2i6 LETTER VIIL 



34. ^n Acquaintance of mine was a Surgeon 

 in the late unfortunate Expedition to Carthagena^ 

 and he differs from me in his defcription of a 

 Dolphin, which is as follows, i;/^;, " I caught 

 "one that was four foot five inches and a half 

 *' long 5 his Head was fhaped n#uch like a Cod's, 

 " and of a fkie blue colour; his Fins were alfo 

 '' fkie blue, his Body wasftreaked with green and 

 *' yellow intermixed with dark and light- coloured 

 ** blues, as well as beautified with an admirable 

 *' variety of purple, blue, and livid fpots, ©r- 

 ^' which are very curious whilft it is dying, 

 *' but lofe all their fine Colours the moment 

 *' it dies ; The finny part of the Tail from the 

 " two extremities, was Eight inches, and its teeth 

 V' fhaped like thofe of an EngJiJh Jack, though 

 '' much larger/' He alfo fhot feveral Pelicans; 

 which were about the bignefs of our Englijh 

 Geefe. *^ The Pelican's Head and Beak were not 

 *' unlike thofe of an EngUjJj Goofe too, only the 

 " Beak was flatter and longer by about five Inches : 

 " Its Craw when filled does very nearly referri- 

 " ble a fmall Cow's Bladder, and Sailors make 

 " a Tobacco Pouch of it. And he farther puts me 

 " in mind, that the Ground Doves mentioned in 

 " paragraph 29 of my fecond Letter, are about the 

 " bignefs oi zn Enghfih^ixk : They are of a cho- 

 ** colate colour, fpotted with a dark blue; Their 

 " Heads are like that of a Robbin Red-breafl^ 



*' and 



