; for which rcafon it had likewife the
appellation of iiiTt-o;/t^»oa)i', or rock fwallow. The two firft names
have been adopted by Pliny, Apode<, Cypjelus : In Arabic, Abnjic :
In Spanifti, yetrcio, Ay>exaquo: In Qcxvn^w,Cieyr-^ch'wulb (vulture-
fwallow) : In Danifh, ^tetv, Soe,Kirl.e Muur-Stvale: In Norwegian,
Jiing-Szah, Sivart-Sn/it, Fielii-Sulu: In Swcdilh, Ring-S'vala : In
Dutch, Stee"-S'walemeii.

"t i. e. The Black-martin.

I Ariftotle lays, that the Swifts may be diftinguiflied from the
fwallowh by their rough feet: he was therefore unacquainted with
the fmgular difpofition of tl.eir feet and toes, and with their habits
and economy, ilill more fingular.

§ A fo'.vler affured me that they fometimes alight on heaps of
horfe-dung, where they find infedls, and can eafily lake wing.

7 commence

SWIFT. 535

commence their motion. This is owins to
their llnidlure ; for the tarfus is lb (hort, that
they iit almoll: on their helly *, and totter from
fu^c to fide -f. The Swifts have only two modes
of hfe, that of violent exertion, or that of per-
fect ina»5lion ; they muft either Ihoot through
the air, or remain fquat in their holes. The
only intcrmediite ftate which they know, is
that of clambering up walls and trunks of trees
quite near their lodgment, and, by means of
their bill, dragging themfelves into the cavity.
Commonly they enter it full fpeed, after having
paflcd it and repafled it above an hundred times ;
they dart in in an inflant, ar.d with luch celerity
that we totally lofe <1ght of them.

Thefe birds ire very focial with each other,
but never mingle with the other kinds of fv\ al-
lows; and we fliall find, in the I'cquel, that
their difpofitions and infl:in£ls are different. It
has been faid that they have little fagacity; yet
they can breed in our houfcs without depending
on our indulsrence, and without rco;ardino; our
controul. Their lodgment is a hole in the wall,

• Bclon.

f Two of thcfc birds obfcrved by M. Hebert, when fet on a table
or on the pavement, had only this motion : their feathers fwelled if
a perfon approached his hand ; a younj; one found at the foot of a
wall in which was the ncll, h,.d already this habit of bril^ling up its
feathers, which were not yet half grown. I Lave lately feen two
that took their flight, the one from the pavement, and the other
from a gravel walk : they did not walk at all, and never changed
their place but by Happing their wings.

M m 4 which

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536

SWIFT.

which widens into a larger cavity, and is pre-
ferred in proportion to its height from the
ground, as aiFording the fafefl retreat. They
neille even in belfries and the tailed towers,
fometimes under the arches of bridges, where,
though the elevation is not fo great, they arc
better concealed. Sometimes they fettle in hol-
low trees, or in deep banks befide the king-
fifhers, the bee-eaters, and fand-martins. After
they have once occupied a hole, they return
every year to it*, and eafily diftinguifli it,
though hardly perceptible. It is fufpe£led, with
much probability, that they fometimes take pof-
feflion of the fparrows' nefts, and when, on
their return, they find the property reclaimed,
they, with little ceremony, expel the owners.
The Swifts are, of all the birds of paflage,
thofe which arrive the lateft in our climates and
retire the earlieft : in general they begin to ap-
pear about the end of April, or the beginning of
May, and they leave us before the end of
July "f . Their progrefs is more regular than

• I know a church -porch and a belfry of which the Swifts
have kept poflelTion for time immemorial ; M. Hebert, to whom I
owe many good obfervations on this fpecies, fees from his windows
a hole of the wall above a high cope, to which they have regularly
returned for thirteen years : the parents feem to tranfmit their man-
fion to their offspring.

f I am affured, that on the lake of Geneva they arrive not till
May, and retire about the end of July or the beginning of Au-
guft; and when the weather is fine and war{n> as early as the fif-
teenth of July.

8 that

SWIFT.

537

that of the other fwallows, and appears to be
more affected by the variations of temperature.
They are fometimes feen In Burgundy as early
as the twentieth of April, but thefe flocks puih
farthci ; the fettlers feldom return to occupy
their neft befoi c the firft days of May *. They
are noify on their appearance ; rarely do two
enter at once the fame hole, and never without
fluttering much about its mouth ; ftill more
uncommon it is for a third to follow them, nor
does it ever fettle.

I have in different times, and in different
places, opened ten or twelve fwifts' nefts : in all
of them I found the fame materials, and thefe
confiding of a great variety of fubftances ; ftalks
of corn, dry grafs, mofs, hemp, bits of cord,
threads of filk and linen, the tip of an ermine's
tail, fmall (hreds of gauze, of muflin, and other
light ftufFs, the feathers of domeftic birds, thofe
of the partridge, and of the parrot, charcoal, in
Ihort, whatever they can find in the fweepings
of towns. But how can birds which never
alight on the ground gather thefe materials?
A celebrated obferver fuppofes that they raifc

• This year, 1779, though the fpring was uncommonly fine, they
appeared not in the dillrifl where I live till the firft of May, and
returned before the ninth to the holes from which I had caufed
their nefts to be taken. At Dijon, they were feen on the nineteenth
of April, but thofe domiciUated did not take pofTeflion of their holes
tUl between the firft and fourth of May.

them

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53^ SWIFT.

them by glancing along the furface of the ground,
as they drink by Ikimming clofe on th« -water.
Frifch imagines that they catch the fubftances
in the air as they are carried up by the wind.
But it is evident that little could be collected in
the latter way, and, if the former were true, it
would not fail to have been obferved in towns.
1 am inclined to think the account more proba-
ble which feveral plain people have told me;
that they have often feen the Swifts coming out
of fwallows or fparrows* nefts, and carrying ma-
terials in their claws. This obfervation is cor-
roborated by feveral circumflanccs ; firfl:, the
Swifts' nefls confifl of nearly the fame fubftances
with thofe of fparrows ; fecondly, we know that
the Swifts enter fometimes into the nefts of
fmall birds to fuck their eggs, which we may
fuppofe they do for the fake of pillaging the
materials. With regard to the mofs which they
employ, it is in very fmall quantity, and they
inay gather it with their little claws, which are
very ftrong, from trees, on which they can
clamber, and fometimes even they breed in their
hollow trunks.

Of feven nefts found under the head of a
church porch fifteen feet from the ground, there
were only three which had a regular cup-(hape,
and of which the materials were more or lefs
interwoven, and with greater order than ufual
in fparrows* nefts ; they had alfo more mofs,

^ and

cli

SWIFT.

539

and fewer feathers, and were in general lefs
bulky *

Soon after the Swifts have taken pofleffion of
the^neUs, feme plaintive cries iflTue continually
from it Tor Icvcial days, and rometimes during
the ni.^ht ; at certain times, two voices may be
diftinLiiillicd. Is it the cxprefTion of pleafure
coiTii-no:! both to the male and female ? or is it
the love fong by which the female invites the
male to accomplilh the views of nature? The
latter (eems to he the moil prv)bable conjecture,
efpecially as the ardent cry of the male, when he
purfues the female tiirough the air, is fofter and
lefs drawling. \Vc arc iiiicci tain whether the
female admits one or feveral males : we often fee
three or follrS^^if^s ilMtri^iing about the hole,
and even (Iretching out their clav\ t to clamber
on the wall ; but thefe may be fuch as were
hatched the preceding year, which ftill remem-
ber the place of their nativity. It is the more
difficult to anlwer thefe queilions, fuice the fe-
males have nearly the fame plumage with the
males, and fincc we can feldom have an op-
portunity of viewing their manoeuvres.

Thefe birds, during their fliort ftay in our
climates, have time only to make a fuigle hatch ;

• The heft formed of all weighed two ounces and one gros and
a half, the feven together thirteen ounces and a half, and the largcft
five Oi fix times more than the fmallcll : fome of ^hem had a coat
of dung, which coyld fcarcely be otherwife, confidering the fitu«
atlon of thefe nells, in holes of various depths.

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SWIFT.

this confifts of five white eggs, pointed, and of
a fpindle fhape : I have feen fome not yet hatch-
ed on the twenty-eighth of May. When the
young ones have pierced through the (hell, very
different from thofe of the other fwallows, they
are almoft filent, and crave no food : happily
the parents obey the voice of nature, and fupply
them with what is proper. They carry provi-»
fion only twice or thrice a-day ; bui: each time
that they return to the neft they bring ample
ftore, their wide throat being filled with flies,
butterflies, and beetles *. They alfo eat fpiders
which they find near their holes ; yet their bill
is fo weak that it cannot even bruife or hold that
feeble prey.

About the middle of June the young Swifts
begin to fly, and (hortly abandon their nefts,
after which the parents feem no more to regard
them. At every period of their lives they are
fubjeft to vermin, but which appear little to in-
commode them.

This bird, like all the refl: of the kind, is
excellent for the table when fat; the young
ones, efpecially thofe taken out of the neft,
are reckoned, in Savoy and Piedmont, delicate
morfels. The adults are difficult to (hoot, be-
caufe they fly both high and rapidly ; but as,

• The only Svwift that M. Hebert could kill, had a qaantity of
winged infedls in its throat. This bird catches thefe, according to
Frifch, by darting impetuoufly above thcip^ with iu bill wide
llretched.

an a
lefs

SWIFT.

J4i

on account of this very rapidity, they cannot
readily alter their courfe, they may, from this
circumftance, be hit not only by a fowling-
piece, but alfo by the ftroke of a (witch. The
only attention required, is to place one's felf in
their way by mounting to a belfry, a baftion,
&c. and to meet them with the blow as they
dart diredlly on, or as they come out of their
hole *. In the ifland of Zant the boys catch
them with a hook and line ; they place them-
felves in the windows of fome high tower, and
ufe a feather for bait, which thefe birds try to
fnatch and carry to their neft -j- . A fmgle per-
fon can catch in this way five or fix dozen in a
day J. Many of them appear at the fea-ports,
and, as a perfon can there more eafily choofe his
ilation, he is fure of killing fome.

The Swifts' avoid heat, and, for this reafon,
they pafs the middle of the day in their nefts in
the crevices of walls or rocks and in the loweft
row of tiles of tall buildings. In the morning
and evening they go in queft of provifion, or
flutter without any particular objedt, but for
exercife. They return at ten o'clock in the
forenoon when the fun (hines, and again at half

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■If

* Many are killed in this way in the little town which I inhabit,
cfpecially thofe which breed under the church-porch that I have
mentioned.

f Perhaps alfo they miftake the feather for an infeft ; they hare
an acute fight, but the rapidity of their motion muft render objefts
lefs diftinguiihable.

X Belon.

:ih^

54*

S W I FT.

an hour after it fets in the eveii'ing. They rove
in numerous flocks, dcibri'oiiig an ondiels leriea
of circles upon circles, ibmctinics in dole ranks
purUiing the dircvftion of a (trer^t, and iometimss
whirhng round a large cdihre 11 icicariiing to-
gether, and with thcii vv hole mlgl.t ; often
they glide along without fluriag their wings,
and, on a fudden, they flap with frequent and
hafty ftrokes. We behold their motion:>, but
we cannot judge of their intentions.

A commotion may be perceived among thefc
birds as early as the fiifl: of July, which an-
nounces their departure ; their n umbers inrreafe
confiderably, and, in the fultry evenings be-
tween the tenth and twentieth, their lar'^e af-
femblies are held. At Dijon, they conllantly
gather round the fame belfries* ; and, though
thefe meetings are numerous, the Swifts appear
as frequent as ufual about the other edifices :
they are probably foreign birds, therefore on
their paflage to more fouthern climates. After
fun-fet they divide into fmall bodies, foar into
the air with loud fcreams, and fly quite .differ-
ently from ordinary. They may be heard long
after they are gone out of fight, and they feem
to bend their courfe to the country ; they no
doubt retire at night to the woods, for there it
is known they breed and catch infeds, and that
thofe which haunt the plains during the day,

• Thofe of St. Philibert and of St. Bcnigne.

and

day.
ofS.

# Y,

whole
may n(
tK

S W I F T.

543

and even fome of thofe which live la towns,
repair to the trees in the evening, where they
contiiuic till dark. The city Swifts aflemble
loon afti^r, and all prepare to migrate into colder
countries. TVl. Fiebcrt icarce ever faw them
later than the 27th of July; he fuppofes that
they travel du'.ing the night, and proceed to
no great diftance, and crofs not the fea. In-
deed their averfion to heat is fuch that they
would fluin the fcorchino; air of SeneG:al *.
Many naturalifts "f- pretend that they lie torpid
in their holes durino; winter, and even before
the end of the do2:-davs. But, in our climates,
they arc undoubtedly migratory, and in the
nefts which I fearched, about the middle of
i^pril, twelve or fifteen days before their firfl
appearance, 1 could not find a fingle bird.

Befides the regular periodical migrations, wc
fometimes fee in autumn numerous flocks,
which have by fome accidents been feparated
from the main body. Such was the one that
appeared to Hebert fuddenly in Brie about the
besjinning of November : it circled lone; round
a poplar, and then began to fcatter, role to a
great height, and vanilhcd with the clofe of the
day. Hebert faw another flock about the end
of September in the vicinity of Nantua, where

• What Ariftotle fays of his Awy,-, which lived in Greece the
whole year, would imply that it docs not fo much dread heat. But
may not the Awa? be our fand-marthi i

t Klein, Hecrkcns, Herman, &c.

they

■i" ■»

11 1: 1 ■

.lit'

544

SWIFT.

they are not common. In both thefe ftray-»
flocks there were many birds that had a cry dif-
ferent from that ufual to the Swifts ; whether
that their voice alters in winter, that they were
young ones, or that they belong to a different
branch of the fame family.

In general, the Swift has no warble, but
only a (hrill whiftle, which varies litrfe in its
inflexions, and which is fcarce ever heard ex-
cept when on the wing. In its hole it remains
flill and filent, afraid, it would feem, of difclof-
ing its retreat : love alone roufes it from le-
thargy. At other times it is very unlike thofe
prattlers defcribed by the poet *.

Birds which (hoot through the air with fuch
rapidity muft have a quick eye, and, in the
prefent cafe, the fa£t corroborates the general
principle advanced in the " Difcourfe on the
Nature of Birds.** But every thing has its li-
mits, and I cannot believe that they will defcry
a fly at the diftance of half a quarter of a league,
as Belon aflerts ; that is, at twenty-eight thou-
fand times the fly's diameter, fuppofing that nine
lines, or nine times farther than a man could
fee. The Swifts are not only fpread through

* " Nigra velut magnas domini cum divitis jides
" Pervolat, et pennis alta atria luftrat hirundo,
" Pabula parva legens, nidifque loquacibus efcas.
'* £t nunc porticibus vacuis, nunc humida circum
«* Stagna fonat.'* Vitg. jEntid.XIL ^7^.

Virgil feems to refer> in thij paflagCt to the houfe-fwallow.

all

g W I FT.

545

iall Europe ; the Vifcount Querhoent fluv them
at the Cape of Good Hope, and I doubt not that
they may be found alfo in Afia, and even in the
new continent.

A moment's refledlion will exhibit the fin-
gularity of this bird: its life is divided between
the extremes of motion and reft; it never re-
ceives the impreflions of touch, but during its
fhort flay in its hole ; its joys are either exqui-
lite or totally fufpendcd, nor can it have any
idea of that languor which other beings feel
from the dull continuance of even pleafurable
fenfations ; and, laftly, its character is a com-
pound of temerity and fufpicion. It creeps by
flealth into its hole like a reptile, and obferves
profound lilence ; but when it circles in its pro-
per element, it feels its fuperiority, and, trull:-
ing to its powers, it overlooks or defpifea
danger.

The Swift is larger than our other fwallows,
and weighs ten or twelve gros ; the eye is hol-
low, the throat a{h-white, the reft of the plum*
age blackifli, with green refledlions ; the back
and the inferior coverts of the tail are of a deeper
caft; thefe coverts reach to the end of the two
middle quills; the bill is black ; the legs of a
brown flefh colour ; the fore part and tlie inftde
of the tarjm are covered with fmall blackifli
feathers.

Total length feven inches and three quarters;
the bill eight or nine lines ; the tongue three

VOL. VI. N n lines

'ri

ii'^

■^'.:'^!V

•1 ■ . \

||.:>-'

;;.!';

!!/

"•A

546

SWIFT.

lines and a half, forked ; the noftrils like a long
fhaped human ear, the convexity being turned
inwards, and their axis being inclined to the
ridge of the upper; the two eye-lids naked,
moveable, and (hut near the middle of the ball
of the eye ; the tarfus is near five lines, the four
toes turned forward*, and confifting each of
two phalanges only (a fingular conformation,
peculiar to the Swifts) ; the alar extent about
fourteen inches; the tail near three inches,
compofed of twelve unequal quills +, and fork-
ed more than an inch ; it is exceeded eight or
ten lines by the wings, which contain eighteen
quills, that when clofed refemble the blade of
a fey the.

CEfophagus two inches and a half, and forms
near its bottom a fmall glandulous bag; the
gizzard is mufcular in its circumference, lined
with a wrinkled loofe membrane, and contains
portions of infedls, but no pebbles ; it has a gall
bladder, no ccecum ; the inteftinal tube from the
gizzard to the anus itvtw inches and a half;
the ovarium clullered with eggs of unequal fizes
(this was on the 20th of May).

Having lately compared feveral Swifts of both
fexes, I found that the males weighed more
than the females, that their fe.et w,ere ftronger,

* How can the genus in which it is ranged be defcribed to have
three toes before and one behind \

t I know that Willughby reckons only ten ; but perhaps he
confounded this fpecies with the following.

that

■ y

SWIFT.

547

that the white fpot on the throat is broader, and
that almoft all the white feathers which form
it have black fhafts.

The infect which infefts thefe birds is a
kind of loufe, of an oblop^ Ihape, and orange
colour, but of different tints ; having two
thread-like antenn<s€y its head flat and almoft
triangular, and its body confifting of nine rings,
befet with a few ftraggling hairs.

It is fomewhat remarkable that during their
ftay with us their plumage lofes ics black glofs,
and bleaches by continual expofure to the fun
and the air. They arrive about the end of
April, and retire before the end of Auguft.

[A] Specific charafter of the Swift, Rtrundo- Afut : ** It is
blackifh, its throat white, all its four toes placed before." Mr.
White avers from many years* obfervation, that the Swifts even
copulate on the wing. In England they fly each day, in mid fum>
mer, at lead Axteen hours. Nor do they feem to be at all incom<-
moded by the heat of our meridian fun ; nay, they are never fo
lively as in fultry thundery weather: fo different is our climate to
that of^the fouth of France, where they are conAned to their holes
fur fome hours at noon.

li,,

t'-i'

N n 2

I
'I

548

SWIFT.

The WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT.

Le Grand Martinet a Ventre Blanc *, Buff.
HirundoMelba, Lmn. and Gtnel.
Hirundo Major Hi/panUat Brifl'.
Hirundo Maxima Freti HercuUi, Klein.
The Great eji Martin or 5<u;///, Edw.

T FIND, in this bird, both the general qua-
■^ litics of the fwallow, and the peculiar cha-
radters of the Swift. Its legs are extremely
fhort; its four toes are turned forward, and
confift only of two phalanges ; it never alights
on the ground, and never perches on trees ; —
in thefe properties it agrees with the Swift :
but there are conliderable difparities that fepa-
rate it ; for, befides the ciifFerences in the plum-
age, it is twi'^e as large, its wings arc longer,
and there are only ten quills in the tail.

Thefe birds delight in mountains, and breed
in the holes of crags. They appear annually
among the cliffs which border the Rhone in
Savoy, in thofe of the ifland of Malta, in the
Swifs Alps, &c. The one defcribed by Ed-
wards was killed on the rocks of Gibraltar ; but
it is uncertain whether it refides there, or was
only on its paflage. And though it were a fettler,
this wouM not be a fufficient reafon to call it
Spanijh Swallow^, as Briffon has done : for, i . it
it fouiid in many other countries, and probably

• /. e. The Great White-bellied Martin.

• Ir

Swift
t S
to eat.

SWIFT.

549

in all thofe which abound with mountains and
rocks. 2. It is rather a Swift than a fwallow.
One was killed, in 1775, in our diftri£ls on a
pool, at the foot of a high mountain.

The Marquis de Piolenc (to whom I am in-
debted for my acquaintance with thefe birds, and
who has fent me feveral) writes me that they
arrive in Savoy about the beginning of April,
Slid that they fly at firft over the pools and
marfhes, and in a fortnight or three weeks they
reach the high mountains ; that they do not fly
fo lofty as the common Swifts, and that the
time when they retire is not fo precife or fixed
as that of their appearance, and depends much
on the ftate of the weather, and on the warmth
or chillnefs of the air*: laftly, he fubjoins
that they live on beetles, fpiders, &c. that they
are diflicult to (hoot, that the flefh of the old
ones is unpleafant +, and that the fpccies is not
numerous.

It is probable that thefe White-bellied Swifts
breed alfo among the deep rocks on the fea-fide,
and that we may apply to them, as well as to the
common Swifts, v/hat Pliny fays of certain birds
without feet that fly in the open fea at all dif-
tances from the fhore, circling round the vef-
fels. Their cry is nearly the fame with that of
the common Swift.

• In the country of Geneva they remain a Ihorter time than the
Swift or black Martin.

f Sportfmen ufually fay that thefe birds arc hard both to kill and
to eat.

N n 3 The

■ m

''■•I

U I .

r,!i

>i Ml

r ',•>

'HA
„ ll..

550

SWIFT.

The whole of the upper furface is brown-
gray, but deeper on the tail and wings, with
reddilhand greenilh reflections; the throat, the
bread, and the belly, white ; on the neck there
is a brown-gray collar, variegated with black-
ifli ; the fides are variegated alfo with blacki(h
and with white ; the lower belly and the infe-
rior coverts of the tail are of the fame brown
with the back ; the bill black ; the legs flefli
coloured, covered with down before and on the
infide ; the ground of the feathers brown be-
neath the body, and light gray above ; almoft
all the white feathers have a black (haft, and
the brown ones are edged delicately with whitilh
at the tip. In one male which 1 obferved, the
feathers on the head were deeper coloured than
in two others with which I compared it : it
weighed two ounces five gros.

Total length eight inches ; the bill an inch,
(lightly hooked ; the tongue four Ihies, of a tri-
angular fhape; the iris brown; the eye-lids
naked ; the tarfus five lines and a half; the nails
ftrong, the inner one the (horteft; the alar ex-
tent above twenty inches ; the wings compoled
of eighteen quills ; the tail three inches and a
half, confifting of ten unequal quills, forked
eight or nine lines, and exceeded by the lines
two inches at leaft.

The gizzard (lightly mufcular, very thick,
lined with a loofe membiane, containing frag-
ments of infects, and fome whole ones, and

4 among

SWIFT.

SSI

among others was one v/hofe ikinny wings
reached more than two inches ; the inteftinal
tube nine or ten inches; the afophagus dilating
below into a glandulous bag ; no caecum, nor could
I perceive any gall bladder ; the tefticles very
long and fmall (this was on the i8th of June).
It appeared to me that the mefentery was ftrong-
er, the ikin thicker, the mufcles more elaftic,
and the brain firmer, than in other birds : every
thing denoted ftrength, and indeed the fwiftnel's
of its motion neceflarily implies that.

We may remark that the fubje£l: defcribed by
Edwards was fmaller than ours. He aflerts that
it refembles the fand-martin fo exactly that the
fame defcription will ferve both. It is true that
their plumage is nearly alike, and that all the
fwallow tribe are fimilar; but that naturalift
fhould have noticed that the toes are differently
difpofed.

[A] Specific charafter of the White-bellied Swlfc, Hirundt'Mel-
la : ** It is brown ; its throat and belly white i all its toes placed
before."

•f,

'./^

I!;

Ik^ ^

0 '

I'' i:

I''

■i

i'Mm

N n 4

si^

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

FOREIGN BIRDS,

WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE SWALLOWS, THE MARTlNSji

AND THE SWIFTS.

1 ti

THOUGH the Swallows of the two con-
:inent3 form only one tribe, and are ana-
logous in their (hape and principal properties*,
they have not all the fame inftincts and natural
habits. In Europe, and on the neareft borders
of Africa and of Alia, they are almolt wholly
birds of pafi'age. At the Cape of Good Hope a
part only migrate, and the reft are ftationary.
In Guiana, where the temperature is pretty uni-
form, they remain the whole- year, without
ihifting their abodes; nor is the manner of life
the fame in them all ; fome prefer the fettled and
cultivated fpots; others indifferently frequent
inhabited places, or the wildeft folitude ; fome
inhabit the uplands, others the fens ; fome ap-
pear to be attached to particular diftri£ls ; but
none of them build their neft with earth like
ours, though fome breed in hollow trees, like

the Swifts, and others in banks, like the Sand-
martins.

It is remarkable, that almoft all the late ob-
fcrvers agree, thc^t in this part of America and

• Pi-'rhaps we fliould except the bill, which is ftronger in fomp
American Swallows.

5 Ja

S;5

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 55J

in the adjacent iflands, fuch as Cayenne, St.
Domingo, &c. the fpecies of Swallows are more
numerous and various than in Europe, and that
they refide there the whole year; while, on
the contrary. Father Dutertre, who travelled
through the Caribbees when the colonies were
JLifl: planted, afliires us that Swallows are very
rare in thelc iflands, and that they are migra-
tory as in Europe*. If both thefe obfervations
be regarded as well afcertained, they will fhew
the influence of civilized man Cii nature, fince
his pre fence is alone fufficient to invite whole
fpecies to fettle and multiply. There is a cu-
rious remark made by Hagftroem in h\%SwediJh
Lapland^ that corroborates this remark : he re-
lates that many birds and other animals, whe-
ther from a predilection to human fociety or
from views of intereft, gather near the new fet-
tlements ; he excepts, however, the geefe and
ducks, who obferve a different conduct, and,
both in the mountains and in the vallies, lead
their migrations in a diredion oppofite to thofe
of the Laplanders.

I (hall conclude by remarking with Bajon and
many other obfc • s, that, in the iflands and con-
tinent of America, there is often a great difference
between the plumage of the male and female of
the fame fpecies, and often a flill greater in the

* ** During the feven or eight years that I lived there, I never
faw mure than a dozen : they appear not (he fubjoins) except in the
£ye or fix months that they are Teen in France,"

fame

M-'

rr-.^yci

fill', ill ■ ■■

if;'

SS4 BIRDS REALATED TO THE

fame individual at different ages. And this faft
will juftify the liberty which I (hall take in

ranging thenn.

The BLACK SWALLOW.

Lf Petit Martinit Neir •, Buff.
H:ruttdo Nigrop Gmel.
Hiruudo Domlnicenjist Briflf.

'T^His bird, which inhabits St. Domingo, is
fonnewhat differently fhaped from the
Swift : the bill is rather (horter ; the legs ra-
ther longer ; lb is the tail, and alfo lefs forked ;
the wings much longer ; laftly, the feet do not
feem in the figure to have their four tfits turned
forward, nor does Briilbn tell how many^/&^-.
ianges the toes have.

This doubtlefs is the fame with the fpecies
defcribed by Bdjon as almoft quite black, which
frequents the dry favannas, and breeds in holes
in the ground, and perches often on withered
trees. It is fmaller than the Swift, and of a
more uniform blacki(h, moft of the individuals
not having a fingle fpot of any other colour in
their whole plumage.

Total length five inches and ten lines; the

/. /. The Little Black Martintt (Swift).

bill

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 555

bill fix lines ; the tarfus five lines ; the alar ex-
tent fifteen inches and a half 5 the tail two inches
and a half, forked fix lines, and exceeded by the
wings fourteen lines, and in fome eighteen lines.
In one fpecimen there was a finall very narrow
white bar on the front. I faw another in Maii-
duit's excellent cabinet, that had been brought
from Louifiana ; it was of the fame fize and
nearly of the fame plumage, being of a blackilh
gray without any glofs, and its legs not clothed
with feathers [A].

s
1

11.

The WHITE-BELLIED SWIFT*.

Le Grand Martinet Noir a Ventre Blanc, BufF.
Hirundo Dominicenfis, Gmel.
Hirundo cantu Alaudam referenst Klein.
The iS/. Domingo Sival/ew, Lath.

T CONCEIVE this bird to be a Swift from the
•■' account given by Father Feuillee, who faw
it in St. Domingo. He calls it indeed a Siva/-
/ow, but then he compares it to the Swifts, with
regard to fize, (hape, and even colours. He
faw it in the month of May fitting on a rock,

• i. c. The White-bellieJ great black Martinet (Swift).
[A] Specific charadler of \.\iQ Hirumio Nigra: "It is entirely
black."

and

\m^-

ss^

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

and took its fong for that of a lark, till the
opening dawn enabled him to diftinguifli it.
He affures us that numbers of thefe birds are
feen in the American iflands in the months of
May, June, and July.

The predominant colour of the plumage is
£ne black, with the glofs of burnifhed fteel ; it
i'preads not only on the head, and all the upper
fide of the body, including the fuperior coverts
of the tail, but alfo on the throat, the neck, the
breaft, the flanks, thr thighs, the fmall coverts
of the wings ; the quills, the, great ftiperiorand
infeiior coverts of the wings, and the quills of
fche tail, are blackifli ; the inferior coverts of the
tail and of the jelly are white; the bill and
legs brown.

Total length feven inches ; the bill eight
lines ; the tarfus fix ; the alar extent fourteen
inches and two lines ; the tail two inches and
three quarters, forked nine lines, compofed of
twelve quills; it does not projed beyond the
wings.

Commcrfon brought from'America three birds
much like the one defcribed by BrifTon, and
which feem to belong to the fame fpecies [A].

[A] Specific charaiSer of the Hirundo Dominicenjii: " It is blackj
with a fteel glofs ; its belly white."

: ;

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. sSf

IIL

The PERUVIAN SWALLOW.

Le Martinet Noir (ff BiaHc a Ceinture Gri/e
Hirundo Peruviana, Gmel.
Hirundo Peruviana Major, Brifl*.

Buff.

^TT^HE plumage of this bird confifts of three
•^ principal colours : black is fpread over the
back, and as far as the fuperior covertb of the
tail inclufively ; fnowy white on the under fide
of the body ; light cinereoiis on the head, the
throat, the neck, the fuperior coverts of the
wings, their quills, and thofe of the tail : all
thefe quills arc edged w^ith yellowifh gray, and
on the belly there is a light a(h- coloured girdle.
This bird is found in Peru, where it was de-
fcribed by Father Feuillee. Like all the Swifts,
it has fhort legs ; the bill (hort and broad at its
bafe ; the nails hooked and flrong, black like
the bill ; and the tail forked.

f i, e. The black and white Swift with a gray girdle.

.t^:-'

•■•'li

■f:;!:-^

558

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

IV.

The WHITE-COLLARED SWIFT.

Li Martinet a Collier B/ane, Buff.
Hirundo Cajantnfts^ Gmel.

^TpHis is a new fpecies which we received
, ^ from the ifland of Cayenne. We have
ranged it with the Swifts, becaufe it has the
four toes turned forward.

The collar which diftinguifhes it is of a pure
white, and very confpicuous on the bluifh black,
which is the prevailing colour of its plumage.
The part of this collar which pafTes under the
neck forms a narrow band, and terminates on
each fide in a large white fpot, which occupies
the throat and all the upper fide of the neck ;
from the corners of the bill rife two fmall di-
verging white bands, the one flretching above
the eye to form an eye-lid, the other pafles un-
der the eye to fome diftance ; laftly, on each fide
of the lower belly there is a white fpot placed in
fuch a manner, that it appears below and above;
the reft of the upper and under fides, including
the fmall and middle coverts of the wings, is of a
velvet black with violet reflexions ; what appears
of the great coverts of the wings next the body
is brown edged with white ; the great quills
and thofe of the tail are black ; the former bor-
dered interiorly with rufty brown ; the bill and

legs

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 559

legs black ; the feet feathered to the nails. Ba- *
jon fays that this Swift breeds in houfes. I
have feen its neft at Mauduit's ; it was very large,
well ftuffed, and conftruifted with the cotton
of dog's-bane * ; it had the Ihape of a truncated
cone, of which one of the bafes was five inches
in diameter, and the other three inches ; its
length was nini? inches ; it appeared to have ad-
hered by its lal*ge bafe, compofed of a (brt of
pafteboard made o'' t' ame fubftance: ^*"-: ca-
vity of this nell was o..ided obliquely near its
middle by a partition, which extended near the
bafe where the eg?s were lodged, and near that
part there was a fmall heap of very foft dog's
bane, which formed a kind of valve, and feemed
intended to fcreen the young from the external
air. Such precautions, in fo warm a climate,
(hews that thefe Swifts feel acutely the fenfa-
tion of cold. They are as large as the common
Martins.

Total length, being the average of feveral fpe-
cimens, five inches, and from three to eight
lines; the bill fix or feven ; the tarfus three or
five; the hind nail ilender; the tail from two
inches to two inches and two lines, forked eight
lines, and exceeds the wings from feven to
twelve lines.

- * jipocynum Cannabinum, Linn.

.-.e;

• I

S6o

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

V.
The ASH-BELLIED SWALLOW*

Le Petite Hirondellt Noire a Ventre Cendre *, BufF.
Hirundo Ctnerea, Gmel.

Hirundt Peruvianat BrifT*

t .

THIS Peruvian Swallow, according to Fathei'
Feuillee, is much fmaller than the Eu-
ropean Swallows ; its tail is forked, its bill very
fliort and almoft ftraight ; the head and all the
upper fide of the body, including the fuperior
coverts of the wings and taiJ, are of a fhining
black ; all the under fide of the body cinereous;
laftly, the quills of the wings and of the tail
are of a dull a(h-colour, edged with yellowilh
gray [A].

VI.

THE

BLUE-SWALLOW of LOUISIANA.

B"ff.

Hirtmdo Fitlaeea, Gmel*

^'T^HE whole plumage is of a deep blue, yet

^ not uniform, but gloffed with different

tints of violet; the great quills of the wings are

• The Afh-bellied little black Swallow.

[A] Specific charafter of the Hirundo Cinerea : ** It is black,
below cinereous ; the quills of ita wings and tail gray ; its orbits
brown."

alfo

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 561

alfo black, though only on the infide, and not
feen unlefs tbe wings are fpread ; the bill and
legs are black ; the bill a little hooked.

Total length fix inches and fix lines ; the bill
feven lines and a half; the tail very forked, and
exceeded five lines by the wings, whicii are
very long.

M. Lebeanx hns brouqjht from the fame conn-
try another fpecimen, which is evidently of the
fame kind, though larger, and the quills of the
tail and wings, and the primary coverts of the
wings, are blackilh, without any fteel glofs.

Total length eight inches and a half ; the bill
nine lines, pretty ftrong and fomewhat hooked ;
the tail three inches, forked an inch, and falls
a little (hort of the wings [A].

Varieties.

The Blue Swallow of Louifiana feems
to be the principal ftem which has given origin
to. four varieties, two of which are fpread through
the north, and the other two through the fouth.

I. The Cayenne Swallow * of the Planches

[A] Specific charafter of the Hirundo Viclacea: " It is dijk blue,
tinged with violet ; the infide of its greater wiag-quiih, it£ bill, and
its legs, are black/'

• Hirunde Cbalytea, Gmel.
Hirundo Cajanett^s, Briff.
The Chalybeate Sival/ow, Lath.

VOL. VI, 00 £m/U'

Uti

'' V,

! m

11!

i!:'

561

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

Enluminces, It is the mort common fpcclcs \ix
the i{laiid of Cayenne, where it remains the
whole year. It is faid to fit frequently among
brufli wood, and on half-burnt trunks that bear
t\o leaves. It does not build a neft> but breeds
in hollow trees. The upper furface of the
head and of the body is blackiQi, glofled with
violet ; the wings and the tail the fame, but
edged with a lighter colour : all the under fur-
face of the body is rufty gray veined with brown,
and growing more dilute on the lower belly and
the inferior coverts of the tail.

Total length lix inches ; the bill nine lines
and a half, ftronger than that of the Swallows' ;
the tarfus five or fix lines; the hind toe and nail
are the Ihortefl: ; the alar extent fourteen inches ;
the tail two inches and a half; forked fix or
\Q\ei\ lines, and exceeded by the wings about
three lines.

II. 1 have feen four blue Swallows brought
from South America by Commerfon, which
were of a middle lize between thofe of Cayenne
and Louifiana, and which differed only in the
colours of the lower furface of the body. In
three of them the throat was brown gray, and
the under fide of the body white. The fourth,
which came from Buenos Ayres, had its throat
and all the under fide of its body white, fprinklcd
with brown fpots, which aie more frequent on
the fore parts, and wider fcattered on the lower
belly.

III. The

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 563

IIL The Carolina bird* which Cate{by calls
the Purple Martin, It belongs to the lame cli-
mate, and is of the fame bulk with the one
from Buenos Ayres, juft mentioned. A fine
deep purple is fpread over all its plumage, and
ftill more interne on the quills of the tail and of
the wings ; the bill and legs are rather longer
than thofe of the preceding varieties, and its tail,
though fhort, projet^s fomewhat beyond the
wings. It neftles in holes made on purpofe for
it around the houfes, and in gourds which are
fet on poles to invite it. It is eiteemed ufeful
becaufe it fcares away the birds of prey, and
the ravenous beafts, or rather gives notice of
their appearance. It leaves Virginia and Caro-
lina on the approach of winter, and returns ia
the fpring.

Total length feven inches and eight lines;
the bill ten lines; the tarfus eight hnes ; the tail
two inches and eight lines, and forked fourteen
lines, projecting a little beyond the wings.

IV. The Swallow from Hudfoji's Bay, termed
by Edwards T'Joe Great American Martin +. Like

• Hirundo Purpurea, Gmel.
The Purple ■'^nv'/t, Penn.
The Puiple-S'u.allo'Wt Lath.
Specific charader: " It is entirely purple, its tail forked.'*
\ Hirundo-Subis, Linn, and Gmel.
lUrur.do Freti Hudfonis, Brill"".
The Ca>iada Sioallotv, Lath.
Specific charaftcr: " It is bluifh black; its mouth and its
Mnder fide whitiili cinereous."

0 0 2 the

■ n

' w

"jv

!:U

364

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

the preceding varieties, it \us a ftroiigcr bill
than ufual ; the upper lurfacc of the head and
body is of a fliiiiiug piirplilli black, and there is
a little white at the bale of the bill ; the great
quills of the wings, and all thole of the tail, are
black without any glofs, and edged with lighter
colour; the upper edge of the wing whitifh ;
the throat and breall deep gray ; the fides
brown ; the uiuKr lurface of the body white,
fhadc d with a brown cad ; the bill and legs
blackifh.

Total length near eight inches ; the bill eight
lines ; the edges of the upper mandible fcalloped
near the point ; the tarfus {even lines; the tail
near three inches, forked feven or eight lines»
and exceeding the wings three lines.

VII.
The BRASILIAN SWALLOW.

La Ta;ere, BufF.

Hirundo Taptra, Linn. Gmel. Ray, Sloane.
Hirundo Americana, BriiT. and Klein.
Tapera, Marcgr.

THIS Brafilian Swallow, Marcgrave tells us,
refembles much the European ; its fize the
fame j its manner of circling alfo the fame ; and
its legs as fhort, and feet of a limilar fliape. The

upper

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 565

Upper fide of the head and body, including the
wings and the tail, are brown gray, but the
quilKs r/thc wings and the extremity of the tail
browner than the reft; the throat and bread
gray mixed with white ; the belly white, and
alfo the inferior coverts of the tall ; the bill and
the eyes are bhrk ; the legs brown.

Total length hve inches and three quarters ;
the bill eight lines, and its opening extends be-
yond the eyes ; the tarfus fix lines ; the alar ex-
tent tw<ilve inches and a half; the tail two
inches and a qu-iiter, compofed of twelve quills,
forked three or four lines, and a little excccdcvi
by the wing/..

According to Sloane, this bird belongs to t' *
Swifts, only its plumage is darker. It frequerts
moftly the mciidows and favainias; and is faid
to perch, from time to time, on the bufties ;
and fince none of our Swallows, Martins, or
Swifts, h.ive that habit, I am inclined, notwlth-
ftanding the opinion of Sloane and Oviedo *, to
think that the tapera is p fpecies peculiar to
America; at Icaft, it is diHiiKSt from thofe of
Europe.

Edwards fufpcifls it to be the fame with his
great American Martin ; but on comparing the
delcriptions, I find difFerenccs in the plumage,
in the fize, and in the proportions [A].

♦ Oviedo reckons the tapera among the birds that are common
to both continents.

{A] Specific charafter of the Hirundo-Tapera: '* Its tail quills
are equal ; its body blackifh, and white below.''

003

; .♦

;■:'

I 11

.'1 ■,• ■.^

i.i

566

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

VIII.

THE

BROWN-COLLARED SWALLOW.

Hirondelle Brum & Blanche a Ctinture Brunt* ^ BuiF.
Hirundo Torquatat Gmel.

TN general, all the upper furface is brown, and
••■ all the under white or whitifh, except a
broad brown girdle on the breaft and thighs :
there is a flight exception, however ; it is a fmall
white fpot on each fide of the head between the
bill and the eye. This bird was brought frotn
the Cape of Good Hope. •

Total length fix inches ; th^ bill eight lines,
ftronger than ufual in Swallows, the upper
mandible a little hooked, its edges fcalloped
near the point ; the tail twenty-feven lines and
fquare, and falling eight lines (hort of the
wings, which grow very narrow near the ex-
tremities, for the fpace of about two inches.

• ». e. The Brown and White Swallow with a brown cin^lure,

>^.[

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 567

IX.

The WHITE BELLIED CAYENNE
SWALLOW, Buff.

Hhundo Ltucopterot Gmel.

The White-iKtnged Siuallo ic, Lath.

LVERY white fpreads not only over all the
inder furfiice of the body, including the
inferior coverts of the tail, but alfo on the rump,
and it borders the great coverts of the wings ;
and this edging extends more or lefs in different
individuals ; the upper lide of the head, neck,
and body, and the fmall fuperior coverts of the
wings, are cinereous, with reflexions which
are more or lefs confpicuous, and fluduate be-
tween green and blue, and of which there are
alfo fome traces on the quills of the wings and
of the tail, whofe ground colour is brown.

This handfome Swallow Ikims along the
ground like ours, circles in the overflowed fa-
vannas of Guiana, and perches on the loweft
branches of leaflcfs trees.

Total length from four and a quai ter to five
inches ; the bill fix or eight lines ; the tarfus
nv€ or fix ; the hind nail ftrongeft after the
middle one; the tail an inch and a half, forked
two or three lines, and exceeded, from three to
fix lines, by the wings.

We may regard the Spotted-bellied Cayenne

004 Swallow

'■ i'l

:r;l

ii-^

H''i!!

,h'-\

1(1

i • I
'-I'M' •'

li.:,:

'■Jri:

" i '

568

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

Swallow as a variety of this fpecies, differing
only ill its plumage, and the ground colours
being ftill nearly the fame, always browniQi-
gray and white ; bur the upper fide of the body,
and of the quills of the wings and of the tail, is
of an uniform brown, without any rcfle£tion or
mixture of white ; the under fide, on the con-
trary, which in the other is of an uniform
white, is in this bird white fprinkled with
oval brown fpots, thicker on the fore part of
the neck and of the breall, and thinner towards
the tail.— In fome of the White-bellied Swal-
lows there is a mixture of white on the upper
coverts of the wings, and the gray or brown of
the upper furface of the body is lefs glofly.

The ESCULENT SWALLOW.

La Salangane, BufT.
Hiruniio E/cuUnta, Linn, and Gmel.
jlpus Marina^ R imphius and Olearius.
Hirun(io Riparia Cochincbiner.fif^ BriiTt
HirunJo nido eduh, Bontius.
LayoHg'L>^yong, Marfd. Sumatra.

qalangane is the name which the inhabi-
•^ tants of the Philippines beftow on a fmall
Sand-martin, celebrated for the fingular quality
of its ned, which is eaten and efteemed a great

delicacy

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 569

delicacy in China, and in many of the other
adjacent countries*. The high price which it
bears tempts frequently to adulterate it, which,
together with the fables that have been propa-
gated on the lubje£t, occailons much oblcurity
and contradidion.

Thefe nefts have been compared to thofe of
the Halcyons^ and many have haftily concluded
that they were the fame. The ancients con-
ceived the latter to be real birds' nefts, compofed
ofilime, froth, and other impurities that float
on the furface of the fca, and they dirtinguiOied
them into feveral kinds. The one mentioned
by Ariftotle was of a fphericil form, its mouth
narrow, of a ruicy colour, and of a fpongy cel-
lular fubftance, cotififting chiefly of tifli-bones f.
But a flight comparifon with the defcription
which Di)(ftor Vitaliano Donati gives of the
Alcyonium of the Gulf of Venice \ will convince

'ill

' '''''ii
; <J

''•iHi,-

ir.>

♦ In China thtfe neds are called Saroi-Bouras ; in Japan, y<-»-
OWfl, J n ku\ in India, Pntong,

t Anft. Hiji. Anim. Lib. IX. 14. Plin. lib XXXIL 8. There
are always many of thefe bones and fcales of" fifties in the neft of
our halcyon or king-filher, but they are thinly fcattered among the
duft on which t'lis bird lays its egijs, and do not enter into the
compofition of the nell ; for our king-fiihcr never builds one.

X The Alcyohium is h marine body . . . approaches the round or
convex figure above ... its furface tuberous . . . completely in-
verted with very thick (pines . . . of an earthy colour, but free from
filth, of a wax-colour . . . the heart mucu fofier . . fpongy and
cavernous . . . with m.iny fpines much entangled and cloaihed with
flcfli, &c.'' ^toria HaturaU marina dell Jdriatico, p- 58,

. .ft

570

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

us that they are exactly the fame, and only
the nidi of fca infecfls. Tlie only difference is
that Donati favs its entrance is larsje, and Arif-
totle that it is fmall ; but thcfe terms are evi-
dently vague : the Italian finds the mouth to be
one lixth of the width of the whole.

But the patong of the Eaft-Indies is the real
neft of a fpecics of Swallow. Writers are not
agreed either with regard to its materials, its
form, or the places where it is found : fome
aflert that it is attached to rocks, clofe on the
furface of the water* ; others, that it is lodged
in the hollows of thefe rocks -f ; and others, that
it is concealed in holes made in the ground J.
And Gemelli Carreri adds, " that the failors are
always in fearch along the beach, and when
they find earth thrown up, they open the fpot
with a flick, and take the eggs and the young,
which are reckoned equally delicate §."

With regard to the form of thefe nefts, fomc
aitirm that they arc hemlfpherical ||, while others
lay, ** that they have many cells, which are
like large conglutinated fliells, and marked as
fuch \\\\)\Jln£e and rugofities -{-.'*

• Curiofites deln Ka'ure U <ie PJrf, f. 1 70.
f John de Laet, Van Neck, Kirclur, &c.
X Gemelli Carreri, Voyage round the IVorid, /. V. p. 268.
§ The fame thing has been faid of cur Sand-martin, Salernct
<ind lyillughhy.
II MuJfC.>tn IVorm.
4 father Philip Marin. ////?. de la Chine, p. 42,

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 571

Of its -fubftance, the accounts are ftill more
various. Some aflert that it is ilill unknown * ;
others, that it is the froth of the fea, or fifh-
fpawn ; others, that it is flrongly aromatic ;
others, that it is infipid; others, that it is a
juice gathered by the Salanganes from the tree
called calambouc ; others, that it is compofed of
a vifcous fubftance difcharged from the bill in
the love feafon ; others, that it is formed of the
fifh-plants found on the fea : but the greater
number as:ree, that the fubll:auce of thele nefls
is tranfparent and Hke ifuiglafs, which is the
fai^. The Chinefc fiflicrs nfiured Kaempfcr that
thofe ufually fold were nothing but a preparation
of the marine polypi, and he adds, that by his
receipt the colour may be imitated. All thefe
difcordant relations prove that various fubflanccs,
natural or artificial -I', have at different times,
and in different countries, been regarded as the
nefts of the Salangane. In this (late of uncer-
tainty, I could not do better than apply for in-

• Kircher, Du Halde, &c.

+ Here is Kaempfer's recipe : Flrft fkin the polypes, and deep
the flefli in a folution of alum for three days ; then rub, walh, and
clean it till it become tranfparent, and afterwards pickle it. ////?.
</« Jopany 1. 1, p. 1 2o. In thofc countries many other preparations
^re made of the fame kind ; in China, with the tendons of ftags,
and with the fins of (harks. See Olof Toren, Voy. aux hides Orient.
p» 76; Etablijj'. Europ. dans Us Indes, 1. 1. 1. 2. (N. B. Ifinglafs is
made of the fwimming bladders of a filh common in the Ruflian
feas.) In Tonquin fowls' eggs are feafoned in fuch manner as to
preferve them, ind to fit them for feafoning to other difhes. Hilary
^/Tonquin, in Churchill's Colletlion, Vol. VI. p. 6,

A formation

57*

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

formation to that philoibphical traveller, M. Poi-
vre, formerly Ini^ndant of the Iflands of France
and Bourbon. That s:entleman was fo obligins:
as to fend me the following account.

" In 1741 I embarked in the fliip Mars,
bound for China, and in the month of July, the
fame year, we reached the ftraits of Sunda, very
near Java, and between two fm:ill iflets, called
the Great and Little T'ocque, We were there
becalmed, and went a(hore on Little Tocque
to hunt green pigeons. While the reft of the
party were clambering among the precipices, I
walked along the beach to gather Hiells and
jointed corals, which are found here in great
abundance. After having made almoft an en-
tire circuit of the illet, it was growing late,
when a failor who accompanied me, difcovering
a der:;p cavern in the rocks oi\ the brink of the
fea, went into it, and fcarce advanced two or
three fteps when he called aloud to me. I
haftened to the mouth of the cavern, and found
it darkened by an immenfe cloud of fmall birds,
which poured out like fwarms. I entered it,
and knocked down with my cane many of thefe
poor little birds, with which I was then unac-
quainted ; as I penetrated farther, I perceived
the roof of the cavern to be covered entirely with
fmall ncfts /hapcd like holy- water-pots*. The

failor

• Each of thefe nefts contained two or three eg(^s cr young ones,
which lay foftly on leathers, !i!:e thoO: which the parents had on

their

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 573

failor had already broken ofFieveral, and had filled
his frock with them and with birds. I alfo de-
tached rome of the nefts, and found them glued
firmly to the rock. Night now came on, and
we returned to the (hip with the fruits of our
excurfion.

" The nefts which we brought were known
by many of our people on board, who had made
feveral voyages to China, to be the fame with
thofe fo highly valued in that country. The
failor kept feveral pounds, which he fold to
good account at Canton. For my part, I de-
lineated and coloured thefe birds with their nefls
and their young ; and I difcovered them to be
real Swallows : ley were about the fize of the
larger kind of h mming-birds (colibris).

" Since that /'me I have obferved, in feveral
voyages, that, in the months of March and
April, the feas which extend from Java to
Cochin-China, and from the promontory of
Sumatra to New Guinea, are covered with
fifti-fpawn, which floats on the water like
flrong glue half-melted. I have learnt from
the Malays, the Cochin-Chinefe, and from
the natives of the Philippines ?.nd Moluccas,
that this is the fubftance of which the Sa-
langane conftrufts its neft *. They all agree in

this

.t'

their breaft. As thefe nefts foften in water, they could not with-
tand rain, or bear an expofure near the furface of the fea.

• It gathers the fpawn either by razing the iurfacc of the fca,

«r

i: -h

574

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

this account. On pafling the Moluccas in April
and the ftraits of Sunda in March, I filhed up
ibme of this fpavvn with a bucket, and after hav-
ing drained off the water and dried it, I found
it refembled exa(ftly the fubftance of thofe nefts.

*' About the end of July and the beginning
of Auguft, it is cuftomary with the people of
Cochin-China to rove the iflets, which ikirt
their coafl to the diftance of twenty leagues, in
fearch of the nefts of thefe little Swallows . . ,

" The Salnnganes are feldom ever found, but
in that immenfe Archipelago which encircles
the eaftern extremity of Afia .... All that
Archipelago, where the iflets may be faid al-
moft to touch each other, is extremely favour-
able to the breeding of fifli ; their fpawn is very
abundant ; the water is there warmer than in
the ocean."

I have obfcrved feveral of thcfe nefts ; they
refembled the half of an oblong hollow ellipfoid,
made by cutting it at right angles through the
middle of the larger axis ; and the plane of this
fe£lion had ftuck to the rock : they confifted of
a yellow ifh white fubftance, femi-tranfparent ;
compofed externally of exceeding thin and nearly
concentric layers ; the infide was formed of ir-
regular net-work, the mefhes very unequal,

or by aligluing on the rocks on which it is call and coagulated.
Sometimes threads of this vifcous fubllance are r,'cn hanging at the
bills of thefe birds, and which have been fuppofcd, but without
foundation, to be extracted from their ftomach in the love-feafon.

and

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 575

and placed one above another, the threads behig
drawn from the lame fubftance with the outer
layers, and much interwoven.

In the nefts which were entire, no feather
could be perceived ; but on cutting carefully
into their lubftance, we found fome entangled,
which diminilhcd the tranfparency of the part.
Sometimes, though much more rarely, we dif-
covered fragments of egg-ihells ; and almofl;
all of them had veftiges of the birds* excre-
ments *.

I held in my mouth, a whole hour, a fcale de-
tached from one of thefe ne(ls ; it had at firft a
flight faline flavour, afterwards it was infipid as
pafte; it did not diflblve, but foftcned and
iwelled. M. Poivre alfo found it had only the
tafte of ifinglafs, and he aflures us that the
Chinefe value it folely for its nutritious invigor-
ating quality ; he adds, that he never ate any
thing fo rich and (Ircngthening as the foup made
with it and meat t. If the Salanganes feed oil
the fame fubftance with which they build their
neft, and which is lb plentiful in thole feas,
and if it has the prolific property, which the
Chinefe alcribe to it, no wonder that the fpe-
cies is very numerous. It is faid that a thou-

* Moll of thcfe obfcrvations were firft made by Daubenton the
younger, who communicated tliem to mc with fttyeriil nclts ofSa*
langanes, where 1 obr-rvcd the fame things.

t M'aht not this foup owe part of iti equalities to the flc(h ufed
in making. it?

faud

ili^

576

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

fluid cafks of thefe nefts are annually exported
from Batavia, having been procured from the
iflets of Coclun-Chifia and the Ealh Each calk •
weighs one hundred and twenty-five pounds,
and each ne(l half an ounce * ; hence the whole
muft amount to one hundred and twenty- five
thoufand pounds, and contain four milliona of
nefts.

I muft confefs, however, that the philofopher
Rcdif, judging from experiments made by others,
and perhaps incoinplcte, entertaiiis great doubts
with regard to the rrrtorntive virtue of thefe
nefts, which is atteftcJ !)V' many other writers,
who on that point agree with Poivre J.

Nothing better fliews that the Salangane
has remainel long unknown, than the different
names bcftowed on it. It is called the Sea-
Swallow and the Halcyon: its wings have been
fuppofed to be blue, and it has been reprefentcd
as Ibmetimes equal in fize to the ordinary Swal-
lows, fimetimes as larger, fometimes as fmaller.
In (hort, nothing accurate was known before
M. Poivre.

• Etahlijfmens Eurepeem dint hi Indes Orier.talcs, 1. 1, liv. a.

•f- See the obrf-rvatio'is of Redi in the Co!/. Acucf. part, etrait,
t. If^' p' 567. If it be true, as alleged, that the Hollanders be-
gin to import thefe nefts into Europe, the faft will be iboaafcer-
tained .

X Corned unt in primit it qui In cajlris venereisjirenuefe exerctrt n;*-
lunt, Mufa:um Wormianum, Lib. III. 21. ** It is a great rellora-
tive to Nature, and the luxurious Chinefe make much ufe of it.'*
Sprat's lliliofy of the Royal Society oftondoty p» 206.

Kircher

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 577

Kirchcr haJ allrrtccl that thcle birds appear
oil the coal): only in the breeding feafon, and
that it is uncertain where they hvc during;- the
reft of the vear ; init Al. Poivre informs lis, that
thcv rennain conllantlv in thole iflcts a.ii : .ks
where thcv were liatchcd, and that rhev live
like the European Swallows, only thev ei cle
rather lefb; in t\\t\, their wings arc fomewhat
fhortcr.

Tlicy have only two colour;^, blickidi on the
"Upper furflice, and whitifh on all the under fur-
face, and alio on the tlp^ of the. tail-quills ; the
iris is yellow, the bill black, and the legs
brown.

It is rather fuialler than .the wren ; its total
length t\\'o inches three lines; the tarfus as
many ; the hind toe the n-iorted ; the tail ten
lines, forked three, compoled oF twelve qnills,
and projects three fourths of its length beyond
the wings.

[A] Specif.c charafler of the IHrunda Efcuhnta: ** All its tail-
quilU arc marked with a white Tpot."

VOL. vr.

p p

i "

C'-

J78

BIRDS RELATED TO THE ,

- •

XI,

The

WHEAT SWALLOW.

La GranJf UironMle Brune u Vcntrt Tachete *, eu WtoncfiUf.

dts Bits, BufF.
WrunJo Bori>^m(a» GmeU

THIS bird is ufually called the Com Swallow
in the Ifle of France ; it haunts the wheat
fields, the glades of the woods, and prefers the
uplaiiJs ; it frequently fits on trees and on
floncs; it fol'ows the herds, or rather the in-
fects V. hith mfcA them: it is alio {tcn^ from
lime to time, flving in large troops behind the
vef'CiS lyin^- \u t!;c roa;ls, and coiiftniitly in the
pui iliit of \vin<M tl inro(fl:3 ; its cry is much like
that uf 'Jie common Swillovv.

1 'jc Vifcouiit de Querhoent obferved that
the V/beat Swailowt, circled frequently in the
evening near a cut which had been made in a
mountain ; and he thence conje£lures that, like
our Sand-martins and Swifts, they pais the night
in hole unciei j;round, or in c-evices of the
rocks. They, no doubt, breed in the (lime re-
treats ; which may be the rea(bn that their nefts
arc unknown in the Ifle of France. The Vif-
couiit de Querhoent co jld procure no account
of Mieir incubation but from an old perfon of the
Ifle of Bourbon, and born in the country, who
told him that they fat in September and Odto-

* i. «. The Great Brown Swallow with a fpotted tail.

5 l^er,

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 579

bcr, that he had caught many on their ncfls in
caverns and the holes of rocks, &c. that thei'e
are compofed of ftraw and a few feathers, and
that he never faw more than two eggs, which
were gray and dotted with brown.

This Swallow is as huge as our Swift ; the
upper furface of its body blackiOi brown ; the
under Uirface gray, fprinkled with long brown
fpots ; the tail Iquarc ; the bill and the legs
black.

VARIETY.

The Little Brown Swallow with a fpotted
tail, from the Ifle of Bourbon, muft be regarded
as a varirty of fize from the preceding fpecies.
It has alio fotne flight ditFerences of colours ;
the upper furface of it;, head, of its A'ings, and
tail, is blackifli brown ; the three lafl quills of
the wings are terminated with dirty white, and
edged with grceniih brown ; uhis laft colour
fpreads over all the reft of the upper furface ;
the throat and all the under fide of the body,
including the inferior coverts of the tail, are
marked with longitudinal brown fpots, on a
gray ground.

Total length four inches nine lines ; the bill
fcven or eight lines ; the tarlus fix lines ; all the
nails (hort and flightly hooked ; the tail near
two inches, fquare, and falls about fcvQa lineSi

ihort of thcf wings.

p P 2

58o

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

XII.

The GRAY-RUMPED SWALLOW.

Li Petite liironie'le Ko':re a Croupion Gris *, BufF.
Hirundo Fraud ca, Gmel.

/^OMMERSON brought this new fpccies from
^^ the Ifle of France ; it is Ibarcc, thouo^h
there are abundance of inle6ts in that ifland ; it
is even lean, and its flelh unpalatable; it lives
indifferently in tl ^ to\V'n or the country, but al-
ways near Iprings ; it is never obferved to fit;
it flics with great celerity ; it is as large as a tlt-
moulc, and weighs two gros and a half. The
Vilcount de Querhoent law it frequently to-
wards the evening in the Ikirts of the woods,
and he thence infers that it choofes the iylvaii
fliades for its nocturnal retreats.

All the upper lurface is of an uniform black-
ifli, except the rump, which is whitifli, and this
is likewife the colour of the under furface.

Total length four inches two lines j the bill
five lines; the tarfus four lines; the alar extent
nine inches ; the tail near two inches, and, in
the fubjed defcribcd by Commerfon, it had only
ten quills, which were nearly equal; it is tea
lines Ihortcr than the wings, which confifl of
feventeen or eighteen quills.

A fpecimen brought from the Eafl Indies by

• i, e. The Little Black Swallow with a gray rump.

Sonnerat,

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 581

Somierat, appears to mc to belong to this fpe-
cies, or rather to form the (hade between this
fpccies and the preceding variety ; for the under
fide of the body was fpotted like the latter, and
it refcmbled the former in the colour of the
upper fuie of the body, and in the dimenllons ;
only the wings proje^lcd feventeen lines beyond
the tail, and the nails were (lender and hooked.

xin.

THE

R UFOUi-RUMPED SWALLOW.

V Hirondelle a Croupion Roux et ^eue Carrce, Buff*.
Hirundo Amerka7ia, Gmel.

A LL the upper furface except the rump is
^ -^ blackiih brown, with reflexions fludluat-
ing between brown green and deep blue ; the
rufous colour of the rump is a little mingled,
each feather bcino; ed2;ed with whitifh ; the
quills of the tail brown ; thofc of the wings alfo
brown, with fomc grceniHi reflections; the pri-
maries edged interiorly with whitifh, and the
fecondaries edged with the fame colour, which
rifes a little on the outfide ; all the under lurface
of the bo ly is dirty white ; and the inferior co-
verts of the tail rully.

• i, e. The Swallows with a rufous rump and fquare tail.

Total

5^2

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

Total length fix inches and a half; the bill
nine or ten lines ; the tarfus five or fix ; the
toes difpofed three one way and one the other ;
the alar extent about ten inches ; the tail two
inches, almoft fquare at the end, and a little
Ihorter than the wings.

CommcrfGn faw this Swallow on the banks
6f the De la Plata in May 1765. He brought
from the fame country another bird which may
be regarded as a variety of this fpecies ; it dif-
fered in having its throat rufly, more white than
rufous on the rump and the lower coverts of the
tail ; all the quills of the tail of the wings were
deeper, with more diftindl reflections; no white
on the great quills of the wings, which pro-
jefted ten lines beyond the tail, which was a
little forked ; the alar extent eleven inches.

XIV.

The SHARP-TAILED BROWN
SWALLOW of LOUISIANA*

Hirundo Pelafgia, Var, Gmel.

/TpHERE are fome Swallows in America whole
•■' tail-quills are entirely deftitute of webs at
the ends, and terminate in a point.

The prefent was brought from Louifiana by
Lebeau ; its throat and the fore fide of the neck

were

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 583

were dirty white, fpotted with greenifli brown;
all the red of the plumage appeared of a pretty
uniform brown, elpecially at firft fight; for,
on a nearer iiifpe^lion, we perceive that the
head and the upper furface of the body, includ- ■
ing the fuperior coverts of the wings, are of a
deeper caft ; the rump and the unH'^r lurface of
the body are lighter, the wings black ifh, edged
interiorly with black ; the legs arc brown.

Total length four inclics and three liij.^s; the
bill (even lines; the taiCi.^ fix lines; the middle
toe fix lines ; the hind toe the (horteft ; the tail
feventeen or eighteen lines, ir^cluding the pointed
fhafts, a little rounded a" the end ; thcfe (hafts
black, and four or five liner lon^ ; thofe of the
middle quills of the wings largeU, and twenty-
two lines fhorter than the winijs.

The American Swallow of Catefby, and the
Carolina Swallow of Briflbn *, is much (hoiter
winged than that from Louiliana, but refcmbles
it exadlly in fize, in its general propo'tions, in
its plumage, and in the (harp il^uifts ; aiiH as the
climate is nearly the fame, if the gieat diiFer-
ence in the length of the vving^s were not con-
ftant, we might regard it as a vaiiety of the
fame fpecies. The times of its arrival in Caro-
lina and Virginia, and of its departure from thofe
countries, correfpond, fays Catcfoy^ to the ap-

m j

♦ H'irundo Peln/gia, I.irn. asid Gmel,
The Acuieated Swu/Um, Pcnii. and I.ath,

pearance

5^4

BIRDS RELATED TO THE

pearancc and retreat of the Swallows in Englanc!.
He lufpcds that they winter in Brazil, and he
tells us that they breed in the chimneys in
Carolina.

Total length four inches and three lines ; the
bill five line5, the tarfus the fame, the mid toe
ilx ; the tail eighteen lines, and three lines
ihorter than the wings.

The Sharp-tailed Swallow of Cayenne, called
camaria, refembles more that of Louifiana, in its
fize, than that of Carolina ; its wings being
longer than the latter and fhorter than the for-
mer. On the other hand, it differs rather more
in its colours, for the upper fide of the body is
deeper brown, and verging on blue ; the rump
gray ; the throat and the fore part of the neck
gray, with a rufty caft; the under fide of the
body grayifh fhaded with brown ; in general,
the colour of the higher parts is rather brighter
and more diftincl than that of the lower. Per-
haps it is a fexual variety, elpccially as the
Cayenne Swallow has been reckoned a male.

It is laid in Guiana never to approach the
fettlcments ; and certainly it does not breed in
the chimneys, for there are no chimneys in that
country.

Total len2;th four inches and fcvcn lines ; the
bill four lines, the tarfus five ; the tail twenty
lines including the points, which are two or
three lines ; the wings extend about an inch
bevond it.

SWALLOW, MARTIN, AND SWIFT. 585

! Ti

XV.

The SHARP-TAILED BLACK
SWALLOW of MARTINICO.

Hirundo Acuta » Gmel.
Hirundo Martini carta, BrifT.
The Sharp-tailed Swallow^ Lath.

Tt is the fmalleft of all the Sharp-tailed Swal-
•*• lows ; not larger than a gold crefted wren ;
the points which terminate the quills of the tail
very fine.

All the upper {ide of the head and body black
without any exception, the throat gray brown,
and the reft of the under fide of the body dull
brown ; the bill black and the legs brown.

Total length three inches and eight lines ; the
bill four lines, the tarfus the fame ; the mid toe
four lines and a half; the alar extent eight inches
and eight lines, and eight hues lliorter than the
wings.

■4

END OF THE SIXTH VOLUME.

VOL. VI.

Q^q

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