352 G O D W I T, ClafsII, 



M. Brijfon has figured this bird very accurately, 

 but has given it the fynonym of our green/hanks: 

 Turner feems to fufpect this bird to have been the 

 attagen or attagas of the antients, but on a very flight 

 foundation. Arificfhanes happens to name it in an 

 addrefs to the birds that inhabite the fens-, therefore 

 fome commentators conclude it to be a water-fowl , 

 though in a line or two after he fpeaks of thofe that 

 frequent the beautiful meadows of Marathon. He 

 then defcribes the bird in very (hiking term?, under 

 the title of the attagas^ the bird, with painted wings \ 

 and in another place he flyles it the fpotted attagas *. 

 This alone would be inefficient to prove what fpe- 

 cies the poet intended •, we muft therefore have re- 

 courfe to Athenaus, who is particular in his defcrip- 

 tion of the attagas^ and evinces it to be of the par- 

 tridge tribe. 



He fays it is iefs than that bird ; that the back is 

 fpotted with different colors, fome of a pot color, but 

 more red ; that by reafon of the fhortnefs of the wings 

 and heavinefs of the body, k is taken eafily by the 

 fowlers. That it roils in the duft, brings many young, 

 and feeds on feeds. 



We are forry to own our fmall acquaintance with. 

 the zoology of Attica, confider.ng the various oppor- 

 tunities our countrymen have had of informing 

 thernfelves of it. We therefore cannot pronounce, 

 that the attagas ftill exifcs on the plains -of Marathon \ 



avtocycLz. 

 >T~ayaj *r©" Tra?' /Vxs> ffoi)s,t?$h xix?^c-£-«i- Al\ 249. 7^ 2 * 



