( J» )
The Smecbatter. Rubetra; •
. Numb. LII.
IT S Length from the tip of the Bill to the end of the Tailh five inches;
Breadth, when the Wings are expanded, eight Inch® and a
. half; Weight eight Drams. "The upper Chap is a little .longer than the
nether, and a little crooked ; the Tongue cloven,; the Irides of the Eyes
hazel coloured: The Legs, Feet and Claws black; the outer Toe grows
to the middle one below, as in the other finali Birds. The Head is
great, in the Cock ahnoft wholly black, as .is aliò the Throat under the
Bill; in the Hen it is parti-colour’d of black and dirty red: The upper
part of the Neck is black, on each-Side it is mark’d with a white Spot,fo
that the Bird feems to have a Ring of white about its Neck: The middle
of the Back is black, only the outermoft Edges of the Feathers arefulvous;
above thè Rump is ¡a white Spot ; the BreafKs of yellowiih red or pale
* orange Colour, the Belly of the feme Colour but paler.
In the Female the Feathers of the Head, Neck and Back are red inclining
to green, having their middle parts black ; the Rump is red ; the
Chin of a pale aih Colour: It hath a whitiih Spotoneach fide the Neck;
the Breaft is of a deeper, but the Belly of like Colour with the Cocks.
The prime Feathers of the Wings are in number eighteen, all dusky,
excepting the two next the Body which have a white Spot at bottom;
the Edges Of all are red; all the covert Feathers of the Wings have aHo
; red Edges : The Wings in both Sexes are adorned with a white Spot m
the Feathers next the Back. , _ .
The Tail is near two Inches long, and confifts of twelve Feathers not
forked and black; the'tip and exteriorWebofthe outermoft Feather on each
fide are white. It hath a Gall-Bladder ; a Stomach not very fleihy, in which
when differed was found Beetles and other Infeéts j its blind Guts were
ihort, tumid and round. -
This Bird is found for the moft part on Heaths, and is very querulous.
Tht