( 12 ° ) 
The Great American Martin. 
% 
T HIS Bird is figured of its natural Bignefs. On comparing it with our Black 
Martin or Swift , it feem’d. to be fomething bigger bodied, but not altogether 
fo long winged. The Bill and Legs are bigger and ftronger in Proportion than I have 
obferved them to be in other Birds of this Genus. 
The Bill is ftronger than what is obfervable in the Swallow-kind, having a finall' 
Angle on each Side of the upper Mandible toward its Point j both the upper and 
lower Mandible are of a dufky or black Colour,, and very broad toward the 
Head, whereby the Throat is enlarged; the Noftrils are round, and placed near the 
Forehead : The Eyes are almoft over the Angles of the Mouth, which are cleft 
pretty deep \ at the Bafe of the Bill both above and beneath are whitifh Feathers. The 
Head, upper Part of the Neck, Back, Rump, and Covert-Feathers of the Wings 
are Black, with a fhining Purple Glofs. The Throat and Bread: are cover’d with dark 
grey Feathers - } the Quills of the Wings and the Feathers of the Tail are of a dulky 
Black with brownifh Edges; both Quills and Tail are fomething lighter beneath j 
the Covert-Feathers within Side of the Wings are dufky, with whitifh Edges ; the 
Ridge of the Wing is whitifh j the Sides under the Wings are dufky. The Belly,, 
Thighs, and Covert-Feathers under the Tail are White, a little clouded with a dulky, 
Colour. The Legs, Feet and Claws of a dark or blackifh Colour. The Legs and 
Toes longer than in our Black Martin or Swift , the Legs are not feather’d, nor the 
Toes handing all forward as in the Swift ; but three are forward and one backward j- 
the middle and outer Toe being join’d as far as the fird Joint. 
This Bird was brought from Hudfotfs-Bay by Mr. IJham , and I believe it differs from any 
Thing yet defcribed, tho’ on a fuperficial View it may very eafily be taken for our Black Martin 
or Swift: Yet in the Bill and Feet I find a very material Difference. Pofiibiy it may be the Ta¬ 
pera of Marcgrave ; See his Hiflory of Brafil , P. 205. Mr. Catesby , in his Natural Hiflory 
of Carolina , hath figured and defcribed two American Swallows altogether different from this, 
the one figur’d, Vol. I. P. 51. call’d the Purple Martin , the other Vcl. II. in the Appendix, • 
P. 8. call’d the American Swalloiv. Sir Hans Sloane has alfo mentioned a Swallow in his Na¬ 
tural Hiflory of Jamaica , which he imagines may be the fame with our Black Martin or Swift . 
I think it mud appear very plain to Naturalifls, that the above defcribed differs fpecifically 
from our Swift. The Name the Northern Americans give it is Safhaun Pajhu. 
The Fly, I take to be a Kind of Fire-Fly, and that Part on his Head, the Lanthorn. The 
Wings are all flat, and the upper ones hard and fmooth like thofe of the Beetle or Scarab^i 
Kind, of which it is a Species. The Body and lower Wings are Orange-Colour, except the 
Tips of the Wings, which have a broad Border of Black ; the upper Wings are Green, varie¬ 
gated and fpotted with Yellow ; the yellow Spots and Marks having fmaller Spots within them • 
of an Orange-Colour. The under Side is colour’d and fpotted as the above, but not fo bright,: 
This Fly was brought from China , by Captain lfaac Worth _ 
Thi 
