■( II4 ) 
Vv/here thefe Birds abound, and the Coafls in many Places have Clefts and RockV 
ieemingly as convenient for them to breed in as any on the Weftern Coafls of Eng-^ 
land. I have alfo obferved the Hen Birds of a great Number of Species to be of a 
Brown or Clayey Colour, where the Cocks of the fame Species are covered with beauti¬ 
ful colour’d Feathers of a, very great Luflre : It is very obfervable in the Eiick Kind, , 
that the Males are mofl of them remarkable for beautiful Colours, and the Females, „ 
almofl all of them, of Brownifh or Earthy Colours. We may remark the fame Thing 
in many Land Birds, as the PeacGck^ who is remarkable for fhining Colours, whereas 
the Hen is of a dirty Brown, with little or no Luflre. The fame Difference may be 
obferved between the Males and Females of all the Pheafant Kind^ and of many 
other Tribes of Birds, This Difference feems to proceed from a providential Defigti • 
of Nature ^ feeing the Hen Birds, when they hatch their Young, fit on the Earth, 
and are many of them expofed to the open Sky, to the View of noxious Beafls and 
Birds of Prey, which would prefently difcover them, were they of glaring Colours 
much differing from the Earth on which they fit; but by being of an Earthy Colour, 
and drawing their Heads clbfe to their Bodies, they appear like rude. Clods of^Earth, 
and deceive the Eyes both of Man and • Beafl, by which' Means they are preferved 
from Deflrudion. 
If Travellers would be at a little Expence of Thought and Labour, I believe we 
might come to fome tolerable Knowledge in Relation to the Paffage of, Birds, which 
is now very obfcure to us. In order to forward fuch Knowledge, Lfhall here point 
out fuch Authors as have faid any Thing on that Subjedl, and join to them fuch little.. 
Obfervations as I have made. There was publifhed fomc Years ago by Mr. Charles.: 
Morton, without Date, and ffnee republifhed in the Harleian Mifccllany, Vol. IL . 
Page 558.. an ingenious, tho’> I think chimerical. Account of the Paffage of Birds, 
which fuppofes them to - go to the Moon, or fome invifible aerial Ifland fixed above . 
our Atmofphere, with fome other fuch like Conjedlures. Dr. in his Travels, 
or Obfervations on 6cc. has given us fome Light as to the Paflage of the 
Stork, which I fliall here borrov/ from him. Page 428. ‘‘ The Ibis, that was once 
known to every Family [in Egypt'\ is now become exceeding rare, tho’ the Want 
“ of it is fufficiently fupplied by the Stork-, for, befides a great Number of thefe Birds, 
that might undoubtedly efcape my Notice, I faw in the Middle of April (1722) 
(our Ship lying then at Anchor under Mount Carmel) three Flights of them, each . 
*■* of which took up more than three Hours in pafling by us, extending themfelves at 
the fame Time more than half a Mile in Bfeadth; . they were then leaving Egypt 
(where the Canals and Ponds, that are annually left by the Nile, were become 
dry) and diredled themfelves towards N. E. It is obferved of the Storks, that for. 
“ about the Space of a Fortnight before they pafs from one Country to another, they 
“ conflantly refort together, from all the circumjacent Parts, to a. certain Plain, and 
there forming themfelves once every Day ihto.a Dou-wanhe (according to the Phrafe 
of the People) and are faid ,to determine the exadt Time of their Departure, and 
the Places of their future Abodes Thofe that Sequent the Marfhes of Barbary 
“ appear about three Weeks fboner than the Flights above-mentioned were obferv- 
“ ed to do, tho’ they likewife are fuppofed to come from Egypt, whither alfo they 
return a little after the Autumnal Equinox, the Nile being then retired within 
