other a little way beneath the eye: reft of the plumage black,
with a glofs of violet; but the greater coverts, neareft the body,
are brown, edged with white: on each fide of the lower belly,
and over the thighs, white : the quills and tail are black; the
laft forked : legs black : all the four toes placed before, as in our
Swift, and covered with feathers to the claws.
This bird makes its neft in the houfes at Cayenne. It is of a
large fize, in fhape of a truncated cone; five inches one way, by
three the other, and nine inches in length. It is compofed o f
the down of dogs-bane, well wove together j the cavity divided
obliquely about the middle, lengthways, by a partition, which
fpreads itfelf over that part of the neft where the eggs lie, which
is pretty near the bafe : a fmall parcel of the fame foft down,
forming a kind of plug, is placed over the top, ferving to keep
the young brood from the impreffion of the air; from which we
may fuppofe them to be very tender.
G e n u s XL.V, G O A T S U C K E R .
N* r. Grand G.
2. Jamaica G.
3. Grey G.
4. Carolina G.
5. European G.
6. Virginia G.
7. White-throated G.
8. Rufous G.
N° 9. Guiana G.
10. Brafilian G.
11. White-collared G.
12. White-necked G.
13. Sharp-tailed G.
14. American G.
15. Gold-collared G.
TH E bill in this genus is very fhort, and hooked at the end.
Gape vaftly wide: on the edges of the upper mandible
feven or more ftiff briftles.
Tongue fmall j entire at the end.
The tail confifts of ten feathers, and not forked.
Legs fhort: toes united by a membrane as far as the firft
joint j the claw of the middle toe broad edged, and in moft of
the fpecies ferrated *.
But one of the genus inhabits the whole of the old continent
and its contiguous iflands: all the others are natives of the new.
The manners of them not greatly differing from thofe of the
European fpecies.
* In the two firft fpecies it is not foj and in fome of the others the circunr-
ftance is doubtful, at leaft it is not mentioned.
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