POL 
emithoiogifts cxprefs feveral kinds of the colymbi 
or divers. 
PODURA. a genns of the aptera order of 
infedts : the diftinguifhing charadlers of which are ; 
that it has fix feet formed for running; two oc- 
tonous eyes; a bifurcated inflexed tail, formed 
for leaping; and long fetaceous antennse. There 
are fourteen fpecies. 
POGGE ; the Cataphra£tus Cottus of Lin- 
HEUS. A fmall fea-fifh, very common on moil 
of the Britifh coaftsj and feldom exceeding fix in- 
ches in length. The head is large, bony, and 
rugged ; the end of the nofe is armed with four 
fharp upright fpines; on the throat there are num- 
bers of fhort white beards; and the teeth are very 
fmall, and arranged in the jaws. The body is 
odlagonal, and covered with a variety of ftrong 
bony crufts, divided into feveral compartments; 
the extremities of which projedl into a fharp 
point, forming feveral echinated lines along the 
back and fides, from the head to the tail. The 
firft dorfal fin confills of fix fpiny rays; the fe- 
cond, which is placed exaflly behind the firft, con- 
fifts of feven foft rays; and the pedoral fins, which 
are broad and rounded, are compofed of fifteen 
rays. 
There is another variety of the Pogge found 
on the coafts of America, bearing a ftrong refem- 
blance to the preceding. It has three angles on 
the hinder part of it's head, one on each fide, and 
the third in the middle; the upper chap is ellip- 
tic ; the mouth is fomewhat prominent ; and the 
head is covered with a brown bony helmet. The 
back, fides, and tail, are covered with brown 
fcales, engraved with fmall parallel lines of a 
rhomboidal figure ; and the belly has a thin flex- 
ile fkin. 
POGO. An appellation by which the natives 
of the Philippine iflands exprefs a fpecies of quail, 
common in that country. 
POINTER. See Doc. 
POLA. A fmall flat fifh, caught in the Me- 
diterranean, and commonly known by the appel- 
lations of the cynoglofTus and linguatula. It 
bears fome refemblance to the foal, but is fhorter 
and fmaller. 
POLE-CAT; the Muftela Putorlus of Lin- 
nasus. An animal of the weafel kind, called alfo 
the fitchet. It is larger than the common weafel, 
being about feventeen inches in length, exclufive 
of the tail, which is fix. The colour of this crea- 
ture is a deep chocolate, with a fpace of white 
round the mouth ; and the ears are fliort, rounded, 
and tipt with white. It fo nearly refembles the 
ferret in fliape, that many have fuppofed it to be 
the fame animal. Like the whole genus, it is 
long and flender, nimble and a6live; and is capa- 
ble of creeping up a wall with great agility. It 
is alfo very deftruftive to poultry of all kinds: 
it robs the dairy; is a formidable enemy to pi- 
geons; but rabbits feem to be it's favourite prey: 
a fingle Pole-Cat is almoft fufficient to defpoil a 
whole warren; for it poflTeflTes fuch an infatiable 
thirft after blood, that it kills more through wan- 
tonnefs than neceffity. The female brings forth 
about five or fix at a time. 
Warreners affirm, that the Pole- Cat and the 
ferret will copulate together; and that they fre- 
quently procure an intercourfe between thefe two 
animals, in order to improve the breed of the lat- 
ter, which, by long confinement, becomes lefs 
eager after rabbits, and confequently lefs ufeful. 
POL 
Bufi'on denies that the Pole-Cat will admit the 
ferret : neverthelefs, he gives us a variety, under 
the appellation of the ferret Pole-Cat, which has 
every appearance of being a fpurious ofi^spring. 
Indeed, the ferret agrees in many refpe(fls with 
the Pole-Cat; but in none more than it's thirft 
after the blood of rabbits. When alive, the fmell 
of the Pole-Cat is rank and difagreeable even to a 
proverb: however, it's fur is dreffed with the hair 
on, and ufed for various cheap purpofes ; but it's 
ofl^enfive fmell can never be wholly removed or 
fupprefied. 
The Pole- Cat feems to be an inhabitant of the 
temperate climates, fcarcely any being found to-^ 
wards the north, and but very few in the warmer 
latitudes. The fpecies feems to be confined, in 
Europe, from Poland to Italy. It is certain that 
thefe animals dread the cold, as they often enter 
houfes_ in winter, and as their tracks are never 
found in the fnow near their retreats. It is alfo 
probable that they are afraid of heat, being but 
thinly difiTeminated over the fouthern climates. 
Pole-Cat, Striated ; the Viverra Putorius of 
Linn^us. This animal, called alfo the flunk, 
has round ears; the head, neck, belly, legs, and 
tail, are black ; and the back and fides are marked 
with five parallel white lines, one on the top of 
the back, the others on each fide, the fecond ex- 
tending fome way up the tail, which is long, and 
bufliy towards the extremity. 
This animal, which is about the fize of the Eu- 
ropean Pole-Cat, is a native of North America. 
When attacked, it briftles up it's hair, and flings' 
it's_ body into a round figure, at the fame time 
emitting a horrid ftench. 
POLIOPUS. An appellation given by Al-' 
drovandus, and fome others, to the gnnetta, a fmall 
bird of the moor-hen kind. 
POLLACK. A name generally ufed to ex- 
prefs two difi^erent fpecies of the afellus or gadus 
kind, with the different epithets of Raw and Whit- 
ing. The Raw-Pollack is the fame fpecies which 
is known in fome parts of England by the appel- 
lation of the cole-fifli, the Afellus Niger of au- 
thors : the other is called the Whiting-Pollack, the 
Gadus Pollachius of Linnaeus. 
According to the Artedian fyftem, both thefe 
fpecies belong to the genus of gadi; and as the 
names derived from their colours, black and 
green, are by no means fufficiently expreffive, the 
colours being neither permanent, perfe6l, nor en- 
tire; Artedi has devifed others for them, by which " 
they may be diftinguiflied at one view. The 
Raw- Pollack, or cole-fifh, he diftinguiflies by the 
name of the gadus with three fins on the back, 
without any beard at the mouth, with the lower 
jaw longer than the upper, and with the lateral 
line ftraight. The other, or the Whiting-Pol- 
lack, he diftinguiflies by the name of the gadus 
with three fins on the back, without any beard, 
with the lower jaw longer than the upper, and the 
lateral line crooked. Thefe names not only diftin- 
guifli the two fpecies from each other, but likewife 
from every fpecies of the fame genus. 
The Whiting-Pollack is common on many of 
the rocky coafts of this ifland; and, during fum- 
mer, large flioals of them are feen fporting on the 
furface of the water, and throwing themfelves into 
a thoufand different attitudes. At that time they 
wantonly bite at every thing that appears on the 
furface of the waves; and are often taken with a 
goofe- quill fixed to the hook. They appear to be 
very 
