( 34 ) 
The SNAKE EATER. 
TPHIS Bird is of a new genus, and the only one fpecies of it hither¬ 
to come to my knowledge; it is about the bignefs of a heron and 
crane kind, except the neck is a little (horter. On fird fight I thought the 
bird belonged to that genus; but on a clofer view, I judged it to be no wader 
in the water; for though the legs are as long, or longer than in herons, &c. 
yet they are feathered down to the knees, which we do not find in birds 
who wade in (hallow waters to feek their food. The toes of this bird are 
alfo much (horter than they are in herons; fo that I think it mud be placed 
amongd land birds. The bill is exadtly like thofe of hawks, and other birds 
of prey; which is the only indance I have .difcovered in any of the long leg¬ 
ged kind of birds. The talons or claws are fmall, and unfit for a bird of 
prey ; and the eyes are of a dark colour, placed in fpaces covered with a 
bare (kin of an orange colour, on each fide of the head. It hath a beauti¬ 
ful cred, compofed of many long painted feathers, tipped with black, hang¬ 
ing backwards. The beak, head, neck, back,, bread, and upper covert fea¬ 
thers of the wings, are of a bluilh adi colour, rather lighter on the bread 
than on the back. The Telly, thighs, the greater wing feathers and tail 
are black, the tail feathers being tipped with white: the legs and feet are of 
a reddidi flefh colour, and the claws black. 
This bird was called a Snake Eater by thofe who brought it over from In¬ 
dia ; and I believe it may prey upon fmall ferpents, lizards, and other rep¬ 
tiles. Another bird was brought with this, fuppofed to be the male, which 
died foon after it landed; it was fomething larger, and the cred longer, the 
head black, but in other refpefts the birds were alike. 
Mr. Vofmaer , keeper of the Statholder’s mufeum at the Hague, calls it 
the Sagittarius fronTthe Cape of Good Hope : and in one of his publica¬ 
tions at Amderdam, in the year 1769, has given a print of it, coloured af¬ 
ter nature. It feems to feed equally on fledi or fi(h, which accounts for his 
uniting the character of birds of prey, and of waders in water. 
SI YAH 
