DOB 
and heck are white, as well as the fides and belly, 
"except that fomc black fpots appear near the in- 
fertions of the legs, which are placed at the ex- 
tremity of the body; and, together with the feet, 
are of a purplifli flefh-colour internally, and a dirty 
green externally. The toes, which are four in 
number, are all disjoined; but they have lateral 
fins on each fide, and broad flat claws refembling 
the nails of the human fpecies. The hind-parts 
of the legs are ferrated ; and the toes are fo formed 
with their webs, as to fliut in the manner of a fan, 
that they may be drawn with more facility through 
the water, and opened again whenever the crea- 
ture ftrikes. This bird has not the leaft appear- 
ance of a tail. 
Dob-Chick, Eared. This bird has a ftraight, 
Iharp-pointed bill, of a black colour, except the 
tip of the lower mandible, which is whitifli; the 
irides are red; and from behind the eyes, on each 
fide, proceeds a tuft of long loofe feathers of a red- 
difh yellow colour, which either falls on the fides 
of the neck, or flows backward, according to the 
motion of the bird. The head and neck are black ; 
the whole upper fide is a blackifh brown, except 
a little white about the joints and tips of the mid- 
dle quills ; the breaft, belly, and inner coverts of 
the wings, are white; where the colours of the up- 
per and lower parts of the body are blended, a 
line of a yellow reddifli colour extends the whole 
length of the bird ; and the legs and feet are of a 
dirty green hue. 
Dob-Chick, Horned North American. 
This fpecies, which is of the fize of the teal, has 
fmall wings, and large legs and feet in proportion 
to it's body. The bill is an inch and a quarter 
long, fliarp-pointed, and white at the tip ; and tlie 
noftrils are placed in furrows. From the corner of 
the mouth to the eye there is a bare fkin of a red 
colour; the head is covered with long black fea- 
thers of a fliining green glofs; behind the head 
runs a line of long loofe yellowifli orange feathers, 
which hang a little downward, and form a kind of 
creft; the hinder part of the back and neck are 
of a blackifli brown hue; and the fore-part of the 
neck and beginning of the breaft are a reddifli 
orange, which turns a little white on the breaft. 
The whole belly is a glofly white, with an admix- 
ture of dirty orange; the legs, which are flat and 
broad, are placed at the extremity of the body ; the 
thighs are fo confined within the fkin, that they 
cannot be moved backwards and forwards; and 
the toes, which have ftiff^ webs, are furniflied with 
nails like thofe on the fingers of a man. This 
bird, which feems to be deftitute of a tail, was 
brought from Hudfon's Bay. 
Dob-Chick, Greater. This bird inhabits 
the Lake of Geneva; though, if we may credit the 
ingenious Edwards, it has fometimes been feen in 
England alfo. The bill is flefli-coloured, and 
dufky at the tip; the top of the head, a mark on 
the fide of the neck, and a line between the bill 
and the eye, are black; the hinder part of the neck, 
the back, rump, and upper fides of the wings, are 
cinereous, except that there is a border of white in 
the middle of the wing, and that the middle quiils 
are white; and the infides of the wings are white, 
the quills being of a light afli-colour. The under- 
fide of this bird, from the throat to the extremity 
of the body, is covered with fine white feathers of 
a fattin or iilvery glofs ; the legs and feet are a 
duflcy green; and, like all the reft of the genus, 
this bird is ^cftitute of a tail. The toes are not 
webbed together, but have firm lateral membranes 
of a tolerable breadth extended on their fides; the 
nails are flat; and the entire conftrudlion of the 
legs feems perfeftly adapted for the aquatic life of 
the animal. This fpecies is about the fize of the 
comiT.on duck. 
DOBULA. An appellation given by fome 
naturalifts to the chub. It has been called capito 
and cephalus by the moderns, and iqualus by tiie 
ancients ; but it feems to require no genuine name, 
being properly only a fpecies of cyprinus. See 
Cyprinus. 
Dobula is alfo a term expreflive of a frefl7-water 
fifli of the leucifcus or dace kind ; but it is larger, 
thinner, and better tafted. It is caught in the 
frefli-water lakes of Germany, and in thofe of fome 
other countries. 
DODO. A very large and curious bird, called 
by fome authors cygnus cucullatus; by others, 
gallus gallinaceus peregrinus; and, by Bontius, 
dronte. It's appearance, inftead of excidng an idea 
of fwiftnefs, the common attribute of birds in gene- 
ral, feems to ftrike the imagination as fomething the 
moft unwieldy and inactive in nature; it's body, 
which is mafiive, almoft round, and covered in 
general with grey feathers, is barely fupported on 
two thick legs like pillars, while it's head and 
neck rife from it in a manner truly grotefque. 
The neck, thick and purfy in itfelf, is joined to a 
head compofed of two great chaps, opening far be- 
hind the eyes, which are large, black, and promi- 
nent; lb that the animal, in gaping, exhibits to view 
a moft enormous mouth : hence the bill is of an ex- 
traordinary length, thick, fliarp at the end, and 
having each ciiap crooked in oppofite directions j 
and the two mandibles, which are of a blueifli white 
colour, in fome meafure refemble two fpoons laid 
back to back. The refult of all which combined 
circumftances is a ftupid and voracious phyfiog- 
nomy, ftill farther heightened by a bordering of 
feathers round the root of the beak, which bears 
fome refemblance to a hood or cowl, and finiflies 
this unmeaning pifture of deformity. Magnitude, 
which in other animals implies ftrength, in this 
only contributes to inaftivity. The Dodo feems 
to be fo weighed down by it's own gravity, as 
fcarcely to poflefs ftrength fufficient to give energy 
to it's m.otions; and it appears among the featherecf 
tribe, what the floth does among quadrupeds, an 
unrefifting creature, equally incapable of flight or 
defence. It's wings are covered with foft aih-co- 
loured feathers, intermixed with a yellowifli white, 
but they are too fhort to render it any efifential 
fervice in flying; it's tail, which is compofed of 
a few fmall curled feathers of a whitifli colour, is 
difproportionate and mifplaced; it's legs are too 
fhort to aflift it in running; and it's body is ex- 
ceedingly clumfy. In fhort, this animal does not 
inaptly convey an idea of the tortoife drefifed up 
in the feathers of a bird ; and, though thus fur- 
niflied vv'ith the means of flying, feems only ftiit 
the more unwieldy. 
The Dodo is a native of the Ifle of France; and 
the Dutch, who firft difcoveredit there, arefaid to 
have termed it the naufeous bird, as well from it's 
difgufting figure, as from the difagreeable tafte of 
it's fiefli: however, fucceeding obfervers contra- 
dict this report, and aflfert that it's flefli is good and 
wholefome food. Being a very fimple and fluggilh 
bird, as is pretty obvious from it's figure, it con- 
fequently becomes an eafy prey to the fowler. 
Naturalifts feem to- be divided in their opinions, 
whether 
