<4H HISTORY OF 



upon land, are at the same time furnished with 

 appetites that chiefly attach them to the waters. 

 These can properly be called neither land birds 

 nor water fowl, as they provide all their suste- 

 nance from watery places, and yet are unqualified 

 to seek it in those depths where it is often found 

 in greatest plenty. 



This class of birds, of the crane kind, are to 

 be distinguished from others rather by their appe- 

 tites than their conformation. Yet even in this 

 respect they seem to be sufficiently discriminated 

 by nature : as they are to live among the waters, 

 yet are incapable of swimming in them, most of 

 them have long legs, fitted for wading in shallow 

 waters, or long bills proper for groping in them. 



Every bird of this kind habituated to marshy 

 places, may be known, if not by the length of its 

 legs, at least by the scaly surface of them. Those 

 who have observed the legs of a snipe or a wood- 

 cock will easily perceive my meaning ; and how 

 different the surface of the skin that covers them 

 is from that of the pigeon or the partridge. Most 

 birds of this kind, also, are bare of feathers half 

 way up the thigh ; at least, in all of them, above 

 the knee. Their long habits of wading in the 

 waters, and having their legs continually in mois- 

 ture, prevents the growth of feathers on those 

 parts ; so that there is a surprising difference be- 

 tween the leg of a crane, naked of feathers almost 

 up to the body, and the falcon, booted almost to 

 the very toes. 



The bill also is very distinguishable in most of 

 this class. It is, in general, longer than that of 



