5 Jo MifcelUneA Curiofa. Vol. Ill, 



Wing, except it were once : Their Feathers 

 are of a blackifli fliining Colour, that in 

 the Sun ftiine like a Dove's Neck, very 

 Ipecious. , 



Hens and Ck)cks are for the moft part with- 

 out Tails and Rumps ; and as fome have af- 

 fured me our Engl'i^ Hens after fome time 

 being kept there have their Rumps Rot off j 

 which Fm the apter to believe, being all 

 their Hens are certainly of EngU^ breed. 

 I'm forry I made no Anatomical Obfervati- 

 ons thereof, and Remarks about the Ufe of 

 the Rumps in Birds, which at prefent I take 

 to be a couple of Glands, containing a fort 

 of Juice for the Varnilhing the Feathers 5^ 

 having obferved all Birds have much recourfe 

 with their Bills to the Rumps when they 

 drefs their Plumes, whereby they feud thro' 

 thg Air more nimbly in their Flight. 



Patridges there are much fmaller than ours, 

 and refbrt in Covies as ours do ; their Flefh 

 is very white, and much excels ours in my 



mind, Sed de guftihus non eft diffutandtim. 



Their Tur tie-Doves are of a duskifh blue 

 colour, much lefs than our common Pidgeon, 

 the whole Train is longer much than the 

 Tails of our Pidgeons, the middle Feather 

 being the longeft. There's the ftrangeft 

 Story of a vaft number of thefe Pidgeons 

 that came in a Flock a few Years before I 

 came thither; they fay they came thro' iVTen? 

 England^ New Tork and P^irgima^ and were fo, 

 prodigious in number as to darken the Sky 

 tor fcveral Hours in the place over which 

 they flew, and brake mallie Bows where they 

 light-, and many like things which I have had aP 



ferted 



