{ 96 ) 
l~'he Black Whit E Dobchick, and the Eared Dobchick. 
^’"" 1 ^ H E firft of thefe Birds, reprefented by the Front Figure in the Print, is about 
the Bignefs of a Teal : Its Bill, from the Point to the Angles of the Mouth, 
is an Inch and a Qmirter long ; the Wing, when clofed, is five Inches and a Qi^arten 
This I call the black white Dobchick : The other, reprefented fwimming, is lefs than 
the firfi:, yet it fomething exceeds the common dccid fmalleji Dobchick-, its Bill, from the 
Point to the Angle of the Mouth, meafures a little above an Inch; the Wing, when 
clofed, was four Inches three Quarters long : This I have called the eared Dobchick. 
The black and white Dobchick hath the Bill ftraight and fliarp at the Point, of a Black 
Colour, except the Edges of the upper Mandible next the Head, and the Root or Bafis 
of the lower, w'bich are Red; the Circle round the Eye is of a bright Red-colour; 
there is a bare Skin pafies from the Side of the upper Bill to the Eye of a fine deep Red- 
colour, and above the Skin on each Side a white Spot; the Top of the Head is Black, 
with a greenifli Glofs, but, not very bright: The upper Side of the Neck, Back, 
Rump, and Wings, are of a pretty deep Black, yet the Wings are edged with White, 
about the Ridge or Joint, and the Tips of the middle Quills are White, which form a 
white Bar acrofs the Wing ; the covert Feathers within Side of the Wings are White ; 
it hath no Appearance of a Tail; the under Side of the Head and Neck is White, as 
is the whole Belly and Sides under the Wings, tho’ the lower Belly about the fetting 
on of the Legs is fpotted with Black ; the Legs are placed at the very Extremity of the 
Body, fo that it cannot ftand but in an ered: Poffure ; the Legs and Feet are of a pur- 
plifh Flefh-colour within, and a dirty Green without Side ; it hath four Toes fianding in 
the ufual Manner, all disjoined, yet have they lateral Fins on each Side of them all, ex¬ 
cept the little hind Toe, which has only a fingle Fin beneath it; it hath broad flat Claws 
like Imman Nails; the Legs are very flat one Way, and broad another, as the ffand- 
ing of the Figure is calculated to exprefs; the hind Part of the Leg is toothed like a Saw; 
the Toes are fo formed with their Webs to fhut up like a Fan, that they may be drawn 
with Eafe through the Water, and open again when the Bird ftrikes : The Graving 
in the Legs and Feet particularly exprefs the Scaling in all their Divifions. 
The Dared Dobchick hath the Bill ftraight and fliarp-pointed, of a Black Colour, ex¬ 
cept the Tip of the lower Mandible, which is Whitifh ; thtirides of the Eyes are Red ; 
from behind the Eyes on each Side proceeds a Tuft of loofe long Feathers, of a reddifli 
Yellow-colour, which either lie on the Sides of the Neck, or with the Motion of the 
Bird flow backward, as expreflbd in the Figure: The Head and Neck are Black, yet in 
the Throat a few white Spots are intermixed; the whole upper Side is of a blackifh 
Brown, except the Ridge of the Wing about the Joint and the Tips of the middle Quills, 
which are White, as in the above defcribed; the inner Coverts are alfo White, as alfo 
the Breafl and Belly : Where the Dark on the upper Side, and the White on the low¬ 
er, join, there is intermixed and broken into each Colour, the whole Length of the 
Bird, a reddifh Yellow-colour; it is tailles-, the Legs and Feet are formed like the above, 
but the dirty Green-colour prevails more in this. 
Of the firfi; defcribed of thefe Birds I found feveral in the Markets of London^ in the 
hard Winter, 1739, having never feen or heard of it till then. The fecond was taken a- 
bout the large Ponds at Ha}?ip/iead, near London^ and fent alive to Sir Dans Shane^ who, 
when it died, fent it to me, that a Draught of it might be preferved. I had both thefe 
Birds foon after they were dead, before the Colour of their Eyes or Feet were any thing 
changed. I cannot find any Defcriptions that agree with either of them. The 
