II 





SACCHA!. 



641 



The male U about 1 inches in length ; t lie closed wings extend 

 beyond the Uil 4 inches ; alar stretch 4 4 inches. Length of the lower 

 mandible 4 J inch.-n ; of the upper mandible 3J inches ; both red, tinged 

 with orange, and tipped with black. Upper port of the head, neck, 

 back, and scapulars, black ; wings the same, except the Hccoudarir-<, 

 which are white ou their inner vanes, and also tipped with white. 

 Tail forked, the two middle feathers about an inch and a half shorter 

 than the exterior ones, all black, broadly edged on either side with 

 white; tail-coverts white on the outer aides, black in the middle. 

 Front, checks and neck below the eye, throat, breast, and all the 

 lower parts, white. Legs and webbed feet red-lead colour. 



The female is only 16 inches long, and 39 inches in alar stretch ; 

 similar with the male in plumage, except in the tail, which U white- 

 shafted and broadly centred with black. 



There are oblique stria) on the lower mandible, which become most 

 apparent in the dead and dry specimen. 



It is a nativo of the tropical nod temperate parts of America, 



Cut. Water (Kynchopi nigra). 



Linnaeus thus succinctly and truly describes its habits : " Volando 

 aqua) superficiem radit, ex ilia iusccta pisciculosque, luandibulo infe- 

 riore introducta, extrahit; victitat ctiani conchiliis." Catesby says : 

 " These birds frequent near the sea-coasts of Carolina. They fly close 

 to the surface of the water, from which they seem to receive some- 

 what of food. They also frequent oyster-banks, ou which I believe 

 they feed ; the structure of their bills seems adapted for that 

 purpose." 



Wilon thuf describee their mode of taking food on the wing : 

 " The Shearwater is formed for skimming while on the wing the sur- 

 face of the sea for its food, which consists of small fish, shrimps, 

 young fry, 4c., whose natural haunts are near the shore and towards 

 the surface. That the lower mandible, when dipped into and cleaving 

 the* water, might not retard the bird's way, it is thinned and sharpened 

 like the blade of a knife; the upper mandible, being at such times 

 elevated above the water, is curtailed in its length, as being less neces- 

 aary, but tapering gradually to a point, that on shutting it may sutler 

 no opposition. To prevent inconvenience from the rushing of the 

 water, the mouth ii confined to the mere opening of the gullet, which 



indeed prevents mastication taking place there ; but the stomach, or 

 gizzard, to which this business U solely allotted, is of uncommon 

 hardness, strength, and muscularity, far surpasiing in these respects 

 any other water-bird with which 1 am acquainted. To all these U 

 added a vast expansion of wing, to enable the body to sail with suffi- 

 cient celerity while dipping in the water. The general proportion of 

 the wing of our swiftest hawks and wallow* to thuir breadth U as 

 one to two ; but in the present case, as there in not only the 

 ance of the air but also that of the water to overcome, a still greater 

 volume of wing U given, the Sheerwater measuring nineteen i 

 in length, and upwards of forty-four inches in extent. In short, 

 whoever has attentively examined this curious apparatus, and observed 

 the possessor, with hU ample wings, long bending neck, and lower 

 mandible occasionally dipped into and ploughing the surface, ami the 

 facility with which be procures his food, cannot but consider it a uicru 

 playful amusement, when compared with the dashing immersions of 

 the tern, the gull, or the Cub-hawk, who to the superfii -. 

 appear so superiorly accommodated. The Sheerwater is moat fre- 

 quently seen skimming close along shore, about the first of the flood. 

 I have observed eight or ten in company passing and repasaing at high 

 water, dipping with extended neck their open bills into the water with 

 as much apparent ease as swallows glean up flies." 



Mr. Nuttall states that the Cut-Water, or Black Skimmer, is a bird 

 of passage in the United States, appearing in New Jersey ^to the 

 north of the sea-coast of which he believes it is unknown) from its 

 tropical quarters early in May ; and he thinks that it probably passes 

 the breeding season along the whole of the southern coast of t'i" 

 United States. In New Jersey it " resides and breeds in its favourite 

 haunts, along the low sand-bars and dry flats of the strand in the 

 immediate vicinity of the ocean. Their nests have been found along 

 the shores of Cape May about the beginning of June, and con-igt of 

 a mere hollow scratches! out in the sand, without the addition of any 

 extraneous materials. The eg^s are usually three in number, oval, 

 about one inch and three-quarters to two inches by one inch and n 

 quarter, and nearly pure white, marked almost all over with Urge 

 umber-brown blotches and dashes of two shades, and other faint ones 

 appearing beneath the surface. In some eggs these particular blotches 

 are from half an inch to an inch in length. As the birds, like the 

 terns and gulls, to which they arc allied, remain gregarious through the 

 breeding season, it is possible to collect half a bushel or more of the 

 egi;s from a single Band-bar, within the compass of half an acre ; and 

 though not very palatable, they are still eaten by the inhabitants of 

 the coast The female only sits on her nest during the night, or in 

 wet and stormy weather; but the young remain for several weeks 

 before they acquire the full use of their wings, and are during that 

 period assiduously fed by both parents: at first they are scarcely 

 distinguishable from the sand by the similarity of their colour, and 

 during this period may often be seen basking in the sun, and spread- 

 ing out their wings upon the warm beach. The pair, retiring to the 

 south in September, or as soon as their young are prepared for their 

 voyage, raise but a single brood in the season." (' Manual of the 

 Ornithology of the United States and of Canada,' vol. ii.) 



The same author states that this species is met with in the equa- 

 torial regions of America, where it is resident as fur as Surinam, but 

 never penetrates into the interior, being, properly speaking, an oceanic 

 genus. 



M. Lesson remarks that, though this bird closely approaches the 

 species belonging to the Antilles, it it still possible that it may be 

 distinct from it. 



UYTINA. [CETACEA.] 



S 



SAARA. [DIUCOMNA.] 

 8ABADILLA. [CEIIADILLA ; ] In ONI AS.] 



SABIIATI A, a genus of North American Plants, belonging to the 

 natural order Omilanacea. The genus is known by a 5-1 2-parted calyx, 

 roUte 5-12-parted corolla, withering on its capsule, revoluto anthcrx, 

 Ugma with two straight arms, becoming at length spirally twisted, 

 and a 1 -celled capsule, with the valves turned a little inwards. There 

 are several species of Salbalia, all of which are characterised by the pos- 

 session of a pure bitter principle, and on this account they are exten- 

 sively used, in North America, in intermittent and remittent fevers, 

 MM! as tonics. The upccies most commonly used is the S. anyularit. 



SABKLLA. [TVHOOUK] 



RAKKLLA'KIA. [TomcoUB.] 



SA'I'.IA, a genus of Hants named by Mr. CoUbrooke from the 

 Indian name, Sul.ja, of one of the species. It is usually referred to 

 the natural family Trrtlinlhacttr, but it is now attached as an anoma- 

 lous genus to the group A nacanlia which is separated from them. 

 The species form ornamental climbing-shrubs, with smooth lanceolate 

 alternate leaves suited to the rhrubbi'rirs of this country. 



.SAIH'NKA (named by De Candolle, in honour of Joseph Sabine, 

 F.K.S.), a genus of Plant* belonging to the natural order 

 The violet flowers of & Florida are considered poisonous. 



SABLE. 



SACCHAUITK, a Mineral resembling granular felspar, of a greenish- 

 white colour, and with the constitution of /.cucitf. It is found in 

 BOi It 



SA'CCHARUM, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural ...1 r 

 ! Graminacfir. Ono of the species yields the well-known product 

 sugar, and is called the Sugar-Cane. 



The Sugar-Cane was introduced by the Saracens into the south of 

 Europe, but the period is not well ascertained. Gibbon says they 

 introduced it into Sicily soon after they got possession of the island. 

 About the year 1420 sugar was much cultivated by the I'ortugueu in 

 Madeira. In 1503 we read of sugar being imported from the Canarifn, 

 nn.l in 1606 sugar-canes were carried thence to Hispauiola in the West 

 Indies. But, besides the Indian cane, another, and a much more 

 prolific kind, that of Otaheite, was introduced into the West Indies 

 abont 1794, and about the sarao time, or in 1790, the China sugar- 

 cane was introduced into India. The Chinese and Indians reem both 

 therefore to have had independent means, that ia, distinct plants from 

 which they could extract sugar ; and, a< history shown, they did so at 

 very early periods. [SBOAR, in Aim AND Sc. I)iv.] 



The genna fiuccharum contains numerous species, which are usually 

 easily distinguished by their highly ornamental nature, by the light 



