144 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS. 



Some PnEASANTs(') were there, too, in robes of bright 



dye ; 

 The Rooks, e'er gregarious, came soaring on high : 



resemble chern, cliern, by which it is said to conduct the iniiabi- 

 lants to the nests of tlie wild bees; hence, it is highly esteemed 

 by the Hottentots, who deem it criminal to injure or de- 

 stroy it. 



The Honoratvs, oi the Sacred Clcroo, having a t)lackish 

 body spotted ivilh white, inhabits Malabar: feeds on reptiles 

 injurious to vegetation, and hence preserved with great care, 

 and venerated by the natives. 



The Vetula, or Long-billed rain Cuckoo, inhabits Ja- 

 maica, is easily tamed, and sings before rain ; it is fifteen inches 

 long, body brownish, bill long, flies short, feeds on insects, 

 worms, and small serpents. 



The Orientalis, a native of Java, has a note conveyed by the 

 letters Toohoo; or, as Dr. Horsfield has it, Tuhu. 



The Flavus is also a native of Java, and peihaps the most 

 musical of the tribe; it has three different strains. It is consi- 

 dered, however, by the natives of that island, as a bird of bad 

 omen.— Horsfield. 



(7) Order, Gallina, (Linn.) Pheasant, the Common, the 

 Courier, the Golden, Cock and Hen, &c. 



The GmwsPHAsiANUS of Linnsens, or Pheasant, consists of 

 twenty-four species scattered over the globe; it includes, not 

 only the Pheasant, properly so called, but also the Cock and Hen ^ 

 those well-known domestic birds. This tribe is distinguished 

 by a short, strong bill ; cheeks covered with a smooth, naked 

 skin ; legs generally with spurs. 1 he following are the chief: 



The CoZc/iicMS, Pheasant, or Common Pheasant, comprises 

 thefollowingvarieties:— Co7«»2on Pheasant, rufoixs, head blue ;— 

 the Ringed Pheasa^it, collar while;— the Vnriegatfd Pheasant, 



