( 7 ) 
The T o u r A c o. 
T HIS Bird is about the Bignefs of a Magpye or Jay ; the Make of its Body is 
rather long than round ; the Head of a moderate Size ; the Neck of a middling 
Length; the Legs rather fhort than long; the Tail pretty long : It is a very elegant 
Bird, both for Shape and Colour; it is verya&ive, hurting up its Tail, and railing its 
Crelt; it fwells its Throat, and utters a horfe and difagreeable Sound; the Bill is 
fhort and comprelfed Side-ways; the upper Mandible a little arched, but not over¬ 
hanging the lower; the under Side of the lower Mandible has a fmall Angle, as in the 
Bills of Gulls ; the upper and lower Chaps are of a dirty Red or Brick Colour : I know 
not any Bird that has a Bill like this. The Eye is of a dark Hazel-colour, enccmpaded 
with a knotty Skin of a bright Scarlet-colour ; from the Corner of the Mouth to the 
Eye, is a broad black Line, which grows narrower, and extends itfelf under and beyond 
the Eye; under this is a white Line, which extends a little farther back than the biack 
Line, but doth not come forward fo near the Bill; from the Corner of the Mouth is 
extended another white Line, which palfes above the Eye, but not fo far back as that 
beneath; the Head, Neck, Bread, and lelfer Coverts of the Wings, are of a fine dark 
Green-colour ; on its Elead it hath a Cred, which it raileth atPleafure; the very Tips 
of the Feathers on the Creft are Red; the Thighs, lower Belly, and Coverts under the 
Tail, are dufky or black; the Back, Wings, and Tail, are of a fine bluifh Purple- 
colour; Part of the greater Wing-feathers or Quills, next the Belly, are of a fine 
Crimion-colour, well exprefled by pure Carmine; their Tips and Borders of the outer 
Webs are black; the Legs, Feet, and Claws, Afh-colour ; the Toes are fituate as in 
Woodpeckers , Parrots , and Cdfkpws: What Genus of Birds to range this with, I can¬ 
not politively fay; it climes not as Parrots do, nor doth it agree with them in any 
refpedt, except in the Polition of the Toes; nor is its Bill any thing like a Woodpecker s, 
fo that I think it neared the Cuckow kind. Albin has figured this Bird, and calls it 
the Crown Bird from Mexico ; though thefe Birds are indeed Ajricans, brought from 
Guinea, by the Way of the Wejl Indies, to us ; he hath not fhaped his Bill right, nor 
defcribed well the Marks about the Eye; he mentions White in the Wings, which I 
could not difcover, tho’ I have drawn after two different Birds of this Kind. 
This Bird is now living at Colonel Louther s Houfe in St. James's Park, where I 
have been permitted to make Drawings of it for feveral Perfons of Didindtion. The 
Texture of this Bird’s Feathers are fo fine, that no didinft Form of Feathers can be 
difcovered, except in the Wings and Tail. See Mr. Albiris Figure, Vol. 2. Page 18. 
of his Natural Hijlory of Birds. His Bird was either a great deal lefs than mine, or 
one of us mud be pretty much midaken in the Size, fince he makes it of the Size of 
the Mijfel Bird, which is not above Half the Bignefs of a Jay or Magpye , to which.I 
have likened it for Size. 
... -nr 
