Royal Society. 91 
a note as the grey mocking-bird : There are two forts of the Vir- 
ginia nightingales, or red birds, the one has a tuft on the head, 
the other is fmooth feathered ; the cocks of both fpccies are of a 
pure fcarlet, the hens of a dufkiih red : There is a bird very in- 
jurious to corn, called a black-bird, being as black as a crow, only 
Ibme of them have fcarlet feathers in the pinions of their wings 5 
it feems to be a fort of ilarling; for they cry like them, but do 
not fing, and are much of the fame bigneis 5 their fle/h is blacki/h 
and theyrefbrt in flocks together: They have larks differing in 
nothing from our common larks, and another bird, which they call 
a lark, that is much larger, and as big as a ftarling, it has a foft 
note, and feeds on the ground : Their martins are like ours, only 
larger, and they build after the fame manner j their fwallows 
differ but little from ours : They have a bird, called a blue-bird, 
of a curious azure colour, and about the bignefs of a chaffinch j 
they have feveral forts of gold-finches variegated with red, 
orange and yellow feathers, very Ipecious and beautiful 5 Their 
fparrows differ not much from the Englip^ but build not in the 
eaves of houfes : The fnow-bird, which feems to be much the 
fame with our hedge-fparrow, is lb denominated, becaule it lei- 
dom appears about houles, but againft fnow, and very cold wea- 
ther: The humming-bird feeds on the honey of flowers, fome of 
them have been kept alive and fed with water and Tugar 5 they 
are by far the fmalleft of birds, have long bills, and curiouily co- 
loured feathers, but differ much in colour : There are 5 or 4 fe- 
veral forts of herons, and one larger than the Englifiy and fea- 
thered much like a Spanijb goole^ there is another fpecies of 
them whidh come only in fummer, they are milk-white with 
very beautiful red legs : Their bitterns are fmaller than thofe in 
JBngla?id'j their curlews are fomething lefs than the Englijh^ 
tho' larger than a wimbrel^ the fand-piper relembles much the 
Englijh J they have two forts of fnipes, one refembling ours, the 
Other Imaller 5 the tewits are fmaller than the Englijhy but with- 
out thofe long tufts, exaftly refembling a young one, that begins 
to fly^ they have great numbers of wild-fwan, wild-geefe, brent- 
geeie, wild-duck, teal, widgeon, flieldrakes, ^c. 
An Earthquake in Sicily 5 hy Vincentius Bonajutus. Phil. 
Tranf N'^ 207. p. 2. 
THE continual fiery eruptions of JEtna^ of which the firft 
we have any account, happened 500 years before the 
deltru6tion of 1roy\ according to 'Biodorui Siculus^ have been: 
taken for the moft probable caufes of the horrible ihocks, that 
M 2 f'oni 
