638 
PAR 
PAR 
lie ufed to eat often by night and day, though con¬ 
tented with old cheefe, milk, coarfe bread, fmall beer, 
and whey; and, which is more remarkable, that he ate 
at midnight a little before he died. His kidneys were 
covered with fat, and pretty found ; not the lead appear¬ 
ance there was of any ftony matter either in the kidneys 
or bladder. His bowels were alfo found. His fpleen 
very little, hardly equalling the bignefs of one kidney. 
In Ihort, all his inward parts appeared fo healthy, that, 
if he had not changed his diet and air, he might perhaps 
have lived a good while longer. The caufe of his death 
was imputed chiefly to the change of food and air; for- 
afmuch as, coming out of a clear thin and free air, he 
came into the thick air of London; and, after a conftant 
plain and homely country diet, he was taken into a 
iplendid family, where he fed high, and drank plenti¬ 
fully of the belt wines, whereupon the natural functions 
of the parts of his body were overcharged, his lungs ob- 
llrufted, and the habit of the whole body quite disor¬ 
dered; upon which there could not but enfue a diflolu- 
tion. His brain was found, entire, and firm; and, though 
he had not the ufe of his eyes, nor much of his memory, 
feveral years before he died, yet he had his hearing and 
apprehenfion very well; and was able, even to the 130th 
year of his age, to do any hulbandman’s work, even 
thraftiing of corn.” 
The following Summary of his life is copied from Oldys’s 
MS. notes on Fuller’s Worthies : Old Parr was born 1483 ; 
lived at home until 1500, set. 17, when he went out to 
Service. 1518, tet. 35, returned home from his mailer. 
1512, aet. 39, fpent four years on the remainder of his 
father’s leafe. 1543, set. 60, ended the firfl: leafe he re¬ 
newed of Mr. Lewis Porter. 1563, aet. 80, married Jane, 
daughter of John Taylor, a maiden ; by whom he had 
a Son and a daughter, who both died very young. 1564, 
aet. 81, ended the fecond leafe which he renewed of Mr. 
John Porter. 1585, set. 102, ended the third leafe he 
had renewed of Mr. Hugh Porter. 1588, aet. 105, did 
penance in Alderbury church, for lying with Katharine 
Milton, and getting her with child. 1595, ast. 112, he 
buried his wife Jane, after they had lived 32 years to¬ 
gether. 1605, aet. 122, having lived ten years a wi¬ 
dower, he married Jane, widow of Anthony Adda, 
daughter of John Lloyd of Gilfells, in Montgomeryfhire, 
who Survived him. 1635, set. 152, he died; after they 
had lived together 30 years, and after fifty years pofleflion 
of his laffc leafe. 
PARR’s POINT, a cape on the north-ealt coaft of the 
ifland of St. Chriftopher. 
PAR'RA, a town of Perfia, in the province of Segeftan : 
fixty miles north of Zareng. 
PAR'RA, f. thejACANA; in ornithology, a genus of 
birds of the order grallte. Generic characters—Bill ta¬ 
pering, Somewhat obtufe ; nollrils oval, in the middle of 
the bill ; front covered with lobate Caruncles; the wings 
are fpinous, or Spurred. Sixteen Species are enumerated 
by Gmelin, which are as follow. 
1. Parra Dominica, the St. Domingo jacana ; fo called 
from its being found in that ifland, as alfo in the ifland 
whence it derives its Specific name, and in almoll all the 
warm parts of America. Specific character, claw mode¬ 
rate, legs yellow. The bill is yellow; the caruncle lax, 
and of a pale-yellow colour ; the head and body above are 
of a pale-yellow, beneath it is ochry, inclining to rofy. 
2. Parra Ludoviciana, the Louifianajacana : bill and 
caruncle tawny ; crown black; body above grey-brown, 
beneath ochry. It is about eleven inches long, and is 
found in the country whence it takes its name. The 
quill-feathers are black, mixed with a little grey 5 the 
tail is of a pale yellow, tipt with black; the legs are 
red ; claws black. 
3. Parra Cayanenfis, the Cayenne jacana ; legs reddilh ; 
hind-head brown, with a blackilh creft. It inhabits 
Cayenne, feeds on infeCIs, and is about eight inches and 
a half in length. The bill is red, tipt with black; front 
and chin black ; middle of the crown cinereous; bread 
with a broad black band ; belly and vent white; back 
greenilh-purple ; wings white without; tail from the bafe 
to the middle white, the red black, the tip edged with 
white. 
4. Parra Goenfis, the Goa jacana: caruncle red; legs 
yellow; head, neck, wings, and middle of the tail, 
black ; body beneath white. It is found in or near Goa; 
and is about thirteen inches long. The bill is dulky; 
from the hind part of the eye a black dreak runs through 
the fides of the neck as far as the bread; the back and 
wing-coverts reddifh-brown, the greater ones white; the 
tail is white-at the bafe, and tipt with brown. 
5. Parra Senegalla, the Senegal jacana: claws mode¬ 
rately long, legs red. It is found, as its name imports, 
near Senegal; and is twelve inches long. The bill is of 
a yellowilh-green, tipt with black; the front is white ; 
caruncle lax, and of a pale yellow: chin and throat 
black ; lower part of the belly, tail-coverts, and greater 
wing-coverts, whitilh; quill-feathers black, tipt with 
white. At the bend of the wings is ablackfpur: the 
tail, from the bafe to the middle, is whitilh ; the red 
black, tipt with reddifli; the red of the body and head is 
of a grey-brown. 
6. Parra Chilenfis, the Chilian jacana: claws mode¬ 
rately long; legs brown ; hind-head fub-creded. It in¬ 
habits Chili; and is the fixe of a jay, but with longer legs. 
It feeds on worms and infefts, is noify, and defends it- 
felf by the fpurs on its wings ; it builds in the grafs, and 
lays four tawny eggs, which are fpeckled with black. 
The bill is conical, and about two inches long, a little 
curved at the tip ; the irides are yellowilh ; caruncle two- 
lobed and red ; the neck, back, and fore part of the 
wings, are violet; throat and bread black; wings and a 
Ihort tail brown ; fpurs on the wings yellowilh, conical, 
bony, and about half an inch long. It is a handfome fpecies. 
7. Parra jacana, the chefnut jacana: hind claws very 
long; legs greenilh. This beautiful bird has fpurs on 
the Ihoulders, and Ihreds of membranes on the fore-fide 
of the head ; its toes and nails are extremely long ; all the 
nails are draight, round, and drawn out like needles ; 
and from this circumllance probably it received at St. 
Domingo the appellation of fuvgeon. The fpecies is com¬ 
mon in all the marlhes of Brafil; and alfo in Guiana, and 
St. Domingo. We may prefume that it is likewife found 
in all the tropical parts of America, both on the conti¬ 
nent and in the iflands, as far as New Spain ; though 
Fernandez feems to fpeak of it only from report, lince 
he makes it come from the north, whereas it is really a 
native of the fouth. The head, the neck, and the fore- 
fide of the body, of this bird, are black, tinged with violet; 
the great quills of the wings are greenilh ; the reft of the 
upper furface is fine red chefnut, with a purplifli or fer¬ 
ruginous call: each wing is armed with a pointed fpur 
inlerted in the (houlder, exactly like the fpines of the 
crifped ray-fifli; a membrane, taking its origin at the 
root of the bill, fpreads on the front, and divides into 
three portions, leaving alfo a barbel on each fide. The 
bill is llraight, inflated fomewhat at the point, and of a 
fine yellow jonquil, like the fpurs ; the tail is very Ihort, 
and this charafter, as well as the form of the bill, the tail, 
the toes, and the height of the legs, of which the half is 
covered with feathers, belongs more or lefs to all the fpe¬ 
cies of jacanas. Total length about ten inches: they 
are always found lean ; yet it is faid their flefh is pala¬ 
table and good. 
Thefe birds go commonly in pairs; and, when fepara- 
ted by fome accident, they call each other inceflantly 
till they join again ; a very ftriking inftance of conjugal 
affedlion. They are generally very wild, and the fportf- 
man cannot approach them but by wiles, covering him- 
felf with leaves, or running behind the bulhes or the 
reeds. They are feen regularly in St. Domingo during 
the rainy months of May and November, or Ihortly after; 
yet a few are feen at other times, which would Ihow that 
6 the 
