belly, are of a yellovyifh brown hue, which gra- 
dually intermixes with the red round the bottom 
of the neck. The whitifh fpots on the back, 
wings, tail, and belly, refemble pearl drops, the 
fliarp ends being towards the head: thefe are all 
furrounded with black. The thighs are of a 
brownifli colour ; and the legs and feet refemble 
thofe of a cock. 
Pheasant, Brazilian. This bird is fome- 
what fmaller than the common hen; but the tail 
is broad, and about twelve inches long. The 
plumage is principally black, intermixed with a 
little brovm and white. The head is adorned 
v/ith a kind of creft, which the bird erefls or de- 
prelTes at pleafure. The upper part of the neck 
is naked, having only a red fkin over it; the lower 
part of the body, and the hind part of the wings, 
are covered with black and white feathers inter- 
mixed; the tail, and the upper part of the legs, 
are black ; and the feet are of a beautiful red co- 
lour. 
The natives of Brazil give this bird the appel- 
lation of jacupema, on account of it's cry, which 
refem.bles jacu iacu. It is eafily tamedj and it's 
flelh is much elleemed. 
Pheasant, Turkey. This bird, which is 
fuppofed by Edwards to be a mixed fpecies be- 
tween a Pheafant and a turkey, is of a middling 
fize between the two kinds. The bill is blackifli, 
with long black feathers above the noftrils form- 
ing a tuft; the eyes are hazel, furrounded with a 
plat of reddifh flcin; and the remainder of the 
head, and that part of the neck which in turkeys 
is deftitute of feathers, are covered with fhort 
brown plumage v/ith dudcy tranfverfe lines. The 
lower part of the neck is of a purplifn colour; 
the whole belly and fides are of a dufky black; 
and the coverts beneath the tail are orange- co- 
loured, with tranfverfe lines of black. The back, 
and the upper fides of the tail and wings, are 
brov/n, variegated v/ith greater and fm.aller tranf- 
verfe lines of black; the legs and feet are of a dark 
cinereous hue; and the tail is compofed of fixteen 
feathers. 
Thefe birds have fometimes been fhot in En- 
gland. 
Pheasant, Sea, or Cracker. This bird 
frequents the fea-coafts of Suffolk, and feveral 
other parts of England. The body is flender, 
about the fame fize with the commion widgeon, 
and has a longifli neck. The bill is variegated 
with blue and black; the head is of a rufty iron- 
colour, tinftured behind the ears with purple; 
and from the back part of die head on both fides 
a v/hite line extends towards the throat. The 
under part of the body, as far as the vent, is 
v/hite; but the feathers under the tail are black. 
The upper part of the body is adorned with beau- 
tiful colours; but the tv;o middle feathers of the 
tail are confiderably longer than the reft, which 
fufiiciently diftinguifhes it from all other aquatic 
fov/l of that kind. This fpecies is alfo denomi- 
nated the pintail duck. See Duck, Pintail. 
PHILANDER. See Didelphis and Opos- 
sum. 
PHOCA. A genus of the order of ferae, and 
clafs of mammalia, in the Linnasan fyftem: the 
characteriftics of which are ; that the number of 
fore-teeth in the upper jaw is fix, which are pa- 
rallel, the exterior being larger than the others; 
that there are four teeth in the lower jaw, parallel, 
diftindi equal, and a little obtufe j that there is 
one canine tooth in each jaw, though Pennant 
reckons two; that the grinders are five or fix» 
with three points; that there are no external ears j 
and that the hind feet are palmated. 
To this genus belong three fpecies; the fea- 
bear, the fea-lion, and the fea-calf. Some derive 
the generic name Phoca, from Phoke; others, 
from Boke, fignifying a kind of grunting noife 
made bv thefe animals. 
PI-ICENICOPTEPvUS. A genus of gralte, 
in the Linnsean diftribution of birds; of which 
there is only one fpecies, the flamingo. 
PHCENICOPUS GALLINULA. An ap- 
pellation ufed by fome ornithologifts to exprefs 
the bird more ufually known by that of tringa. 
PHCENICURUS. A name by which fome 
of the ancients exprefifed the ruticiUa, or red- 
ftart. 
PHCENIX. A fabulous bird of antiquity J, 
defcribed as being about the fize of the eagie, 
covered with the moft beautiful plumage, and. 
having eyes refembling ftars. It was fuppofed to 
live five or fix hundred years in the wildernefsj 
and, v/henever it perceived the approach of feni- 
lity, it was fabled to ereft a funeral pile of fweet 
woods and aromatic gums, to which it fet fire by 
the wafting of it's v/ings, and thus confumed it- 
felf. From it's aihes a worm v/as produced, which 
in time became another Phoenix; fo that two in- 
dividuals never exifted at one and the fame pe- 
riod. 
PHCEOPUS. An appellation ufed for two 
different birds : the one called by the Germans 
brachvogel; and the other, the whimbr.el, or 
aquata minor, the fnall curlew of Englifh orni- 
thologifts. The firft of thefe, or the brachvogel, 
is of a deep black colour, fpotted v/ith a yellow- 
ifh and reddifli brown ; the beak is long, flender, 
and black, moderately incurvated; the neck is 
grey ; and the belly is white. Ray fufpeds that 
thefe two birds are not effentially different. 
PHOLAS. A genus of fhells, belonging to 
the teftacea order in the clafs of worms, accord- 
ing to the Linnrean diftribution: the charafters of 
which are; that the inciofed animal is an afcidia; 
that the fibell is bivalve, opening wide at each end, 
with feveral lefler fliells at the hinge ; that the 
hinges fold back, and are united by a cartilage; 
and that beneath the hinge internally there is an 
incurvated tooth. LinnjEus enumerates fix fpe- 
cies. 
Of all animals of the fl:ielly tribe, the Pholades 
are the moft extraordinary. From their amazing 
powers of penetration, compared with their appa- 
rent imbecility, they juftly excite the aftonifli- 
ment of the curious obferver. They are found in 
different places; fometimes cloathed with their 
proper fliells, at the bottom of the water; fome- 
times concealed in lumps of marly earth; and 
fometimes lodged, fliells and all, in the fubftance 
of the hardeft marble. In their proper fliells they 
affume different figures ; but in general they fome- 
v/hat refemble mufcles, except that their fliells 
are found actually compofed of five or more 
pieces, the fmaller valves ferving to clofe up the 
openings left by the irregular junftion of the two 
principal fhells. But their penetration into 
rocks, and their refidence there, conftitutes the 
moft extraordinary part of their hiftory. 
When divefted of it's fhell, the Pholas refem- 
bles a roundifli, foft pudding, without any inftru- 
ment in the leaft adapted for boring into ftones. 
or 
