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.—Cinereous; 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 nestles 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-ash; 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.

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

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 sips 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 Passerina that of the swallow; and while she is sitting, the male is continually flying to and from the spot, making a screeching noise, which is its only note. At night, both sit 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 neighbourhood 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 process 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 bifid; ocular band and thighs white. Five inches and one quarter long. Inhabits Cayenne. Builds a long conical nest, with a division in the middle.

Gen. 91. CAPRIMULGUS, Goatsucker.

Bill slightly curved, very small, subulated and depressed at the base; mouth extremely wide, and furnished at 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 serrated 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 goatsucker; provincially night European or dorrhawk, churn or goatewl, wheelbird, nightjar, &c.—Black, varied with cinereous, brown, ferruginous and white; beneath reddish-white, with brown bands; irides hazel; legs short, scaly, 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-colour. 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 scarabaeus melolontha, and solstitialis, 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 goatsucker.—Blackish, with small brown spots and streaks; area of the eyes yellowish; legs white; middle claw not serrated. Nearly two feet long. Inhabits Cayenne. The gape of its mouth can readily admit a man's fist.

Crested goatsucker.—Waved with brown, black, and whitish; whitish beneath; neck and breast with dusky bands; crest on the front erect, and setaceous. 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 goatsucker.—Variegated gray; wings spotted with rufous and black; a very long naked-shafted 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 coverts of each wing, full 29 inches in length: this continues as a plain unwebbed shaft for 14 inches and three quarters, having a few solitary 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 crossed 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 validissimum, convexo-conicum. Nares ovate in medio rostri. Rectrices elongatæ, pinnae decompositæ; intermedii dux 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; 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 tinged; uppertailcoverts 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, also of a dull brown black colour." Appendix. 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 crescents, 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."

For the most recent additions to Ornithology, see Zoology and Vertebrosa, Supplement.

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 sips 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 Passerina that of the swallow; and while she is sitting, the male is continually flying to and from the spot, making a screeching noise, which is its only note. At night, both sit 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 neighbourhood 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 process 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 bifid; ocular band and thighs white. Five inches and one quarter long. Inhabits Cayenne. Builds a long conical nest, with a division in the middle.

Gen. 91. CAPRIMULGUS, Goatsucker.

Bill slightly curved, very small, subulated and depressed at the base; mouth extremely wide, and furnished at 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 serrated 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 goatsucker; provincially night European or dorrhawk, churn or goatewl, wheelbird, nightjar, &c.—Black, varied with cinereous, brown, ferruginous and white; beneath reddish-white, with brown bands; irides hazel; legs short, scaly, 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-colour. 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 scarabaeus melolontha, and solstitialis, 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 goatsucker.—Blackish, with small brown spots and streaks; area of the eyes yellowish; legs white; middle claw not serrated. Nearly two feet long. Inhabits Cayenne. The gape of its mouth can readily admit a man's fist.

Crested goatsucker.—Waved with brown, black, and whitish; whitish beneath; neck and breast with dusky bands; crest on the front erect, and setaceous. 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 goatsucker.—Variegated gray; wings spotted with rufous and black; a very long naked-shafted 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 coverts of each wing, full 29 inches in length: this continues as a plain unwebbed shaft for 14 inches and three quarters, having a few solitary 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 crossed 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 validissimum, convexo-conicum. Nares ovate in medio rostri. Rectrices elongatæ, pinnae decompositæ; intermedii dux 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; 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 tinged; uppertailcoverts 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, also of a dull brown black colour." Appendix. 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 crescents, 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."

For the most recent additions to Ornithology, see Zoology and Vertebrosa, Supplement.