ZI4- 



O^^ClTHOLOgr, Book II. 



T 



§. IV. 



The black Martin or Swift. Hirundo apus. 



*His is the biggeft of all Swallows we have hitherto feen. It hath a great Head 

 a huge wide mouth 3 but a very fmall, black Bill, ( wherein it agrees with the 

 * capimkus. * Churn-Owl ) towards theNofthrils broad and deprefled. Its Tongue is broad, and 

 fomewhat cloven : Its Nofthrils long, placed obliquely, obtufe toward the Head 

 acute toward the point of the Bill : Its Eyes great, and their hides of a hazel colour. ' 



It hath almoft no variety or difference of colour in the whole body : For as well 

 the upper as the lower fide, and alfo the Wings and Tail are black, with an obfcure 

 tin&ure of green, or red : Only under the Chin is a notable fpot of white or afh- 

 colour. 



It hath in each Wing eighteen quil-feathers, all ending in (harp points, but efpeci- 

 ally the exteriour ones. The Tail is about an hand-breadth long, confifting of but 

 ten feathers, from the middle to the outmoft in order one longer than another, ending 

 all in fharp points. 



Its Legs are very fhort, but thick : Its Feet very fmall: AH its Toes ftand for- 

 wards 3 for the leaft, which in others is wont to ftand backward, is in this placed the 

 fame way with the reft. The leaft Toe hath, as in other birds, one bone ; The other 

 three, contrary to the manner of all other that we know befides it, have all an equal 

 number of bones or joynts, viz. only two, the one very fhort, the other longer. The 

 Toesalfb are all divided from the very rife. 



The Gall-bladder is little. The Stomach not very flefhy, out of which diflefted 

 we took Beetles and other Infects. 



They fay, that by reafon of the length of its Wings, and fhortnefs of its Legs, if 

 it happens to alight or fall upon the ground, it cannot raife itfelf up again, but may 

 eafily be caught. Wherefore it doth either always fly,or fit upon the tops of Churches, 

 Towers, or other ancient buildings. 



Its weight was three quarters of an ounce: Its length from the tip of the Bill to 

 the Claws five inches, to the end of the Tail feven and a quarter. The difcance be- 

 tween the tips of the wings extended fixteen inches and an half. 



Of this kind we have feeh the Picture of one having its whole nether part, Throat, 

 Breaft, and Belly, white : And, as we faid before, Scaliger mentions one of the bigneft 



of a. Buzzard. ^W'i* 



» 



§. V. 



* Aldrovandus his SeaSwaUow. 



Out ofAldrs- 



vaadns. 



* Kleins, 

 which figni- 

 fies properly 

 the gape of 

 the mouth. 



THfc bird) in my judgment belongs not to this Family, but ought to be ranked with the 

 lejfer Lari or Sea-Gulls. 

 It is ( faith Aldrovandus ) much bigger than a Swallow, and hath longer legs. Its 

 whole Belly up to the Breaft is white 3 its Head, Wings, and Back duskifh. Its Wings 

 and Tail, as in Swallows, are very long, and of a blackifh colour, but brown within- 

 fide. Its Tail is forked. Its Bill ftrong,and black, as in a Gull. Its * Mouth wide, 

 and of a fcarlet colour within. From the Bill through the Eyes, almoft to the Breaft, 

 is extended a notable black line, which near the Breaft makes as it were a Collar. The 

 Feet are as black as Jet, and ( as I faid before ) lefs than a Swallows. For its likenefs it 

 is called by Fowlers, The Sea Swallow. 



§. VI. 



* The American Swallow, called by the Braflians, Tapera, by the Portugnes, 

 Andorinha. Marggrav. 



IT is like our Country Swallows, of the fame bignefs, and flying about after the 

 fame manner. It hath a fhort, broad, black Bill : A wide Mouth, which it can 

 open beyond the region of the Eyes, like the greater Ibijan $ elegant, black Eyes : 

 Long Wings, reaching as far as the end of the Tail 3 which is of a good breadth. 

 Its Legs and Feet like thofe of our Country Swallows. All the upper part of the 



Head, 



