
a 
CAPUT PHOENICOPTERI NATURALIS MAGNITUDINIS — 
The Bill of the Flamingo in its full 
— Dimenfions. os 
Need not attempt to defcribe the 
iy Texture of the Bill otherwife than. 
Dr. Grew has done in his Mu/. R 
Soc. p. 67. His Words are thefe: 
“ The Figure of each Beak is truly 

ae before, plain or flat, and pointed 
“ like a Sword, ana with the Extremity bended a 
“ little down; within, it hath an Angle or fhar 
“ Ridge, which runs all along the Middle. At the — 
G6 
Top of the Hyperbole, not above a quarter of an 
66 ly. 
© eighth Part ofan Inch deep. An admirable Inven- 
“ tion of Nature; by the Help of which, and of the 
“ fharp Ridge abovementioned, this Bird holds his 
“ flippery Prey the fafter.” _ Mat ea 
When they feed (which is always in fhallow Wa- 
ter) by bending their Neck, they lay the upper part 
of their Bill next the Ground, their Feet being in 
continual Motion up and down in the Mud; by 
-. which Means they raifea {mall round Sort of Grain, 
refembling Millet, which they receive into their 
Bill. And as there isa Neceffity of admitting into 
_ their Mouths fome Mud, Nature has provided the 
Edges of their Bill with a Sieve, or Teeth, like 
thofe of a fine Comb, with which they retain the’ 
Food, and reje& the Mud that is taken ‘in with it. 
This Account I hai from Perfons of Credit ; but I 
never faw them feeding my felf, and therefore can- 
not abfolutely refute the Opinion of others, who fay, 
they feed on Fifh, particularly Eels, which feem. 
to be the flippery Prey Dr. Grew fays the Teeth are 
contrived to hold. : | 
- this Bird in PAi/. Trans. No. 550. 
ae 
e 
_ Le Bec du Flamant de fa grandeur — 
| naturelle. 
We) L, weft pas necefjaire que j entreprenne 
pee de décrive la forme de fon bec, aus 
Seay) trement que le Dr- Grew ne la faite 
1 bese] dans Pcuvrage intitulé,Mus. R. p. 67. 
g| Vict fes propres paroles. “ La fix 
“= gare de chaque mandibule eft veri- 
“ tablement hyperbolique. Celles de deffus eff réle- 
vée par derriere ; plate par devant; pointué comme. 
une épee, &F un peu courbée a fon extremité. Elle d 
en dedans un angle, ou un filet, fort etroit, gus 





socal Td 
| | “ sétend depuis un bout julques a Lautre, a [é- 
“ Inch high. The lower Beak in the fame Place ee ae 
“above one Inch high, hollow, and the Margins. “ d2 pouce au haut de Vhyberbole. La mandibule 
“ ftrangely expanded inward, for the Breadth of © tt ¢ 
“¢ above a quarter of an Inch, and fomwhat convex- — 
They are both furnifhed with black Teeth, 
“ as I call them, from their Ufe, of an unufual Fi-_ 
“ gure; fcz’. flender, numerous, and parrallel, as in ~ 
“ Ivory-Combs ; but alfo very fhort, fcarce the — 
pare par le millien >, w ayant pas plus dun quart — 
inférieure eft dans le méme endrott de plus dun 
pouce dépailjeur, vuidée, &5 ayant les bords éten- 
dus vers le.dedans ‘dune maniére fort étrange, de — 
la lavgeur de plus dun quart de pouce, &F un pen 
convexes. Elles font tcutes deux garnies de dents 
‘acires, car Ceft ainfi que jé les appelle a caufe de 
“ leur ufage. Ces dents font dune figure extraor- 
“ dinaive, minces, en grand nombre, &f paralelles” 
“oe 
“ax WN 
(74 
“ courtes, ayont a peine wi guart de pouce de pro- 
 fondeur ; invention admirable dela Nature, par 
“ te moyende laquelle, &§ du filet ci-deffus.mentionné, 
“ cet oifeau tient plus ferme ja proye gliffante. 
— Lorfoviis mangent &F eft toujours. dens une eau 
baffe, en pluyant le cou, ils font.toucher ala terre la 
partie {uperieure de leur bec. Leurs piec’s cependant 
Je remuent fans ceffe en haut 8&9 en bas, dans la 
vale ; &% par ce moyen ils élévent une petite graine 
ronde qui reffemble au millet: Is la recorvent dans 
leur bec. Et comme ils ne peuvent sempécher dy re- | 
cevoir en méme temps un peu de limon, la nature & 
garni les Lords de leur bec un crible, ou de dents, 
commes celle d'un peigne fin; par le moyen defquelles 
€ 
ils retiennent leur nourriture, 8&9 rejettent le li- 
men gut.eft entré avecelle. Ceftce que] ai appris 
_de perfcnnes dignes de foi, cer je wat jamais vu mol-~ 
méme ces oifedux manger. Ceft pourquoije ne {cau-" 
vos rcfuter abfoliment Lop.nin de ceux qui difent 
gu ils fe nourifjent de poiljon, °F fur tout d’anguilles 5 
aos kil femble que ceft que le Dr. Grew a entendu par 
The accurate Dr. James Douglafs hath obliged 
the World with a curious and ample Defcription of 
cette proyegliljante,qu.it dit que leurs dents font faites 
our retenir. I’exad Dr. Jacques Douglats, a pud- 
lié une omrle &F curieufe defcrittion de cet oifeau’ 
dans Jes Phil. Trans.. No.350; 
Keratophyton fruticis [pecie, nigrum: 
HIS Species differs from the former, in thatit is black, 
and hath a large Stemlikethe Trunc of a Tree, which 
rifes up thro’ the Middle of the Plant, and fends out feveral' lar- 
ger Branches, from which arife the fmaller Twigs, which are 
more crooked and flender than thofe of the preceeding: So that 
in the Whole it refembles a Tree without Leaves. © oe 
‘This grows to Rocks in the fame Places with the preceeding. 
is 
(NETT E efpéce differe de la précédente en ce quelle eff noire, 
& quelle a une groffe tige, comme le tromc d'un arbre, qui 
paffe par le milieu. de toute la plante, & envoye ees groffes 
branches, dou fortent les petits rejettons, qui font plus tortus, 8 
plus minces que ceux de Tefpéce precédente; en forte que celle-ci refs 
femble en gros a un arbre fans feuilles. Eile vient fur des rocs dam 
les mémes endroits que la précédente. ee 
‘ comme celles dun peigne divoire; de pins, fort — 


