STOMACH OF BIRDS. 



497 



Six of this species were shot out of seven in a flock, in the month 

 of April, at the verge of a lake not very distant from Farnham, in 

 Surrey. One of these was preserved by the late Rev. Mr. White, of 

 Selborne, and is now (1802) in the possession of Mr. White, in Fleet 

 Street, where we saw it. This bird is wholly white, except the wings 

 and back, as far as the rump, which is black. Of this bird there is a 

 good figure in White's Natural History of Selborne, who says it 

 weighed, when drawn and stuffed with pepper, four ounces and a 

 quarter. 



This is a rare bird in England, but Latham informs us it is sufficiently 

 plentiful in the East and West Indies, in Egypt, on the shores of the 

 Caspian Sea, and in the warmer parts of America. Specimens received 

 from the two first places, had the crown and all the hind part of the 

 neck black. A variety of this species is given by Latham in his 

 Supplement. One of this rare species was shot in Anglesea, in 1793. 



STINT. — A name for the Dunlin. 



STOCK DOVE (Columba JEnas, Linnjeus.) 



*Columba ^nas, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 279. 1. B. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 769. sp. 1 Lath. 



Ind. Orn. 2. p. 589. sp. 1.— Briss. Orn. 1. sp. 5.— *Raii, Syn. p. 62. A. 10.— 

 Will. p. 136. t. 35.— Colombe colombin, Temm. Pig. et Gall. 1. p. 118.— Ib. 

 edit. fol. pi. 11. — Jft. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 445.— Holtz Taube, Bechst. Naturg. 



Deut. 3, p. 957.— Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 287 Frisch, Yog. t. 139 - 



Derbosh Duif, Sepp. Vog. 5. t. p. 407. — Stock Pigeon, Br. Zool. 2. App 



Arct. Zool. 2. p. 329. A Will. (Angl.) p. 185.— Lath. Syn. 4. p. 604. 1.— Ib. 



Supp. p. 197.— Selby, pi. 56 *. fig. 1 . p. 290. 



There can be little doubt, I think, that notwithstanding all the 

 pains and care which Montagu took upon this subject, he confounded 

 this species with the rock dove, (Columba livia, Brisson,) the dis- 

 tinctive mark of which is two black bands crossing the closed wings, — 

 a constant character never seen in the Stock Dove ; while the latter, 

 also, is from one to two inches longer in the body. See Ring Dove.* 



STOCK OWL.— A name for the Eagle Owl. 



STOCK PIGEON.— A name for the Stock Dove. 



STOMACH OF BIRDS.— The Stomach of Birds forms them into 

 two distinct natural classes : those with cartilaginous stomachs, covered 

 with very strong muscles, called a gizzard; and those with membra- 

 naceous stomachs, more resembling that of carnivorous quadrupeds. 

 The former is given to birds whose principal food is grain and seeds of 

 various kinds, or other hard substances that require much friction to 

 comminute, to assist which, gravel is necessary ; the latter is given to 

 birds which feed upon flesh or fish, and whose digestion is accelerated 

 more by the gastric juice than by the action of the stomach. Those of 

 the first class digest or retain every substance swallowed ; and those 



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