J 
W H I 
W I G 
and black marks on the cheeks, there is a broad 
pale brown one ; and the v/hite on the wings is 
much lefs confpicuoiis than that of the male. 
In the north of England, the Whinchat is a 
bird of palTage; h\\t in the fouth it continues dur- 
ing the whole year. 
WHISTLE FISH. A provincial appella- 
tion for a fpecies of gadus, with only two fins on 
the back. It isalfo called muftela fluviatilis. See 
Gadus and Mustela. 
WFIITE-HORSE-FISH. An Englim ap- 
pellation for the Raia Fullonica of Rondeletius 
and LinnjEus. The back is rough and fpiny; 
the nofe is .fhort and (harp; there are a few fpines 
at the corner of each eye ; and the ni6litating mem- 
brane is fringed. On the upper part of the pec- 
toral fins there are three rows of fpines pointing 
towards the back, and crooked like thofe of a ful- 
ler's inftrument; whence it's name Fullonica and 
Fuller. The tail is furnifhed with three rows of 
flrong fpines. The upper part of the body is ci- 
hereous, ufually marked with many black fpotss 
and the lower part is white. 
This fifli fom^times arrives at an equal fize 
■with the flcate. 
WHITE BAIT. A fmall fiOi, which, during 
tke month of July, is found in immenfe fwarms 
in the Thames, near Blackwall and Greenwich. 
It is efteemed very delicious when fried with flour; 
and is much valued by London epicures, many 
of whom refort to the taverns in the vicinity of 
the place of capture, that they m.ay enjoy their 
favourite difh in the greater perfe6lion. 
Naturalifts are much divided in their opini6ns 
to what genus this fifh ought to be referred; how- 
ever, they uniformly feem to think it the fry of 
fome fifh, the fhad, the fprat, the fmelt, or the 
bleak. That the White Bait neither belongs to the 
lhad nor the fprat, is evident from the number of 
branchioftege rays, which in thofe are eight, in 
this only three; that it is not the young of the 
fmelt, is equally evident, becaufe it wants the 
pinna adipofa; and that it is not the offspring of 
the bleak, is highly probable, fince we never heard 
of the White Bait being found in any other river, 
notwithftanding the bleak is very common in fe- 
veral of the Britifti ftreams. 
Neverthelefs, we may fafely affirm, that the 
fifh now under confideration belongs to the carp 
<tr tht cyprinus genus, having only three bran- 
chioftege rays, and One dorfal fin; but, with re- 
fpe6t to the form of the body, it is compreffed like 
that of the bleak. 
The ufual length of the White Bait is two in- 
ches; the under jaw is longer than the upper; the 
iridcs are filverj'', and the pupil is black ; the dor- 
fal fin is placed nearer to the head than the tail, 
and confifts of about fourteen rays; the lateral line is 
ftraight; the tail is forked; and the tips are black. 
WHITE-TAIL. An appellation by which 
fome authors exprefs the wheat-ear. See Wheat- 
Ear. 
WHITE-THROAT. This bird, which ap- 
pears to be the Motacilla Sylvia of Linnseus, fre- 
quents our gardens in the fummcr feafon, and 
leaves us in the winter. It builds it's neft in low 
bufhes; framing it, externally, of the tender ftalks 
of herbs and dry frraw; the middle part of fine 
bents and fbft grafs, and the infide -of hair. It 
lays five eggs of a whitifli green colour, fprinkled 
•with black fpots. It*s note, which is continually 
repeated, and often attended with Angular gefti- 
culations of the wings, is harfb and ungrateful. 
The head is of a brownifh alh-colour; the throat 
is white; the breafl: and belly are white tinged with 
red, in the female wholly white; the leffer coverts 
of the wings are of a pale brovm hue; the back 
inclines to red; the greater coverts of the wings 
are duflcy, edged with tawny brown; the quill- 
feathers are dufky, edged with reddifh brown; the 
tail is of the fame colour, except the upper part of 
tiie interior fide, and the whole exterior fide of the 
outermoft feather, which are white; and the legs 
are of a yellov/ifh brown hue. 
This bird is timid and wild, avoiding the hu- 
man race. 
WHITING ; the Gadus Merhngus of Lin- 
nnsus. According to the Artedian fyftern, the 
Whiting is one of the gadi, diftinguifhed by the 
appellation of the gadus with three fins on the 
back, without beards, with a white body, and the 
upper jaw longer than the under. 
The Whiting is an elegantly fhaped fifh. The 
eyes are large; the nofe is fiiarp; and the teeth of 
the upper jaw are long, appearing above the lower 
when clofed. The firft dorfal fin has fixteen rays, 
the fecond eighteen, and the third tv/enty. The 
colour of the head and back is a pale brown ; the 
lateral line is white and crooked; and the belly 
and fides are filvery,thelafl longitudinally ftreaked 
with yellow. 
Large ihoals of Whitings vifit the Britifh feas 
during the fpring; feldom approaching nearer 
than half a mile of the fhore, and as feldom re- 
moving farther than three miles from it. They 
are the moft delicate and wholefome of any of the 
genus; but rarely grow to a greater length than 
twelve inches. 
By an aft of parliament, no Whitings of a lefs 
fize than fix inches from the eye to the extremity 
of the tail, may be taken in the Thames or Med- 
way ; nor at any feafon, except from Michaelmas 
to Ember Week. 
WHITING POLLACK; the Gadus Polla- 
chius of Linnaeus. This fifli is common on many 
of our rocky coafts. It is efleemed very whole- 
fome ; and commonly weighs fix or feven pounds : 
but Pennant mentions fome, caught near Scar- 
borough, which weighed no lefs than twenty- 
eight pounds. The colour of the back is dufky, 
of fome inclining to green; the fides beneath the 
lateral line are marked with yellow lines; and the 
belly is white. See Pollack. 
WHITING POUT; the Gadus Barbatus of 
Linnsus. This fiOi feldom exceeds twelve in- 
ches in length; and is diftinguifhed from all 
others by it's great depth. The back is much 
arched and carinated ; and the fcales are larger 
than thofe of the cod fifli. The mouth is fmall, 
and furnifhed with a fhort beard ; and on each fide 
of the lower jaw there are feven or eight punc- 
tures. The firft dorfal fin is triangular, and ter- 
minates in a long fibre; the tail is even at the 
end, and, together with the fcales, of a dufliy co- 
lour. The lateral line is white, broad, and 
crooked. The colour of the body is white, more 
obfcure on the back than the belly, and flitrhtly 
tinged with yellov/. The flefli is highly efteemed. 
WICRANGLE. An Englifli appellation for 
the matragefs, or greater butcher-bird ; thelanius 
cinereus major of fome ornithologifts. 
WIGEON, or WIDGEON ; the Anas Pcne- 
lops of Linnaeus. This bird, which is of the duck 
kind, weighs nearly twenty-four ounces ; and the 
expanfion 
