New Jerfey, Raccoon, 369 



ever, in Penfyhania, the firft fort are more ob- 

 vious, and often fly together, without any of the 

 red- winged flares. The firft fort, or the pur- 

 ple dawSj bear, in many points, fo great a like- 

 nefs to the daw, the ftare, and the thrufh, that it 

 is difficult to determine to which genus they are 

 to be reckoned, but feem to come neareft to the 

 ftare ; for the bill is exaftly the fame with that 

 of the thru(h, but the tongue, the flight, their 

 fitting on the trees, their fong and fhape, make 

 it entirely a ftare ; at a diftance they look almoft 

 black> but clofe by they have a very blue or pur- 

 ple caft, but not not fo much as Catejbys print : 

 their fize is that of a ftare ; the bill is conic, al- 

 moft fubulated, ftrait, convex, naked at the bafe, 

 black, with almoft equal mandibles, the upper 

 being only a very little longer than the lower ; 

 the noftrils are oblong, yet a little angulated, fo 

 as to form almoft fquares ; they are placed ob- 

 liquely at the bafe of the bill, and have no hair; 

 there is a little horny knob, or a fmall promi- 

 nence, on the upper fide of them ; the tongue is 

 (harp and bifid at the point ; {he iris of the eyes 

 is pale; the forehead, the crown, the nucha, 

 the upper part, and the fides of the neck are of 

 an obfcure blue and green {hining colour; the 

 fides of the head under the eyes are obfcurely 

 blue ; all the back and coverts of the wings are 

 purple ; the upper coverts of the tail are not of 

 fo confpicuous a purple colour, but as 'it were 

 blackened with foot ; the nine primary quill- 

 feathers are black ; the other fecondary ones 

 are likewife black, but their outward margin is 

 purple ; the twelve tail feathers have a blackifh 

 . VOL. I. B b purple 



