( 4 § ) 
The S p u r-'W iNGED - Water Hen. 
HP HIS Bird is of the Water Hen -kind ; Willoughby has defcrib’d fomething like 
^ it as to Shape, but of other Colours ; the Print fhews the Bird of its natural 
bignefs; the Bill is near an Inch and a half long, of a yellow Colour, the Noftrils 
fituate on each Side about the middle of the Bill ; it hath at the Balls of the upper 
Mandible a bald Skin, as in other Water Hens, but different, in that it is a loofe Flap, 
fcollop’d with three Scollops on the Top, join’d to the Head at the bottom, of a 
yellowilh Colour ; I fuppofe it was red when the Bird was living, lince that Part is 
defcribed to be loin the Birds Margrave faw i n Bra/il-, the Crown of the Head is 
brown, intermixed with fome dulky Spots ; from the Corners of the Mouth, through 
the Eyes, to the hind Part of the Neck on each Side, is drawn a black Line, above 
the Eyes are white Lines ; the under Side of the Head, Neck, Bread:, Belly, Thighs, 
and under Coverts of the Tail are White, on the Sides of the Belly and Thighs, are 
iprinkled a few red Marks ; the hinder Part of the Neck is black, which by degrees 
becomes brown in the beginning of the Back, the lower Part of the Back, Rump, and 
upper Side of the Tail, are of a purplilh inclining to a red Rofe-colour; the Feathers 
about the Shoulders, or fetting on of the Wings, are of a light brown, the Quills of 
the Wings are of a fine Green-colour tip’d with black, except a few of the fmaller next 
the Back, which are brown *, the firft Coverts above the Quills are black, next above 
is a Row .of brown, the reft of the Coverts are of a Rofe or purplilh Colour ; the 
Covert-feathers within-fide the Wings, are of a redifh brown ; what is moft extraor¬ 
dinary in this Bird, is a Pair of ftrong, thick, Ihort, yellow Spurs on the Joints of the 
Wings turning inward, fo that they point toward each other-; the Legs are very long, 
and bare of Feathers above the Knees ; the middle Toe for Length, equals the Leg, 
the fide Toes a little lhorter, the back Toe is pretty long, having a Claw or Nail 
ftraight like a Needle, and longer than the Toe, which together equal the Length 
of the Leg, the back Toe is only one Joint, the inner two, the middle three, and the 
outer Toe four. I have been the more particular in defcribing the Joints of the Toes 
in this Bird, becaufe this Kind is faid in the Difcriptions I find in Willoughby to have 
four Joints in each Toe; the three former Toes have long fiender Claws, pretty 
ftraight both Legs, Feet and Claws of a Lead or bluilh Afti-colour. 
This Bird had been preferv’d a good while in Spirits by Sir Hans Sloane, who lent it 
me that I might make a Drawing of it; I was told it was brought from Carthagena in 
South America. 
The 
