282 



{reaurp of Natural f^tstarj? ; 



the hunting season, in rrder to be contiguous 

 to his royal forest in Essex, kept his Grey- 

 hounds, with his other dogs, in what has 

 from that circumstance been called the Isle 

 of Dogs. In this instance, as in more ancient 

 times, the game coursed by the Greyhounds 

 was principally the Red Deer and the Fallow 

 Deer ; and it is clear that the dogs must 

 necessarily have been of a very powerful 

 breed to have pulled down so large and 

 active an animal." The Greyhound is re- 

 markable for the slenderness of its shape, 

 the length and pointed form of its muzzle, 

 and the extreme swiftness of its course ; it 

 bunts by sight, and not by scent, the nose 



being far from keen ; the ears droop at the 



points, and the eyes are small ; the back is 



broad and muscular ; the body is lank, and 



very much contracted beneath ; the limbs 



combine length with muscular power ; the 



; neck is long, the chest is capacious and deep ; 



I and the tail is very slender, and curved up- 



1 wards The ITALIAN GREYHOUND is a small 



! and very beautiful variety of the species 



I above described ; but in this country it could 



be but of little value for any kind of hunting, 



as it is unable to bear even a very moderate 



degree of cold, and its delicate limbs are 



unequal to the labour of hard running 



! The IKISH GREYHOUND, on the contrary, 



j originally called the Wolf-dog, from its 



! having been used in hunting the Wolf when 



I that animal infested the forests of Ireland, 



[ is a large and powerful animal ; indicating 



a considerable approach to the Greyhound 



in form, and supposed to be a cross of that 



species with the great Danish Dog. 



GRIFFIN. (Gyptietos.*) A genus of Ac- 



cipitrine birds, which, though placed by 



Gmelin in his genus FaJco, seem more nearly 



i allied in their habits and conformation to 



the Vultures. [See GYPAETUS.] 



GROSBEAK. (Coccothrmtstidce and 



Ploceida;.) There are a great variety of 



birds belonging to this genus : and their 



general appearance is very similar to birds 



of the Finch kind. They are distinguished 



i by a strong and thick bill, by means of 



; which they are enabled to break the stones 



| of cherries and other fruit with the greatest 



j facility. In general they are a shy, solitary 



race, chiefly residing at a distance from the 



abodes of man ; and very few of them are 



: calculated to add much to the harmony of 



the grove by their " dulcet warblings." 



Their feet have three toes before and one 



behind ; and their food generally consists of 

 fruits and seeds. Some of the principal 

 species are hereunder described. 



The HAWFINCH GROSBEAK. (.Coccothraus- 

 tes vulgaris.) This bird is an inhabitant of 

 the milder climates of Europe, visiting this 

 country only occasionally in severe winters, 

 and being nowhere very numerous. The 

 bill is of a horn colour, conical, and pro- 

 digiously thick at the base ; the space be- 

 tween the bill and the eye, and thence to 

 the chin and throat, is black ; the top 

 of the head reddish chestnut ; the cheeks 

 somewhat paler, and the back part of the 

 neck grayish ash: the back and smaller wing- 

 coverts chestnut ; the greater wing-coverts 

 gray, in some almost white, forming a band 

 across the wing ; the quills are all black, 

 excepting some of the secondaries nearest 

 the body, which are brown ; and the four 

 outer quills seem as if clipped off at the ends : 

 the breast and belly pale rusty, growing 

 whiter towards the vent ; the tail is black, 

 the ends of the middle feathers excepted, 

 which are gray ; the outer ones are tipped 

 with white ; legs pale brown. These birds 

 vary considerably : in some the head is 

 wholly black : in others the whole upper 

 part of the body is of that colour ; while 

 others have been met with entirely white, 

 excepting the wings. The female greatly 

 resembles the male, but her plumage is less 

 vivid. These birds generally inhabit the 

 woods during summer, and in winter resort 

 near the hamlets and farms. The female 

 builds her nfist in trees, of small dry roots 

 and grass, lined with wool, feathers, &c. 

 The eggs are of a bluish-green colour, with 

 brown spots. 



The PINE GROSBEAK (Loxia enudeator~) 

 is rather larger than the preceding, being 

 nearly nine inches long. Beak dusky, very 

 thick at the base, and hooked at the tip : 

 head, neck, breast, and rump, rose-coloured 

 crimson ; back and lesser wing-coverts 

 black ; greater wing-coverts tipped with 

 white, forming two bars on the wing ; quills 

 and secondaries black, the latter edged with 

 white ; belly and vent straw-coloured. This 

 bird is common in various parts of America, 

 but is found only in this island in the pine 

 forests of Scotland, where it is supposed to 

 breed ; its more native habitations are the 

 pine forests of Siberia, Lapland, and the 

 north of Russia. They build on trees, at a 

 small distance from the ground, and there 

 are generally four white eggs, which are 

 h atched early in June. 



The GRENADIER GROSBEAK. (Pyromelana 

 orix.) This species is gregarious, and builds 

 its nest in large societies, among the reeds, 

 near the rivers and ponds in the vicinity of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. The brilliant plu- 

 mage of these birds is described as being very 

 striking. The forehead, sides of the head, 

 chin, breast, and belly, are black ; wings 

 brown, with pale edges ; the rest of the body 

 a most beautiful red ; lower part of the 

 thighs brown ; legs pale. In size the Grena- 

 dier Grosbeak may be compared with the 

 house-sparrow. 



