16 BITTERN. Class II. 



imitating the lowing of oxen, we muft deny the ex- 

 planation ; and wait for the difcovery of the Ro- 

 man naturalift's animal from fome of the literati 

 of jirks, in which neighbourhood Pliny fays the 

 'escrxp. bird was found *. In fizeit is inferior to the heron : 

 the bill is weaker, and only four inches long : the 

 upper mandible a little arched -, the edges of the 

 lower jagged : the rictus or gape is fo wide, that 

 the eyes feem placed in the bill : the irides are next 

 the pupil yellow ^ above the yellow incline to ha- 

 zel : the ears are large and open. The crown of 

 the head is black ; the feathers on the hind part 

 form a fort of fhort pendent creft : at each corner 

 of the mouth is a black fpot : the plumage of this 

 bird is of very pale dull yellow, fpotted, barred, 

 or ftriped with black : the baftard wing, the great- 

 er coverts of the wings, and the quil-feathers are of 

 a bright ferruginous color, regularly marked with 

 black bars : the lower belly is of a whitifh yellow : 

 the tail is very iliort, and confifts of only ten fea- 

 thers. The feathers on the bread are very long, 

 and hang loofe : the legs are of a pale green. All 

 the claws are long and (lender : the inner fide of 

 the middle claw finely ferrated to hold its prey the 

 better •, its hind claw is remarkably long, and be- 

 ing a fuppofed prefervative for the teeth, is fome- 

 times fet in filver and ufed as a tooth-pick. Befides 

 this common fpecies, Mr. Edwards mentions a 



* Lib. x. c. 42. 



fmall 



