' . „ ‘ 1 , 
BRITISH BIRDS* 65 
danger by the quicknefs of their fcent, which en- 
ables them to provide for their fafety in time ; but 
of this we have our doubts, and would rather af- 
cribe it to the quicknefs of their fight, by which 
they difcover the motions of the fportfman. 
The general characters of this kind are well 
known, and are chiefly as follow : — The bill is 
ftrong, and has a flight curvature along the top of 
the upper mandible ; the edges are thin, and fharp 
or cultrated ; in many of the fpecies there is a 
fmall notch near the tip ; the noflrils are covered 
with briftles ; tongue divided at the end ; three 
toes forward, one behind, the middle toe connected 
to the outer as far as the firft joint. 
