B I R 
B I R. 
climbing. The legs and feet of water-fowls, on 
the contrary, are adapted either for wading in 
the water, or fwimming on it's furface. The legs 
of thofe which wade are ufually long and naked ; 
and the toes of thofe which fwim are webbed to- 
gether, as in the feet of a goofe; which ferve, like 
oars, to impel them forward with greater velocity. 
Th-e formation of land and water fowls is, there- 
fore, as diuind: as their habits; and Nature herfelf, 
in methodizing animals of the feathered creation, 
feems to offer iis this fimple diftribution. But, as 
the number of Birds already known amounts to near 
a thoufand, and nev/ fpecies are daily adding to the 
catalogue, it is not fufficient to be able to diftin- 
guifn a land from a water fowl ; we ought alfo to 
be capable of making a difcrimination between the 
different forts of Birds, and even the varieties in the 
fame kind, when they are prefented to our view. 
Linnrcus divides Birds in general into fix clalTes; 
namely, the rapacious kind, thepye kind, the poul- 
try kind, the Iparrow kind, the duck kind, and the 
crane kind ; the various forts of land Birds being 
comprehended in the four firfl:, and thofe v/hich 
belong to the liquid element in the two laft. 
Birds of the rapacious kind conftitute that clafs 
of carnivorous animals which live by rapine: they 
are diftinguifhed by their beaks, which are hooked, 
frrong, and notched at the points; by their fhort 
mufcular legs, their ftrong toes, and their fliarp 
and crooked talons ; by the flrength of their bo- 
dies, and the impurity of their flefh; by the nature 
of their food, and by the cruelty and ferocity of 
their manners. 
The beaks of Birds of the pye kind are diffe- 
rently formed fram thofe of the rapacious tribes, 
which in fome degree refemble a wedge, being fit- 
ted for the purpofe of cleaving: their legs are 
fhort and flrong ; their bodies are flender and im- 
pure; and their food is miifcellaneous. They 
breed in trees; and the females are fed by the 
males during the time of incubation. 
The bills of Birds of the poultry kind are fome- 
what convex, for the purpofe of gathering their 
food; the upper parts of their beaks hang over the 
iov/er; their bodies are fat and mufcular; and their 
fiefh is v/nite and pure. They live principally on 
grain, which is moiflened in their crops; they 
make very inartificial nefts on the ground; lay 
a great number of eo-o-s; are ftrano-ers to connu- 
bial fidelity; and, unlike the other claffes of Birds, 
are promifcuous in their amours. 
All the beautiful and vocal claffes of Birds which 
adorn our fields and groves, are comprehended un- 
der the fparrow kind. Their bills refemble a for- 
ceps; their legs are formed for hopping along; 
and their bodies, which are tender, are pure in fuch 
as feed on grain, but impure in fuch as feed on in- 
fefls. Tliey chiefly inhabit trees: many of them 
fhew abundance of defign in the flru6ture of their 
nefts ; and tliey are remarkable for their fidelity in 
the connubial compaft. 
The bills of Birds of the duck kind, which are 
finooth, covered with fldn, and nei-vous at the 
points, ferve as a kind of flrainers to their food. 
Their legs are fhort, their feet are formed for f//im- 
ming, and their toes are eonnefted by membranes. 
They pafs the greateit part of d^eir tim^e in the wa- 
ter, but generally breed on land. 
The bills of Birds of the crane kind are form- 
ed for the purpofes of fearching and examining 
the bottoms of pools ; their legs are long, and 
adapted for wading; their toes are not v/ebbed; 
their thighs are half naked ; their bodies are flen- 
der, and covered with thin feins; their tails are 
fhort ; and their fiefh is favoury. They live on 
animal food, and generally build their nefcs on the 
ground. 
Such are Linnjeus's divifions of Birds; which, 
at firfl -fight, appear natural and comprehenfive: 
but he who, while attending to fuch arbitrary 
diftiibutions, fhould imagine he was making con- 
fiderable progrefs in the fludy of natural hiftory, 
would find himfclf egregioufly miftaken; and, if 
he is inclined to enter deeply into the plan of this 
great naturalifl, he will often find Birds the moft dif- 
fimilar in nature thrown together into the fame clafs: 
the unavoidable confequence of all attempts at 
compleat fyftematic arrangements of nature, 
BIRD OF PARADISE. This moft beauti- 
ful bird belongs to the family of the pye kind; of 
which naturalifts have enumerated feveral fpecies, 
though we are indebted to the recent difcoveries of 
Sonnerat for fome of the moft elegant. Indeed, 
few birds have more puzzled and deceived the 
learned than the Bird of Paradife. Some have de- 
fcribed it as an inhabitant of the air, living only on 
the dew of heaven, and never refting on the earth; 
others, though they have acquiefced in the latter 
part of it's hiftory, have neverthelefs allowed that it 
fubfifts on flying infecfls : and foiriehave even aflert- 
ed that it has no legs; while others not only .contend 
that it has very large and ftrong ones, but abfolutc- 
ly rank this animal among birds of prey. 
The amazing beauty of the plumage of th^s 
bird on the one hand, and the deformity of it's" 
legs on the other, feem to have given rife to the 
moft erroneous reports. The natives of the Mo- 
lucca Ifics, of which the Bird of Paradife is an in- 
habitant, perceiving the ftrong inclination of Eu- 
ropeans for this beautiful bird, carefully cut ofJ'it's 
legs before they brought it to market; and thus 
concealing it's greateft deformity, they confidered 
themfelves as entitled to rife in their demands. 
One deceit led to another: the buyer, finding die 
bird without legs, naturally enquired after tliem; 
and the feller thought it his intereft to deny that it 
ever had any. Thus far the Europeans were im- 
pofed on by others ; but aftervv^ards they impofed 
on themfelves. Seeing fo beautiful a bird defd- 
tute of legs, they concluded that it could onlv live 
in air, where thofe members were unneceffaiy: the 
extraordinary fplendcr of it's plumage afTifted this 
decepnon; and, as it poffefTed celefbial beauty, ir 
was lionoured with an im.aginary celeuiai ref?.- 
dence; and from this circumftance it's name is de- 
rived, as well as the numerous fiifbirious reports 
which ignorance and defign have propagated con- 
cerning it, and which blind credulity has believed. 
Error, hov/ever, is Ihort-lived ; and time has difco- 
vered, that this bird has not only legs, but that 
they are very large and ftrong in proportion to it * 
fize. Credulity, when undeceived, runs into the 
oppoftte extreme; and accordingly, very fbon af- 
ter, this bird was branded with tlie charaifter of be- 
ing extremiely rapacious; and,, from the ainazing 
rapidity of it's flight, was deemicd qualified for ex- 
tenfive rapine. 
The Birds of Paradife, which exceed all others 
in the beauty, variety, and peculiar ccnftruftion of 
their pluiriage, affociate in large flocks in the de- 
lightflil fpicy woods and groves of their native 
iflands; and the inhabitants themfelves, who are 
not infenfible to their fuperior charms, give them the 
name of God's Birds. From the rapidity of their 
flight. 
