DAW 
for the ardea, or heron. The Spaniards call it 
gazza ; and it appears to be the fame fpecies with 
the common heron. 
DANISH DOG. An animal which, as to it's 
fhape, feems to be a compound of the maftiff and 
the grey-hoimdj being more flender than the one, 
And much ilronger than the other. It is the talleft 
dog generally bred in England, but is more fhewy 
than ferviceable. See Dog. 
DARE. A provincial name for the dace. 
: DART, ACONTI AS. An animal of the fer- 
pent kind, fo called from it's fliooting itfelf forward 
like a dart. It is of a whitifli afli-colour ; the belly 
is entirely white ; and on the back there appears a 
number of black fpots. The neck is black, and 
from thence run two white lines along the back to 
the tail ; and the black ipots, which are fmall, are 
all encircled with rings of white. Travellers af- 
firm, that ferpents of this kind lodge in trees, from 
whence they fuddenly dart on fuch pcrfons as cafu- 
ally pafs within their reach ; and that their bites 
prove mortal. They are found in Egypt, Lybia, 
and the Mediterranean iflands. See Acontias, 
Dart of Amboyna. This reptile, which is 
about fix feet long, and as thick as a man's arm, is 
covered with fcales of a reddifh brown colour, ex- 
cept on the back and fides, where they have an 
azure hue. The head is of a m.oderate fize; the 
eyes are large and bright ; the teeth are fmall j and 
the tail is long and pointed. 
DASYPUS. The Dafypus forms a genus of 
brutes of the clafs of mammalia, in the Linnasan 
fyffcm. This genus has many grinding, but no 
cutting or canine teeth. The feveral varieties are 
diftinguifhed by the number of bands encompaf- 
fing them, and which reach from the back to the 
edges of the belly. Accordingly, Linnsus enu- 
merates the fingle-banded, the three-banded, the 
four, fix, feven, and nine-banded Dafypus. See 
Armadillo, and Tatu. 
DAUPHIN. A fpecies of fhell-fifh of the 
cochlasEe lunares genus, or round-mouthed fnails; 
ornam^ented with rows of indented eminences on 
all the revolutions of the fhell. 
DAW, JACK, or COMMON DAW. This 
bird is lefs than the crow. From the hind-part of 
the head to the middle of the neck, it is of an afli- 
colour; the breaft and belly arc fomewhat of the 
fame hue; but the reft of the body is black, with a 
blueifh glofs. The head is pretty large; which 
circumftance, according to Willughby, indicates 
this bird to be ingenious and crafty. The irides 
are white; the forehead, the bill, and the feet, are 
black; and the claws are very ftrong and hooked. 
The bill is an inch and a quarter in length ; and the 
tono-ue is cloven at the end. It weighs nine ounces 
ZD O 
and a half ; fi om the tip of the bill to the extremity 
of the tail, it meafures thirteen inches and a half ; 
and the expanfion of the wings is twenty-eight 
inches. The female lays five or fix eggs, which 
are lefs pale and fpotted than thofe of the crov/. 
It breeds in many European countries; and de- 
lights to lodge about old towers, caftles, church- 
fpires, and ftone walls, elpecially fuch as are de- 
folate or ruinous. In fome parts of Hampfhire, 
it makes it's neft in rabbit-holes ; but it very fel- 
dom inhabits trees. 
The Jack-Daw is very docile and loquacious ; 
it is a gregarious fowl; it feeds on nuts, fruits, 
grain, and infe£ls ; but it's fiefh is not deemed pro- 
per food. 
Daw, Purple. According to Catefby, this 
Day 
bird is of a purple cololir; the bill is black; tlie 
tail is longer than that of the common Jack-Daw^ 
and the middle feather confiderably longer thari 
the reft; The purple hue of this fowl is fo very 
deep that, at a diftance> it appears as if entirely 
black; but the hen is of a brown colour. 
Daw, Black and Yellow, of Brazil. This 
bird is about the fize of the common Daw. The 
bill, which is yellow, is a little incurvated at the 
pointj pretty fliarp, and fmooth on the furface ; th6 
plumage is black, with a flight glofs of purple, ex- 
cept a fpot of bright yellow on the covert-fea- 
thers of each wing; and the lower half of the back, 
the covert-feathers both above and beneath the 
tail, and the bottoms of the tail-feathers, are alfo 
of a fine golden yellow. The wings are internally 
black; and both the black and yellow parts of 
this bird have their downy feathers at the bottoms 
very white. The tail confifts of twelve feathers; 
the legs and claws are ftrong, and covered with 
black fcales ; and the exterior and middle toes ad- 
here a little at their bottoms. According to Marc- 
grave, the eyes of this fowl are of a fapphirine co- 
lour. 
Daw, Blue and Green. This beautiful bird 
is faid to be a native of the ifle of Ceylon. The 
bill, which is black, is a little arched, and has an 
angle on each fide of the upper mandible near the 
point; the whole head, the neck, the under-fidc to 
the tail, the lower part of the back, and the tail, 
are entirely of a moft delightful blue, fhaded with 
a caft of purple, and having a bright fhining fur- 
face like poliflied metal ; the lefler coverts of the 
wings, both above and beUw, are of the fame ftiin- 
ing blue colour; the middle of the back, the quills, 
and the two rows of coverts above them, are a moft 
fplendid green refie<5ling glofTes like burnifhed 
gold; the covert-feathers have black tips, forming 
two rows acrofs each wing ; the infides of the quills, 
and the under-fide of the tail, are a dufky black; 
the tips of the tail-feathers, and the middle of the 
belly between the legs, have the blue feathers tinc- 
tured with green; the legs, feet, and claws, are 
pretty ftrong in proportion, and covered with black 
fcales ; and the exterior toes adhere a little, at their 
bottoms, to the middle ones. This fpecies was 
firft defcribed by Edwards. 
Daw, Surinam. This bird is about tlie fize 
of the common crow; the top of the head is of 
a deep green colour; the hind-part is marked with 
a fine blue, and beneath that v,'ith pale green. Un- 
der each ear, and on the hind-part of the neck, 
there are fpots of a greenifh colour; the neck, 
breaft, belly, back, and coverts of the wings, are 
a varying greeri; the primaries are dufl<y, termi- 
nating in blue; the tail is blackifti; and the leo-s 
are of a fiefh-colour. 
DAY-FLY. An inofi^enfive race of infefts, 
which pafs their very limited ftate of being as the 
prey of numerous enemies^ whofe injuries nature 
has not fitted them either to retort or avoid. They 
live near thofe waters in which they breed; and, 
in their winged ftate, enjoy fuch a fhort exiftence, 
as to have afforded fcope for the refledlions of the 
naturalift, and emblems for the moralift. 
The term Day-Fly originates from thefe infefts 
living in that ftate only one day; but, with refpe6t 
to many of the fpecies, even that period is circum- 
fcribed. 
That particular clafs which fome natural ifts de- 
fcribe under the name of phryganea, never burfts 
from it's reptile ftate till about fix in a fummer's 
evening; 
