red; the rump and belly are white. The beak has a regular curve downward, and is soft at the point. This bird's flesh may challenge for flavour and delicacy that of any other waterfowl, and the people of Suffolk say proverbially : A Curlew, be she white, be she black, but we must confess that the quality and goodness of their flesh depends on their manner of feeding, and the season in which they are caught. When they dwell on the sea-shore, they acquire a kind of rankness, which is so strong, that, unless they are basted on the spit with vinegar, they are not agreeable eating. Is about the size of the lapwing: the head, back, and coverts of the wings are black, with tips of a greenish gray; the chin white; the throat spotted with brown or dusky spots; the breast, belly, and thighs white. The taste of the flesh, when the bird is caught in the proper season, is delicate and savoury; otherwise it is hard, and has a strong and rank flavour. The Green Plover is about the size of the former. The colour of the whole upper side is black, thick set with yellowish green spots; the breast brown, with spots as on the back; the belly is white. The flesh is sweet and tender, and therefore highly esteemed as a choice dish, in this and all other countries. Is proverbially accounted a foolish bird, and it is hardly possible to decide why, or upon what ground. Its length is about ten inches; the bill is not quite an inch long, and is black. The forehead is mottled with brown and gray; the top of the head is black; and over each eye there is an arched line of white. The back and wings are a light brown; the breast is a pale dull orange; the middle of the belly black, and the rest of the belly and the thighs are of a reddish white. The tail brown, black towards the end, and tipped with white. This bird seems to be migratory, and makes his appearance in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Derbyshire in April, but soon leaves those counties and retires in June to places which are totally unknown. In April, and sometimes in September, they are seen in Wiltshire and Berkshire. They are generally caught, like other birds, by night; when, dazzled by the light of a torch, they are at a loss to know where to fly for safety, the whole place being in darkness, except the very spot which they should avoid. Many and most ridiculous stories have been propagated about the gestures of this bird, endeavouring to imitate the actions of the fowler, and thereby falling into the snare laid for him; but they ought to be entirely exploded. Is larger than the plover, and is also called the MoorHen. The breast is of a lead colour, and the belly inclining to gray or ash colour; the back all over blackish. As she swims or walks, she often flirts up her tail. They feed upon watery grass and roots, and upon the small insects which adhere to them; they grow fat, and their flesh is esteemed for its taste next to that of the teal; yet it is seldom that you can deprive it entirely of its fishy taste. They build their nests upon low trees and shrubs by the water side, breeding twice or thrice in the course of a summer; the eggs are white with a tincture of green, dashed with brown spots. This race is considered by naturalists as the tribe which unites the order of swimmers with that of the waders; for although they have long legs and necks like the latter, yet by being furnished with a slight membrane between their toes, they are enabled to swim like the former. There are very few countries in the world where these birds are not to be found. They generally prefer the cold mountainous regions in summer, and lower and warmer situations during winter. THIS bird has so many traits in its character, and so many features in its general appearance, like the rails and water-hens, that to place it after them seems a natural and easy gradation; it is considered, however, by Linnæus, as a genus distinct from these birds, and from the waders in general, on account of its being fin-footed, and its constant attachment to the waters, which, indeed, it seldom quits. The manner in which they build their nest is very ingenious. They form it of interwoven aquatic weeds, and place it among the rushes, in such a way that it may occasionally rise with, but not be washed away by, the stream; and if ever this accident happens, steady on her nest, the hen does not desert her brood, but follows with them the destiny of the floating cradle. This bird, in the figure and shape of his body, resembles the water-hen, and weighs about twenty-four ounces. The feathers about the head and neck are low, soft, and thick. The colour about the whole of the body is black, but of a deeper hue about the head. The cere rises upon the forehead in a peculiar manner, and appears as if Providence had contrived this sort of helmet as a means of defence. It changes its white colour to a pale red or pink in the breeding season. They are very shy, and seldom venture abroad before dusk. |