PRI 
providing for and fhewing her young their food, 
fhe fcarcely takes any nourifhment herfelf. Pa- 
rental affedion feenns to fupprefs every other paf- 
fion; but, in proportion as her brood becomes 
able to provide for themfelves, this fondnefs de- 
creafesj and all her former voracioufnefs returns. 
The habit of dufting themfelves may be deemed 
peculiar to this clafs. They lie flat in fome dudy 
place, and with their v/ings and feet raife and fcat- 
ter the dud over their v/hole bodies. It is diffi- 
cult to affign a plaufibic reafon for this praftice: 
perhaps the heat of their bodies is fuch, that they 
require this powder to be interpofed between 
their feathers, in order to prevent their lying too 
clofe together, and thus increafing tlie heat, which 
they find incommodious. 
Almoft all the domeftic birds of the Poultry 
kind retained in our yards are of foreign extrac- 
tion : but there are fome v/hich properly belong 
to this clafs as yet in a ftate of nature, though 
perhaps they only wait till they become fufficiently 
fcarce to be taken under the care of man, to mul- 
tiply their propagation. It is certainly curious 
enough to confider how much the tame Poultry 
imported by us from diflant climates have in- 
creafedj and how much thofe vv'ild birds of the 
Poultry kind, that have never yet been taken into 
fervitude, have been diminifhed and deftroyed. 
The numbers of every fpecies are much reduced; 
and many of the kinds, in proportion as cultiva- 
tion and population have increafed, are either be- 
come fcarce, or utterly annihilated. 
POUSSE PIED. A French appellation for a 
cenus of lliell-fifh; called alfothe pollicipes. 
" POUT, OR WHITING POUT; the Gadus 
Barbatus of Linnasus. This fifh, which feldom 
exceeds one inch in length, is diftinguifned from 
all others of the kind by it's great depth. The 
back is much arched and carinated ; and the fcales 
are pretty large. The mouth, which is fmall, is 
' furnilhed with a fhort beard; and on each fide of 
the lov/er jaw there are feven or eight punftures. 
The firft dorfal fin, which is triangular, terminates 
in along fibre; the lateral line is white, broad, 
and crooked; the tail is even at the end, and of a 
duflcy colour; the fins are black; and at the bot- 
tom of the peftoral fins there is a black fpct. The 
body is white; the belly is tinged with yellow; 
and the fiefli is reckoned extremely delicate. 
PRAWN. A fmall animal of the lobfter 
kind; having a long ferrated fnout, bending up- 
wards; three pair of very long filiform feelers; 
fmall claws, furniflied with two fangs; and a 
fmooth thorax. The tail is compofed of five 
joints; the middle caudal fin is fubulated; but 
the two extreme ones are fiat and rounded. 
This creature is very common on feveral Ihores, 
amid loofe ftones; and it is alfo fometimes found 
at fea. When frefli, it's colour is cinereous; but 
when boiled, it becomes a fine red. 
PRESBYS. An appellation by which many 
of the ancient naturalifts expreffed the regulus 
criftatus, or golden -crowned wren. 
PRIAPE DE MER. A term by which 
French naturalifts cxprefs a peculiar fpecies of ca- 
nalis, or tubulus marinus; called alfo by fome 
writers of that nation arrofoir. It is an oblong, 
thick fliell, having a large head, pierced with a 
great number of holes, in fome refpedls refembling 
the glans penis and the head of a common wa- 
tering-pot. This fpecies is a native of Amboyna. 
PRICKET. A term ufed to exprefs a deer 
when in the fecond year of it's age. See Deer. 
PRICKLE-BACK. A fmall fiHi, fo called 
from the great number of prickles on it's back. 
Numbers of thefe little animals are found in al- 
moft all frefh waters where it is poflible for fiili 
to exift. They are extremely deftru6i-ive to all 
forts of fifh ; and are themfelves tormented by a 
kind of loufe of an oval figure, v/ith eight legs 
and a very tranfparent body: this loufe has little 
fins always in motion, whether it be fwimming 
or fixed on the filli. See Stickle-Back. 
PRIDE OF THE ISIS. An appellation by 
which fome authors exprefs a fifh of the lamprey- 
kind, the Fetromyzon Branchial is of Einnseus. 
It is caught in the Ifis, near Oxford, in great abun- 
dance; but is by no means peculiar to that river, 
being alfo found in feveral other EngliOi rivers. 
It is generally betv/een fix and eight iiiches lonp-, 
and about the thicknefs of a fwan's quill. The 
body is marked v/ith various tranfverfc lines croff- 
ing the fides from the back to the bottom of the 
belly, which is divided from the mouth to the 
anus by a ftraight line; and the tail is lanceolated, 
and fliarp at the end. Inftead of lodging under 
ftones, as is common to the lamprey kind, this 
fpecies dives in the mud, and never adheres to 
any neighbouring objeft. 
PRIIXiATES. In the Llnnsean fyftem, the 
firft order of animals belonging to the clafs of 
mammalia: the charafters of v/hich are; that they 
are furniftied with fore-teeth or incifores, four 
above and parallel ; and that they have two pec- 
toral teats. To this clafs belong four genera, 
the man, the ape, the maucauco, and the bat. 
PRISTIS. See Saw-Fish. 
PRIVET-FLY. A fpecies of fly very com- 
mon on the Ihrub from v/hence it derives it's 
name. It is alfo called crinopterus; and is re- 
markable for having it's wings deeply divided 
into fegments, fo that they fcem as if compofed 
of feathers refembling tlie Vv'ings of a bird. The 
whole infeft, when at reft, has the appearance of 
a fmall feather. 
PROBOSCIPLECTANUS. A name by 
which fom.e naturalifts exprefs a peculiar and very 
elegant fpecies of penicilius marinus, of a funnel- 
form fhape, and having it's mouth fjrrounded bv 
thin hair-like filam.ents. 
PROCELLARIA, the Petrel. A genus of 
anferes in the Linnsan fyftem: the charaders of 
which are; that the bill is fub-comprefi!ed, and 
formed of equal mandibles, the upper hooked at 
the extremity, and the lov/er canaliculate ; that the 
noftrils are fuperincuiribcnt and cylindric; and 
that the feet are webbed, without a back toe, but 
furnifned v/ith a (harp fpur pointing dov/nv/ards. 
Linnffius eumerates fix foecies. See Fulmar, 
PROCICADA. A name given by ibrae au- 
thors to the infe£l called procigale by the French. 
It ftrongly refembles the cicad.i, but is defatute 
of it's power of found. 
PROCIGALE. An appellation by which 
Reaumur, and other French naturalifts after him, 
have expreffed a f|>ecies of four-v/ingcd fly, bear- 
ing a ftrong refemblance to the cigale or ci- 
cada, except that it is incapable of making any 
noife. 
This creature has a long trunk, clofcly laid on 
the belly, and contained in a cafe or Iheath like 
that of the cicada. The female has alfo an inftru- 
ment at her tail for boring holes in wood, where 
fhe depofits her eggs. 
There is another fmall infe6b, mentioned by 
Reaumur as reducible to this clafs, though the 
minutenels 
