246 N' A T U R A L H I-§ T O ' R Y
inches and a half from the tip''-of the upper to that iof the under
mandible diftended} the mouth ruddyseolouiefr within, anfrits
depth a full inch and a half; from t-fre. point of'»the bill t'p the
hinder part of the head, one inch-and a half fthe>;$|:was black*
and large in proportion to die bill.; - thp.neqk mithe, pinion of thé;
wing, one inch and a half; from the pinion to* the tip of the Wing,
feven inches j the, tail five inches long, . conflffing-of ten feathers
equal in length; (pur toes, the middle one;;I§ven; .eighths o f
an inch .long, legs only five eighths jsjoot nqt webbed ^||s ,c®lo^
.was betwixt that o f a (parrow-hawk and a woodcock, but the
ground of the whole fomewhat more-ihplining.sto a black: the
weight of this bird was two ounces Mid a half, foüt penny-weights
and two grains. It is very-quiet and torpid by day, but nohy and
clamorous by night. common ppqple call itt,the Night-crow ;
I take it • to be the fern-owl of Shropfhire, called the churn-owl in
Yorkfrire from the noife it makes when it fiks*- the goat-fucker,
the caprimulgus of Ray, Syn. page 2 and 2.6. Rayls Willughby, page
i p jK! I have given a drawing of this bfrd.FL xx®v^ig«?.xifi»; where,
every part being done by mealurement,, frym^igive feme parts
more exaét (or more particular at leaft) than that in. .the fore-
mentioned author, Tab. xiv. It is found moftly.in woods and
mountainous places, in the Peak of Derby, in. Yorklhire, and
Shropfhire, and Ibme other places, but rarely in Cornwall;
The fheld-apple or crols-bill, as Mr. Ray calls it, (Synopf. page
86) or fhell-apple, as Dr. Plot, (Staffbrdlhire, page .,2.34) . k feldom
feen in Cornwall;' but -in Mr. Carew’s time, a-•flaeJk.,of; them
coming about the time of harveft, made great daftrudtion among
the apples, Car. page 26. In, the autumn they lometimes, though
rarely, come into England, but never continue the whole year, or
breed in our ifland.
The upupa, hoope, or hoopoe, Plate xxiv. Fig. xiv. was killed
in the parifh of St. Juft, Penwith, in Cornwall : In (bme particulars
it difiêred from Mr. Ray’s Willughby; there was no red in its
neck, all of a light chefiiut; the eight firft feathers of the wing,
as to the ground, quite black; five were crofïèd or barred, the
other three (potted near the fummjt with white.} the remaining
feathers crofted with five white bars; the upper covering feathers
of the wing not (b black, but inclining to the chefiiut 5 the reft as
in Mr. Ray’s Willughby, page 145. It was hear the bignefs of a
fhipe: it is rarely feen in Cornwall.
The green wood-pecker, or picus Martins, is a beautiful bird,
remarkable for its vermilion crown on the head, and the different
(hades of green in its body and wings, which rife from a deep mixture
o f brown through four intermediate tints, till it ends in a fine
light
O 'F C O R N W A L L , 247.
light-pink yellow. The ftruâure of the mufcles by which this bird
is enabled to dart forth its tongue Upon infeâs, (its proper food)
and recover it again into its (heath, is admirable, and may be . read;
at large- in Ray’s Willughby- .page 136 : the legs are very (hort
but ftrong, and the toes (land two forwards arid two backwards,
enabling them (fuitably to their determined cburfe or life) to climb
trees, and fix their footing firmly on boughs, to which atfo the
ftifihèfs of thdi^tail-feathers ftdfe' 'à little éondüce. Ray?éCreat. page
143. The prefent (pecimen, Plate xxiv. Fig. xv. was killed at
Codolphin,Oftober 1 1 ,1 7
The golden-crowned wren, Regulus crifiàtus. Ædrovdndi^ woöd-*
titöloufe of Gdher|JRäy’s Wiidghby) p&ge 343. Raÿlf
page fofy thfe leaft bird I have yet feefrun Cornwall, remàrkâblè for
its beautiful faftforil-cdlbured and fcarlet’cfe% arid fmallnefs'b'frfrs
bódy-----Bv the’(cale of the toft, Plate -FigT^ViL'
- The PittHl (Câtefby, Append, page and plate '1 4 )' ’Ur little Pe-
téril of Edwards' (page arid met witfe-htefo}
â® may be feen Plate 'kxnt. F f e x . ih the explication öf which it
will be further taken niotlce of.
O f Water and feä-föwls, • that wé fhould havé à g^eat variety in
Cornwall is nö wonder, éonfiderirtg the gréât extent o f oUrfhoTes.
Here We' have coots, (ànderliri'gs, (Which, from the’^êitó‘th ^ iriâké
when flying, ëfnptifÏMs
gtfeàt abundance in their fealon, and ésmiémëly fat, but of (b fi(hy
â'tâftfe, that (bine have (alted them to eat as fi(hs, all forts df gulls,
rrieWs, fäfrocks, gännets, liiufres,- heron, bittern, lapwing, cutliewj
bernacle, (hagg (in the north called the Crane,: (ays Mr. Ray, Sÿîii
p8g© • We • • have alfo the didapper,! to Whole iftftâtitanëoüë
plunge into the lea after its prey, Virgil fo well compares the de-
(cent of MëtfcUrÿ from Heaven to-Carthage. 5
Hie primum paribus nitens Gyllenius alls
Gonfiitit, hinc toto proeceps fe corpore ad undos
Mifetavi fimilis quoe circum litt or a, circum
Pifcofos fcopulos humilis volat cequora juxia. Æn. iv. ver. 253.
O f mifcoloured birds, I have known a white thru(h, (the Merula
vulgar^ Ray’s Willughby, page 190)* kept for (bme time.. It
Was living in the year 1724, in the poflêflàon of John Bennett,
blackfmitn, of Ludgvan ; a white ruddock, or robin-red-bfeaft, in
the pofleflion of the late Reverend Mr; Collins, vicar o f St. Erth,
in 1 754} but I (hall be more particular in noting the, deviations o f a
white woodcock’s feathers : It was brought to me January 1,1739 »
at the infertion- of the bill it had a fmall cinereous tuft of feathers
•f Not Curwillet, as in Mr: Ray’s Syn: page'ïö'9> 2d edit. * C . page j ' . ' ,
half