C *36 ] 
whicK I did not obferve in this. Round the eyes in 
his was a whitifh circle, in this a variegated femi- 
cincle. The legs and (hanks in his greenifh, in this 
of a dilute blue. The feet, and membranes con- 
necting the Ipes, in his were dufky, in this partly 
black. 
Some authors have fuppofed the cepphus of the 
antients to be the fulica, or coot. This Aldrovandus 
confutes, by many arguments, one of which is fuf- 
ficient. He quotes a paffage from Varrinus, where 
the cepphus of Ariftotle is mentioned as a fea bird, 
and having the claws connected by a membrane, 
which the coot has not; neither is the coot a fea 
bird, being often found, in great numbers, upon lakes 
and handing waters. 
Aldrovandus reckons his cepphus as a fpecies of 
the larus ; which is denied by Pierius Valerianus, 
upon the ftrength of an argument, which, I think, 
tends ftrongly to prove it. “ Cepphus enim, inquit, 
“ ad cibum quaccunque vefcatur, ut etiam maritima 
“ fit fpuma contentusj larus vero inter voraciftimas 
“ numeratur, omnivorumque animal efte fertur.” 
The cepphus is faid to be a very adtive bird, always 
flying about in queft of its prey, which is bits of 
flefli, or fifh, left by other fifh of the voracious kind, 
or, in fhort, any kind of food it meets with fwimming 
upon the furface of the water. Now, fuch fub- 
ftances as fwim upon the furface of the water are 
not fo likely to be met with any where, as amongft 
the fcum and froth of the fea, driven together by 
the wind. This bird therefore dipping fo frequently 
into the fpume of the fea, is probably for the food 
fwimming amongft it, rather than to feed upon the 
4 fpume 
