144 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS. 



Some Pheasants( 7 ) were there, too, in robes of bright 



dye; 

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



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

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

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

 stroy it. 



The Honoratus, or the Sacred Cuckoo, having a blackish 

 body spotted with 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 U fifteen inches 

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

 worms, and small serpents. 



The Orient alls, a native of Java, has a note conveyed by the 

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



The Flatus is also a native of Java, and perhaps 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 Genus Phasianus of Linnaeus, 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. The following are the chief: 



The Colchicus, Pheasant, or Common Pheasant, comprises 

 the following varieties -.—Common Pheasant, rufous, head blue ;— 

 the Ringed Pheasant, collar white;— the Variegated Pheasant, 



