ly-catcher.—Body ferruginous and foot; wings and tail blackish; bill yellowish. Inhabits the deserts of Arabia. Gen. 87. Motacilla.

Bill subulated, straight; the mandibles nearly equal; nostrils obovate; tongue lacerated at the end.

Most of this genus feed on insects; a few are gregarious; and on the approach of winter, migrate to warmer climates.

Nightingale.—Rufous-ash, white-ash beneath; tail feathers rufous-brown; bracelets cinereous; bill brown; head and back pale mouse-colour, with olive spots; tail red-mouse colour; legs and quill feathers brown-ash, the latter chestnut on the outer edge. About the size of the sky-lark, but of a more slender and elegant form. Weighs six drams; and measures between five and seven inches in length. There is a variety with the body somewhat larger, and another that is entirely white. Inhabits Europe, Asia, and Africa. Appears in England sometimes in April, but most commonly not till the beginning of May. The females do not arrive till a week or ten days after the males; so that on the first arrival of these birds none but males are caught, a circumstance which has given rise to the supposition, that the proportion of males exceeds that of females. The nightingale is said to be found as far north as Yorkshire, and certainly not farther west than the eastern borders of Devonshire; it is plentiful both in Somersetshire and Dorsetshire. This bird resides wholly in woods and thickets, and is seldom seen. About the latter end of May it prepares a nest of dry leaves, generally of the oak, and lined with dry grass, usually placed on the ground, among the same materials of which it is composed, so that it is not readily discovered. The eggs are four or five, of an uniform brown colour, and rather larger than those of the hedge-sparrow. As soon as the young are hatched, the song of the nightingale ceases; and it is a mistaken notion that this, or any of the later breeding birds, have a second brood in the same season, except when some accident has befallen the first. The young are not easily reared in confinement. At first they are fed with meal-worms, and afterwards with boiled sheep's heart. The winter residence of this bird is said to be in Asia. The sweetness and variety of its notes have been universally admired, and the more so perhaps, because they are uttered in the silence of night. In a wild state, it does not sing above ten weeks in the year, while those confined in a cage continue their song for nine or ten months. The honourable Daines Barrington once kept a very fine nightingale for three years, during which time he paid particular attention to its song. Its tone was infinitely more mellow than that of any other bird, though at the same time, by a proper exertion, it could be very brilliant. When it sang its song round, in its whole compass, he observed fifteen different beginnings and closes; at the same time that the intermediate notes were commonly varied in their succession with so much judgement as to produce the most pleasing variety. Sometimes it would continue its song twenty seconds without a pause; whenever respiration, however, became necessary, it was taken as skilfully as by an opera singer. Nightingales will also adopt the notes of other birds, may be instructed to sing by turns, with a chorus, and even to articulate words. The London bird-catchers take them by net-traps, baited with meal-worms from the bakers' shops. It is with great difficulty that the old birds are induced to sing, after being taken; for a considerable time they refuse to eat; but by great attention to their treatment, and avoiding every thing that might agitate them, they at length resume their song, and continue it during the greater part of the year.

Hang-nest warbler.—Greenish-brown above, tawny Calidris beneath, ocular line, and one beneath black. Size of a robin-red-breast. Inhabits Jamaica, and builds a hanging nest.

Hedge-sparrow, or hedge-warbler.—Gray-brown Modulatrix above; wing-coverts tipped with white; breast buffish-ash; bill blackish; cheeks striped with white; feathers of the back and wing-coverts edged with chestnut; wings and tail dusky; rump greenish-brown; chin and breast cinereous; belly whitish; vent yellowish; legs flesh-coloured. Length five inches and three quarters; weight nearly six drams. Inhabits Europe; and is one of the few of the warbler tribe that remains with us the whole year. It has a pleasing plaintive song, which it begins with the new year, if the weather is mild, breeds early, making, in March, a nest composed of green-moss and wool, and lined with hair, which is placed in some low ever-green shrub, thick bush, or cut hedge, and sometimes in faggot piles. The female lays four or five blue eggs. In default of insects and worms, the hedge-sparrow will pick up crumbs of bread, and seems to prefer situations near the habitation of man. The cuckoo frequently makes choice of this bird's nest for the purpose of depositing its egg.

Lesser petty-chaps.—Greenish-ash above, yellowish below; limbs brown; eyebrows whitish; upper mandible black, lower bluish; inside of the mouth red; a yellowish line above and beneath the eyes; quill and tail feathers mouse-coloured, and edged with greenish; the shafts black; lower wing-coverts yellow; belly silvery. Weight about two drams; length rather more than four inches and a half; size inferior to that of the yellow wren, which it much resembles in plumage, and with which, and the wood-wren, it has been often confounded. It is the first of the warblers that visits us in the spring, being generally heard on or before the first of April, repeating its song, if so it may be called; for it consists only of two notes, which seem to express the words chip, chop, four or five times successively. It is a busy, restless bird, always active among the trees and bushes, in search of insects. The nest is oval, with a small hole near the top, composed externally of dry leaves and coarse dry grass, and lined with feathers. For the most part, it is placed on, or near the ground, frequently on a ditch-bank, or in a tuft of grass or low bush. The eggs are five or six, white, speckled with purplish-red at the larger end only, with here and there a single speck on the sides. This species is found in almost every part of the country where wood or hedges can shelter it. Its note is heard long after the yellow wren is silent; and it remains with us, not unfrequently, till the latter end of October.

Wood-wren.—Olive-green above; throat and cheeks Sylvatica yellow; belly and vent fine silvery; tail feathers brown, and, except the first, green on the outer webs, and white on the inner; bill horn-colour; irides hazel; breast pale-yellow; a yellow line through the eye; tail somewhat forked, and brown; under part of the shoulder bright yellow; legs horn-colour. Weight about two drams. drams and forty grains; length five inches and a quarter. The female is rather larger. This is a migrative species, appearing about the end of April, and departing in September. The females arrive ten days or a fortnight after the males. From its great familiarity to the yellow wren, it has been little noticed as a distinct species, but is far from uncommon in some parts of England. It seems partial to oak and beech woods, where it may be found by its singular note, expressive of the word 'twice,' drawn out to some length, and repeated five or six times in succession, terminating with the same notes, delivered in a hurried manner, and accompanied by a flapping of the wings. The nest, which is oval, with a small hole near the top, is constructed of dry grass, a few dead leaves, and a little moss, and is invariably lined with finer grass and a few long hairs. It is placed on the ground, and contains six white eggs, sprinkled all over with purplish spots.

**Petty-chaps, or greater petty-chaps.**—Gray-brown above, white beneath; eyebrows whitish; quill feathers brown-ash, edged with gray; bill blackish; lateral tail feathers edged with gray-brown; legs brown. Length five inches; weight about five drams. Inhabits Europe; and occurs during summer in Lancashire, and in some of the southern counties of England. It chiefly frequents thick hedges, where it makes a nest composed of goose-grass, and other fibrous plants, firmly put together, with sometimes an addition of a little green moss externally. It usually contains four eggs, about the size of the hedge-pigeon's, of a dirty white, blotched all over with light brown, especially at the larger end, where spots of ash-colour also appear. The song of this species is little inferior to that of the nightingale. Some of the notes are sweetly and softly drawn, others quick, lively, loud, and piercing, reaching the distant ear with pleasing harmony, not unlike the blackbird's whistle, but in a more hurried cadence. It frequently sings after sunset.

**Sedge warbler.**—Cinereous above, white beneath; eyebrows white; bill black; head brown, with dusky streaks; hind part of the neck and back reddish-brown; back spotted with black; tail coverts tawny; wing-coverts dusky, edged with pale brown; tail brown and wedged; legs dusky. Weight about three drams; length five inches and a half. Inhabits fenny situations in Europe. It comes to us about the middle of April, and leaves us again in September. It has a variety of notes, which it utters in a hurried manner, and which partake of those of the sky-lark and swallow, as well as of the chatter of the house-pigeon. It is frequent by the sides of rivers and watery places, where sedges and reeds grow, among which it makes a nest, composed of a little moss, intermixed with dried stalks, and lined with dried grass, and occasionally a few hairs, sometimes fastened between two or three reeds, sometimes placed on a tuft of rushes, and fastened round the bottom of them, and at other times, in a low bush, or on the trunk of a willow. The eggs are five or six, of a light-brown colour, mottled with darker shades of the same. Various authors have erroneously ascribed the song of this warbler to the reed-bunting, which has no notes that deserve the name of song, a mistake which has originated from both species breeding in the same places, and the reed-bunting being conspicuous on the upper branches of a tree, while the little warbler, concealed in the thickest part, is heard aloud. It has been remarked, that if it be silent, a stone thrown into the bush, will make it begin singing instantly, and that it will also sing during a moon-light night.

**White-throat.**—Cinereous above, white beneath; first Sylvia tail feathers longitudinally half-white, the second tipped with white; bill black, white at the base; head brownish-ash; back reddish. Female, with the breast and belly snowy. There is a variety that is reddish-ash above, and reddish-white beneath, with the throat white; the most tail feathers on the upper part of the inner side, and whole of the outer side white. Weight about four drams; length five inches and three quarters. Inhabits Europe, and is very common in our inclosed countries. It arrives about the middle of April, and enlivens our hedges with its song, when it erects the feathers on the crown of the head. The nest is made of goose-grass, lined with fibres, and sometimes a few long hairs, but is of so flimsy a texture that it can afford little warmth to the eggs of young. It is generally placed in some low bush, among nettles or other luxuriant plants. The eggs are four or five, of a greenish-white, and speckled all over with light brown or ash-colour. The white-throat feeds on insects and berries, and frequents our gardens in the summer, for the sake of cherries and currants.

**Lesser white-throat.**—Brown-ash, dirty-white beneath; Sylvia two middle tail feathers shorter and subulated; bill dusky, the base beneath yellowish; irides dusky; crown deeper than the body; legs brown. Scarcely five inches long. Though not so common as the preceding, it occurs in many of the hedges of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; builds in low shrubs, and has a shrill whistling note.

**Epicurean warbler.**—Brownish, white beneath; breast Ficedula spotted with cinereous. About five inches long. Inhabits Europe. Its flesh is reckoned delicious.

**Darford warbler.**—Cheesnut above, ferruginous beneath; middle of the belly, edge of the quill feathers, iridescent wings, and outside of the most tail feathers white; eyebrows red; bill black, the base beneath white; irides scarlet; tail black, and as long as the body; legs yellow. Inhabits Provence, and rarely England. A pair were shot on a common near Dartford in 1773, and others have since been observed about Falmouth, Wandsworth, &c. As yet the nest and eggs are unknown. It is rather larger than the common wren, and five inches and a half in length. It is a shy bird, concealing itself among the thickest furze, on the least alarm, and creeping from bush to bush. The shortness of the wing and length of tail give it a singular manner of flying, which is in short jerks, with the tail thrown up. Its note is a weak but shrill piping noise, several times repeated.

**Penful warbler.**—Gray, yellow beneath; belly and Penful eyebrows white; lores fringed with yellow; wing-coverts with alternate white and black bands. Nearly five inches long. Inhabits St Domingo, and some of the West India islands, where it feeds chiefly on insects and fruits; and has a very delicate song, which is continued throughout the year. "The sagacity displayed by this bird (says Mr Bingley), in building and placing its nest is truly remarkable. She does not fix it at the fork of the branches, as is usual with most other birds," birds, but suffers it to binders hanging from the netting, which she forms from tree to tree, especially those which fall from branches that hang over the rivers and deep ravines. The nest consists of dry blades of grass, the ribs of leaves, and exceedingly small roots, interwoven with the greatest art; it is fastened on, or rather it is worked into, the pendent strings. It is in fact a small bed rolled into a ball, so thick and compacted as to exclude the rain; and it rocks in the wind without receiving any harm. But the elements are not the only enemies against which this bird has to struggle; with wonderful sagacity it provides for the protection of its nest from other accidents. The opening is not made on the top nor side of the nest, but at the bottom. Nor is the entrance direct. After the bird has made its way into the vestibule, it must pass over a kind of partition, and through another aperture before it descends into the abode of its family. This lodgment is round and soft, being lined with a species of lichen, which grows on the trees, or with the silky down of plants.

White, or water-wag-tail; provincially, d/bwa/ber, or wa/lervoman.—Breast black; two lateral tail feathers obliquely half white; bill, hind head, nape, throat, and legs black; front, orbits, sides of the neck, and belly white; body cinereous above; greater quill feathers blackish; secondary, and wing-coverts dusky, and edged with gray; middle tail feathers black, and edged with gray. Female with the crown brown. Weight nearly six drams; length seven inches and a half. This species inhabits almost everywhere; is a very active bird, and continually in motion, running after flies. In this country, as the weather becomes severe, it is apt to haunt marshes that are subject to the flow of the tide. Early in spring they return to their usual summer situation; and from the number which are sometimes seen together at this time attending sheepfolds and newly ploughed fields, we may presume that they are gregarious in their flights. In the breeding season they seem to prefer pasture grounds that are constantly mowed, on which they run unencumbered, and where the insects have not sufficient cover to evade their flight. The nest is found in various places, sometimes on the ground, in a heap of stones, the hole of a wall, or on the top of a pollard tree. It is composed of moss, dried grass, and fibres, put together with wool, and lined with feathers or hair. The eggs are four or five, white, and spotted all over with light brown and ash-colour; weighing about forty grains, and much resembling that of the cuckoo, which bird frequently makes choice of the wagtail's nest, in which to deposit her egg. It sings very prettily early in spring, and frequently gives the alarm on the appearance of a hawk, which it pursues in company with the swallows. The young birds have no black on the throat till the returning spring, and the old ones lose it in winter. In this state they have been erroneously described as a variety.

Yellow wagtail.—Breast and belly yellow; two lateral tail feathers obliquely half white; bill and legs black; hind claw very long; body olive above; band through, and one beneath the eyes, black; throat with a few black spots; middle and greater wing-coverts black, edged with yellowish; tail black. Female with whitish eyebrows. Length six inches and a half. Inhabits Europe and Asia. Visits this country in April, and departs in September. It frequents arable land, especially in the more champaign parts, and sometimes uncultivated ground, interspersed with furze. It is also partial to bean fields; and breeds in all such situations, being more negligent of water than the white or gray wagtail. The nest is always placed on the ground, composed of dried stalks and fibres, and lined with hair. The eggs are four or five; not very unlike those of the hedge warbler. Its note is more shrill than that of the white, and less so than that of the gray wagtail.

Wheatear.—Back hoary; front, line above the eyes, rump, and base of the tail white; a black band through the eyes; crown, neck, and back reddish-gray; eyebrows, rump, upper tail coverts, and upper half of the tail white; lower half, legs, and quill feathers black, the latter edged with reddish-brown; body yellowish-white beneath. The female wants the line over the eyes. There are, however, several varieties. Weighs about six drams and a half; length near six inches and a half. Inhabits Europe, Asia, and Africa. This bird visits England annually in the middle of March, and leaves it again in September. In some parts they are found in great plenty, and are much esteemed. About Eastbourne in Sussex, they are taken in traps made of horsehair, placed beneath a long turf. Being naturally very timid, the motion even of a cloud, or the appearance of a hawk, will immediately drive them into the traps. These last are first set, every year on St James's day, the 25th of July; soon after which they are caught in astonishing numbers, considering that they are not gregarious, and that more than two or three are scarcely ever seen flying together. The number annually entrained in the district of Eastbourne alone, is said to amount to nearly two thousand dozen. The birds caught are chiefly young ones; and they are invariably found in the greatest number when an easterly wind prevails. They are very fat in autumn, and esteemed a great delicacy, little inferior to the ortolan. They live chiefly on insects and earthworms, frequent open stony places, warrens, downs, &c., and breed in stone walls, old rabbit holes, or under stones, making a large nest of dry grass, rabbit's down, feathers, and horse-hair. The female lays five or six eggs, of a uniform pale-blue colour. The wheatear sings prettily, and not unfrequently on wing, hovering over the female.

Whinchat.—Blackish; eyebrows white; wings with two white spots; chin and breast yellowish; bill and legs black; chin white; tail white; the lower third part blackish; two middle feathers all blackish. Weighs about four drams and a half; length full five inches. Inhabits Europe, and appears in this island about the middle of April, frequenting the same places with the stonechat, and corresponding with it in most of its habits.

Stonechat or moor titling.—Gray, pale rufous beneath; throat with a white band; lores black; bill and legs blackish; head and neck nearly black; body above blackish, varied with pale rufous; breast and belly reddish-yellow; vent and rump white; tail feathers black, the two outmost, on the outer edge and tip, pale ferruginous; quill feathers black, edged with ferruginous; those next the body at the base, and wing-coverts, with a white spot. Female varied with blackish and reddish. Weight about five drams; length five inches and a quarter. Inhabits hedges and dry moors in Europe and Siberia. Feeds on insects and worms, and frequently Paffres. ly sits on the uppermost sprays, daring at every fly that paffes. The neft is placed on, or very near the ground, at the bottom of a furze bush, or fome fimilar fiation, is compofed of mofs and bent, lined with hair, and fometimes mixed with fmall feathers. The eggs are five, of a blue colour, with fmall rufous spots at the larger end. When the young leave the neft, the old birds are extremely bold and clamorous, and are as artful in enticing any one from their young as they are in concealing their neft. In the early part of the fpring, the flonechat fings very prettily, springing into the air, and fupending itfelf for fome time on wing. But as it breeds fo early, its long is of fhort duration.

Blackcap.—Brick-colour above, cinereous beneath; cap dark-brown; bill brown; crown black, in the female cheanut; body greenifh-above, gray beneath, gradually growing white; temples gray; quill and tail feathers brown-afh, edged with greenifh-afh, the middle ones very fhort; legs lead-colour. Of this species there are at leaft three or four varieties. Length full fix inches. Inhabits Europe. It is a migrative bird, visiting us early in the fpring and retiring in September. It frequents woods and thick hedges, and feems very partial to orchards and gardens, where it delights us with its charming melodious fong, which is very little inferior to that of the nightingale, except in variety of notes. It makes a neft in fome low bush or thurb, compofed of dried stalks, generally of goode-grafs, put together with a little wool, and fometimes a little green mofs on the outside, and lined with fibrous roots, on which are frequently placed a few long hairs. The eggs are four or five, of a pale reddifh-brown, mottled with a deeper colour, and fometimes sprinkled with a few afh-coloured spots. On the firft arrival of this bird it feeds greedily on ivy berries, but forfakes that food as foon as the ver- al fun has roufed the infect tribe.

Thorn-tailed warbler.—Cheanut, white beneath; crown spotted with yellow; face and eyebrows yellow; wing-coverts rufous, varied with brown; the greater and quill feathers brown; tail wedged, the feathers daggered. Four inches and a half long. Inhabits Terra del Fuego.

Leaf warbler.—Pale brown, whitish beneath; bill and very short tail yellowifh. Three inches long. Inhabits New Holland.

Red-throat.—Throat black; belly and tail rufous; head and back hoary; front white; bill, cheeks, and legs, black; belly white; rump, breast, and lateral tail feathers rufous; the middle ones brown; wings brown. Female with the crown and back gray-afh; and chin white. Five inches and a quarter long. Inhabits Europe. It is feen in this country only in fpring and fummer. It builds in holes of walls, or even of houfes, or in hollow trees; and lays four or five eggs. It fings prettily, and imitates the notes of other birds. It is lefs than the redbreath, and moves its tail horizontally.

Blue-throated warbler.—Breaf t ferruginous, with a blue band; tail feathers brown, ferruginous towards the tip. Size of the redbreath. Inhabits Europe and Siberia. Sings fweetly, and does not migrate.

Superb warbler.—Black-blue above, white beneath; feathers of the head long, lax, and turgid; front, cheeks, and lunule on the neck fine blue. Five inches and a half long. Inhabits New Holland.

Reed wren.—Olive-brown above, whitish beneath; lores and orbits whitish-brown; band in the middle of the wings tawny-yellow beneath; tail brown, slightly wedged; under part of the toes greenifh-yellow. Upper mandible horn-colour, lower teeth-colour; mouth orange; irides brown; chin white; legs pale-olive. Length scarcely five inches and a half; weight nearly three drams. Has often been confounded with the fedge warbler, to which it is nearly allied in form, fize, and habits; but it may at once be diftinguifhed by the greater broadnefs of the base of the bill, by the want of a light stroke over the eye, and having the upper parts of one plain colour. The neft and eggs are alfo different. The former is compofed of long grafs, and the seed-branches of reeds, and lined with the finer parts of the latter. It is very deep, and is generally faftened by long grafs to feveral reeds, which are drawn together for that purpofe. The eggs are four or five, rather larger than thofe of the fedge-warbler, of a greenifh-white, blotched all over with dark brown. This species inhabits near Uxbridge, in the fens of Lincolnshire, and in many parts of the looth of England and Wales; arriving about the end of April, or beginning of May, and departing again in September.

Redbreath, or robin redbreath.—Gray; throat and breast ferruginous; bill and legs dark; tail feathers terminating in an acute angle; belly white; edges of the quill feathers inclining to yellow. There is a variety with a white chin; wing-coverts varied with white, black, and rufous; quill and tail feathers black, and edged with rufous: and another that is entirely white. This well-known species is a conftant inhabitant of moft parts of the European continent, and appears about our dwellings in winter, when the woods and fields are deftitute of infeds. "When the cold grows more fevere (says Buffon), and thick snow covers the ground, it approaches our houfes, and taps on the window with its bill, as if to entreat an afylum, which is cheerfully granted; and it repays the favour by the moft amiable familiarity, gathering the crumbs from the table, diftinguifhing affectionately the people of the houfe, and affuming a warble, not indeed fo rich as that of the fpring, but more delicate. This it retains through all the rigours of the fefon; to hail each day the kindnels of its holt, and the fweetnefs of its retreat. There it remains tranquil till the returning fpring awakens new defires, and invites to other pleafures: it now becomes uneafy, and impatient to recover its liberty." The redbreath generally builds its neft by the roots of trees, in fome concealed spot near the ground, compofing it of dried leaves mixed with hair and mofs, and lined with feathers. The female lays from five to feven eggs, which are whitifh, and fpotted with rufi-colour, and cinereous. In order the more fucceffully to conceal its neft, we are told, that it covers it with leaves, fuffering only a narrow winding entrance under the heap to be left. This bird feeds principally on infeds and worms: and its delicacy in preparing the latter is somewhat remarkable. It takes a worm by one extremity, in its beak, and beats it on the ground, till the inner part comes away; then taking it in the fame manner by the other end, it cleanfes the outer part, which alone it eats. Besides infeds, it is fond of the seeds of the spindle tree. It is a folitary and quarrelfome species, infomuch that two are never feen on the fame tree.

Wren.—Gray; eyebrows white; wings waved with Troglodytes black etc. Pallidus black and cinereous; bill dark brown; head and body deep reddish-brown above; quill feathers alternately barred with black and red; throat yellowish-white; belly and sides crossed with narrow, dusky, and pale reddish-brown lines; tail with dusky bars; legs brownish. Length nearly four inches and a quarter; weight about two drams and three quarters. Inhabits Europe and Asia. Its nest curiously constructed, and not begun at the bottom, as is the case in most instances, but first traced, as it were, in oval frame-work, and equally fastened in all its parts to a tree, or other support, and afterwards inclosed on the sides and top, a small hole only being left near the latter, for entrance. If the nest is placed under a bank, the top is first begun, and well secured in some small cavity by which the fabric is suspended. The materials are generally adapted to the place; if built against the side of a hayrick, for example, the nest is composed of hay, if against the side of a tree covered with Eichen, it is made of that species of mosses, &c. The lining is invariably feathers. The eggs are seven or eight, and sometimes more, white, and sparingly marked with small reddish spots. The song of the wren is much admired, being, though short, a very pleasing warble, and louder than could be expected from the size of the bird. This it continues throughout the year; and it has been heard to sing, with apparent unconcern, even during a fall of snow. It also sings very late in the evening, though not like the nightingale, after dark. The wren feeds on insects, which it finds in sufficient abundance to support life, even in the severest winters.

Golden-crested wren.—Greenish; secondary quill feathers yellow on the outer edge, and white in the middle; crown orange; bill black; crest orange (of the female yellow), each side edged with black; body yellowish-green above, reddish-white beneath; wing-coverts dark-brown, with two transverse white bars; legs yellow. Inhabits every quarter of the globe. This is the smallest British bird; its weight seldom exceeding eighty grains, and its length three inches and three quarters. It migrates from the Shetland islands in winter, but continues in the Orkneys the whole year. Its song is like that of the common wren, but its voice is weaker. It builds a nest nearly of a round form, with a hole in the side; and lays from six to eight eggs. It erects or depresses the crest at pleasure. Though not uncommon, it often eludes observation, from the smallness of its size. It has also been remarked, that the female, from some cause which has not yet been discovered, is frequently destroyed during the time of incubation; and the nest, with the eggs, left to decay. Mr Montagu communicates the following interesting details relative to a young family of this beautiful species. "When first I discovered the nest I thought it a favourable opportunity to become acquainted with some of the manners of this minute species, and to endeavour to discover whether the male ever sang by way of instructing the young ones. Accordingly I took the nest when the young were about five days old, placed it in a small basket, and by degrees enticed the old ones to my study window; and after they became familiar with that situation, the basket was placed within the window; then at the opposite side of the room. It is remarkable, that although the female seemed regardless of danger from her affection to her young, yet the male never once ventured within the room; and yet would constantly feed them while they remained at the outside of the window; on the contrary, she would feed them at the table at which I sat, and even when I held the nest in my hand, provided I remained motionless. But on moving my head one day, while she was on the edge of the nest, which I held in my hand, she made a precipitate retreat, mistook the open part of the window, knocked herself against the glass, and laid breathless on the floor for some time. However, recovering a little, she made her escape, and in about an hour after I was agreeably surprized by her return, and would afterwards frequently feed the young while I held the nest in my hand. The male bird constantly attended the female in her flight to and fro, but never ventured beyond the window-frame; nor did he latterly ever appear with food in his bill. He never uttered any note but when the female was out of sight, and then only a small chirp. At first there were ten young in the nest, but probably for want of the male's affluence in providing food two died. The visits of the female were generally repeated in the space of a minute and a half or two minutes, or upon an average, thirty-six times in an hour; and this continued full fifteen hours in a day, which, if equally divided between the eight young ones, each would receive 72 feeds in the day; the whole amounting to 576. From examination of the food, which by accident now and then dropped into the nest, I judged from these weighed that each feed was a quarter of a grain upon a medium; so that each young one was supplied with 18 grains weight in a day; and as the young birds weighed about 77 grains at the time they began to perch, they consumed nearly their weight of food in four days at that time. I could always perceive by the animation of the young brood when the old one was coming; probably some low note indicated her near approach, and in an instant every mouth was open to receive the insect morsel. But there appeared no regularity in the supply given by the parent bird; sometimes the same was fed two or three times successively; and I generally observed that the strongest got most, being able to reach farther, the old one delivering it to the mouth nearest to her, and after each feed the waited a while to see if any missed."

Yellow wren.—Dusky green above, yellowish-white beneath; wings and tail brown, and edged with green; eyebrows yellow. Four inches and a half long. Inhabits Europe and America. Frequent wooded and inclosed situations, especially where willows abound. Visits us early in April, and soon begins its usual song, which is short, with little variety. Makes an oval nest, with a small opening near the top, composed of moss and dried grass, and lined with feathers, either in the hollow of a ditch, or in a low bush, close to the ground. The eggs are six or seven, white, and spotted with light rust colour. Has often been confounded with the lesser whitethroat, and the wood wren.

Tailor warbler, or tailor bird.—Entirely yellow, and suturia. Very small, scarcely exceeding three inches in length. Inhabits India. Its nest is composed of two leaves, the one generally dead, which it fixes, at the end of some branch, to the side of a living one, by sewing both together with little filaments (its bill serving as a needle), in the manner of a pouch or purse, and open at the top. Sometimes, instead of a dead and a living leaf, two living Gen. 88. Pipra, Manakin.

Bill shorter than the head, hard, nearly triangular at the base, and slightly incurved at the tip; nostrils naked; feet greyish; tail short.

Crested or rock manakin.—Crest erect, edged with purple; body saffron; tail coverts truncated.—Size of a small pigeon; from 10 to 12 inches long; is shy, but may be tamed, if taken young; feeds on small wild fruits, and builds in the clefts of the most remote rocks, laying two white eggs. Inhabits the rocky parts of South America.

Black-capped manakin.—Black above, white beneath; spot on the neck above, and on the wings, white; bill black; legs yellow. Inhabits the woods of Guiana. Is reclusive and gregarious.

Little manakin.—Grey; head black, speckled with white. Size of a small wren. Inhabits India.

Tuneful manakin.—Black above, orange-beneath; front and rump yellow; crown and nape blue; chin and throat black. Four inches long. Inhabits St Domingo. Is very shy, and easily eludes the vigilance of such as attempt to take it. Its note is musical, and forms a complete octave, one note succeeding another.

Gen. 89. Parus, Titmouse.

Bill very entire, narrow, somewhat compressed, strong, hard, pointed, and covered at the base with bristles; tongue truncated, and bristly at the end; toes divided to the origin, the hind one large and strong.

This is a numerous and prolific tribe, some of the species laying from 18 to 22 eggs at a time. Most of them feed on seeds, fruits, and insects, and some on flesh. They are particularly fond of the brains of other birds, which they get by cleaving the skulls of such as they find dead. They are restless, bold, cruel to birds less than themselves, and will attack such as are three times their own size. Their note is generally unpleasant.

Crested titmouse.—Head crested; collar black; belly white. Nearly five inches long. Inhabits Europe, chiefly in fir woods. Is solitary, and not easily tamed.

Great titmouse, or ox-eye.—Head black; temples white; nape yellow; bill, chin, and tail black; back and wings olive; rump blue gray; belly greenish-yellow, divided in the middle by a band of black, extending to the vent; quill feathers dusky, edged partly with blue, partly with white; exterior sides of the outmost tail feathers white, of the others bluish; inner sides dusky; legs lead-coloured. This species weighs about 10 drams; length five inches and three quarters. It inhabits Europe, Asia, and Africa; and is common in many parts of Britain, frequenting gardens and orchards, where it does much mischief by picking off the tender buds of trees. The nest is made of moss, lined with hair, and placed in the hole of a wall, or of a tree. The female sometimes lays eight or ten eggs, but more commonly six, which are white, spotted with rust-colour, and so exactly like those of the nuthatch, as not to be distinguished from them. The common note of the great titmouse is a sort of chatter; but in the spring it attunes a greater variety, a shrill whistle, and a very singular noise, something like the whetting of a saw; but these cease with incubation. A variety was once killed near Faversham in Kent, that had the bill crooked, as in Loxia curvirostra. Its characters were olive brown above, dirty yellowish beneath; head black; temples cinereous, and bill forked.

Creeping titmouse.—Bluish; temples, breast, and back American-yellowish; flanks purplish. Four inches and three quarters long. Inhabits Carolina and Canada. Is constantly running up and down trees in search of insects.

Blue titmouse, or tomtit.—Quill feathers bluish, the primaries white on the outer edge; front white; crown blue; bill blackish; line from the bill to the eyes, and one surrounding the temples black; back yellowish-green; wing-coverts blue; quill feathers black, with dusky edges; tail blue, the middle feathers longer; body whitish-yellow beneath; legs and claws black. Length about four inches and a half; weight three drams. Inhabits Europe. This species would probably be more admired for its beauty, if it was less common. In winter it frequents houses for the sake of plunder, and will devour flesh greedily, whether fresh or putrid. It is also a constant attendant where horse-flesh is kept for hounds, and in the farm-yard, being partial to oats, which it plucks out, and retiring to a neighbouring bush fixes the grain between its claws, and hammers it with the bill, to break the bulk. In summer, it feeds chiefly on insects, in search of which it plucks off a number of young buds from the trees. The nest is always made in some hole, either of a tree or wall, composed of moss, and lined with feathers and hair. The eggs are white, and speckled with rust-colour at the larger end. The female is so tenacious of her nest, that she will often suffer herself to be taken rather than quit it, and will frequently return again after being taken out. It menaces every intruder in a singular manner, hissing like a snake, erecting all its feathers, and uttering a noise like the spitting of a cat, biting, at the same time, feverishly, if handled. It has no song, but utters a shrill note quickly repeated.

Colemouse, or cole titmouse.—Head black; back cinereous; hind head and breast white; bill and chin black; a broad black stripe beneath the eyes, from the bill to the neck; belly-and vent reddish white; wing coverts gray, tipped with white; quill and tail feathers brownish-ash, edged with gray; legs and claws lead-colored.

Weight about two drams and a quarter; length four inches and a quarter. Has frequently been confounded with the palustris; but it is not so plentiful a species; keeps more to woods; seems to live entirely on insects, and has also a different note.

Marib tit-mouse.—Head black; back cinereous; temples white. The markings are, however, very subject to vary; the length is about four inches and a half; and the weight two drams and a half. Inhabits Europe. With the blue species it partakes of flesh, and haunts the oat-ricks. It seems to be partial to low wet ground, where old willow trees abound, in the holes of which it frequently nests.

Long-tailed tit-mouse.—Crown white; tail longer than the body; weighs only two drams, and measures five inches and a quarter in length. This very elegant and singular species is confined chiefly to the woods and thickets of Europe and Siberia, where it makes a curious oval nest of lichens, firmly woven together with wool; and having only a small hole on the side, placed in the fork of some bush or branch of a tree. The female lays from nine to seventeen eggs, which are white, and sparingly marked with small rufous colored spots towards the larger end.

Cape tit-mouse.—Gray ash; quill feathers black, edged with white; tail black above; bill and legs black. Inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. Constructs a luxurious nest of the down of a species of acclapias; near the upper end projects a small tube, about an inch in length, with an orifice about three-fourths of an inch in diameter. Immediately under the tube is a small hole in the side, that has no communication with the interior of the nest. In this hole the male sits at night; and thus both male and female are screened from the weather.

Bearded tit-mouse.—Rufous; crown hoary; tail longer than the body; head bearded; vent black; bill pale orange; irides yellow; legs black; tail wedged; whiskers composed of long black feathers; three outer tail feathers black at the base, and whitish at the tips; middle of the breast flesh coloured; sides and thighs pale orange; six inches and a quarter long. Inhabits marshy situations in Europe. Though it breeds with us, and continues the whole year, its history is little known; and authors differ not only with respect to the shape and composition of the nest, but even with respect to the place of nidification.

Penduline tit-mouse or remiz.—Head ferruginous; ocular band black; quill and tail feathers brown, and edged on each side with ferruginous; four inches and a half long. Inhabits Europe and Siberia, frequenting watery places for the sake of aquatic insects, on which it feeds. The most curious fact in the history of these birds is the exquisite art displayed in the construction of their nest. They employ the light down found on the buds of the willow, the poplar, and the aspen, on thistles, dandelion, &c. With their bill they entwine this filamentous substance, and form a thick clothe web, almost like cloth. This they fortify externally with fibers and small roots, which penetrate into the texture, and, in some measure, compose the basis of the nest. They line the inside with the same down, but not so

ven, that their young may lie soft; they flit it above, Paffres, to confine the warmth, and they suspend it with hemp, nettles, &c. from the cleft of a small plant branch over some stream, that it may rock more gently, affixed by the spring of the branch. In this situation, the brood are well supplied with insects, which constitute their chief food, and are at the same time protected from their enemies. The nest sometimes resembles a bag, and sometimes a short purse. The aperture is made in the side, and is almost always turned towards the water. It is nearly round, and only an inch and a half in diameter, or even less, and is often, though not always, surrounded by a brim. These nests are found in the fens of Bologna, Tuscany, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany. The peasants regard them with superstitious veneration, one of them being usually suspended near the door of each cottage, as a charm against lightning.

Languedoc tit-mouse.—Rufous gray; crown hoary; Narbonet wings and tail blackish, edged with rufous; primary quill feathers edged with white; four inches long. Inhabits France. Builds a strong pendulous nest on the forked branch of a tree.

Amorous tit-mouse.—Blackish blue; longitudinal spot Amatorius on the middle of the wings, half yellow and rufous; five inches and a half long. Inhabits Northern Asia, and is remarkable for the mutual affection of the sexes.

Gen. 90. Hirundo, Swallow.

Bill small, weak, curved, subulated, depressed at the Character. base; gape larger than the head; tongue short, broad, cleft; wings long; tail mostly forked.

The birds of this genus are readily distinguished, not only by their structure, but by their twittering voice, and their manner of life. They fly with great rapidity, seldom walk, and perform all their functions either on the wing or sitting. By means of their wide mouth they easily catch insects (their principal food) in the air, or on the surface of the water. Naturalists have been much divided in their opinions respecting the migration of the swallow tribe. The Hon. Daines Barrington and others have supposed that they do not leave this country, but that they lie concealed and torpid, during winter, under water, in crevices of rocks, holes in sand banks, &c. In confirmation of this opinion they quote instances which appear to be sufficiently well authenticated. But a migration of the greater part of the birds is not to be contradicted, by what seems to be rather the effect of chance than design. Those that have been hatched late, and have not acquired sufficient strength to accompany their companions in their journey, may alone have supplied the above-mentioned instances. Were all to remain, we should undoubtedly be furnished with more numerous and more generally known examples than have hitherto been recorded. The ingenious Mr John Hunter, on dissecting several swallows, observed in them nothing different from other birds in the organs of respiration, and hence inferred, perhaps too hastily, that none of them can remain, for any length of time, under water. That the migration of swallows does, however, really take place, appears to have been fully proved by a variety of well attested facts, most of which have been observed by navigators, who were eye-witnesses of the flights of these birds, and whose ships have sometimes afforded A. Three toes before, and one behind.

Chimney or common swallow.—Front and chin chestnut; tail feathers, except the two middle ones, with a white spot; bill black; body blackish blue above, whitish beneath; tail very much forked; legs short and blackish; weight between five and six drams; length five inches and a half. Inhabits all the quarters of the world; visits us early in April, if the weather be mild, and retires about the end of September or beginning of October. It is supposed to winter in Senegal, and other warm countries. It has got the name of chimney swallow, from the circumstance of breeding in chimneys. It also nestsles on the beams or rafters of out-houses, and sometimes on rocks. The nest is made of mud, plastered together, and lined with feathers, and is open at top. The eggs are four or five, white, and speckled with rusty red. Its velocity of wing and quickness of flight are truly astonishing, and enable it to pursue its prey with precision and effect. When a fly is taken, a smart snap from the bill is to be heard, not unlike the noise of the flapping of a watch case; but the motion of the mandibles is too quick for the eye. Wonderful is the address with which this bird ascends and descends through the piaffages of a chimney. When hovering over the roof of the funnel, the vibration of its wings acting on the confined air, occasion a rumbling like distant thunder. It is not improbable that the female submits to the inconvenience of having her nest low down in the shaft, in order to secure her offspring from the birds of prey, particularly from owls, which are frequently found to fall down chimneys, probably in their attempts to get at the nestlings. The progressive method by which the young are introduced to their proper habits, deserves to be noted. They first, though not without difficulty, emerge from the shaft, and, for a day or two, are fed on the chimney top; thence they are conducted to the dead leafless bough of some neighbouring tree, where, sitting in a row, they are attended by the parents with great affluency. In a day or two after this they are strong enough to fly, but continue still unable to take their own food; they therefore play about near the place where the females are watching for flies; and, when a mouthful is collected, on a certain signal, the dam and the nestling advance, rising towards each other, and meeting at an angle, the young all the while, uttering a short quick note of gratitude and complacency. As soon as the mother has disengaged herself from the first brood, she immediately commences her operations for a second, which is produced about the middle or latter end of August.

Efculent swallow.—Blackish, whitish beneath; all the tail feathers with a white spot; bill black; tail tip with white; legs brown. Two inches and a quarter in length; in size rather less than the wren. Inhabits China and the islands of the Indian ocean. Many of our readers must have heard of the curious eatable nests of this species. The following is the account given of them by Sir George Staunton. "In the Cats, a small island near Sumatra, were found two caverns, running horizontally into the side of the rock; and in these were a number of those bird's-nests so much prized by the Chinese epicures. They seem to be composed of fine filaments, cemented together by a transparent viscid matter, not unlike what is left by the foam of the sea upon stones alternately covered by the tide, or those gelatinous animal substances found floating on every coast. The nests adhere to each other, and to the sides of the cavern; mostly in rows, without any break or interruption. The birds that build these nests are small gray swallows, with bellies of a dirty white. They were flying about in considerable numbers; but were so small, and their flight was so quick, that they escaped the shot fired at them. The same sorts of nests are said to be also found in deep caverns at the foot of the highest mountains in the middle of Java, at a distance from the sea; from which source it is thought that the birds derive no materials, either for their food, or the construction of their nests; as it does not appear probable they should fly in search of either, over the intermediate mountains, which are very high, or against the boisterous winds prevailing thereabout. They feed on insects, which they find hovering over stagnated pools between the mountains, and for the catching of which their wide-opening beaks are particularly adapted. They prepare their nests from the best remnants of their food. Their greatest enemy is the kite, who often intercepts them in their passage to and from the caverns, which are generally surrounded with rocks of gray limestone, or white marble. The nests are placed in horizontal rows, at different depths, from 50 to 300 feet. The colour and value of the nests depend on the quantity and quality of the insects caught, and perhaps also on the situation where they are built. Their value is chiefly ascertained by the uniform fineness and delicacy of their texture; those that are white and transparent being most esteemed, and fetching often in China their weight in silver. These nests are a considerable object of traffic among the Javanese, many of whom are employed in it from their infancy. The birds, after having spent nearly two months in preparing their nests, lay each two eggs, which are hatched in about 15 days. When the young birds become fledged, it is thought the proper time to seize upon their nests; which is done regularly three times a-year, and is effected by means of ladders of bamboo and reeds, by which the people descend into the caverns; but when these are very deep, rope ladders are preferred. This operation is attended with much danger, and several perish in the attempt. The inhabitants of the mountains, generally employed in this business, begin always by sacrificing a buffalo; which custom is observed by the Javanese, on the eve of every extraordinary enterprise. They also pronounce some prayers, anoint themselves with sweet-scented oil, and smoke the entrance of the cavern with gum-benjamin. Near some of the caverns a tutelar goddees is worshipped, whose priest burns incense, and lays his protecting hands on every person preparing to descend. A flambeau is carefully prepared at the same time, with a gum which exudes from a tree growing in the vicinity, and which is not easily extinguished by fixed air or subterraneous vapours."—The nest of this species generally weighs about half an ounce; and is in shape something like a half lemon. The confectionery of the several layers of component matter approaches to that of infusoria, or of fine gum-dragon. Such of these nests as are perfectly free from dirt, are dissolved in broth, to thicken it, and are said to give it an exquisite flavour; or they are soaked in in water to soften them, then pulled in pieces, and, after being mixed with ginfeng, are put into the body of a fowl. The whole is then steamed in a pot, with a sufficient quantity of water, and left on the coals all night. On the following morning it is ready to be eaten.

Martin, martlet, martinet, or house martin.—Bluish-black above, white beneath; tail feathers without spots; bill black; mouth yellow; rump white; legs covered with a short white down. There is a variety that has the quill and tail feathers tipped with white. About five inches and a half, and rather inferior in size to the chimney swallow. Inhabits Europe, Asia, and North America. Visits Britain in spring, rather later than the common swallow, making its first appearance in low, warm situations, and if the weather is fine, beginning to build early in May. It builds a close nest, made of straw and clay, and lined with feathers, with a hole at top for admission, in windows, under the eaves of houses, the projecting ornaments of steeples and churches, &c., and sometimes against rocks or cliffs, contiguous to the sea. The eggs are four or five, and pure white. The manners and habits of this well-known species nearly resemble those of the common swallow.

Sand martin, bank martin, or shore bird.—Cinerous; chin and belly white; bill blackish; throat encircled with a mouse-colored ring; legs black, and downy behind. Four inches and three quarters long. Inhabits Europe and America, in which last country it is called ground swallow. In this country it is not so plentiful as the preceding, with which it associates, and which in its manners it much resembles, except that it nests in the banks of rivers or sand pits, and makes a nest of straw and dried fibres, lined with feathers.

Purple swallow.—Entirely violet; tail forked; bill black; legs blackish. Female brown. Seven inches and three quarters long. Inhabits Carolina and Virginia, during summer. Is much valued by the inhabitants for its use in alarming poultry on the approach of birds of prey, which it does not only by shrieking, but attacking them with the greatest fury.

Canada swallow.—Bluish black; beneath and mouth whitish-buff; belly white, clouded with brown; quill and tail feathers blackish, edged with brown; legs and claws dusky. Eight or nine inches long. Native of Hudson's bay.

Ambergris swallow.—Grayish-brown; bill blackish; legs brown. Five inches and a half long. Inhabits Senegal. Smells strongly of ambergris.

Red-headed swallow.—Dusky-black, the feathers edged with white; under part of the body white; head red. Size of the least humming bird. Inhabits India.

Black swallow.—Entirely black. Six inches long. Inhabits the interior parts of South America, and builds in a deep hole in the ground, with a long entrance.

Swift, black martin, &c.—Blackish; chin white. Weight nearly an ounce; length about eight inches. Inhabits almost everywhere. The swift makes its appearance with us later than any of the other species, being seldom seen till May. It frequents steeples, towers, and other lofty buildings, in the holes of which, or under the tiles of houses and barns, it makes a nest of dried grass, lined with feathers, which it collects on wing, sweeping them off the ground in a dexterous manner. Like the swallow, it laps the water, and at the same time, picks up flies as it skims over the surface. The female lays only two white eggs of an oblong shape, larger than that of the swallow; and while she is fitting, the male is continually flying to and from the spot, making a screeching noise, which is its only note. At night, both fit on the nest, or at least roost in the same hole. In very warm weather, these birds soar to a great height; but in cold or moist weather, fly low in search of flies and other winged insects, which at that time cannot ascend. This species disappears about the middle of August, remaining here no longer than is necessary for its breeding. It is remarkable that it disappears soonest in the best and warmest weather; and that in the very inclement season of 1782, numbers of them were seen in the neighborhood of Edinburgh, so late as the 25th of August, flying about with their usual spirit and vivacity, when the thermometer stood at 36°. It is neither cold, therefore, nor the want of food, which disposes them to quit us so early. They have the privilege of moulting to undergo, which cannot be performed in a state of torpor. Their place of retirement, however, has not been ascertained.

White-collared swift.—Blackish-violet; head black; cayenne-collar buff; ocular band and thighs white. Five inches, feet, and one quarter long. Inhabits Cayenne. Builds a long conical nest, with a division in the middle.

Gen. 91. Caprimulgus, Goatfucker.

Bill slightly curved, very small, fulvulated and depressed at the base; mouth extremely wide, and furnished with characters. The sides with a series of bristles; ears very large; tongue pointed and entire; tail unforked, with 10 feathers; legs short, middle claw with a broad ferrated edge.

The birds of this family seldom appear in the daytime, except they are disturbed, or in dark cloudy weather, but wander about in the evening, in search of insects. They lay two eggs on the naked ground. The lateral toes are connected to the middle one by a small membrane.

European or nocturnal goatfucker; provincially, night European, or dorhauk, charm or goatsoul, wheelbird, nightjar, &c.; Black, varied with cinereous, brown, ferruginous and white; beneath reddish-white, with brown bands; irides hazel; legs short, fealy, and feathered below the knees. The male is distinguished from the female by a large oval white spot near the end of the three first quill feathers, and another on the outmost tail feathers. Inhabits Europe, Asia, and America. With us this bird is only a summer visitant, appearing about the middle of May, and departing again the latter end of September, or beginning of October. It makes no nest, but lays two eggs on the bare ground, among fern, heath, or long grass, sometimes in woods or furze, but at all times contiguous to woods, in which it chiefly conceals itself by day. The eggs are larger than those of a blackbird, oblong oval, whitish, and elegantly marbled with light brown and ash-color. It generally sits on the ground, but if molested, frequently perches on the limb of a tree, most commonly lengthwise, and not across, as is common with most birds. In the dusk of the evening, it begins its flight in pursuit of the larger insects, particularly Sciarabius melolontha, and Siphonitis, which rise from their earthy abode about that time. It is also fond of the large-bodied moths, and indeed allows few winged winged insects to escape its wide extended gape. It makes a singular noise, like the sound of a large spinning wheel, and which it is observed to utter perched, with the head lowermost; besides which, it utters a sharp squeak, as it flies. It has its name from the ancient, but erroneous belief, that it sucked the teats of goats.

Great goatfucker.—Blackish, with small brown spots and streaks; area of the eyes yellowish; legs white; middle claw not ferrated. Nearly two feet long. Inhabits Cayenne. The gape of its mouth can readily admit a man's fist.

Crested goatfucker.—Waved with brown, black, and whitish; whitish beneath; neck and breast with dusky bands; crest on the front crest; and fetaceous. Nine inches and a half long. Inhabits New Holland. No account has hitherto been procured of its manners, except that it appears about our settlement at Port Jackson in March.

Leone goatfucker.—Variegated gray; wings spotted with rufous and black; a very long naked-flafted feather on each shoulder. "This singular species," says Dr Latham, "is about the size of the European one, and not far different from it in the general markings: the length from the bill to the end of the tail is eight inches and a quarter; but the remarkable circumstance belonging to it, is the having a single feather springing out of the middle part of the covert of each wing, full 29 inches in length: this continues as a plain unwebbed shaft for 14 inches and three quarters, having a few filary hairs, on the inside only; from thence it expands into a broad web for the remaining five inches and a quarter of its length. This part is mottled, not unlike the darker part of the rest of the plumage, and crofted with five dusky bars; the web or blade has almost the whole of its breadth on the inner side, being there more than one inch broad, but very narrow on the outer part of the shaft; the legs are small. Inhabits Sierra Leone in Africa; several of them have been brought into England," &c.—The same bird is described by Dr Shaw in his Naturalists Miscellany.

We have purposely reserved for an Appendix, the following description of menura superba, a bird of New South Wales, by Major-general Thomas Davies, F. R. and L. S.

"Menura.

Char. gen. Rostrum validiusculum, convexo-conicum. Nares ovate in medio rostri. Rectrices elongatæ, pinnum decompositis; intermedie dua longiores angustæ, exteriores ad apicem patulæ, revolutæ. Pedes validi ambulatorii.

Menura Superba.

"The total length of this singular bird, from the point of the bill to the end of the broad tail feathers, is 43 inches; 25 of which are in the tail alone. The bill rather exceeds an inch in length, is strong, formed much like that of a peacock, and black, with the nostrils, which are long open slits, rather large, placed near the middle of its length; the head, which is somewhat crested at the hind part, neck, shoulders, back, upper tail coverts, and upper surface of the tail feathers, of a dark brownish-black; throat rufous, reaching some way down the middle of the neck; breast, belly, and vent gray; Appendix. the feathers of the latter are long, very soft, and of a silky texture; thighs nearly of the same colour, rather long, and feathered down to the knee; scapulars of a brownish tinge; upper tail coverts and prime quill feathers, which are somewhat curved at the ends, brown black; edges of the quills gray; the legs long and very strong, covered with large scales, especially in front; the feet, which are likewise large, and the nails, are black; the last somewhat crooked, convex above and flat beneath; the hind nail near three quarters of an inch long.

"The tail consists in the whole of 16 feathers; all of which, except the two upper or middle ones, and the two exterior on each side, have long slender shafts furnished on each side with delicate long filaments, four inches or more in length, placed pretty close towards the rump, but more distant from each other as they approach the extremity, and resemble much those of the greater Paradise bird. The two middle or upper ones are longer than the rest, slender, narrow at the base, growing wider as they approach the ends, which are pointed; webbed on the inner edge all the way, and furnished with some distant hair-like threads near the end on the outer side, of a pale gray colour beneath, and brown black above, as is the rest of the tail. The two exterior feathers on each side are of an extraordinary construction, rather more than an inch wide at the base, and growing wider as they proceed to the ends, where they are full two inches broad and curve outwardly; the curved part is black with a narrow white border; the quills of these feathers are double for two-thirds down from the rump. The general colour of the under sides of these two feathers is of a pearly hue, elegantly marked on the inner web with bright rufous coloured crescent-shaped spots, which, from the extraordinary construction of the parts, appear wonderfully transparent, although at first sight seemingly the darkest; they are also elongated into slender filaments of an inch or more, especially towards the extremities.

"The figure of the male, which accompanies this description, was taken from a specimen sent from New South Wales as a present to Lady Mary Howe. I have also seen two other specimens in the possession of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks, which I believe have since been deposited in the British Museum.

"Since I had the honour of communicating to the Linnean Society the foregoing description of the menura, I have been favoured with both male and female of that extraordinary bird from my friend Governor King, by the Buffalo store ship; and I am thereby enabled to lay before the society a description of the different sexes. I find, indeed, that, with a little deviation, the same characters and colours will serve for both of them. The female, however, is somewhat smaller, being in length, from the crown of the head to the end of the tail, only 31 inches. The general plumage of the whole bird is of a dull blackish colour, a little rufous under the chin and throat, and of a brownish cast on the scapulars, as in the male. The plumage of the whole body, from the breast to the vent, and from the shoulders to the rump, is composed of long, slender, thread-like, silky feathers, resembling fringe, of a dull grayish-black; lighter on the breast, belly, and vent. The bill and legs, which are strong and furnished with large scales, as in the cock, are black. From the head to the rump..." 14 inches; the tail 18 inches, all of a dull brown black colour above and gray beneath; the two upper tail feathers are sharp-pointed at the ends; the rest are rounded and darker in colour, and shorter by degrees, as they approach the rump, so as to appear cuneated; the two outer feathers are shorter than the rest, but in form like those of the male; brown black above, of a pearly gray beneath; and the crests, which are of a deeper rufous colour, are not so visible nor so large, but more transparent if possible, than those of the cock. They are about an inch and a half broad, and not black or longer at the ends as in the other sex.

"From these birds being found in the hilly parts of the country, they are called by the inhabitants the mountain pheasant. With respect to their food or manners I have not as yet obtained any particular account. In my specimens, there is a nakedness round the eyes, but whether this is from the feathers having fallen off I know not. I rather think otherwise, and that it may be brightly coloured as in many other birds."