5?S B E R N A C L E. Class II. 



feet five inches; the bill is black, and only one inch 

 three-eights long ; the head is fmall 5 the fore- 

 head and cheeks white; from the bill to the eves is 

 a black line ; the hind part of the head, the whole 

 neck, and upper part of the breafr and back are 

 of a deep black; the whole underfide of the bo- 

 dy, and coverts of the tail are white; the back, 

 fcapulars and coverts of the wings, are beautifully 

 barred with grey, black, and white; the tail is 

 black, the legs of the fame color, and fmall. 



Thefe birds appear in vail flocks during v. ? inter, 

 on the north weft coafts of this kingdom : are ve- 

 ry fhy and wild ; but on being taken, grow as fa- 

 miliar as our tame geefe in a few days ; in Febru- 

 ary they quit our fhores, and retire as far as Lap- 

 land) Greenland and even Spitsbergen to breed K 



They live to a great age : the Rev, Doctor Buck- 

 worth of Spalding had one which was kept in the 

 family above two and thirty years; but was blind 

 during the two lad: what its age was when fir ft 

 taken was unknown. 



Thefe are the birds that about two hundred years 

 as;o were believed to be generated out of wood, or 

 rather a fpecies of fheli that is often found flicking 

 to the bottoms of mips, or fragments of them ; 

 and were called Tree-geefe -f*. Thefe were alfo 



* Arnam Acad. VI. 585. Barents voy. 19. 



■f The fhell here meant is thelepas anatifera. Lin.jyft. 66S. 

 Argenville Conch, tab, 7. the animal that inhabits it is furnifhed 

 with a feathered beard ; which, in a credulous age, was be- 

 lieved to be part of the young bird. 



thought 



