§. vn. 



* The greater white Gull of Bellonius, which we judge not to be Recipe ally 

 different from our Pewit : 



IT is, faith he, lefler than the aft-coloured Mew, and a veryhandfom bird, as fair to 

 fee to as a white Pigeon, though it feem to be bigger-bodied 5 and yet being ftript 

 ITiouid P h[ve i,: ° f itS feathers n hath far lefsflelh. It is as white as fnow, yet * under the Wings it 

 been upoT natn fomewhatof afh-colour. The Eyes are great, and encompafied with a black 

 the wings, circle. Near the region of the Ears on both fides is a black fpot. It is well winged, 

 for the Wings exceed the Tail in length. Its Legs and Bill are red, which they are 

 not in the afh-coloured Gull. It ftands ftreight upon its Legs, carrying the hinder 

 part of the body more elevated, fo that the lower parts feem to be bent like a bow. 

 The Bill is round and (harp-pointed, the ends of the Wings black. This Bird in moll: 

 things approaches to our Pewit laft defcribed, it differs in the colour of the crown, 

 andin the black fpots about the Ears. Aldrovandus makes the lefler white harm of 

 Bellonius to be. the fame with the Cepphus of Turner, that is, our Pewit. I rather 

 think it to be the Sea-Swallow, becaufe he writes, that it frequents fenny places,and the 

 banks of Rivers. 



Chap. II. 

 Great hrown and grey Gulls. 



I I. 



Our Catarrafta, I fuppofe the Cornijh Gannet. Skua Hoier, Cluf. 



THe skin of this ftuft wasfent us by our learned and worthy friend Dr. Walter 

 Needham, who found it hung up in a certain Gentlemans Hall. The Bird it 

 felf living, or newly kill'd we have not as yet feen at hand. It is of the biggeft 

 of this kind, equal to, or bigger than a tame Duck, Its Bill is ftronger, bigger, and 

 (horter than in other great Gulls, black, hooked at the end, and feemed to be covered 

 with a skin from the bafe totheNofthrils,as in Land-birds of prey. Its Legs and Feet 

 were black : Its Toes armed with ftrong, crooked Claws, fuch as we never before 

 obfervedin any whole-footed Fowl. The colour of the Back is a rufty cinereous or 

 brown, like that of a Buzzards : Its Belly and underfide paler. The greater quil- 

 feathers of the Wings are black : The Tail alfo is black, about feven inches long, 

 made up of twelve feathers, of which the two middlemofi: are fomtwhat longer than 

 , the reft. The bottoms of the feathers as well of the Tail asWing-quils are white. 

 The length of the Bill from the tip to the angles of the Mouth was no more than two 

 inches and an half. The angular prominence on the lower Chap is fmalland fcarce 

 confpicuous. 



Hapning to read over the defcription of Hoier s Sfyta in the AuUarium of Cluftus his 

 Exotics, pag.367. 1 find it exa&ly to agree with ours, lb that I do not at all doubt 

 but this Bird is the Skua of Hoier. Clufius his defcription being more full than ours I 

 fhall here fubjoyn. 



The Bird fent me by Hoier was ( faith he ) of thebignefs of a great Gull, from the 

 bottom of the Neck to the Rump nine inches long. The compafs of its body, mea- 

 furing under its Wings, was fixteen inches. The Neck from the crown of the Head 

 to the Back was feven inches long. The Head not very great, nor the Bill flat, but 

 rather long and narrow, on the part next the Head rugged and rough, towards the 

 point fmooth, black, and crooked, almoft like thofe of rapacious birds ox Gulls, not 

 exceeding thelengthof two inches. The Wings were almoft feventeen inches long, 

 reaching fomething further than the end of the Tail. The four greater quil-feathers 

 of the Wings were black, not white at the tip, as Hoier wrote, unlefs perchance he 

 had obferved that mark in other birds of this kind. From the quill or naked part I 

 found them to be white half way up the feather, as were alfo the three greater and 

 uppermoft Tail-feathers below where they were inferted into the Rump, the upper 



part 



