44 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



Luteola. a Bird of a bright yellowish colour. Back and 



belly. 



This will suffice for the land birds, we now have to treat of 



the water birds, of which there are a great number, on account 



of the countless lakes and the ambient sea, studded with 



islands. 



Chapter v. 

 of water birds, with divided feet. 



Water birds are either those A\ith divided feet, which live 

 near the water and usually seek their food in A\atery places, 

 Avhich nevertheless do not swim on the Mater (these are nearly 

 all long-legged, the leg being naked to a little above the knee, 

 so that they may wade in the waters more conveniently) or 

 web-footed, which swim on the water, and for the most part 

 have short legs. 



Grus, the Crane — sometimes comes to the Orkneys. 



Ardea Cinerea major, the common Heron. 



Ardea Stellaris, the Bittern, known amongst us as the 



Buttour. 

 Platea or Pelecanus of Aldrovandus, the Lepelaer of the 

 Low Countries. This comes to us sometimes. [The 

 Spoonbill.] 

 Scolopax, the Woodcock, its flesh is of the finest flavour. 

 Gallinago minor, the Suite or Snipe. It is of delicate 

 taste. 

 Birds with thin, very long and curved beaks :■ — 



Numenius or Arquata, the flesh is of excellent flavour, 

 there is a picture of it in our plates. [Plate 12 of the 

 " Prodromus " ; this is the Common Curlew.] 

 Elorius Rondel [possibly the Whimbrel]. 

 Water birds, which are not fish eaters, with thin beaks of 

 medium length : — 



Himantopus of Pliny, which should be treated of at some 

 length in this history, because it has not been identified by 

 any of those who have treated of Natural History in their 

 writings. 



This bird [the Black-winged Stilt] (of which two pictures, 

 a larger and a smaller one, are given in our plates, dra^-n from 

 the bird itself), was sent to me by William Dalmahoy, an 

 officer of the Royal Guard, and one very well acquainted with 

 the history of birds. 



It had been shot with a gun, at a lake near the town of Dum- 

 fries, where also another Avas afterwards shot, but lost through 

 the carelessness of a soldier. 



