( 76 ) 
'the black and brown indented into each 
other : the wings, both quills and covert- 
feathers, are dufky, and regularly marked 
with round light brownifh fpots : the in- 
fides of the wings are coloured as they are 
without, but the fpots more broken, and 
running in tranfverfe lines : the lower part 
-of the back and rump is covered with 
feathers variegated with black and white 
in narrow tranfverfe lines : the tail feathers 
are marked in the fame manner, except at 
their tips, which for an inch broad were 
wholly black : the legs and feet were co- 
vered with red fcales, in colour like pigeons 
feet ; the three fore toes were connected 
near their bottoms by membranes; the 
claws were of an horn colour. I believe 
it to be a cock bird, by reafon it had fpurs. 
This bird was brought alive to England, 
from the ifland of Cyprus in the Mediter- 
ranean fea, and prefented to Mr. James 
Leman, who lent it me to make a draw- 
ing of it; but not till it was dead, though 
while it was frefh, its eyes and feet re- 
taining their living colour. Mr. Willughby, 
in his Ornithology, has given a defcription 
of the Francolin ; but his feerns a quite 
different bird from this of mine, which I 
take to be truly and properly what is un- 
derftood to be the Francolin by the Italians. 
Olina, in his book of the Nature of Birds, 
Rome, 1622, has given a figure of the 
Francolin, pag. 33; but it is a bird alto- 
gether different from what I have here pre- 
fented. Tournefort, in his Voyage to the 
Levant, vol. II. p. 97, has, againfl his de- 
fcription of birds in the ifle of Samos, placed 
a print of this very bird I have figured, 
which he calls, on the plate, a Francolin , 
a fort of fowl frequenting the mar foes : 
though he has not mentioned any thing of 
a Francolin in his text, but fpeaks of 
1 
en partie fur les ailes y ont le noir y et le ca- 
ndle y mais plus clair y enclaves Fun dans 
lautre y en forme de dentelure . Les ailes y 
t ant les pennes que les plumes qui les couvrent y 
font rembrunies , et marquetees regulierement 
de^ t aches gris blanc : la couleur du dejfous des 
ailes ejl la meme que celle du dejfus , except} 
que les marques y font moins regulieres et y 
forment des rates tranfverfales : le bas du 
dos et le croupion font converts de plumes va- 
rices de noir et de blanc y ce qui produit des 
barres etroites tranfverfales : les plumes de la 
queue font marquees de la meme maniere y ex- 
cepte qu elks font toutes noires au bout y environ 
dun pouce de long : les jambes et les pattes 
font couvertes d'ecailles du rouge ordinaire de 
celles des pigeons ; les trois orteils de devant 
font lies vers la racine par des membranes ; 
les ergots font couleur de come. Je crois que 
ce fujet etoit male parce quil avoit des 
eperons. 
Cef oifeau avoit etc apporte vivant en An - 
gleterre y de rifle de Chipre y dans la mer Me- 
diterranee y et ton en avoit fait prefent d 
Mr. Jacques Leman y qui me Fa prete y pour 
le dejjiner : il eft vrai y qiidlors il etoit mort y 
mais il etoit ft frais y que les yeux et les pat- 
tes avoient encore leurs vives couleur s. Mr. 
W 'l high by a donne une defcription du Franco - 
Itn dans fon Ornithologie , mais le ften pa - 
roit tout d fait different du mien y que je 
crois etre veritablement et proprement celui 
que les Italiens appellent Francolin. Olina a 
dome la figure dun Francolin * ; mais d tout 
prendre y c eft encore un oijeau different de cc- 
lui que je do?ine ici. c Tournefort y dans fon 
V oyage au Levant , a place vis-d-vis de fes 
defer ipt ions des oifeaux de Fife de Samos , la 
vraie figure de F oifeau que je viens de decrire y 
quil nomme au bas de Feftampe y le Francolin 
forte d oifeau qui frequente les marais, quoi- 
quil nait pas dit un mot de cela dans fa de- 
fcription : il y park fimplement du coq de 
* Dans fon livre de la Nature des Oifeaux, Rome 1 622, 
m * 33- 
