papular JBtrtianarj) of gmmatrtr $ature. 577 



projects greatly over the lower ; upper part 

 of the head, neck, back, and scapulars, deep 

 black ; wings the same, except the second- 

 aries, which are white on the inner vanes, 

 and also tipt with white ; tail forked, the 

 two middle feathers being about an inch and 

 a half shorter than the exterior ones, all 

 black, broadly edged on both sides with 

 white; tail-coverts, white on the outer side, 

 black in the middle ; front, passing down 

 the neck, below the eye, throat, breast, aiid 

 v, hole lower parts, pure white ; legs and 

 webbed feet, bright scarlet. The female is 

 less than the male, but the colours and 

 markings are very similar. The Shecrwater 

 is found on various coasts of Asia, as well 

 as America, residing principally near the 

 tropics, and migrating into the temperate 

 regions of the globe for the purpose of rearing 

 his young. He is rarely or never seen far 

 out at sea, and must not be mistaken for the 

 Sheerwater Petrel (a species of Puffinus), 

 which is met with on every part of the ocean, 

 skimming along with bended wings. 



RIBBON-FISH. (Cepola.) A genus of 

 Acanthopterygious fishes belonging to the 

 Tteniadce family. The peculiar characters of 

 this genus are indicated by the name ; the 

 species being distinguished by their length- 

 ened bodies, much flattened at the sides, 

 and having very small scales. In this family 

 are three tribes ; one having the muzzle 



JDBON FISH. (OEPOL4 RUBESCENS.) 



elongated, the mouth deeply cleft, with 

 strong trenchant teeth, and the lower jaw 

 projecting beyond the upper : the other 

 tribe comprehending genera which have the 

 mouth small and little cleft. These occur 

 in the Mediterranean, the Indian, the At- 

 lantic, and the Arctic Seas ; and some of 

 them are ten feet in length. A third tribe 

 has the muzzle short, and the mouth cleft 

 obliquely. 



RICE-BIRD. (Loxia oryzivora.') This 

 bird, which is about the size of a Greenfinch, 

 is a native of Java, and is sometimes called 

 the Java Sparrow. The bill is extremely 

 thick, and of a fine red colour above and 

 beneath, except towards the point, where 

 there is a little space of white. The eyes 

 are dark, and the irides red. The whole 

 head is black, except a white oval spot on 

 each cheek : the neck, breast, back, and 

 coverts of the wings, are of a fine bluish 

 ash-colour, the rump being somewhat lighter 

 than the back ; while the ash-colour on the 

 breast changes gradually towards the belly 

 into a blossom-colour, terminating in a dirty 

 white. The greater quill-feathers, as well 

 as the whole tail, are black ; the legs and 



feet are of a faint red hue ; and the claws 

 are of a dingy wliite. From the general 



RICH-BIRD.- (J.OXIA ORTZ 



plumage being remarkably smooth and 

 even, this bird derives a peculiar beauty. 



RICE-BUNTING, RICE-BIRD, or BOB- 

 O-LINK. (Dolichonyx oryzivorus.') The spe- 

 cific characters of this bird are tail-feathers 

 very acute ; adult male, in spring dress, 

 black, the hind head yellowish white ; 

 scapulars, rump, and tail-coverts, white, 

 tinged with ash. The Rice-Bunting mi- 

 grates over the continent of America from 

 ^Labrador to Mexico, and over the Great 

 Antilles, appearing in the southern extre- 

 mity of the United States about the end of 

 March. Their food is insects and worms, 

 and the seeds of the grassy meadows. In 

 the autumn they sometimes attack the crops 

 of oats and barley. The song of the male 



continues, with little interruption, as long 

 g, and is singular and 

 pleasant ; it consists of a jingling medley of 



as the female is sitting, and is singular 



short, variable notes, confused, rapid, and 

 continuous. The relish for song and mer- 

 riment is confined to the male ; but he 



generally loses his musical talent about the 

 end of the first week in July, from which 

 time, or somewhat earlier, his plumage 

 begins to lose its gay colours, and to assume 

 the humble hue of that of the female. About 

 the middle of August they enter New York 

 and Pennsylvania, on their way to the 

 south. There, along the shores of the large 

 rivers lined with floating fields of wild rice, 

 they find abundant subsistence, grow fat, 

 and their flesh becomes little inferior in 

 flavour to that of the European Ortolan ; on 

 which account the Reed or Rice-birds, as 



