T^T Ol j^ClTHOLOgr. Book III. 



ftand higher or nearer to the top of the Head than in other birds, that they be 

 not hurt when (he thrufts her Bill deep into the ground. The Legs, Feet, and Toes 

 are of a pale brown or dusky colour : The Claws black : The back- toe very little, 

 having alfo but a little Claw. 



The Liver divided into two Lobes, having a Gall-bladder annexed :The Guts long, 

 {lender, and having many revolutions. The blind Guts very ihort, not half fblong 

 as that Angle blind gut the remnant of the Yolk-funnel. 



Thefeare Birds of paffage coming over into England in Autumn, and departing 

 again in the beginning of the Spring 3 yet they pair before they go, flying two 

 together, a Male and a Female. They frequent efpecially moid: Woods, and Rivu- 

 lets near hedges. They are faid both to come and to fly away in a Mift. At Nuren- 

 berg in Germany I faw of them to be fold in Augufi^ whence I fuppofe they abide 

 thereabout all the year. On the Alps and other high Mountains they continue all 

 Summer. I my felf have flufhed Woodcocks on the top of the Mountain Jura in June 

 and July. Some ftraglers by fome accident left behind when their fellows depart re- 

 main alfo in England all Summer, and breed here. Mr. Jejfbp faw young Woodcocks 

 to be fold at Sheffield^ and others have feen them elfewhere. Their Eggs are long, of 

 a pale red colour, ftained with deeper fpots and clouds. 



Of two that I described, one was a Male, and the other a Female 5 the Female was 

 heavier than the Male by an ounce and half; the Female weighing eleven ounces and 

 an half, the Male but ten: The Female alfo was of a darker colour. 



The fleih of this Bird for the delicacy of its tafte is in high efteem. The Leg espe- 

 cially is commended, inrefpect whereof the Woodcock^ is preferred before the Par- 

 tridge it felf, according to that Englijh Rhythm before recited in the Chapter of the 

 Partridge. 



If the Partridge had the Woodcocks thigh, 

 'Twould be the beji bird that ever did fly. 



The length of this Bird, meafured from the tip of the Bill to the end of the Tail, 

 was thirteen inches and an half ; The breadth between the tips of the Wings extended 

 twenty fix inches. 



Among us in England this Bird is infamous for its fimplicity or folly ; Co that a Wood- 

 cock is Proverbially ufed for a fimple, fooliih perfon. 



§. II. 

 The Snipe or Snite : Gallihago minor. 



THis weighs about four ounces. Its length from the tip of the Bill to the end of 

 the Toes is thirteen inches 5 to the end of the Tail eleven and an half. The 

 Wings fpread were feven inches and an half wide. 



A pale red line divides the Head in the middle longways, and on each fide parallel 

 thereto a lift of black, and without the black over the Eyes another line of the fame 

 colour with that drawn along the middle of the Head. Between the Eyes and the 

 Bill is a dusky brown line. The Chin under the Bill is white : The Neck is mingled 

 of brown and red. The Breaft and Belly are almoft wholly white. The long fea- 

 thers fpringing from the Ihoulders reach almoft to the Tail, having their outward 

 halfs from the fhaft of a pale red, the inner black and glittering, their tips red 3 which 

 colours fucceeding one another make two lines down the Back. The covert-feathers 

 of the Back are dusky, with tranfverfe white lines: Thofe incumbent on the Tail are 

 red, crolTed with black lines. The greater covert-feathers of the Wings are dusky, 

 with white tips, the leffer are particoloured with black, red, and grey. The infide co- 

 verts are curioufly variegated with brown and white lines. 



TheQuil-feathersarein each Wing about twenty four in number ; of which the 

 outer edge of outmoft is white almoft to the tip : of the fucceeding the tips are fome- 

 thing white, but more clearly from the eleventh to the twenty firft 5 dfe they are all 

 brown. But the laft five are variegated with tranfverfe black and pale-red lines. The 

 ♦ Tail is compofed of twelve feathers, two inches and an half long. It feems to be 

 fhorter than it is, becaufe it is wholly covered and hid by the incumbent feathers. 

 The tips of its outmoft feathers are white, the reft of the feather varied with crofs 

 bars or lines of brown, and grey, or pale red colour. The following to the two 

 ■ r middlemoft 



