Book III. O^S^IT HO LO qT. ^T 



§• n. 



The grey Plover : Pluvialis cinerea, called at Venice, Squatarola. 



IT is from Bill to Tail twelve inches long, to the Claws fourteen : Between the tips 

 of the Wings fpread twenty four inches broad. Its Head, Back, and lefler co- 

 verts of the Wings are black, with tips of a greenilh grey. The Chin is white - the 

 Throat Ipotted with oblong, brown [ or dusky) fpots. The Breaft,Belly,and Thighs 

 white. 



The quil-feathers in eachW 7 ing about twenty fix: Of which the firft or outmoft 

 are black : In the fourth the middle part of the outer edges is white, the white part 

 in the five following being enlarged gradually. The outmoft of the fecond row of 

 Wing-feathers are alfo black. The tips of thofe next after the fourth are white,and the 

 edges too after the tenth. Of the third row the foremoft ten are black, with white 

 tips. The Tail is three inches long, not forked, varied with tranlverfe bars, or beds 

 of black and white. 



Its Bill is black, above an inch long, like to the reft of this kind : The Tongue not 

 cloven : The back- toe very fmall : The fore-toes joined by a membrane at the be- 

 ginning of their divarication 3 that between the middle andinmoft lefler.- The Feet 

 of a fordid green : The Claws little and black. It hath a Gall. 



The flefh alfo of this Bird is very tender, favoury, and delicate , and in no lefs 

 efteem than that of the former. 



Cha>p. III. 

 The Dottrel : Morinellus Anglorum. 



THe Males in this kind are lefler than the Females, at lead: they were fo in thofe 

 we hapned to lee : For it might fall out to be fo among them by fome acci-* 

 dent. The Female was almoft ten inches long, the Male but nine and an half 5 

 the Female nineteen inches and an half broad, the Male but eighteen three quarters ; 

 The Female weighed more than four ounces 5 the Male fcarce three and an half. The 

 Bill, meafuring from the tip to the angles of the mouth, was an inch long : The Head 

 elegantly variegated with white and black fpots, the middle part of each fingle fea- 

 ther being black. Above theEyes was a long whitifh line : The Chin whitifh. The 

 Throat is of a pale cinereous or whitifh colour, with oblong brown fpots. The 

 Breaft and underfide of the Wings of a dirty yellowifh colour, the Belly white. Each 

 Wing hath about twenty five prime feathers, of which the firft or outmoft is the 

 longeft, the tenth the fhorteft - from the tenth to the twentieth they are almoft equal : 

 The reft to the twenty fourth are again longer the foregoing than the following. The 

 firft or Pinion-quil hath a broad, ftrong, white fhaft : The three outmoft are blacker 

 than the reft, which are of a dusky £ or brown] colour, having the edges of their 

 tips whitifh. The lefler rows of the Wing-feathers are brown, with yellowifh white 

 tips, but thofe next the quils blackeft. The middle of the Back between the Wings 

 is almoft of the lame colour with them. The Rump and Neck are more * cinereous. * Grey* 

 The Tail is compofed of twelve feathers, two inches and an half long, but the mid- 

 dlemoft fomething the longer : The bottoms of all are cinereous, the tips white, the 

 remaining part black : In the outmoft feather the white part is broader, in the middle 

 ones narrower : The edges alfo of the outmoft feathers are whitiui. The Legs are 

 bare for a little fpace above the Knees, of a fordid or greenilh yellow j the Toes and 

 Claws darker coloured than the Legs. The inner Toe joyned to the middle only at 

 bottom, the outer by a thick membrane as far as its firft joynt. It wants the back- 

 toe, wherein it agrees with the green Plover, from which yet it is fiifficiently diftiri- 

 guiihed by its colour, magnitude, and other accidents. Its Bill is ftreight, black,and 

 in figure like that of the Plover. It hath a flefhy ftomach, in which difle&ed we 

 found fragments of Beetles, &c« Its guts were fourteensinches and an half long. The 

 Cock and Hen can fcarce be known afunder, they are fo like in fhape, and colour. 



It is a very foolifh bird ( faith Dr. Key in his Letter to Qefner ) but excellent meat, 

 and with us accounted a great delicacy. It is taken in the night time by the light of a 



Candle, 



