156 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
Of W ^‘T E R FO FF L in sreneral. 
T 
X HE principal cliftin<n:ion between land and 
water fowl, is, that the toes of the latter 
are webbed for fwimniing. Thofe who ob- 
feiwe the feet or toes of a duck, will eafily 
conceive how admirably they are formed to 
move in that watery element, to which they 
are mpllly deftined. What man performs 
by art, when he clofes his fingers in fwim- 
ming, the water fowl isfiipplicd by Nature to 
perform. The toes are fo contrived, that, 
when they ftrike backward, the broadeft hol- 
low furface beats the water; but, as they 
draw them in again, their front furface con- 
trails, fo as not to impede their progrefiive 
motion. 
The legs of the water fowl are generally 
very fiiort which caufes them to walk with 
muchdifiiculty ; they, therefore, feldom breed 
far from the lides of waters, w'here they ufu- 
ally refort. 
Thofe of this glafs, which have long legs 
are ranked among the crane kind ; fucli as the 
flamingo, avofetta, c^cc. whicli, although their 
feet arc w-ebbed for fwimniing, they feklom 
make ufc of for that purpol'e; a proof that 
their v/ebbed feet arc given them for the pur- 
pofe of preventing their finking in the muddy 
(bores, v.'hich they frequent in I'earch of their 
prey. We 
