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The firft Black-capped Lory. 
T HIS Bird Teemed to me to be fomething bigger than the Turtle-Dove, but 
not quite To big as a Dove-Houfe Pigeon. The Length of the Wing, when 
doled, was five Inches and three Quarters, by which Note any one may magnify 
from the Print a Figure of the natural Bignefs. 
The Bill is made as in other Parrots, and of an Orange-Colour; the Tongue 
is Black ; it hath adufky Flefh-coloured Skin at the Bale of the upper Mandible, in 
which are placed the Noftrils, pretty near together. The Eyes have bright, golden 
I rides* and are encompaffed with Spaces of bare Skin, of an obfcure Flefh-Colour. 
The whole Crown of the Head is cover’d with black Feathers, that have a little 
of a blue Call on the Hinder-part ; the Remainder of the Head, the whole Neck, 
Back, Rump, Coverts above the Tail, Breaft, Sides under the Wings, and upper 
Part of the Thighs, are of a very fine Red, or Scarlet- C olour ; except a Plat 
of Blue behind, (between the Neck and Back) which is a little broken and 
intermixed with the Red, and another Plat of blue Feathers on the lower Part 
of the Breaft, which likewife mix and break amongft the red Feathers. The 
lower Part of the Thighs, the lower Belly, and the Coverts beneath the Tail, 
are all of a fine blue Colour. The Tail is Blue on the upper Side, though the 
middlemofi: Feathers have fomething of a dufky-green Shade; the inner Webs 
of the Tail-Feathers .are Yellowifh, fo that the Tail is Yellow beneath; the 
Wings are Green on their upper Sides; fome of the Middle-Quills are Yellow 
on the Borders of their Webs. The inner Webs of the Quills are of a fine 
Yellow, except at their Tips, which are Dufky ; the Covert-Feathers within 
Side the Wings are Red ; the Ridge of the Wing is Yellowifh ; the Legs, Feet 
and Claws, which are pretty ftrong, are like thofe of other Parrots, all of a dark- 
brown, or blackifh Colour; the Skin is rough and fcaly. 
Thefe Birds are brought from the Eaft-lndies . I faw the Bird from which the 
Figure was taken, at the Virginia Coffee-Houfe, behind the Royal-Exchange, 
London ; and another of them in the Colledfion of my late Friend George Holmes , 
Efq; Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London . Thefe were both fluffed. I 
have fince feen another of them brought alive from India , from which I had the 
Colour of the Eyes and other Parts that fade a little in dried Birds. I have taken 
the Name Lory from Nieuhoff. Our Countryman, Alhin , has exhibited a Bird of 
this Kind, which he calls a Laurey, and fays it is from the Bra fils ; but I dare fay 
he is miftaken. I take his Bird to be from a Drawing of the Bird done by Guefs, 
for common Shop-Sale. What Birds Albin himfelf drew from Nature, are all in the 
felf fame Attitude, he never drawing any but in one Poflure : Such as are varied a 
little from his general Rule are ail borrowed Draughts, as my Experience has 
confirmed to me in many of them. I believe we have never had a Figure of 
this Bird. 
V o i.. IV. E The 
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