SMALLBIRDS. ^ 



iiil is thin, weak, black, flat, fbarp, and flexible, tender and almofl: mem- 

 branous at the end, and about three inches and a half long ; incapable of 

 defence or effort. 



From its being bare a long way above the knee, it appears that it lives 

 md wades in waters of a few inches depth, in deeper it fwims; is very 

 lively and alert ; is very wandering, often pafling but one day in a place : 

 when {larted from its neft, fliams remarkably lame ; is very difficult to 

 take; is fpread over Europe, yet is rare. It has a chirping, pert note, 

 we are told ; it is web-footed. 



It is difficult to conceive how this bird lives, with fo feeble and feem- 

 ingly fo ill-adapted a bill j the fofteft mud feems too troublefome, if not 

 too hard, for fo weak an inftrument to ftir. It is fuppofed, therefore, to 

 feed on worms, and on the fpawns of fifhes which float on the water. 

 Its ftomach contains only a gelatinous matter, and fometimes parts of 

 infects, always mingled with fmall cryftalline pebbles. 



Its plumage is fnow white in front, chequered v/ith black on the 

 back ; tail white, feet blue. \ 



The Corrira or Runner, of Aldrovandus, has the longefl: less of 

 all web-footed fowl, except the flamingo and avocetta ; the bill is fl:raight, 

 yellow, black at the end j pupils of the eyes furrounded with two circles, 

 one bay-coloured, the other white; below, near the belly, it is whitifli; 

 the tail, with two white feathers, black at the extremities ; the upper part 

 of the body ruft colour ; runs very fafl:, whence its name ; inhabits Italy. 

 Thus we fee the flamingo, the avocetta, and the runner, have the long 

 legs of the crane kind, yet in their almoft-webbed feet, approach the 

 diredt water-clafles. 



O F 



SMALL BIRDS of the CRANE KIND. 



'^r^HIS lifl: comprifes the Curlew, about the fize of a capon, with 



JL a bill uniformly bending downwards, five or fix inches long : the 



Woodcock, under the fize of a pigeon; bill three inches long: the 



DwiT, of the fame fize; bill four inches: the Green-shank, longer 



gged ; bill two inches and an half: the Red-shank, differing in co- 



our of its feet from the former: the Snipe, lefs by half; bill three 



hes. With 



