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ARDEA STELLARIS MINIMA.
The Small Bittern.
The Bill, from the Angle of the Mouth to the End, was a little more than six
Inches long, and black, except some Part of the under Mandible, which
was yellow. The Eyes yellow. A Crest of long green Feathers covers the Crown
of the Head. The Neck and Breast of a dark muddy red. The Back cover'd
with long narrow pale-green Feathers.
The large Quill-Feathers of the
Wing of a very dark green, with a Tincture of purple. All the Rest of the
Wing-Feathers of a changeable shining green, having some feathers edged with
yellow. The Legs and Feet brown. They have a long Neck, but usually sit
with it contracted, on Trees hanging over Rivers, in a lonely Manner waiting
for their Prey, which is Frogs, Crabs, and other small Fish.
I don't remember to have seen any of them in Winter: Wherefore I believe, they retire
from Virginia and Carolina more South.
Fraxinus Carolinensis folijs angustioribus utrinque acuminatis, pendulis.
These Trees are commonly of a mean Size and Height. The Leaves are pointed
at both Ends. The Seeds are winged, and hang in Clusters.
They grow in
low moist Places.
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P E L I C A n u s A M E R I C A N U S
1
W
o o d
P e l i c a n .
h
- - :
T is is about the bigness of a
7
b e
Goose;
the B i ll
is nine
inches and an half long,
and curved to
w a r d s
the en d, and next the Head v e ry big being
six inches and a half in circumference. T he fore-part of the Head is
cover'd with a dark-blewish skin, bare of f feathers, the back-part of the
Th e
Head and Neck brown.
Wings art' large: : all the lower
part of them, from the Shoulders to the ends, particularly the quill fcathers,
appear black at a distance, but are shaded with green: the upper part of
the Wing 1s white: the Tail is black, very short, and fquare at the end; all
the rest of the Body is white. The Legs are black and very long, the Feet
webbed ; not so much as chofc of a Duck, but are joined by a Membrane
reaching to the first joint of every toe, except the hindmost, which has no
Membrane, and is longer than common. That which demonstrates this Bird
to be of the Pelican-kind, is the Pouch under the Btho' it is small, and
contains not more than half a pint. In the latter end of Sum mer there
usually fall great rains in Carojina, at which time numerous Flights of thefe
Birds frequent the open Savannas, which are then under water, and they
retire before No vember. They are very good Eating Fowls, tho' they feed on
Fish and other Water-animals. It is a stupid Bird and
void of fear, easily to be shot.
They fit 1n great numbers on tall
Cyprefs and other Trees in an erect pof ure, resting their pon derous Bills
on their Necks for their greater cafe. I could not perceive any difference 1n
the colours of the Male and Female.
N UME NIUS
ALBUS, The White
Curlew.
H I S is about the Size of a tame Pigeon; the Bill
is six Inches .' ,
and an half long of a pale red
Colour, chanelled from the Ba sis to the Point.
The Iris
of the Eyes are ,gray; the fore-part of the Head, and round
the Eyes, is covered with a light red Skin; four of the
largest Wing-feathers have their
Ends dank green. All the rest of the Bird is white, except
the Legs and Feet which are pale red. The Flesh,
particularly the Fat, is very yellow, of a Saffron colour.
When the great Rains fall, which is ufual at the latter End
of Summer, these Birds arrive in Carolina in great
Numbers, and frequent the low Watery Lands,
The Cock and Hen are alike in Appearance.
Arum aquaticum minus; S. Ari s arum
fluitans pene nudo V
giniaiium, D. Banister
Pluk. Mantiss. 28.
l
T
HIS Plant grows by the Sides of Rivers, and in watery Places; the Root
is tuberous, from which fprings many broad Oval Leaves eight or ten Inches wide,
on thick succulent round Stalks, to the Height of about four Feet. From the Root
alfo shoot forth many of the like Stalks producing blew Flowers at the End of every
Stalk, but as I had not an Opportunity of obferving them more critically while in
Blossom,
I fhall only take Notice that the
Flowers are fucceeded by a Bunch of green Berries clofely connected together,
regularly, in the Manner of a Pine-Apple. Thefe Berries never harden, but drop off
when ripe, being of the Colour, Shape and Consistance of Capers.
N U M E N I U S
F U S C U S
T h e
B r o w n
C u r l e w
This is about the Size of the White Curlew: it has the same
Sort of Bill, with Red round the Bars of it, and Eyes as the white Curlew; the
rest of the Head and Neck of a mixt Gray. The upper part of the Back,
Wings, and Tail, are brown. The lower Part of the Back and Rump white, as
is the Under part of the Body. Tho Legs are reddish like those of the White,
as is likewise its Shape and Size. This near resemblance in them made me
suspect they differ'd only in Sex, but by opening them I found Testicles in
both the Kinds.
The Flesh of this is dark, having not that yellow Colour
which is in the White Curlew. They both feed and associate in Flocks, yet
the white are twenty times more numerous than the brown Kind. In the
Gizzard were Crawfish.
Both these Kinds, accompanied with the Wood
Pelicans, come annually about the middle of September, and frequent the
watery Savannas in numerous Flights, continuing about Six Weeks, and then
retire, and are no more seen until that time next Year. In many of the Hens
of the white Kind were Clusters of Eggs; from which I imagine they retire
somewhere South to breed; Carolina at that time of the Year would probably
be too cold for that Work of Nature, it being much colder in the same
Latitude in that Part of the World than in Europe.
Very little or no
Difference appear in the Feathers of the Cock and Hen.
Arum Sagitariae folio angusto, acumine & auriculis
acutissimis.
This Plant grows in Ditches and shallow Water to the
Height of three or four Feet, with many Arrow-headed Leaves, on long
succulent Stalks springing from a tuberous Root, from which also shoot
forth large round Stalks, at the End of each of which grows in a hanging
posture a large roundish green Seed Vessel or Capsula, containing
many globular green Berries of different bigness, some of the Size of
Musket Bullets, and others but half as big; this Seed Vessel (which is
about the Size of a Hen's Egg) when mature opens on both Sides, and
discloses the Seeds, which are green and tender when ripe. I have
seen the Indians boil them with their Venison. They were excessive hot
and adstringent in my Mouth, while green, but when boiled they lost
those Qualities, and were very palatable, and, as they said, wholesome.
They are ripe in July.
N U M E N I U S R U B E R
The R e d C u r l e w
Is a larger Bird than the precedent, being about the
bigness of a common Crow. The Bill is in form like
that of other Curlews, and of a pale red colour: on
the fore - part of the Head, and round the Eyes, is
a skin of the same colour as the Bill, and bare of
feathers : the Legs are likewise of a pale red
colour: about an inch of the end the Wings are
black all the rest of the Bird is red.
These Birds frequent the Coasts of the Bahama Islands and other
parts of America between the Tropicks, and are seldom seen to the
North or South of the Tropicks. The Hens are of a dirtier red than
the Cocks.