( 105 ) 
’The Bill of the Egyptian Ibis, and the leaf Humming Bird. 
H E upper Figure reprefents the Bill of the Ibis of its natural Bignefs, as It was taken out of an em- 
balmed Subjedl (brought from ^gypt) in the Prefence of his Grace the Duke of Richmond. The Bill 
is in Depth and Width near the fame, being quite round all its Length : Its Appearance in its dry State was 
fomething rough; the Bone or folid Part was of a Reddilh Brown-colour, like other decay’d Bones ot 
Animals: It was for the greateft Part cover’d with a duiky Skin, which was peeled off at both Ends j it was 
a little jagged where it joined to the Head, neverthelefs the extream Parts toward the Head fhew it of 
its full Length. The Point of the Bill was perfedl both above and beneath. By preferving this Fragment 
the Curious, may perhaps hereafter difcover the Bird that was fo famous among the antient Mgyptians. The 
Academy Royal of Paris have given the Defcription of a white Ibis^ whofe Bill feems to agree well enough 
with this, except that it is as it were cut off at the End, which they take to be natural, though I am of 
Opinion that itmuft be accidental; They defcribe the Bill thus, “ The Beginning of it was of a clear Yellow, 
“ which growing infenhbly ftronger, became of a Gold-colour, very deep at the Extremity ; the Surface 
“ of the Beak was fmooth, and polifhed like Ivory or Horn ; when fhut it feemed perfedfly round externally, 
“ and inwardly a Canal was formed of the fame Shape ; the two Parts thus joined, left a little Opening at 
“ the End to let out the Sea Water, which they fay it wafhes itfelf with ; the Sides of the Beak were 
“ Iharp and hard, like all the reft of it, of a Firmnefs capable to cut Serpents in two, as it is reported it 
** does.” They fay this Bird was brought from Mgypt, and lived feveral Months at Verfailles. —See its 
whole Defcription in Memoirs de VAcademic Royale des Sciences^ depuis 1666, jufqu’a 1699, Tome 3. 
troifieme Partie, p. 58. T>r. Sha^v, in his Travels or Obfervations on &c. fays, p. 428. the 
that was once known to every Family [in Mgypt,] is now become exceeding rare ; though the Want of it is 
fufficiently fupply’d by the Stork. In the Appendix to the fame Work, the Dodlor has given Part of the lower 
Beak in a Figure taken from an embalmed Subjedl, but through fome Miftake it is called the upper', 1 fuppofe 
it an Error of the Prefs : Some of the Bones of the Ibis are figured alfo in the faid Appendix, p. 65. Thofe 
who would compare the Black Ibis of Bellonius with the White, may fee him tranflated by our Countryman, 
Mr. Willoughby, in his Ornithology, p. 288. In Pifo's Hiftory of Brazil there feem to be deferib’d two 
Species of the Ibis, the firft p. 191. call’d Curicaca, the other p. 200. call’d Jabiru. 
ij- ijf iji •[i 35^ ^ i'i ^4 1*4 ijj ■J4 iJ4 ■••4 fjj fJ4 ij; iJ4 iJ4 ^ i*4 *^4 **4 ^ ^ ijfi ^4 iJ4 yj4 fJ4 yj4 ^4 9^ yji !J4 ^4 ••4 ••4 ^4 i"!* 9*4 i*4 ^4 ^4 
H E leaft Humming Bird is here figured of its natural Bignefs and Shape. The Bill, and whole upper 
Side ot the Head, Neck, Body, Wings, and Tail, are of a dirty Brown-colour, yet in the Sun-fhine there 
is a fraall Glofs of a golden Green-colour, which ftrikes not the Eye in common Lights ; the under Side of 
the Head, Neck, and the Belly, are of a dirty White ; the outfide Feathers of the Tail are alfo White; the 
Legs and Feet are Black. All this Tribe of Birds have a very fine Tube or Pipe, which they can extend 
out of their Mouths beyond the Point of the Bill; thefe Tubes feem to part in two very fmall ones, at their 
Extremities; with this Pipe they fuck the Juices out of Flowers: The Egg of this Bird, as I fuppofe, is 
figured with it of its natural Size ; it is of a White-colour. The Bird, when dry’d, weighed no more than 
five Grains. I take it to be the fame with the fmalleft Humming Bird of Sir Hans Sloane’s Hiftory of Ja^ 
maica, vol. 2d, p. 307. where he fays that it weighed not over twenty Grains when juft killed. Mr. Ben¬ 
jamin Cowel obliged me with this Bird, and Mr. P. Colinfon with the Egg; they were brought from Ja¬ 
maica. 
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np H E Beetles here figured, are of their natural Bignefs; I fuppofe the uppermoft to be the Male, and the 
lower the Female ; Their Shape differs in nothing except the Sharpnefs and Length of,the Horns in the 
Male, they being blunter and fhorter in the Female: The Male is all over of a dark Brown or Copper- 
colour, with a Gold-like ftiining Glofs; his Eyes are Red. The Female is Black and Glofley, her Eyes are 
alfo Red. 
My obliging Friend, Dr. Matthezv Lee, Fellow of the College of Phyficians, furnifhed me with thefe 
Beetles ; they were brought from the Eaji Indies. Mr. Petever feems to have two Figures of the Male in his 
Works, one of which he fays came from Borneo. 
T here U on one Side of this Plate a Scale of Six Inches of the Evglijh Foot. As there is a French Tranflation 
of this Work defign’d, it may be ufeful, in Foreign Parts, to know the juft Quantity of Meafure I have made Ufe 
of throughout this Work ; but it is to be noted that, for Want of Exadtnefs, the fix Inches, in the Whole, over-meafure 
fix of our Standard Inches about the fixteenth Part of an Inch, which is not very material. The different flrrinking of 
thick and thin Papers will alfo make fome very fmall Diffeience, 
P 
