zz8 O^^ClTHOLOqt. Book II. 



The ftomach final], mufculous, and full of Infe&s j whence it is manifeft ( as Ari- 

 fiotle rightly faith ) that it is a vermivorousbird. The Female, as in mod other birds, 

 hath not fo fair colours. 



We faw of thele birds firft to be fold in the Market at Nurenberg : Afterwards our 

 worthy Friend Mr. Fr. Jejffop of Broomhall in Sheffield Parifh, whom we have occafion 

 often to mention in this Work, fent us of them, which he had found and caught in 

 the Mountainous Woods about Highloe, near Hatherfedge in the Peak of Derbyfiire. 

 The lame alfb found them here in Middleton Park in Warwickshire, where he fhot 

 them and brought them to us. They abide and haunt for the moil: part on the tops of 

 trees, efpecially Oaks. 



What is Ipoken of the antipathy and feud between this bird and the Eagle we look 

 upon as an Old Wives Fable. Aldrovandus writes, that fhe lays fix or feven Eggs to- 

 gether before fhe fits, not bigger than Peafe. 



Chap. XII. 



j{ little yettoTbifb 'Bird without name,called by AldroVandus Regulus non criftatus 

 perchance the Afilus of Beftonius, or the Luteola of Turner. 



T 



v His is equal to, or fomewhat bigger than the crefiedWren, weighs two drachms, 

 being in length from the tip of the Bill to the end of the Tail, or, which is all 

 one, the end of the Claws five inches, in breadth between the extremities of 

 the Wings extended feven. 



All its upper fide, fave the Wings and Tail, is of a dusky or cinereous colour, tin- 

 ctured with green. The Rump is greener than the reft of the Back. A yellowifii line 

 is produced from the Nofthrils above the Eyes almoft to the hinder part of the Head. 

 The nether fide, viz. the Throat, Breaft, and Belly is white with a dafhof green, and 

 fometimes yellow. The Wing and Tail-feathers are dusky, having their outer edges 

 green. The feathers under the baftard-wing, and the coverts of the underllde of the 

 Wings, from green decline to a lovely yellow. Each Wing hath eighteen prime fea- 

 thers, theoutmoftof which is very fhort andfmall. The Tail is two inches long, not 

 forked, made up of twelve (harp-pointed feathers. 



Its Bill is (lender, ftreight, (harp, half an inch long, the upper Mandible being 

 dusky on the outfide ^ but the angles of the Mouth are yellowilh : The mouth with- 

 in yellow. The Nofthrils are large: The Legs and Feet (mall, of a dusky Amber co- 

 lour. The outmoft fore-toe at bottom grows to the middle one. Its Gizzard is 

 (mall. Itfingslikea Grafiopper, and doth much frequent Willow-trees. It is much 

 in motion, continually creeping up and down trees and ilirubs, and fings with a que- 

 rulous note. It builds its Neft of mofs, and ftraws, and a few feathers and hairs with- 

 in. It lays five Eggs all over befprinkled with red fpecks. 



The birds of this kind vary in colour, fome being of a paler,fbme ofa deeper green 

 or yellow : in fome the Belly is white, without any tin&ure of green. 



The greater Mr. Jejjbp fet us a bird in all points exactly like that here defcribed, and whofe note 



ITulf^ a ^° rambled the noife of a GraJJjopper, but twice as big. 



Now that the Reader may judge whether the Afilus of Bellonius be the fame with 

 this bird, as we fuppofe, we will iubjoyn Bel/omus his deicription thereof. 



* Aviumfib.j. The Afilus i * faith he, is of all birds the leaft,except the Regulus and Tyrannus ( that 



C3 P - 6 - is, according to him, the common Wren, and the crefted Wren ) at leaft there is none 



lefs than it. It is almoft always ringing. It would be like to the crefied Wren, were 

 not the creft on its Head yellow. And yet it is yellow in the folds of its Wings, and 

 in their extremities, as alfo upon the Back, and about the Tail. The Legs, Feet, 

 Claws, and Bill are black 5 but both the extremities of the Bill have fomething of 

 yellow. It is long, weak, and fit to catch Infects, upon which it feeds, refilling grain, 

 and lives in the (hady places of Woods. Ariftotle mentions a little bird by the name of 

 OTsf&fGaza renders it Afilus, thought to be fo called becaufe it is not much bigger 

 than the Infect Oefirus. 



Ch a p. 



