( 9 ° ) 
This bird was taken in the £6unty of 
Cornwall, and fhewn before the Royal 
Society, at London, A. D. 1751 : but, as 
there happened to be no gentleman then 
prefent who knew the bird, the Society, 
by their officer, were pleafed to fend to me 
to know my opinion about it; to which I 
returned an anfwer, to the beft of my abi- 
lity, containing an account of this bird, to- 
gether with a fhort hiftory of a very rare 
Grous, or Heathcock, from Penfilvania, 
where it is called a Pheafant ; which the 
Society have thought proper to publiffi in 
the Philofophical Tranfa&ions for the year 
1754. It hath not until now been difco- 
vered, that this bird is a native of England ; 
former authors, who have treated of it, 
having confined it to France. Bellon calls 
it Canne Petiere, pag. 237, 238, of his 
Hift. des Oif. Many later authors have 
defcribed it from him ; but as this bird 
was taken in our own countrry, I did not 
care to mifs the opportunity of making a 
new drawing and defcription immediately 
from nature ; becaufe thofe I find in former 
hidories are not fo perfect as I could wifh, 
and all the exaiflnefs that can be is defirable 
in Natural Hiftory. Perfons who will 
pleafe to compare my defcription and figure 
with thofe of former authors, will find fome 
fmall difference between them, fufficient, 
I truft, to fliew that I have been fome- 
what more exadt than any that have gone 
before me. Thomas Shaw, D. D.iin his 
Travels to Barbary and the Levant, p. 252, 
has given a figure and defcription of this 
bird, which the Barbarians call the “ Rhaad, 
“ or Saf-Saf Rhaad, which denoteth thun- 
<c der in the language of this country, and 
“ is fuppofed to be a name that hath been 
“ given to this bird, from the noife it 
<c maketh in fpringing from the ground ; 
“ as Saf-Saf, the other name, very natu- 
“ rally expreffeth the beating of the air, 
* when it is got upon the wing.” 
Cet cifeau avoit etc pris elans la province 
de Cornouaille , et fat prefent e a la Society Roy - 
ale a Londres, en 1 75 1 ; mats comme il arriva 
quit ne fe trouva perforate alors parmi les 
membres prefents, qui le connut, la Societe ju - 
gea apropos de me deputer un officier , pour men 
demandermonfentiment: fecrivisd ces Mef- 
fieurs la reponfe la plus exaBe quil me fat 
pofible , contenant un detail circonfiancie de 
cet oifeau : fy ajoutai une courte hifioire d’un 
Coq de Bruy ere tres rare, qui fe trouve en Pen - 
fibanie,ou on Fappelle Fa fan, et que la Societe. 
a juge d pr'opos de publier dans fes PranfaBions 
Philofophiques pour Fannie 1754. On na 
point encore decouvert que cet oifeau foit de 
cette ife y puifque les auteurs qui en ont parle 
jufqiid prefent , font relegue en France. Bellon 
l appelle Canne Petiere * ; plufieurs nouveau x 
auteurs lent decrit d'apres lui : quoiquil en 
foit, comme cet oifeau a ete pris dans notre 
pays , je nai pas voulu manquer I'occafion de le 
dejjiner et le decrire de nouveau , d'dpres na- 
ture immediatement , parce que ceux que je 
trouve dans les hifioires precedent es ne font pas 
aujji correBs quil feroit d fouhaiter , et que 
F Hifioire Naturelle ne fauroit etre trop ex - 
aBe. Ceux qui voudront bien fe donner la 
peine de confr outer ma defcription et ma figure 
avec celles de ces auteurs , y trouveront que! que 
peu de difference, mais fujfifamment a ce que je 
crois pour montrer que fat ete unpeu plus ex - 
aBe que ceux, qui en ont ecrit avant mot. 
M. T. Shaw dans fes V byages en Bar bar ie et 
au Levant a donne la figure et la defcription 
de cet oijeau, que les Barhares appellent Rhaad, 
ou Saf-Saf ; -f Rhaad, en langue du pays fg - 
nifie le tonnerre , et Fen fuppoje que ce nom a 
ete donne' d cet oifeau, d caufe du bruit quil 
fait en selevant de terre : comme F autre nom 
exprime fort naturellement le bruit, quil fait 
en battant Fair avec fes ailes, quand il efi en 
pelin vol. 
* Hill, des Oif, pag. 237, 238. 
f Shaw’s Travels, &c. pag 252. 
